March 3 Update

March 21, 2013


Environmental Justice/Food Justice/Food Sovereignty

  • India’s rice revolution http://bit.ly/Yo0Nbq:  In a village in India’s poorest state, Bihar, farmers are growing world record amounts of rice (22.4 tonnes per hectare)  – with no GM, and no herbicide. Is this one solution to world food shortages?
  • Using a system called System of Rice (or root) Intensification (SRI)
o   Miracle grow: Indian farmers smash crop yields records without GMOs http://bit.ly/15ApQgO
  • Baltimore Food Hub: $10M campus for food related businesses, job training planned to open fall 2014 in East Baltimorehttp://bit.ly/ZdCTQU
o   Our Food System Is in Crisis Due to Technology Run Amok and Monopolizing Corporationshttp://bit.ly/YAmWWh
  • Bhutan set to plough lone furrow as world’s first wholly organic country http://bit.ly/Y5lGI0:  By shunning all but organic farming techniques, the Himalayan state will cement its status as a paradigm of sustainability
  • Drakes Bay Oyster Company Gets Legal Reprieve, Will Stay Open (until the appeal is heard) http://huff.to/13myf84
  • 100 Days of Real Food: Healthy Food Doesn’t Have to Break the Bank http://bit.ly/QXDJjS:  Yes, it’s possible to feed a family on $125 a week – without turning to packaged and processed foods.
o   Report: Heads They Win, Tails We Lose: How Corporations Corrupt Science at the Public’s Expensehttp://bit.ly/ABnvXu
  • International cops are on the pirate fishing case http://bit.ly/YGwFYJ:  Pirate fishing is an entertainingly name but actually terrible scourge of the oceans…
  • Climate Change Has Cut Humans’ Work Capacity 10 Percent, With 40 Percent Cut Projected for 2100http://bit.ly/13hZtfU:  According to researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a combination of rising heat and humidity is likely to cut the world’s labor capacity to 80 percent during summer months by 2050 – twice the effect observed today.
  • Think about Australia in January 2013, 48.2°C (119°F)…
o   Could extreme weather save farmers from extreme weather? http://bit.ly/YoD0bA
  • Note to Mrs. Obama: Try Hemp in the White House Garden http://bit.ly/WvfQ59:  Marijuana’s non-narcotic cousins is economic, ecological and downright patriotic
  • Horse Meat In Philadelphia: Chef Peter McAndrews Plans Equine Offerings At Italian Restaurant Monsuhttp://huff.to/13rGYWS
  • Farmers Markets Are Actually Cheap – So Where Are the Low-Income Shoppers? http://bit.ly/ZBWOcm
·      Buying into the Local Food Movement http://bit.ly/12nnvG1
The local food movement is spreading – from rural farm market stands to supermarket shelves. Can large grocery retailers capture the growing “locavore” market?
  • FRAC: Food Hardship in America 2012: Data for the Nation, States, 100 MSAs, and Every Congressional District http://bit.ly/XdaTya:  More than one in six Americans report inability to afford enough food. New food hardship data reflect continuing struggles and highlights need for Congress to protect nation’s nutrition safety net.
  • The Coming Climate Exodus: What We’re Doing to Help Wildlife’s New Migration http://bit.ly/ZME6Pk
  • Supermarkets and shoppers can keep British farming Alive http://bit.ly/ZOF1yO:  Demand for British food can shift prospects for farmers
  • Bitter harvest and cruel winter (UK) for farmers http://bit.ly/13vGRJv:  The second wettest summer on record flooded fields and ruined crops, forcing farmers to bring in their livestock and causing the cost of food to rise sharply… Winter has proven just as difficult…
Labor/Coops/Economics

