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Visit our
Organic Gardening Blog for the most up-to-date organic gardening news.
Manic for organic - Los Angeles Times
"...proponents
of organic farming have been maintaining for years that conventionally
grown produce is neither as tasty nor as nutritious as organic fruits and
vegetables. But many of us have been skeptics, perhaps to justify our
reluctance to pay up to twice as much for food labeled "organic"
and sold at smug yuppie temples to the "natural" lifestyle. Now
comes a scientific study that shows that the nutrient content of
conventionally grown fruits and vegetables has dropped markedly since the
1950s."
Researchers
link weed killer to flaws in frogs
Berkeley researchers studied the effects of low levels of
atrazine on the African clawed frog, and reported that male
frogs sometimes developed female sex organs. For more
information about frogs, check out our
frog site with Frog news, posters, toys, books, and more.
Read this "pest"
control answer which re-enforces
my theory that when people are
telling people to spray ladybugs
with pesticides, something is very
wrong.
Read the new articles on the
benefits of using mulch and compost
in your organic garden, in the Garden Spot,
by Mort Mather. Ask Mort your organic
gardening questions!
I've said it before and I'll say it again: healthy plants grown in
healthy soil are more pest, disease, and
drought resistant.
Phil
Lempert mentioned on 9/4/00 that the
USDA says vine ripening maximizes the
photochemical nutrient content of produce. Since
organic produce usually ripens in the field and is sold
close to where it's grown, it follows that organic
produce is healthier.
Noel
Peterson points out that, "In
Florida, for example, citrus growers
pick grapefruit from September to
November--a full two months earlier than
normal--by ripening them with lead
arsenate." As a result, 30% of
Florida grapefruits contain average lead
levels of 170 parts per billion (ppb). Read
more here.
A.
Mozafar, Ph.D.
of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, published findings in Plant and
Soil proving plants can absorb vitamins from soil, and that using manure as a fertilizer,
contrary to what chemical manufacturers will tell you, can actually boost a crop's vitamin
B12 level.
Don't think Dubya's going to help
the organic food cause...
U.S. Sets
National Standard for Organic Foods
December 20,
2000
WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - The Clinton
administration on Wednesday
announced a comprehensive national
definition for "organic"
in all processed foods and products,
enabling consumers to purchase
fruits, vegetables and meats grown
without pesticides or hormones.
Under the new national standard,
organic foods cannot include
biotechnology and irradiation
procedures. Foods labeled as
"organic" must consist of
at least 95 percent organically
produced ingredients, the U.S.
Agriculture Department said.
U.S. food companies,
environmentalists, farmers and some
lawmakers have eagerly anticipated a
national organic standard as
shoppers seek alternatives to
genetically modified crops and
hormone-injected livestock.
The USDA said consumers will be
able to recognize organic products
because they will carry a USDA mark
on them, similar to the "USDA
Prime" identification for beef
or the grade labels on egg cartons.
The label "organic" had
previously fallen under a hodgepodge
of state, regional and private
certifier standards, giving rise to
confusion about its meaning.
Don't miss the Pesticide Action Network Updates Service
archives.
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