TPP has very little to do with free trade, we already have trade agreements with 6 of the other 11 countries that are part of the TPP. Trade barriers are already very low, so if these countries wanted to import more US dairy products or anything else, there is little to stop them.
CAGJ & C2C Co-Host USFSA & Food Sovereignty Prize in Seattle
Last week, representatives of over 20 organizations gathered in Seattle and Bellingham for several days of dialogue, action, and celebration of the growing food sovereignty movement. The Encounter, co-hosted by Community Alliance for Global Justice and Community to Community Development was a national gathering of the US Food Sovereignty Alliance (USFSA). On Saturday, we honored Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa and Farmworkers Association of Florida as recipients of the 8th Annual Food Sovereignty Prize, awarded by the USFSA.
Farm Aid and Dairy Farmers Meet USDA Officials in DC
Several dairy farmers and staff of various farm organizations met on September 15, Thursday in Washington with officials of the USDA in meetings and events organized by Farm Aid. Introducing the events was the Farm Aid Executive Director, Carolyn Mugar.
Genetically engineered crops part and parcel of decline of rural communities
And don’t be surprised, as American consumers increasingly reject GE technology, corporate agribusiness and our government will force GE crops on the rest of the world. That, it seems, is one more aspect of American Exceptionalism.
RAFI-USA and Dudley Butler Describe the Ridiculous Nature of Contract Poultry Farming
NFFC member organization RAFI-USA offers in-depth analysis of the situation in which many contract poultry growers find themselves today. Sally Lee’s recent blog states: “In 2015, people consumed 112,000,000 metric tons of chicken globally. That’s an unfathomable quantity. So here’s one way to visualize it: That amounts [to] the weight of two-thirds of all the cars on the road today in the United States—in chickens.”
Sustainable, a film about farming the way it should be
The film got it, spot on. The big message, spelled out in interviews and footage of small farmers doing their thing contrasted with big farms and big feed lots doing their un-sustainable thing, –-we need to seriously reconsider what we eat, how it is grown, who grows it, if the food system should solely be an engine of profit for big agribusiness, if yield and profit should be the only measure of success, or if there are other things to consider.
Pro Ag Organization Holds Successful Hearing for Dairy Farmers
Sixteen dairy farmers testified at last Tuesday’s milk hearing held at Perkins Restaurant in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. According to Arden Tewksbury, Manager, Pro-Ag, “The dairy farmers told it like it is down on the farm.” The hearing was attended by aides to Senator Bob Casey’s office, Senator Pat Toomey’s office, Rep. Lou Barletta’s office, and an aide was there from State Rep. Karen Boback’s office, and Wyoming County Commissioner Tom Henry attended the hearing.
Tomás Madrigal: Land and Water on Washington’s Salish Coast
Click to read Madrigal entire article, “Land and Water on Washington State’s Salish Coast.”
NFFC Stands for the Right to Know, Against DARK Act
We stand with our members Rural Vermont, NOFA-VT and others that have passed legislation mandating GMOs to be labeled, and oppose legislation that would enable food processors to hide GM ingredients in their products, such as S. 2609, Senator Roberts’ DARK Act. GMO labels should be mandatory, not voluntary. Period.
NFFC Stands with Hawai’i Activists Fighting GMO Influence
NFFC joined Pesticide Action Network at their January 2016 international meeting in Hawai’i to discuss plans for ending the proliferation of GMOs worldwide and the long-term GMO research on the island of Maui. The collaboration included the following proclamation.
And on Earth, Peace, Good Will Toward Men?
Hal Borland summarized Christmas by saying “What we celebrate is the birth of a child into a time of dissension and oppression and a world of cruelty and suspicion, one who grew up to teach peace and justice and love of fellow man. It was as simple as that”.
Truth In Labeling — It’s Our Right to Know What’s In Our Food
If GMO’s are so good and so safe, why do we need laws to hide them from scrutiny? But as Bill Maher points out, “When consumers know things, they tend to make informed choices, and that could affect corporate profits. I’m sorry, but your right to know is always going to be outweighed by their right to hide it from you.”