Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria are nothing new on U.S. farms, so why are some people so concerned about the recent discovery, on an American pig farm, of a gene that confers resistance to a vital class of antibiotics? [More]
farms
12-Year-Old Who Runs His Own Farm Stand Thought It Would Be A “Cool” Thing To Do
By 8.16.16
You know what I thought was a cool thing to do on Saturdays when I was 12? Skip ballet class/soccer practice and sleep in. Then there’s the kid in Washington state who harvests his own produce and runs his own farm stand. [More]
Behold: There Are Magical Places In This Country Known As “Pizza Farms”
By 7.2.15
Of all the dreams I’ve dreamed in all the nights of sleep I’ve had, never have I believed that a pizza farm could be a real thing. While this popular new form of agritourism might not feature fertile fields fairly bursting with hot, cheesy pies right off the vine, pizza farms have proven to be a popular way for those in the farming business to sell directly to customers looking for that “farm-to-table” situation. [More]
FDA: Use Of Vital Human Antibiotics In Animals Increased 16% In 3 Years
By 10.2.14
Even as a growing number of people — from consumers to scientists to physicians — expressed concerns about the overuse of antibiotics in animal feed, a new FDA report shows that farmers continued adding more drugs to their animals’ diets, and that almost every one of those antibiotics was purchased and administered without a prescription. [More]
Just Because You’re Shopping At A Farmer’s Market Doesn’t Mean The Food Came From That Farm
By 9.4.14
When you pull up to a farmer’s market, ready to stock up on locally grown produce, you’d probably assume that everything on sale was raised by the farmers doing the selling, or that it was at least from another local grower. But you may be buying food that’s actually been trucked in from hundreds of miles away, possibly from another country. [More]
A Bunch Of Meanies Are Stealing Corn From Nice People In Connecticut
By 8.27.14
Just because something isn’t sitting in a store with a price tag on it doesn’t mean it’s free, people. Which is why it’s quite rude that big old meanies have been swiping corn at Connecticut corn farms, not because they’re hungry and in need of a snack, but to sell for 100% profit off the back of a truck. [More]
Farmers Fighting New Housing Development With Signs Warning Of Noisy, Smelly Animals Having Sex
By 7.17.14
When the barn’s a rockin’, farmers know not to come a-knockin’. But all those stinky animals might want to get it on outside, too, so rural residents who are against a new housing development near their farms are fighting back by warning people what they might potentially see, hear and smell. [More]
Big Meat & Big Pharma Pleased As Punch With FDA’s Pointless New Antibiotic Guidelines
By 12.13.13
Yesterday, the FDA came out swinging (with a Wiffle ball bat) against the medically unnecessary use of antibiotics in animal feed (by politely asking the drug companies that make piles of cash off these drugs to please stop selling so many of them to farmers just to encourage tissue growth). To demonstrate just how weak this (in)action is, one need look no further than the enthusiastic response from the nation’s huge meat and drug companies. [More]
1,600 Turtles Break Out Of Farm, Slowly Crawl To Freedom
By 7.20.12
It’s like a real-life version of the movie “Chicken Run,” only without Mel Gibson and much, much slower. Near Summerville, Georgia, there is a turtle farm. Thousands of adult turtles, all native species to the southern United States, live in ponds on the property. Thanks to vandals or scrap metal thieves, breaks in the fence have allowed the turtles to wander off the property, taking up residence in surrounding waterways. The operation is something like a hatchery, and about 1,600 of the 2,200 turtles that form its breeding stock have run away. [More]
Is That "Organic" Egg A Good Egg?
By 5.19.11
Not all organic eggs are created equal. While different cartons of eggs might all have the same “Organic! Yay!” label slapped on them, standards for what that means can vary from farm to farm. One might meet minimum USDA or Federal standards while another has no real outdoor access for the chickens to speak of. To help you navigate the bedeviling array of options, The Cornucopia Institute has created an Organic Egg Scorecard to rate farms on a 5-egg system. Small farms with lots of pasture for the chickens to frolic in rate highly, while eggs put out by Trader Joe’s, Kirkland, and Price Chopper only get a one egg rating. [More]
Pay Your Doctor In Chickens
By 4.21.10
Sue Lowden, a senate candidate in Nevada, says if you want to combat health care costs you should consider bartering with your doctor. In an appearance on a local political talk show yesterday, she clarified her proposal: [More]
Should You Keep Your Own Chickens?
By 8.6.09
We’re gonna say “nope.” But since we’re all here, let’s look at the recent New York Times article over the subject and consider whether the current “chicken boomlet” is right for you.
Houses Passes Strong Food Safety Reform
By 7.30.09
The House of Representatives just passed the bipartisan Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. If enacted, the legislation would strengthen the FDA, increase inspections of food facilities, and hopefully ensure that tragedies like the Peanut Corporation of America salmonella outbreak become a thing of the past.
Rural Texans, Other Ranch Folk Can Save Money With Wind Power
By 7.10.09
Rancher types can say “blow me” to their electric bills, installing windmills that snag them federal tax credits that help them generate their own electricity.
Some Organic Farms Have Been Accidentally Using Spiked Fertilizers For Years
By 1.6.09
California Liquid Fertilizer has been spiking its fertilizer with ammonium sulfate for the last several years, affecting the organic status of many farms, including organic behemoth Earthbound Farms.
Ethanol Demand To Drive Milk to $4 A Gallon, With Other Prices To Follow?
By 6.11.07
How can this be? Ethanol is made from corn and, of course, the demand for ethanol has increased the demand for corn. The demand for corn has out-stripped farmers’ ability to supply more corn and thus has resulted in increased prices for corn…
