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Research reveals higher than expected amounts of pesticides in beehives
While pesticides have consistently been acknowledged as a contributing factor within this problematic milieu, recent research at Penn State has revealed that pesticide levels in hives are much higher than researchers predicted. Beekeepers use some pesticides as an inexpensive way to combat varroa mites in their colonies. While the researchers were able to reduce the pesticide levels in beeswax foundation -- the wax that beekeepers use to create hive structures -- through irradiation, this only addresses part of the problem. The extraordinarily high levels of pesticides discovered in the bees, their honey, and their pollen, showed that pesticide exposure outside of the hives is contributing to the problem.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates agricultural pesticide use, but this regulation does not account for the interaction of these chemicals that inevitably takes place through the bees' pollination processes. Some of these combinations of pesticides have been found to have a synergistic effect hundreds of times more toxic than any of the pesticides individually, says James L. Frazier, professor of entomology at Penn State. Bees' exposure to these toxic chemical combinations both outside of, and within, the home -- er, hive -- may cause behavioral changes. These changes include immune system blocks and disorientation, which may help to explain the CCD crisis of late.
Last year, the American Beekeepers' Federation, in a letter to the Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, encouraged Congress to pass the 2007 Farm Bill. The letter highlighted environmental regulation and enforcement as one of the beekeeping industry's priority issues, stating "the central role of bees in the environment and farm economy should be emphasized in environmental regulation and enforcement, including in the review and approval of new farm chemicals and treatments.... In the Farm Bill or otherwise, Congress should, among other things, mandate that sub-lethal effects on honey bees be considered in the regulatory process for new agricultural treatments."
Whether Congress follows through or not, organic farming and agricultural practices provide an approach to addressing the problem of pesticide toxicity in bees. The Institute of Science in Society stated in a recent press release that "organic farming practices that retain more natural habitats and avoid the use of chemical pesticides should provide environments that serve as honeybee sanctuaries from the ravages of CCD. There are scientific studies showing that agricultural landscapes with organic crops are far superior environments for both honey- and bumblebees. It would be prudent to create organic bee sanctuaries as widely and as soon as possible... There is every reason to eliminate the use of all pesticides that act synergistically with parasitic fungi, and all Bt crops should be banned for the same reason. Obviously, these problems will disappear with the widespread adoption of organic, non-GM farming."
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Could it be that Monsanto's Round Up pesticide or some other pesticide made by Bayer is contributing to colony collapse disorder? The NRDC recently filed suit against the EPA to disclose information they have regarding CCD and pesticides as they refused to answer questions about it. I think this research is instrumental in then shedding some light on whether CCD is related to the pesticides bees come in contact with on GM crops when trying to pollenate them, or some other toxic source. While pesticides have consistently been acknowledged as a contributing factor within this problematic milieu, recent research at Penn ... more -
Millions Against Monsanto Campaign, from Organic Consumers Association
Support Schmeiser, Nelson and hundreds of other farmers who are being forced to pay Monsanto to have their fields contaminated by genetically modified organisms.
Sign OCA's "Millions Against Monsanto" petition. These petitions will be physically delivered to Monsanto and related court hearings
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/petition.jsp?p...
The petition can also be found half way down the subject page above organicconsumers.org/monlink.cfm after the following story.
Multi-Billion $$ Monsanto Sues More Small Family Farmers
Percy Schmeiser is a farmer from Saskatchewan Canada, whose Canola fields were contaminated with Monsanto's genetically engineered Round-Up Ready Canola by pollen from a nearby farm. Monsanto says it doesn't matter how the contamination took place, and is therefore demanding Schmeiser pay their Technology Fee (the fee farmers must pay to grow Monsanto's genetically engineered products). According to Schmeiser, "I never had anything to do with Monsanto, outside of buying chemicals. I never signed a contract.
If I would go to St. Louis (Monsanto Headquarters) and contaminate their plots - destroy what they have worked on for 40 years - I think I would be put in jail and the key thrown away."
Rodney Nelson's family farm is being forced into a similar lawsuit by Monsanto.
Support Schmeiser, Nelson and hundreds of other farmers who are being forced to pay Monsanto to have their fields contaminated by genetically modified organisms.
