NEWS

IT'S BEEN A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD HOLIDAY
From The New Farm®, www.newfarm.org
From mad cows to The Meatrix, the media's been buzzing about questionable farming and processing practices, and the alternatives. The New Farm has put together a collection of stories, news items and resources related to the BSE scare and how we raise and process livestock in this country to help you sort through all the hype. Check out "Butchered," a gritty, inside look at a massive hog processing facility in Manitoba or the thoughtful essay by Prairie Writers Circle author Richard Manning on the culture of panic in America, and the real madness here--our feed lot system. The research update focuses on a study of the humane pork production systems common in Europe and The New Farm certification answer team devotes January's Q&As to certification issues related to BSE.
http://www.newfarm.org/index.shtml#mad

HEMP HEAVEN ... AND HELL
From The New Farm®, www.newfarm.org
Anyone who has been to one of the many hippie festivals that color the North American cultural landscape has seen literature on and heard speakers recount the litany of benefits and claims-to-fame of industrial hemp -- the non-drug, non-marijuana variety of Cannabis sativa. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew it on their farms. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper. Paul Bobbee and Peder Jensen are modern-day grows of industrial hemp in Canada and have found it to produce high quality products at a low environmental cost. Are Americans missing out by allowing a few anti-drug zealots to continue to ban this remarkable crop?
http://www.newfarm.org/international/canada_don/manitoba/index.shtml

THE SECRET LIFE OF CHEESE
From The New Farm®, www.newfarm.org
At Lifeline Farm in Victor, Montana, the land tells its story in milk. Biodynamic farmer Ernie Harvey says you can taste the fields and the seasons unique to his corner of Montana in every bite of cheese … unlike the homogenized, mass-produced cheeses available in the supermarket. Lifeline Farm is one of a growing number of biodynamic farms in the United States and around the world, businesses dedicated to the agricultural application of a natural philosophy whose proponents see it as more than just a means of raising wholesome and nutritious food.
http://www.newfarm.org/features/0104/bio-cheese/index.shtml

AN ORGANIC REGULATION FOR CANADA?
From The New Farm®, www.newfarm.org
The U.S. organic community haggled for a decade about an organic standard, and we’re living with the results, for better and worse. Our Canadian counterparts are now in the thick of this same process. Paddy Doherty is one of those who has been pushing aggressively for uniform organic standards in Canada. His take on the history, the issues and the players shows just how far Canada has come and how far it has to go.
http://www.newfarm.org/international/features/0104/canadacertified.shtml

PROFILE

CONVENTIONAL FARMER RESCUED BY COVER CROPS & DIVERSE ROTATION
From The New Farm®, www.newfarm.org
The neighbors may not approve of his shaggy winter fields, but Rich Bennett says the cover crops and reduced inputs he adopted on his Northern Ohio farm in the mid-80s saved him economically. Though in the estimation of some, Bennett’s green winter fields lack artistic appeal, his checkbook has never looked better. Bennett says he can save almost 50% in input costs without a change in yield. http://www.newfarm.org/features/0104/bennettcover.shtml