·      Behind the Kitchen Door: A Must-Read for Anyone Who Eats at Restaurants http://bit.ly/13w6c6l
Review: More than half of the nation’s worst-paid jobs are related to food. Saru Jayaraman’s new book dives into the explosive movement for better rights for those who plant, process, and cook the food we eat.
·      Family Lives Without Money – By Choice – and Thrives http://bit.ly/YLv6c3
·      ‘Not Enough’: Critics say Obama’s $9 Minimum Wage Too Small http://bit.ly/Z3PlSG
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) say $10.10 is closer to a liveable wage
·      What Would a Down to Earth Economy Look Like? http://bit.ly/102oLsp
How did we end up with Wall Street when models for a healthy economy are all around us?
·      Oxfam: World’s Largest Food Companies Creating Legacy of Destruction http://bit.ly/YV1PMe
Corporations relying on cheap land and labor are ruining human lives and the natural world, says campaign
o   ‘Behind The Brands’ Oxfam Report Evaluates Social, Environmental Impacts of World’s Largest Food Companies http://huff.to/X8qorl
o   Study: Behind The Brands http://bit.ly/XYod8j
·      Why Uncle Sam Support Frankenfood http://onforb.es/ujtzGG
·      Buffett-Heinz Deal Sends Urgent Warning To Food Industry To Cut Costs http://huff.to/WmgE8W
·      Fairtrade Foundation reports damns treatment of smallholder farmers http://bit.ly/13HegwC
To create fundamental change for small holder farmers, it’s vital they are able to increase their voice, influence and organization
·      After Ruining America, the Era of Giant Chain Stores Is Over http://bit.ly/Y9xsDH
The coming implosion of big box retail implies tremendous opportunities for young people to make a livelihood in the imperative rebuilding of local economies.
·      High cost of living thwarts school meal improvements (San Francisco) http://bit.ly/XGe4Lr
Gleaning, Food Waste & Reuse

·      Eating Ugly: Fruit and Vegetables Aren’t Beauty Contestants http://bit.ly/YBXaN3
Visual appearance aside, they’re all the same on the inside.
·      (UN) Ministers Dine on Food Grown in Kenya But Rejected by UK Supermarkets for Cosmetic Reasonshttp://bit.ly/WprW20
·      Should We Be Eating More ‘Expired’ Foods? A Former Trader Joe’s Exec. Thinks So http://bit.ly/VXRnVu
Would a store that sells foods past their sell-by date help address food insecurity and waste?
·      Glean slate: Program provides fresh produce to the needy http://bit.ly/15DSqxX
Government/Regulation/Policy/Farm Bill

·      Governor Cuomo Announces $3.6 Million in CFA Funding for Food Distribution Hubs http://bit.ly/Y393Me
New facilities will increase access to healthy, local products and create over 150 jobs
·      Slaughter and Waxman Introduce Bill to Gather More Data on Antibiotics in Ag http://bit.ly/WhXpTJ
·      USDA says crops will do better but food prices will do worse http://bit.ly/13DERL6
·      Meat Plants Face Shutdown Due to Impending Sequester, USDA Says http://huff.to/15hqMpl
·      USDA Proposes Standards to Provide Healthy Food Options in Schools http://1.usa.gov/VAGZS4
New “Smart Snacks in School” proposal to ensure vending machines, snack bars include healthy choices
·      USDA Considers Reintroducing Horse Slaughter to US http://bit.ly/Z7hNmy
Animals rights groups decry move, citing chemical contamination and rampant abuses
GMOs/Cloning/Food Technology/Poisons

·      Main Quietly Mounting Massive Support for Historic GMO Labeling Bill http://bit.ly/ZagfYU
o   VT House committee approves GMO food bill http://bit.ly/ZSCBmo
o   Another State Bill for GE Food Labeling Struck Down http://bit.ly/ZGzQom
·      Roundup more toxic than officially declared – new study http://bit.ly/YLBzDV
o   Glyphosate Hazards to Crops, Soils, Animals and Consumers http://bit.ly/yciD7C
·      GM Seeds and the Militarization of Food – and Everything Else http://bit.ly/XaXfMa
·      The War On Seeds: Rogue Valley, OR http://bit.ly/ZthFi8
·      Report: Record area of biotech crops used in 2012 http://reut.rs/15txz0d
US farmers still lead world in planting GMO crops
·      Charts: World’s GMO Crop Fields Could Cover the US 1.5 Times Over http://bit.ly/XVKxzg
·      Report: Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2012 http://bit.ly/Yvgf5R
·      Hungary Destroys All Monsanto GMO Corn Fields http://bit.ly/xDZHJ5
·      Monsanto 1901-2012 Timeline http://bit.ly/XPznKA

