“Grain Traders Rejecting New Monsanto Soybeans”
Dow Jones Business News GMO concerns have transcended environmental and health concerns and breached into the realm of product viability. As CFFP seeks to identify strategic investments within the differentiated production spectrum, for instance from no-till to organic no-till, this is something to consider. Article Summary: Monsanto recently launched a new genetically modified soybean that has not yet been approved by EU regulations. Firms representing companies as influential as Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland have rejected the product, mainly on the basis that there are not mechanisms in place to ensure the unapproved GMO will not contaminate countries with GMO laws. In the wake of China’s rejection of US corn shipments due to contamination with Syngenta GMO material, compliance with GMO laws
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“Costco gets creative to meet shoppers’ huge appetite for organics” Janet I. Tu, Seattle Times This provides an example of how traditional market forces can be harnessed in innovative ways to support alternative production methods that improve social equity and environmental sustainability. As a group of investors looking to meet similar goals, CFFP can partner with and equip other local retailers and distributors to create similar programs. Article Summary: “While organic food sales reached nearly 5 percent of total food sales last year, organic farmland makes up only about 1 percent of U.S. farm acreage.” Demand far exceeds production, and retailers are now playing an important role in bridging that gap. Companies including Costco, Whole Foods, and PCC are employing a number of creative mechanisms that help farmers acquire land, scale up, or transition to organic farming. Techniques include land and equipment loans as well as creation of farmland trusts. "Cover Crops, A Farming Revolution with Deep Roots in the Past"
Stephanie Strom, New York Times The biological and financial benefits that come with cover cropping validate CFFP’s current Market Research on the similar practice of rotational cropping, and suggest that we are looking in the right direction. Article Summary Cover crops are taking off in the Corn Belt, symbolizing a fundamental shift away from input-heavy industrial farming. Numerous industrial family farms now plant combinations of non-cash crops between seasons including turnips, millet, barley, clover, hairy vetch, sunflower, and more. Biological benefits of cover cropping include natural soil aeration, reduced erosion, carbon sequestration, nutrient replenishment, and improved beneficial insect, fungi, and microorganism populations. Cover cropping generally improves yields, eliminates need for fertilizer, and often reduces pesticide use. Overall, farmers estimate a net economic benefit of $244,000 or just over $69/acre – and this does not take into account potential income from value-added market for the cover crops themselves, especially grains. "Economics of Antibiotic Use in Livestock Production"
Stacy Sneeringer et al, USDA There is a recent trend towards antibiotic-free meat in the US, as companies as large as Perdue, Hormel, and Foster Farms start to incorporate antibiotic-free production practices. While the health of humans and livestock has always been a driving argument behind the shift, there is now a business rationale as well. Report Summary USDA Economic Research Services find no significant economic benefit in using antibiotics for uses other than disease treatment. Overall, eliminating antibiotics resulted in just a 1-3% increase in cost of production, a 1% increase in wholesale prices, and a drop in output of less than 1%. Furthermore, existing antibiotic-free producers “are predicted to respond to these higher prices by increasing production,” increasing revenues and availability of antibiotic-free meats to consumers. Site Link: Healthy soils are the basis for healthy food production
CFFP’s commitment to the economic viability of sustainable production systems for medium-sized producers is one huge contribution to the sustenance of soils in Washington state. While CFFP is already researching market potential of no-till and organic production systems, additional systems to consider that prioritize soil health include agroforestry, agroecology, and conservation agriculture Resource Summary An easily-digestible infographic from the FAO that includes why, more than any other agricultural input, the cultivation of diverse and healthy soils is perhaps the most important. For more detailed explanations, browse here. Site Link: Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare
BBFAW presents an example of how evaluation alone has the potential to influence policy at the corporate level. Because animal welfare standards have been called out as a lens for measuring good business, food corporations across the value chain are challenged to improve practices in this area. Resource Summary The Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) is the first global measure of animal welfare standards for food businesses. The 2015 evaluation covers issues including confinement, genetic engineering, growth hormones, antibiotics, mutilations, slaughter practices, long distance live transportation, internal policy, accountability, and more. BBFAW proposes to evaluate a range of corporations from production to retail, including Sysco, Dean Foods Co, ConAgra Food Inc, Target, Albertsons, and Chipotle Mexican Grill. Site link: USDA New Farmers
A declining agricultural workforce is evidence of lack of profitability in the sector, resulting in social inequity and a lack of family wage jobs among farmers. The resilience of rural communities can be greatly impacted by investments and policy change that support new farmers. Resource Summary The majority of farmers in the United States are near or past age of retirement, and there are no new farmers to fill their shoes. The number of beginning farmers decreased by 20% from 2007 to 2012 (USDA Census of Agriculture). Local programs in the PNW have provided training, technical assistance, and incubator programs to beginning farmers for years. The USDA has launched an site for new farmers – with particular focus on youth and women – that walks through expectations, stories from other new farmers, planning, resources, and making connections. "Bread is Broken"
Ferris Jabr, New York Times Jones’s work reveals the complex relationships between community, human, economic, and environmental health through food. Human manipulation of traditional grains to increase profit has, in the end, caused damage of biological diversity and individual nutrition on a massive scale. Article Summary A historical and personal take on the genetic modification of wheat to meet standards for industrially commodified bread. The legacy of industrialized American grain production has resulted in breads that are devoid of origin, story, taste, or nutrients. Simply put, “for the sake of profit and expediency, we forfeited pleasure and health”. Industrialized wheat varieties have attributed to increased rates of gluten intolerance, IBS, and other chronic health conditions. Stephen Jones of The Bread Lab in Mt. Vernon, Washington passionately seeks to revive the pleasure and health of bread by combining studies of advanced genetics and traditional grains. |
LearnAs part of its own research, CFFP regularly illuminates educative research, media, and resources related to our work. This page contains public versions of our synopses. Archives
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