agriculture
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Burrito chain’s Food, Inc. sponsorship generates off-screen drama over farm-worker issues
On July 13, Chipotle Mexican Grill announced it was throwing its marketing weight behind Food, Inc., a documentary that takes a highly critical look at the food system. The fast-food chain would be sponsoring free screenings of the film at 32 theaters nationwide. It would also be distributing material promoting the film at all its […]
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As farmers battle weeds ‘conventionally,’ the chemical treadmill speeds up [UPDATED]
The never-ending war on weeds. UPDATE at bottom of post. ————————————– I’m an ag nerd, so sometimes you’ll catch me reading stuff like Delta Farm Press–a trade publication for large-scale farmers in the deep south. I find the damnedest things on those reading jags. Here’s one: farmers down there–which is cotton, soy, and corn country–are […]
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[UPDATED] Sen. Bernie Sanders cries “monopoly” in a collapsing milk market
Got milk monopoly? UPDATE: Ask and ye shall receive. In a NYT article last Saturday, describing the considerable resistance anti-trust chief Christine Varney is already experiencing in her attempt to toughen enforcement, came this nugget: At the request of some lawmakers, notably Senator Bernard Sanders, independent of Vermont, Ms. Varney is examining whether small agricultural […]
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Big Ag not content with concessions in House climate bill
The American Farm Bureau Federation, not content with the major concessions for agriculture that its congressional allies secured during the House climate debate, is now lobbying the Senate for a better deal. Appearing at a hearing of the Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday, Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman not only pushed for provisions […]
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Plotting Michelle Obama’s next food move
The First Lady and friends get busy in the garden. For anyone still doubting the food-related ambitions of First Lady Michelle Obama, the WaPo’s Jane Black wishes to disabuse you. In an article that charts the internal strategizing over how best to leverage the success of the White House Kitchen Garden, Black indicates that the […]
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Worldwatch gets $1.3 million Gates grant to look at sustainable ag in Africa
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been roundly criticized in sustainable-ag circles for throwing its considerable girth behind a “New Green Revolution for Africa.” According to critics (including me), the “green revolution” approach promotes high-tech, expensive solutions to Africa’s agriculture woes — ones more suited to the interests of a few agribusiness giants than […]
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Waxman, Peterson announce agreement on cap-and-trade bill paving way for final vote this week
From a scientific perspective, the deal Waxman made with the aggies is not optimal. From the perspective of consequences in the real world, however, I just don’t see how this deal changes any of the major outcomes of the bill much, if at all. UPDATE: I’ve added comments on the deal from Dr. Michael MacCracken, […]
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Peterson’s Waxman-Markey amendment: the nitty gritty and what it means
This morning the House Agriculture Committee released the 49-page Peterson amendment to the Waxman-Markey climate bill. It has been a laborious task, requiring dozens of closed door meetings, compromises (almost entirely at the expense of Waxman who has worked so hard to keep the bill strong), and eventually a very happy Chairman Peterson and House […]
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The Non-Concession concession?
Henry Waxman and Ed Markey seem to have mastered the art of the non-concession concession: striking deals with potential opponents in ways that meet their needs while minimizing (though not entirely eliminating) the negative impacts. Similar to their distribution of allowances, which seemed at first glance to be a massive giveaway but turned out to […]