Healthy/Humane/Safe Food & Water

·      America’s Deadliest Sweetener Betrays Millions, Then Hoodwinks You With Name Change http://huff.to/9puJOV
… aspertame was previously listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent!
·      Aspartame in Milk Without a Label? Big Dairy Petitions FDA For Approval http://bit.ly/YNUQVn
o   Artificial sweeteners tied to obesity, Type 2 diabetes http://bit.ly/XT6dNm
·      Fructose and Overeating – Fuelling the Obesity Epidemic http://bit.ly/X9QaK9
A new brain imaging study finds fructose, but not glucose, causes distinct brain activity associated with lack of fullness and satiety.
·      Report: Walmart’s Animal Welfare Policy Among Worst For Major Companies http://huff.to/YSB3UJ
Surprise? And this from the #1 grocery retailer in the country... http://huff.to/Xn8Po0
·      Food fraud & the security of our global food supply http://bit.ly/YkgxhC
o   Oceana Study Reveals Seafood Fraud Nationwide http://bit.ly/ZjXIKC
o   Eggs In Germany May Not Be Organic Or Free-Range Despite Labels; 150 Farms In Questionhttp://huff.to/W91Xvy and http://bit.ly/Y0wsxJ
o   “Honeygate” Sting Leads to Charges for Illegal Chinese Honey Importation http://bit.ly/13PRK4K
o   South African Beef Products Contain Buffalo, Donkey, Study Finds http://huff.to/YxS4S2
o   Horsemeat Scandal Stats & Timeline http://bit.ly/10Iy3yW
o   Horse Meat Found At Taco Bell In UK http://huff.to/12gFHCk
·      Nanoparticles Are in Our Food, Clothing and Medicine – And No One Knows for Sure How Dangerous They Might Behttp://bit.ly/ZqIbZv
·      How the junk food industry has encouraged us to eat ourselves to death http://bit.ly/UOuwN0
o   How Fast Food Hooks Us http://thebea.st/124ZFzS
Corporations figure out our ‘bliss spots,’ manipulate the USDA, and stymie anyone who opposes them. Nina Strochlic on the most shocking revelations from ’Salt Sugar Fat.’
o   Good Politics: New books on how the food industry hooks us on junk food http://bit.ly/Ys83Dq
Melanie Warner, Pandora’s Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal (Scribner, 2013) & Michael Moss Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us (Random House, 2013)
·      This billboard sucks water out of the air and delivers it to families below http://bit.ly/WfVRny
Nearly 4,000 oil and gas wells were drilled in Allegheny national Forest since 2005. Only 15 of those (wells) are Marcellus Shale wells, and all of them were drilled since 2009. As the concern about natural gas drilling in US National Forests spread…
·      Minnesota draining its supplies of water http://bit.ly/UW4lnx
Nature can’t keep up with demand, prompting disputes in some cities.
·      Fracking our Farms: A Tale of Five Farming Families http://bit.ly/VLIzV3
·      AP: NY fracking held as Cuomo, RFK Jr. talk health http://bit.ly/ZXwGg0
·      US National Forests No Match for Drilling Boom http://bit.ly/u2VZVf
o   Fracking-Fueled Land Grab Cheats North Dakota Tribes Out of $1 Billion, Suits Allegehttp://bit.ly/ZESv3U 
The rush to get access ot oil on tribal lands is part of the oil industry’s larger push to secure drilling rights across the United States.
o   Fracking Goes South: Oil and Gas Industry Lick Their Chops Over Chattanooga Shalehttp://bit.ly/Y91kQv
·      Science Over Politics: Cuomo’s Delay on Lifting Fracking Moratorium Applauded http://bit.ly/XASPws
Events
·      A Conversation with Alison Alkon: Farmers Markets, Race, and the Green Economy
Tuesday, March 5, 2013  6P - 8P
65 W 11th St, Lang Cafe, 
The New School
Manhattan
http://bit.ly/YYym6i
Popularized by such best-selling authors as Michael Pollan, Barbara Kingsolver, and Eric Schlosser, a growing food movement urges us to support sustainable agriculture by eating fresh food produced on local family farms. But many low-income communities and communities of color have been systematically deprived of access to healthy and sustainable food. This event will feature a discussion facilitated by Alison Hope Alkon about how inequalities intersect with the production, distribution and consumption of food. Alkon will frame the discussion with an overview of her two recent books: Black, White and Green: Farmers Markets, Race and the Green Economy and Cultivating Food Justice: Race, Class and Sustainability.