Sign OCA's "Millions Against Monsanto" petition. These petitions will be physically delivered to Monsanto and related court hearings.Monsanto Takes Ownership of Public Water Resources
Over the past century, global water supplies have been contaminated with the full gamut of Monsanto's chemicals, including PCBs, dioxin and glyophosate (Roundup). So now the company, seeing a profitable market niche, is taking control of the public water resources they polluted, filtering it, and selling it back to the people. In short, Monsanto is making a double profit by polluting the world's scarce freshwater resources, privately taking ownership of that water, filtering it, and selling it back to those who can afford to pay for it.
Sign OCA's "Millions Against Monsanto" petition. These petitions will be physically delivered to Monsanto and related court hearings Support Schmeiser, Nelson and hundreds of other farmers who are being forced to pay Monsanto to have their fields contaminated by gene... more -
Indian farmers shun genetically modified crops for organic solutions
Bt cotton was engineered to combat pests, with the introduction into the cotton seed of a gene from a soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which has a natural insect-killing poison called Bt-toxin. When it was introduced into India at the turn of the century, it was promoted as the "wonder product" that would solve the serious problem of pests, which many of India's 17 million cotton farmers were facing.
Many of the farmers had not been growing cotton as a cash crop for very long. In the late 1980s, under pressure from the International Monetary Fund, India had opened up its strongly protected economy and encouraged its farmers to switch to modern farming, with its hybrid seeds, fertilisers and pesticides. The idea was to turn India into an important exporter of commodities, including cotton.
At first, cotton farmers did well. They got high yields and enjoyed a real increase in income. But then problems arose. The hybrid cotton proved susceptible to pests and diseases, and it was not uncommon for farmers to spray their fields up to 30 times in a single season. Production costs went through the roof and farmers got trapped in debt. They became desperate for a technical fix, and Bt cotton seemed to be the answer.
In its first year of sales, Mahyco-Monsanto sold its entire stock of Bt cotton. According to the company, the area in India under Bt cotton rose from 3.1m acres in 2005 to 14.4m acres in 2007. According to Sekhar Natarajan, regional leader of Monsanto India, Bt cotton yielded 700kg-900kg per acre, compared with 300kg-400kg an acre with conventional seeds.
However, some say that what has been happening on the ground has been very different from the official success story. Scientists Abdul Qayum and Kiran Sakhari assessed Bt cotton's performance in the first three years and found that, despite claims by the company, farmers were not achieving big yields. This perhaps was to be expected, because Bt cotton had been engineered to reduce pesticide use, not to increase yields. But, more surprisingly, they found that pesticide use was not falling either, because farmers were facing serious problems with secondary pests. They worked out that, on average, the income of non-Bt farmers was 60% higher than that of Bt farmers. Monsanto contests these numbers.
There have been other, more alarming problems. In her chat with the visiting farmers, Sattemma says she had seen several of her neighbour's goats die after spending all day grazing on post-harvest Bt cotton plants. Such a story could be dismissed as anecdotal, if it were not backed up by more solid evidence. In 2006, more than 1,800 sheep died in similar circumstances in other villages in Warangal district. The symptoms and post-mortem findings suggested that they had died from severe toxicity. Hundreds of agricultural workers had also developed allergic symptoms when exposed to Bt cotton. Bt cotton was engineered to combat pests, with the introduction into the cotton seed of a gene from a soil bacterium called Bacillus t... more -
Small Farmers, Ecofeminism, Vandana Shiva
For more than a century, farms have been getting bigger while seeds, fertilization and pest control have been getting more uniform. Led by farm suppliers, it has raised productivity. But negative byproducts of this trend include increasing chemical dependence and loss of biodiversity. Ecofeminist Vandana Shiva is at the Organic World Congress to protest the human and environmental cost of monoculture. The pendulum may be swinging back her way as consumer preference (among "locavores") for locally grown food and organic food increases, as the public becomes more aware of the impact of chemicals on the environment, and as higher petroleum prices result in pricier fertilizers and pesticides.
Vandana is one of the speakers at the opening ceremony of the Organic World Congress in Modena's large Piazza Grande, which fills the center of the city behind the famed (Michelin three-starred) Romanesque Duomo, shown below earlier in the day as the seats were being set up.
An eloquent defender of the property rights of small farms in India and other countries, Vandana has devoted much of her life to research on the effects of loss of biodiversity resulting from monoculture and has allied herself with the Slow Food Movement. Her books include The Violence of the Green Revolution and Monocultures of the Mind. She decided that science was not serving the interests of small farmers, so she left the academic world and formed her own organization, Navdanya.
