The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

Prairie strips see strong and growing interest

The Iowa State University STRIPS project (Science-based Trials of Row-crops Integrated with Prairie Strips) is gaining traction among a growing number of Midwest farmers who are seeing benefits such as reduced soil erosion and nutrient loss and improved water quality and wildlife habitat. The main goals of the STRIPS project were to evaluate the impact […]

Kentucky’s tuition-free sustainable agriculture program honors Wendell Berry

Sterling College (VT) sponsors the Wendell Berry Farming Program based in Henry County, Kentucky—a “work college” experience for students motivated to farm sustainably and strengthen rural communities. With grant support from the NoVo Foundation, the program hopes to draw students from generational farm families or those with a strong desire to farm. Students attend for […]

Practical Farmers of Iowa receives $1.1 million grant, partners with leading food companies to help Midwest farmers improve their farms with small grains

PFI will work with 11 major food and ag companies, including General Mills, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Target, and others, to improve the health and productivity of their lands with small grains By Tamsyn Jones Practical Farmers of Iowa has received a $1.1 million Conservation Innovation Grant from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to help farmers […]

ChickP launches non-GMO chickpea starch

Israeli food tech start-up ChickP Protein, Ltd. is offering a non-GMO, native chickpea starch for food and beverage applications. ChickP introduced chickpea isolates last year designed for plant-based dairy products. The native starch has a 98% starch content and smaller granule size than pea and protein starches, providing better gelling and thickening properties. The chickpea […]

LifeLine Foods completes $12 million expansion of non-GMO masa mill

Masa, the corn flour ingredient in tortillas, chips, tamales, and other Mexican foods, is on LifeLine Foods’ product menu in a big way. The company recently completed a $12 million expansion of its masa mill, a 780,000-square-foot building employing 150 workers in St. Joseph, Missouri, heart of the U.S. Corn Belt. “The capital investments we […]