Yet another article highlights the importance of consumer engagement in food labeling.

According to LancasterOnline.com’s Mary Beth Schweigert, lack of oversight in National Organic Program has created a “chasm between consumer expectations and actual industry practices.” Ms. Schwigert notes the challenges that the NOP, now in its twelfth year, faces in terms of its dual mission to protect agriculture while simultaneously protecting the consumer.

The NOP has drawn significant criticism on its lax pasture requirements – 80,000 public comments to be exact. However, even adequate standards are only as good as the enforcement behind them. Schwigert reports a startlingly low number of citations in the first seven years of the program – only $20,000 for three fraudulent operators in a $23 billion U.S. organic food industry.

National Organic Coalition (an industry watchdog group) policy coordinator Liana Hoodes responded to this issue, explaining that strong national organic regulations are worthless without consistent oversight and enforcement. She added, “It will either clean up its act or get surpassed by many other labels.”

For most of human history, our relationship with cattle has been about the foods they produce: milk, meat and cheese. Today, a new bovine “product” has captured our interest and may indeed affect the future production of the others. This new product is gas.

Cow burps are the most recent in the list of accused contributors to global warming from the livestock sector. However, a simple measurement of methane production does not tell the whole story. A new report by the Soil Association reevaluates greenhouse gas production in agriculture, taking into account the grazing system – not just the “end product.”

This controversy erupted in recent years as figures emerged about agriculture’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. As we discussed in our November 16, 2009 blog, “Beware of Bad Science,” grassfed cattle actually produce fewer emissions than those finished in feedlots, simply because of the carbon sequestration in their pasture-based systems. The new Soil Association report confirms this and adds new data to support the position.

In a recent post we discussed the ruling currently under construction at the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) which would allow certain state-inspected slaughter plants to perform federal inspections on meat and poultry. The comment period has been extended, and we invite anyone who has an interest in this to add your two cents to the discussion (read full post for instructions). This ruling could have tremendous implications for livestock farmers using independent, state-inspected plants who are now limited to selling product within state lines, and could dramatically expand their marketing capabilities. Cooperative inspection has the potential not only to benefit independent farmers and slaughter plants, but could have positive animal welfare implications through reduced transport time.

Come see Animal Welfare Approved staff members Beth, Brigid and Emily at the annual Farm Aid concert, featuring Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews. Farm Aid has raised awareness about farm preservation since the first concert in 1985.

One of Farm Aid’s core goals is “Growing the Good Food Movement,” which it defines as: “growing the number of Americans reaching for and demanding family farm-identified, local, organic or humanely-raised food.” We couldn’t agree more.

The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) held its 4th annual Eastern Triangle Farm Tour this past weekend. This year’s tour featured four AWA farms, including Dew Dance Farm, MAE Farm, Rare Earth Farms and Doug Brown of Fowl Attitude Farm, giving a presentation. AWA staff members Julie Munk, Brigid Sweeney and Emily Lancaster were present at three of the farms and had a great time meeting everyone and sharing information about our program. If you missed the tour, read on for our reports from the field!

This coming weekend (September 19th & 20th) the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association will hold its 4th Annual Eastern Triangle Farm Tour. Visitors will be able to tour 20 different farms in the Raleigh, NC area with the purchase of one $25 button. Each button admits a full carload, so pack your friends and family in and come see where your food comes from!

In 1994 the USDA counted 1,755 farmers markets in the United States. At last count, there were 4,685. Across the nation, direct marketing is increasing twice as fast as total agricultural sales (USDA Agricultural Marketing Service). President Obama just announced that he wants to start a farmers’ market at the White House.

So, what’s all the fuss about farmers’ markets? One of the main reasons is that farmers and consumers actually get to meet each other. Food usually travels hundreds, even thousands of miles to get from farm to table, making face-to-face contact between eaters and growers an all-too-rare event. However, the recent wave of farmers’ markets opening across the nation is changing that.

Legislation in the recent farm bill included funding for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which offers farmers incentives for using sustainable agriculture practices. Specific “enhancement” projects relating to animals and livestock production include: Incorporate Native Grasses and or Legumes into 15% or more of the forage base, Grazing Management to Improve Wildlife Habitat, Monitoring Nutritional [...]

This past Thursday, Animal Welfare Approved staff attended a special farm-to-table dinner at the Local Roots Cafe in Roanoke, Virginia. The menu featured pasture raised lamb supplied by Animal Welfare Approved Border Springs Farm, artfully prepared by Chef Josh Smith. Josh, Craig & Joan Rogers of Border Springs Farm and Local Roots Cafe owner Diane [...]

This past Thursday, Animal Welfare Approved and NC Choices teamed up to host a panel on the regional supply chain for pastured meat, dairy and eggs. This panel mirrored our recent summit at New York’s Alfred State College, and brought together farmers, processors and retailers in an effort to start a dialogue on a sustainable, [...]