Because she associates monoculture with a masculine wish to dominate -- and sees it as threatening both small farmers and biodiversity in the name of temporarily higher productivity -- Vandana has been called an ecofeminist, a term attributed to the late Francoise d'Eaubonne describing someone resistant to abuse of either women or mother nature, and adds in empathy for the small farmer in developing countries.
Small-farm consolidation continues, as was highlighted in South Africa just this week. The Valley Trust has for years been working with rural communities to provide health and other services and support organic farms. It has recently broken ranks with the South African Department of Agriculture for its pressure on small-scale farmers to join cooperatives. Small farmers are promised financial help, farm equipment, water piping and free seeds in return for joining the larger farming unit. The catch is that the small farmer must plant genetically modified seeds, which create farmer dependence on commercial monoculture. The director of Biowatch, an NGO promoting alternatives to GMO farming, says: "In the end, most farmers end up in huge debt, because they can't save seeds and are obliged to buy the matching GM fertilizers and pesticides" .
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Dr. Shiva was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 2005. I think she should be nominated again and win in this year for her work to sow seeds of hope and peace in place of the seeds of deception and environmental destruction that have been planted by Monsanto. For more than a century, farms have been getting bigger while seeds, fertilization and pest control have been getting more uniform. Le... more -
Help the White House Go Organic
"A growing group of gardeners and local foods activists are calling on the next president to send a strong message on independence of the edible variety. Operating under the rallying cry “Eat the View,” these homegrown food advocates are urging the next “Eater-in-Chief” to convert part of the White House lawn into a food garden... The White House has had food gardens at many different points and was even home to a herd of sheep in 1917 when President Wilson brought them in to replace the power mowers. In February, I decided to put the idea back on the public agenda by posting it on the Web site OnDayOne.org where people are making different proposals for what the next president should do upon taking office. With a boost here and there from different people, groups and media outlets (the idea has been written about in both the Washington Post and the New York Times), “Eat the View” has climbed into the No. 1 slot on the site."
-Mother Earth News "A growing group of gardeners and local foods activists are calling on the next president to send a strong message on independenc... more -
Gorgon Graff’s SkyFarm Concept Meant For Downtown Toronto!
Toronto scientist Gordon Graff has constructed plans for a 58-floor concept building called the “Sky Farm”, (2.7 million square ft. of floor area and 8 million square ft. of growing area), which would grow crops in the heart of Toronto’s downtown theatre district. This could potentially provide enough food for 35,000 people every day. Though the design and construction would be very expensive, Graff believes that the farm could reap about $23,000,000 in annual revenue. Toronto scientist Gordon Graff has constructed plans for a 58-floor concept building called the “Sky Farm”, (2.7 million square ft. of... more
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The food, climate, and energy crisis: From panic to organic by Ronnie Cummins
While consumers struggle to pay their bills and put food on the table, Monsanto, Cargill, and Archer Daniels Midland rake in billions from taxpayer-subsidized biofuels. Monopolizing markets, polluting the environment with genetically modified organisms, and hoarding future reserves of crop seeds, wheat, rice, soy, corn, and other grains, the food and gene giants profit from global crisis and misery. Adding fuel to the fire, Wall Street speculators have shifted their greed from sub-prime mortgages to food and non-renewable resources. While consumers struggle to pay their bills and put food on the table, Monsanto, Cargill, and Archer Daniels Midland rake in billions ... more
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Freshman Farmer - Part 5 - Money Matters
In this episode Andrew talks about how he got into farming, how was able to find land to farm, and how he will be funding this and future seasons... Money Matters.
How do young people buy land to farm? Is land more valuable as a farm or a housing development? If it is a farm, what happens to the streams and life around it if it is doused in pesticides?
By setting out and learning through experience, Andrew Meyers is answering those questions for a new generation of farmers.
Follow his journals online at FreshmanFarmer.GrowOrganic.com
Andrew Meyers is a 23 year old organic farmer starting a CSA in his community. Follow his journey in his first year of working the land.
Hopefully it will inspire anyone interested in becoming an organic farmer. The reality of making it work is closer than you might think. In this episode Andrew talks about how he got into farming, how was able to find land to farm, and how he will be funding this and fut... more -
Freshman Farmer - Part 5 - Money Matters
Andrew Meyers is a 23 year old organic farmer starting a CSA in his community. Follow his journey in his first year of working the land.
