Threats (CAFOs, Cloned Foods); Successes (Organics, Diversified Agriculture)

November 1, 2007

JOE MILLER

Below find links to six articles on issues that have major impacts on farmers, agriculture, the environment, health, communities, and consumers. Articles one and two address major threats. Articles three through six document positive, sustainable directions and options. The first article (1) by Brian DeVore of the Land Stewardship Project provides a short, powerful summary of everything that is wrong with CAFOs, especially hog CAFOs.

1. What's That Smell? The Case Against CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations)

The second article (2) reveals that the "U.S. Food and Drug Administration is poised to end a voluntary moratorium on the sale of dairy and meat from cloned cattle, goats, pigs and sheep." This despite the fact that the "agency published a health risk assessment in December that noted high death rates among cloned animals and host mothers," and despite the fact that a "Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology survey last year found that two-thirds of Americans are 'uncomfortable' with the technology."

2. Cloned Meat, Dairy Make Way to the Table

The third article (3) moves in a positive direction, and provides an update on the growing number of class action lawsuits against Aurora Organic Dairy -- the nation's largest producer of private label "organic" milk -- for fraud.

3. More on Growing Number of Class Action Lawsuits Against Aurora Organic Dairy for Defrauding Consumers

The fourth and fifth articles (4, 5) are clearly positive. Both summarize a broad four year European Union study and a more focused ten year University of California study which found that organically produced vegetable crops and milk have significantly higher levels of compounds that are beneficial to health (vitamins, antioxidants, and in some cases minerals) than conventional crops or milk.

4. Official: organic really is better
5. Eat your words, all who scoff at organic food

The final article (6) by Brian DeVore summarizes a major recent article in Science magazine that outlines how diversifying agriculture through practices such as pasture-based livestock production and perennial plant systems will benefit farmers, agriculture, the environment, health, communities, and the economy. For more on the advantages of diversifying agriculture to produce multiple benefits see the resources at the seventh (7) link.

6. Putting Ag to Work in the Bioeconomy
7. LSP Programs - Multiple Benefits of Agriculture

Joseph Miller
Department of Psychology
51 Madeleva
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556

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St. Joe Valley Greens, South Bend, IN