Alison Hope Alkon is assistant professor and co-chair of the department of Sociology at University of the Pacific in Northern California.
Reception to follow. This event is free and open to the public.
  •   Tampa, Florida: March for Dignity, Rights, Respect, & Fair Food from Ft. Myers Florida to Lakeland Florida Headquarters of Publix Market. March 3, to 18, 2012 http://www.ciw-online.org/index.html
·      SPUR San Francisco: Food and Farm Film Festival March 29 – 31, 2013, 7pm http://bit.ly/XdZfBM schedule and tickets http://bit.ly/V2i62W
·      AgrAbility National Training Workshop, April 8-11, 2013, Minneapolis MN http://bit.ly/10Iy3yW

 

March 20 Updates


Environmental Justice/Food Justice/Food Sovereignty

·      Brooksville becomes the ninth Maine town to defy state on sales of local foods http://bit.ly/X7qxYD
o   And here is some background on the food sovereignty movement on the Blue Hill Peninsula, Hancock County, Maine (4/18/11) http://bit.ly/fAgz0j
o   State Sues Blue Hill Farmer, Challenges Food Sovereignty Ordinance (11/17/11) http://bit.ly/vpQURK
o   Raw deal: Maine residents’ fight for unregulated food draws crackdown (6/29/12) http://bit.ly/KRkl55
 
·      Farmers Markets Are Actually Cheap – So Where Are the Low-Income Shoppers? http://bit.ly/10DSn1e
A new study suggests lack of information – not price – is what keeps low-income individuals away.
 
·      Panera Bread Feeds the Hungry, and Markets Their Values http://bit.ly/YcLKQW
o   Panera Cares café is now officially open in Boston (1/23/13) http://bo.st/1455gEF
Pay what you can cafés… 
 
·      The Feminization of Farming http://nyti.ms/Y2P6ZQ
o   Women’s rights and right to food, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutterhttp://bit.ly/13A1tR2
 
·      $48 Million and Rising: Student Campaigns Transform (College) Cafeteria Food Service http://bit.ly/14MulBO
 
·      Sharks at risk of extinction from overfishing, say scientists http://bit.ly/YSuAvi
Almost 100 million sharks are killed each year and many species need better protection, according to researchers.
 
·      Uprooting Racism in the Food System, African Americans Organize http://bit.ly/Y3Ux7X
 
·      Cheap Eats: How America Spends Money on Food http://bit.ly/Y0ksNQ
Food is cheap and getting cheaper in America, unless you’re poor…
o   America’s Shrinking Grocery Bill http://buswk.co/Y3x8ql
In 1984, the average US household spent 16.8% of its annual post-tax income on food. By 2011, Americans spent only 11.2%...
 
·      How Factory Farming Contributes to Global Warming http://bit.ly/XsDdZm
 
·      Everyone to Asia: We don’t want your stinkin’ unsustainable palm oil http://bit.ly/WcDmUc
 
·      OCA Creates ORCA to Attack ‘Natural’ Products Labeling Fraud http://bit.ly/10ckt3m
 
·      Ending Senior Hunger Must Begin Today http://bit.ly/Y67VZ8
… hidden faces of America’s hunger crisis.
 
·      ‘Story Of An Egg’ Film Explains What ‘Cage-Free,’ ‘Free-Range’ Actually Mean http://huff.to/12N7ryS
 
·      Solar Water Distiller Enables Desalination Anywhere There’s sunlight and Saltwater http://bit.ly/V2oyH6
 
·      Corn free: Cutting back on our dominant crop is easier said than done http://bit.ly/10Ctgfa
The monolithic nature of corn production presents a systemic risk to America’s agriculture, with impacts ranging form food prices to feed prices and energy prices. It also present a potential threat to our economy and to the tax payer…
 
·      Fairness for Small Farmers: A Missing Ingredient in the US Farm Bill http://bit.ly/YdlFn3
 
·      Olive oil prices to rocket as Spanish drought cuts harvest by 62% http://bit.ly/ZUjk1Q
 
·      Food for Thought: Evaluating the Impact of Indian’s Midday Meal Meal Program on Educational Attainmenthttp://bit.ly/Z3r25n
 
·      Back to the Land: Reaction to Greece’s Recession: Greek Farm Resurgence http://bit.ly/WMHBTr
 
·      Fresno Public Market Would Give the San Joaquin Valley Its “Local” Food Back http://bit.ly/WrYwh2
 
 
Labor/Coops/Economics

·      Campaign Begins for $10.10 Minimum Wage http://bit.ly/Wfilbf
o   Costco’s Profit Soars to %537 Million Just Days After CEO Endorses Minimum Wage Increasehttp://huff.to/Y8biii
o   Socialism, Anyone? Profits Soar for Costco Days After CEO Endorses Minimum Wage Hikehttp://bit.ly/X8kWkJ
Cosctco’s CEO Explains how they make record profits: “We pay workers $45K/Year, provide health insurance, and let them unionize – the opposite of what Walmart does.”
 
