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local food

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    From dominant Monsanto to ‘innovative Med-American,’ tasty morsels from around the web

    When my info-larder gets too packed, it’s time to serve up some choice nuggets from around the Web. —————- Get ’em while they’re hot.  • NPR delivers a blunt report on Monsanto’s dominant position in the seed industry, complete with farmers complaining about monopoly pricing. With this sort of straight talk in mainstream media, one […]

    Tom Philpott Technology

  • Is Wal-Mart the future of local food?

    Local food gets the Wal-Mart treatment. One of the most important historic developments in the food economy is embodied in this statistic: in 1900, 40 percent of every dollar spent on food went to the farmer or rancher while the rest was split between inputs and distribution. Now? 7 cents on the dollar goes to […]

    Tom Laskawy Technology

  • The localization of agriculture

    In the United States, there has been a surge of interest in eating fresh local foods, corresponding with mounting concerns about the climate effects of consuming food from distant places and about the obesity and other health problems associated with junk food diets. This is reflected in the rise in urban gardening, school gardening, and […]

    Lester Brown Food

  • Ask Umbra on her hotness, corporate gift baskets, and more

    Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, I am worried that your hotness may be contributing to global warming. I’m not sure what can be done to fix this. O Zone A. Dearest O, You are making me blush. But I am using your letter as a springboard to report some exciting news: In […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • Ask Umbra’s video advice on making lunch matter

    Common wisdom tells us there’s no free lunch. But you can have a guilt-free lunch, thanks to Umbra Fisk’s recipe for midday munchers everywhere. You won’t have to swallow your pride — you can eat well, save money, and help this juicy planet we call home. “Ask Umbra” is the first video series produced by […]

    Ask Umbra® Culture

  • No Impact Man talks about making an impact

    First, Colin Beavan donned a superhero nickname and gave up electricity, fossil fuels, un-local food, and buying stuff. He blogged, he wrote a book, he let filmmakers follow his family around (his wife and daughter were roped in too). The New Yorker criticized the stunt, er, experiment. Grist weighed in. Beavan responded to, um, the […]

    Jonathan Hiskes Culture

  • Quick thoughts on the USDA’s ‘Know Your Farmer’ program

    What should we make of the USDA’s “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative, which the agency rolled out this week? USDA via FlickrAfter hearing USDA official Ann Wright’s remarks Tuesday in Chicago and reading through the press release, I’m both encouraged and skeptical. Speaking to attendees at the Chefs Collaborative Summit — an audience […]

    Tom Philpott Politics

  • USDA’s $65 million drop in the bucket

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture is so fired up about local food economies that it’s coughing up $65 million for a new program called “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food.” My first reaction: $65 million?!  That’s all?! At 3:45 central time a top USDA official is speaking at the event I’m at in Chicago. I […]

    Tom Philpott Food

  • Your greenest Ramadan

    Islam is green by nature, and Ramadan offers a chance to make a big impact.Shawna AyoubAfter my grandfather had a stroke, the doctor said he might not walk again. He also said that getting him to challenge himself — to give walking a true try — was critical to his physical and emotional recovery. My […]

    Shawna Ayoub Culture