by Guest Posts on 15 May 2013 
Everywhere I go, I hear farmers argue over the word ‘sustainable’. So much so, that I really want to puke. It gets brought up at policy meetings, on social media sites, and in blog entries. When I hear farmers discussing what it means, I only hear Charlie Brown’s teacher… wha wha wha wha whaa, wha wha wha wha whaaa. What brought on this latest episode of word fatigue? Yet another article written that only serves to divide farmers into groups. Organic vs conventional, small vs large. It’s like we’re a huge dysfunctional family who can’t even manage a holiday
by Guest Posts on 18 April 2013 
Almost everything we do in life must focus on sustainability in order to guarantee the possibilities of continuing those practices in the future. However, lately it seems the term sustainability has become more of a buzz word that implies something better, thus opening the doors for advertising and marketers to take advantage of certain elements of their products that seem more sustainable than their competitors. Sustainability is not a buzz word to farmers, as agriculture has always focused on producing food for our communities while caring the environment in which we live. Still, history has proven that sustainability in
by Pamela Ronald on 15 April 2013 
An Excerpt by Jon Entine It’s a challenge to name a more influential food writer than The New York Times‘ Mark Bittman—nor one less informed and more damaging to the public opinion on the issue of genetically modified crops and foods. Simply said, he is a scourge on science. Those are strong words, and not written lightly. However, when a journalist writes for the world’s most influential newspaper, he/she has standards to uphold, not the least of which is to know the basic facts about the topic on which one writes. Bittman freely and often engages the debate over GMOs
by Adam Merberg on 10 April 2013 
In 1898, the chemist and physicist William Crookes devoted his presidential address to the British Association for the Advancement of Science to “a life and death question for generations to come.” At existing rates, he argued, the world’s wheat crop would cease to be able to feed the world’s wheat-eating people within a few decades. Crookes based his forecast on an estimate of the amount of nitrogen available for the growth of wheat crops. For centuries, farmers had observed that land would become less productive when it was planted year after year. With the advent of modern chemistry, scientists came to understand
by Karl Haro von Mogel on 5 April 2013 
Here’s a catchy tune – about coexistence! Back when genetically engineered canola was new in Canada, there was a conversation between two farmers – one who grew organic canola, and the other, GE. That conversation turned into this song: As an added bonus, two of the performers are weed scientists, and the third is a former editor of Weed Technology. (H/T Andrew Kniss) I think the next time I give a talk about the spillover effects of different farming systems, I will just show this video. What do you think?
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Agriculture Phrases that Frustrate Me
Everywhere I go, I hear farmers argue over the word ‘sustainable’. So much so, that I really want to puke. It gets brought up at policy meetings, on social media sites, and in blog entries. When I hear farmers discussing what it means, I only hear Charlie Brown’s teacher… wha wha wha wha whaa, wha wha wha wha whaaa. What brought on this latest episode of word fatigue? Yet another article written that only serves to divide farmers into groups. Organic vs conventional, small vs large. It’s like we’re a huge dysfunctional family who can’t even manage a holiday
Sustainable Agriculture, What Does it Mean?
Almost everything we do in life must focus on sustainability in order to guarantee the possibilities of continuing those practices in the future. However, lately it seems the term sustainability has become more of a buzz word that implies something better, thus opening the doors for advertising and marketers to take advantage of certain elements of their products that seem more sustainable than their competitors. Sustainability is not a buzz word to farmers, as agriculture has always focused on producing food for our communities while caring the environment in which we live. Still, history has proven that sustainability in
Is Mark Bittman misinformed on GMOs?
An Excerpt by Jon Entine It’s a challenge to name a more influential food writer than The New York Times‘ Mark Bittman—nor one less informed and more damaging to the public opinion on the issue of genetically modified crops and foods. Simply said, he is a scourge on science. Those are strong words, and not written lightly. However, when a journalist writes for the world’s most influential newspaper, he/she has standards to uphold, not the least of which is to know the basic facts about the topic on which one writes. Bittman freely and often engages the debate over GMOs
An Unlikely Fix: nitrogen fertilizer and organic agriculture
In 1898, the chemist and physicist William Crookes devoted his presidential address to the British Association for the Advancement of Science to “a life and death question for generations to come.” At existing rates, he argued, the world’s wheat crop would cease to be able to feed the world’s wheat-eating people within a few decades. Crookes based his forecast on an estimate of the amount of nitrogen available for the growth of wheat crops. For centuries, farmers had observed that land would become less productive when it was planted year after year. With the advent of modern chemistry, scientists came to understand
Harmonious Coexistance
Here’s a catchy tune – about coexistence! Back when genetically engineered canola was new in Canada, there was a conversation between two farmers – one who grew organic canola, and the other, GE. That conversation turned into this song: As an added bonus, two of the performers are weed scientists, and the third is a former editor of Weed Technology. (H/T Andrew Kniss) I think the next time I give a talk about the spillover effects of different farming systems, I will just show this video. What do you think?