·      Portland (OR) City Council votes unanimously to approve sick leave policy http://bit.ly/XuikDD

·      Paid sick leave passed by Philadelphia City Council http://bit.ly/12U1Wye

·      Worker Owned Businesses Point to New Forms of Ownership http://bit.ly/ZrDHjk
Can co-ops come out of the margins of the economy and be part of a larger political project to transform things are owned?
            Unions are on the decline, and worker owned cooperatives are on the rise…
 
·      New Yorkers consider worker cooperatives as part of long-term recovery from Superstorm Sandyhttp://bit.ly/12aGRPU
 
·      Six Operational Advantages of Worker Cooperatives http://bit.ly/Z5eZLu
 
·      The Green Collar Community http://bit.ly/16sUpFA 
     Advancing green jobs and resilient communities through cooperative enterprise. 

·      Norwegian (investment) fund pulls out of ‘unsustainable’ palm oil companies http://bit.ly/WsoVvd

·      DuPont Investments Hindered as Congress Delays Farm Bill http://bloom.bg/ZG03RA
 
 
Gleaning, Food Waste & Reuse

·      5 Stores Tackling Waste by Selling ‘Expired’ Food http://bit.ly/16hvVPD
 
·      A Third of Americans Are Perfectly Fin With (Poor) People Eating Horsemeat http://bit.ly/YQaNbA How do we feel about having horse for dinner? A new poll offers answers.

·      Production, Distribution & Waste – Challenging Industrial Agriculture http://bit.ly/13hltYL
1/3 of global food production is wasted…

·      How One Activist Diverts Food Waste to Soup Kitchens (UK) http://bit.ly/VOCohR
 
 
Government/Regulation/Policy/Farm Bill

·      USDA extends use of broad-spectrum antibiotic for organic apple, pear growers only http://bit.ly/Z41PaO
Nearly 80% of Washington growers said without tetracycline they’d cut production or exit the industry…
 
·      USDA, NOP Fraudulent Organic Certificates http://1.usa.gov/rvlZm9
This includes a list of the Fraudulent Certifications Reported to NOP
 
·      All Federal Meat Inspectors To Be Furloughed on 11 Scheduled Days http://bit.ly/ZCBvFM
 
·      Census: Record 1 In 3 Counties Now Dying Off, Hit By Aging Popultaion, Weakened Local Economieshttp://huff.to/12TeLJ8
 
·      USDA Weights Sugar Bailout That May Boost Candy Prices: Report http://huff.to/ZmoCRC
 
·      Drakes Bay Oyster Farm Flap Reaches Far Beyond Northern California http://huff.to/WHtioE
 
 
GMOs/Cloning/Food Technology/Poisons

·      PA Lawmaker Pushes For Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods http://cbsloc.al/XFWCdB
 
·      Vermont’s Governor Peter Shumlin Still Bullied by Monsanto http://bit.ly/YiwRyU
 
·      Eye on Augusta (Maine): GMO Labeling Bill Returns to the Legislature http://bit.ly/16vT6FP
It’s very seldom that a bill gets as many as 123 cosponsors in the Maine Legislature…
 
·      GMO fail: Monsanto foiled by feds, Supreme Court, and science http://bit.ly/YcSg9e
 
·      Researchers: GM Crops Are Killing Monarch Butterflies, After All http://bit.ly/Mr69Qu
Once again, no surprise…
o   Study Abstract: Milkweed loss in agricultural fields because of herbicede use: effect on the monarch butterfly population http://bit.ly/wAtFrr
 
·      Conflicts of interest at European Food Safety Authority  (EFSA) erode public confidence http://bit.ly/10uSz6K
o   Monsanto threatens to sue EFSA over publication of maize GM data http://bit.ly/15BRI3h
o   GMOs: Monsanto wants to attack EFSA justice http://bit.ly/Y1edvo
Note: this will need to be translated from French to English…
 
·      EU relaxes tolerances on glyphosate residue in lentils http://bit.ly/YuI3bK
The European Union, effective June 14, has revised its limit on glyphosate residue in lentil imports to 10 parts per million (ppm), up from its much tighter residue limit of 0.1ppm…
 
·      Operation Maple: Seeds of Deception http://bit.ly/16gkPdx
None of us called for genetic manipulation of seeds. Not one of us said, yes, this new technology will benefit me, my family, and my community.
 