In this episode Andrew talks about how he got into farming, how was able to find land to farm, and how he will be funding this and future seasons... Money Matters.
Hopefully it will inspire anyone interested in becoming an organic farmer. Andrew Meyers is a 23 year old organic farmer starting a CSA in his community. Follow his journey in his first year of working the lan... more -
Freshman Farmer - Part 4 - Checking In On The Farm
Part 4 - Checking In
After the challenges visited upon him from Part 3, including pests, water problems, and loneliness, Andrew tells about the triumphs and simple joys of being an organic farmer.
Andrew Meyers is a 23 year old organic farmer. This year is his first year working the land on his own.
Follow his growing season as he starts a 30 member CSA, navigates the tribulations of growing organically, and finds a way to become a valuable member of his community.
Peaceful Valley is a local organic seed and farm supply company who is sponsoring a young farmer. The "Freshman Farmer" is going to grow organic, share his lessons learned, and become a part of their community.
By giving Andrew Meyers a head start, others will be able to learn, and hopefully will be inspired to go out and start their own CSA, growing healthy, local food.
Watch Andrew as he starts a CSA and grows organic. Follow his farming journals at FreshmanFarmer.GrowOrganic.com Part 4 - Checking In ... more -
Freshman Farmer - Part 3 - Challenges
Andrew Meyers is a 23 year old organic farmer.
This year is his first year working the land on his own.
Part 3 is about the challenges facing a farmer. From basic farming issues such as irrigation and damping off to more complex issues such as loneliness and fulfillments, Andrew lays out the issues he's faced thus far.
Follow his growing season as he starts a 30 member CSA, navigates the tribulations of growing organically, and finds a way to become a valuable member of his community.
Peaceful Valley is a local organic seed and farm supply company who is sponsoring a young farmer. The "Freshman Farmer" is going to grow organic, share his lessons learned, and become a part of their community.
By giving Andrew Meyers a head start, others will be able to learn, and hopefully will be inspired to go out and start their own CSA, growing healthy, local food.
Watch Andrew as he starts a CSA and grows organic. Follow his farming journals at FreshmanFarmer.GrowOrganic.com Andrew Meyers is a 23 year old organic farmer. This year is his first year working the land on his own. ... more -
Freshman Farmer - Young Farmers and Old Farmers - Part 2
Andrew Meyers is a 23 year old organic farmer.
This year is his first year working the land on his own.
Follow his growing season as he starts a 30 member CSA, navigates the tribulations of growing organically, and finds a way to become a valuable member of his community.
Peaceful Valley is a local organic seed and farm supply company who is sponsoring a young farmer. The "Freshman Farmer" is going to grow organic, share his lessons learned, and become a part of their community.
By giving Andrew Meyers a head start, others will be able to learn, and hopefully will be inspired to go out and start their own CSA, growing healthy, local food.
Watch Andrew as he starts a CSA and grows organic. Follow his farming journals at FreshmanFarmer.GrowOrganic.com Andrew Meyers is a 23 year old organic farmer. This year is his first year working the land on his own. ... more -
Freshman Farmer - A young organic farmer finds his way - Part 1
Farmers are getting old. Young people are less and less enticed by the career move of starting a farm as land prices sky rocket and mega agriculture and development swarms over usable land.
CSAs, or Community Supported Agriculture farms counteract this trend. By giving young farmers cash up front, communities help to grow a viable and healthy food exchange system.
This year, a local organic seed and farm supply company is sponsoring a young farmer in its community, hoping to inspire and ignite a new generation of farmers. Farmers are getting old. Young people are less and less enticed by the career move of starting a farm as land prices sky rocket and me... more -
Freshman Farmer - Watch a young first year farmer start a farm and CSA
Andrew Meyers is a 23 year old farmer. He is starting a CSA (community supported agriculture) in rural Nevada County. He will be growing organically and becoming a vital part of the community.
Follow along as Andrew shares his trials, tribulations, successes, and challenges as a first year farmer.
