The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

New report finds global pesticide use has increased by a “staggering” 80% since 1990

A new Pesticide Atlas report found global pesticide use up 80% since 1990 along with an estimated 11,000 human fatalities and poisoning of 385 million people each year. There has also been a 30% decline in field birds and grassland butterfly populations with one in ten of Europe’s bees threatened with extinction. “The evidence is […]

The next Farm Bill can only be “climate-smart” if it reduces agricultural reliance on pesticides, says diverse coalition

Fifty organizations recently sent a public letter to the House Agriculture Committee and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, calling for a transformative 2023 Farm Bill. They urged the legislators to incentivize reductions in pesticide use, include provisions to protect farmworker health, and increase funding and research for organic and regenerative farming, representing fenceline communities, […]

Jack’s Solar Garden produces clean energy and nutritious food

By Patrick Bosold In Longmont, Boulder County, Colorado, there is a farm—Jack’s Solar Garden—that has an array of over 3,200 solar panels generating 1.2 megawatts (MW) of community solar power. This is enough electricity to power over 300 homes. At the same time, the farm produces a wide range of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and livestock […]

Cornell study links sustainable practices to farm size in organic production

A study recently published in Nature Plants surveyed 542 organic fruit and vegetable farmers about the use of eight agroecological practices that promote sustainability. “We wanted to look at how the practices differ between small-scale organic farms… and those huge farms that supply organic produce to big box stores,” said Jeffrey Liebert, PhD, who studied […]

Organic dairy farming can store carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, study finds

A new study in the August issue of the Journal of Cleaner Production revealed that farms can sequester carbon and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions, as seen through a dairy lifecycle assessment conducted on Organic Valley farms. The University of Wisconsin research found that small organic dairy farms using pastured grazing and organic practices report […]