·      Monsanto continues expansion in Argentina http://bit.ly/XXiD7p
Community opposes the construction of transgenic seed factory
o   Historic Ruling Convicts Two of Three Defendants for Poisoning Neighborhood with Pesticides (glyphosate) http://bit.ly/X6xKIk
o   Argentina’s Bad Seed http://aje.me/YqEvHt
 
·      Vandana Shiva on Bowman v. Monsanto: This Case Is About Every Farm… http://bit.ly/Z5y8Zh
 
·      Bt Cotton is Failing; Blame the Farmers (India) http://bit.ly/Y1lKc0
 
·      Rice farming in India: ‘Now I produce enough food for my family’ http://bit.ly/13DRWbX
More on the SRI growing method…
 
·      Mark Lynas: truth, treachery and GM food http://bit.ly/10nzTSB
This is new article,… This guy has no idea where he is coming from, he doesn’t seem to understand the science.
 
·      Ben & Jerry’s switching to non-GMO ingredients http://bit.ly/Zej9vV
 
·      Five Ways the FDA Has Failed Consumers on Genetically Engineered Foods http://bit.ly/XV88Bj
 
 
Healthy/Humane/Safe Food & Water

·      Antibiotic Resistance Poses ‘Catastrophic Threat’ To Medicine Says Britain’s Top Health Officialhttp://huff.to/15GW4WT
 
·      Minority Groups and Bottlers Team Up in Battles Over Soda http://nyti.ms/Wm1yU4
 
·      Food security debate needs to include stronger focus on food safety (in the developing world) http://bit.ly/YtMzId
Progress across the developing world is being undermined by contaminated foods (aflatoxin,) more campaigns need to all for food safety
 
·      Is the Dairy Industry Getting Sneaky With Sweeteners? http://bit.ly/ZjvZru
A petition pending with the FDA would make it legal to sweeten milk with aspartame without labeling it on the front.
 
·      Processed meat scare: a bacon sandwich won’t kill you… will it? http://bit.ly/ZhYMjB
As a new scare over salami and sausages emerges, is it time to ditch processed meat products from our diet?
o   Study: Meat consumption and mortality – results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition http://bit.ly/XUv4kf 
 
·      Safety of the National School Lunch Program’s Frozen Ground Beef Products http://bit.ly/XzvyyY
 
·      Forget Money Laundering – These Guys Were Running Dirty Honey http://bit.ly/XyOSdk
Criminal charges have been filed against groups who allegedly imported Chinese honey without paying anti – dumping duties.
 
·      Congressional Bill Introduced to Combat Seafood Fraud http://bit.ly/Y5amuT
o   How to avoid doctored food http://trib.in/Xzslj0
Keeping it real: Prescriptions for avoiding doctored food
 
·      Dead Pigs In China Floating By The Hundreds In Shanghi River (3/11/13) http://huff.to/XduQHj
Chinese officials say they have fished out 900 dead pigs from a Shanghai river that is a water source for city residents.
o   Dead Pigs In Shanghai River Raise Concern As Number Of Carcasses Grows http://huff.to/YTGUKS
Count at 2,800…
o   Dead Pigs In China’s Shanghai River Worry Residents http://huff.to/Wnl2rn
Authorities recovered hundreds more dead pigs from a river that provides drinking water to Shanghai, China’s financial hub, bringing the total to more than 6,600 since last Friday (3/8/13)
o    
 
·      Livestock Falling Ill in Fracking Regions, Raising Concerns About Food http://bit.ly/VYdyvZ
This is from 12/12, but worth the read…
 
·      Fracking Moratorium in New York Gets Extended http://bit.ly/Y5ar1U
 
 
Events

·      Oakland Soil Workshop: Are Your Soils Health? Understanding and Evaluating Your Soils Workshop
Thursday, March 28, 2013, 9am – 12noon
Phat Beets Urban Farm, 59th St. between Market St. & Adeline St., Oakland, CA
            For more information, or to register, contact Rex Dufour 530-792-7338 or
 
·      Graze The Roof: Spring Workshops, Glide Foundation San Francisco http://bit.ly/YubTdd
o   March 31st, Designing your Spring Garden
o   April 7th, Designing Sustainable Habitats and Visionary Place Making
 
·      Detroit Food 2013: What’s on Your Plate? April 4-6, 2013, Focus: HOPE Conference Center http://bit.ly/XzAvYB
 
 
Other/Actions
·      Urgent: Get Antibiotics Out of Organic Apple and Pear Production http://bit.ly/Xq3spU