Agriculture in the U.S. faces a major crisis in the coming years: farmers are getting old, and young farmers are not interested or able to pick up the tradition. Andrew Meyers is a 23 year old farmer. He is starting a CSA (community supported agriculture) in rural Nevada County. He will be growi... more -
Welcome to Eden (Trailer)
This is the trailer for the feature-length documentary about the struggle of the poor people of South Central Los Angeles and some dedicated activists (including Daryl Hannah, Joan Baez, and Willie Nelson) to stop the eviction of the farmers and prevent the destruction of the largest urban farm in America. This is the trailer for the feature-length documentary about the struggle of the poor people of South Central Los Angeles and some ded... more
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why go for ORGANIC FOOD you may ask?
organic food is more expensive, yes.
also, keep in mind, many scientists talk about either 50% or 33% of all people will get some form of cancer through their life, our life. one every two or three of us.
so, apart from organic food being more expensive, its better for you, its healthier, it helps local business, less transportation, less packaging, less pesticides...
read below:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/7067226.stm
http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/12-27/health-benefit...
now think about for how many years, for instance, sewage sludge was used as fertilizer. it still is, given out for free.
read below:
http://www.mwra.state.ma.us/03sewer/html/sewssc.htm
http://www.organicconsumers.org/Toxic/062603_sludge.cfm
http://www.aces.edu/crd/publications/ANR-721.html
http://blogfishx.blogspot.com/2007/06/sewage-to-fertili...
http://members.aol.com/wwanglia/frame_organic.htm
so, what im trying to say is, some things may be more expensive to get, but only in comparison to cheap, horribly produced products. as many have said lately, vote with your money, every time you pay for anything, you are voting. buy consciously, inform yourself about products you buy regularly.
only when most of us apply this, only then the unfair and unethical fact that good food is more expensive than bad food will disappear.
we are what we eat.
this page is excellent
http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Sewage-Sludge-Pros-C... organic food is more expensive, yes. ... more -
Store Wars
The Organic Rebellion has "conventional" agriculture on the run in this intergalactic parody set "not long ago in a supermarket not so far away". Starring an all edible cast of Cuke Skywalker, Obi Wan Cannoli, and Chewbrocolli fight DarthTata and The Dark Side of the Farm for control of the supermarket. The Organic Rebellion has "conventional" agriculture on the run in this intergalactic parody set "not long ago in a sup... more
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Funeral For a Friend on the Environment
UK band Funeral For a Friend talk about how much their awareness and activity has changed in the last few years with regard to the environment. UK band Funeral For a Friend talk about how much their awareness and activity has changed in the last few years with regard to the env... more
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Organic Food Really Is Better So Stock Up On The Top 5 Essentials
by Nicole
A $25 million study, funded by the European Union, has found that organic food really is better for you. Lead by Newcastle Universitys ecological agriculture professor Carlo Leifert (who has also spoken out against genetically modified or GM food), researches grew fruit and vegetables, and reared cows using both organic and non-organic methods on adjacent sites over a four-year period. They found that the organic produce contained more antioxidants and less fatty acids that their non-organic counterparts.
Levels of antioxidants in organic milk were between 50% and 80 % higher, with levels reaching a peak during the summer months when the organic cattle stock grazed on fresh grass. Levels of vitamin E were also found to be higher in organic milk, which produced cheese with twice a many nutrients. Organic vegetables such as wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions and lettuce had between 20% and 40% more nutrients.
For those taking their first step towards a healthier organic lifestyle, Organic Rx's Dr. Geene lists the top five organic food essentials in an interview published by the New York Times. He lists organic foods in order of priority, based on nutritional value, pesticide contamination, and environmental considerations, as well as the average intake of a specific food, since it makes sense to go organic on the foods we eat the most of to maximize their impact.
Milk According to the New York Times, one recent United States Department of Agriculture survey found certain pesticides in about 30 percent of conventional milk samples and low levels in only one organic sample.
Potatoes They make up 30% of our overall vegetable intake, and are one of the most contaminated foods. A 2006 U.S.D.A. test found 81 percent of potatoes tested still contained pesticides after being washed and peeled, and the potato has one of the highest pesticide contents of 43 fruits and vegetables tested, according to the Environmental Working Group.
Peanut Butter More acres are devoted to growing peanuts than any other fruits, vegetable or nut, according to the U.S.D.A. More than 99 percent of peanut farms use conventional farming practices, including the use of fungicide to treat mold, a common problem in peanut crops.
Ketchup About 75 percent of tomato consumption is in the form of processed tomatoes Recent research has shown organic ketchup has about double the antioxidants of conventional ketchup.
Apples Apples are the second most commonly eaten fresh fruit and are also one of the most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables.
http://www.dailymantra.com
http://www.myspace.com/thedailymantra by Nicole ... more
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