Why are (some) farmers afraid of Michael Pollan?

by: jgoodman

Wed Sep 30, 2009 at 19:34:31 PM PDT

Advocates of large scale agriculture see Pollan as the enemy, they believe he stands against everything they see as the future of agriculture. Pollan however is not an absolutist, his basic premise is that people need to think more about their food; where it was grown, how it was grown, was the farmer paid fairly, is it good for you?

Pollan wants people to think about cooking, about food freshness and flavor, about the dinner table as more than a "filling station".

Don't hold your breath, Secretary Vilsack

by: desmoinesdem

Mon Jun 22, 2009 at 10:50:54 AM PDT

[USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service administrator Michael] Michener declined to discuss the department's strategy for promoting international acceptance of biotechnology, saying it's still in the works. But he argues that the Obama administration can be more effective than the Bush administration, which went to the World Trade Organization to unsuccessfully break European resistance to the genetically engineered crops.

Vilsack is taking a lighter approach, Michener said, recounting a discussion the secretary had with his German counterpart.

Vilsack "made this very creative argument on how during the eight years of the Bush administration, the Europeans would lecture us on how we had to bring our citizens along and educate them on the science of climate change. He turned that around and said, 'You know, you've got a similar responsibility on biotech'" Michener said.

That certainly is a "creative" analogy. Getting Americans on board with serious policies on climate change may be our only hope for avoiding a catastrophic global warming scenario. Gaining European acceptance for genetically-modified crops has no comparable global benefit (no, these crops won't magically end world hunger).

But a more important point is after the jump.

The Maine dairy that started a revolution...

by: Bill in Portland Maine

Tue Aug 12, 2008 at 08:57:51 AM PDT

I'm not sure if you caught this yesterday, but there was a front-page, above-the-fold article in the Portland Press Herald on a local dairy---Oakhurst---that successfully fought the first battle against Monsanto over labeling.  It's basically a look into the rear-view mirror in the wake of news that Monsanto is fleeing like rats from its dairy hormone business.  A snip:

Oakhurst Dairy owner Stanley Bennett welcomed the news that Monsanto was divesting itself of its controversial dairy hormone business, after taking on the agribusiness giant in an expensive David-and-Goliath legal battle five years ago.  "We feel somewhat vindicated, given our position," Bennett said. "I'd like to think that, in some small part, we played a role in that decision."

The lawsuit centered on Oakhurst Dairy's label, which read: "Our Farmers' Pledge: No Artificial Growth Hormones Used." [...]

After months of talks, the dairy kept the label, but added a disclaimer: "FDA states: No significant difference in milk from cows treated with artificial growth hormones."

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