2009

in

Table of Contents


January 2009 to September 2009

Following are the contents of some of our recent issues. Feel free to read the feature article of that issue by clicking on the red titles. If the articles pique your interest, and you'd like to see more, please contact us for a subscription or sample copy. We can also help with serious research. See also our Current Issue page.

 

#268: October-November 2009 TOC pdf 
Climate Leadership? - PM Harper seems determined to do nothing to address the world's greatest crisis
More pork, more contradictions - The pork producers' aid program is not likely to help much
Three Sisters and Friends - Henry Lickers draws out lessons from traditional Indigenous agriculture
Half-Baked Potato Turned Back - South Africa has rejected GM potatoes, citing inadequate testing
The Meaning of Monoculture - McDonald's governs the varieties commercial potato farmers must grow
Dealing with distancing and energy - A grain CSA is shipping in sailboats across Kootenay Lake in BC
In other shipping news - US soy is turned away from European ports on reports of GM contamination
Maui bans GE Taro - Citing the cultural importance of taro, Maui rejects GE
Big Meat - More mergers, this time JBS SA (Brazil) taking over US Pilgrim's Pride
Meat Safety from Apples - A new edible film is claimed to stop pathogenic bacteria on meat surfaces
India suspends approval of GE brinjal - A GM brinjal (eggplant) has been delayed
Electronic vs. paper - Subscribers can choose either (or both) versions of the Ram's Horn.
Students Wanted - by the organic agriculture curriculum at the University of Guelph
Lobbying - Immense spending by pharmaceutical industry

#267: September 2009 TOC pdf 
The Tyranny of Rights: introducing Brewster's new book
Roundup Kills -- weeds, and much more: new research shows that the so-called inert ingredients in Roundup are even more harmful than the glyphosate
    Publish and ... :Argentinian scientist is viciously attacked for exposing effects of glyphosate spray on people
    More and more: more soy, more glyphosate
    Carry On Regardless: Dow and Monsanto continue to get approval of their new GE crops
Smarter Than They Look: apparently lambs can self-medicate
"Mother Nature Is A Bad Person": according to persistent organic deniers Denis and Alex Avery
    Review of interesting work by The Nature Institute on the Goethean approach to science: much more respectful!
Spreading Triffid: 8 years ago we reported Alan McHughen's flamboyantly self-serving release of GE flax; now Canadian farmers stand to lose their most inportant markets
Cargill: information webs; bioplastics; attitude to organic and sustainable agriculture
Tapping into Bottled Water: more on Nestle's attempts to brand bottles as sustainable
Get Rich Quick: 35% return promised on investment in agricultural land.

#266: August 2009 TOC sites/ramshorn.ca/files/rh-266%20web.pdfpdf 
Not Quite the Whole Hog: analysis of the Government's bail-out of the failing hog industry
Look But Don't Touch: Scientific American calls for open research on patented varieties
Fighting Food Terror: Kerala (India) State Ag. Minister calls for defense against 'greedy corporates'
and Supporting Organics: Brazilian Ministry of Ag booklet critiquing GM is distributed by civil society
We indulge in Schadenfreude: as Nestle's bottled water business declines
Making Promises Sound Like Facts: Washington University teams up with Gates foundation to save Africa again
Antibiotic Resistant Salmonella Recall: Cargill subsidiary BPI has to recall beef due to salmonella, also faces animal-handling charges
Consumers lose trust: IBM survey reports US consumers do not trust food companies
New GM Corn Not Tested: Globe & Mail report on "SmartStax" from Monsanto/Dow
Monsanto Business Plan: Keep Roundup prices high despite market share loss, look to GM seeds as profit centre
Cokecolonization: Coke doubles investment in China, its third-largest market
Colonization by Monsanto: teaching Indian farmers how to go into debt
Myth of Enhanced Yields: New study shows Bt Cotton performs poorly in India; company blames bad weather
No Yields: Colombian cotton growers face huge crop losses, want to sue Monsanto
Fake Real Food or Real Fake Food: analysis of Hellman's "Eat Real Local"
website and campaign
Improvements?: Monsanto and Dole are working on 'improving' vegetable varieties

#265: June 2009 TOC pdf 
Prison Farms: Corrections Canada is determined to close six prison farms which provide training and fresh food to the prisoners
Ontario Organic Turkey: outcry over a new regulation forcing turkey farmers to keep their birds in confinement
How Sweet It Is: Cargill wins at every turn with natural and artificial sweeteners
Roundup Time: Chinese herbicides are cutting into Monsanto's profits
Love the Language!: Monsanto describes Monsanto
A peoples' victory over Monsanto: South Africa: an environmental group does not have to pay court costs in suit against Monsanto
Labour-intensive farming boosts development: conclusions of an"Agribusiness Forum" in South Africa
Outside the Box: Venezuelan President Chavez disrespects Tetra Pak's patents
On the menu: Brazilian Amazon forest beef or Canadian grain-fed
(feed-lot) beef: not much of a choice, is it?
Uncivilized Behaviour from Dow: Dow is pushing 2,4D in Brazil -- a compound which is was part of the infamous 'Agent Orange'
GMO Corn & Soy: Negligible Yield Increases: a new independent study shows that genetic engineering doesn't really increase yields

#264: May 2009 TOC pdf 
Silencing Spring: Canadian government has taken 25 years to act against a toxic chemical
Serious Seeds: Patrick Steiner writes about the increase in independent seed business
Don't blame the pigs!: Cathy Holtslander explains how factory farming is the clear cause of diseases such as swine flu
Dying Hog Industry Asks for a Billion: Paul Beingessner describes the decline in pig farming after decades of financial disaster
Billionaires' greed: CEOs continue to rip off immense compensations
Kerala labourers return from Dubai: the loss of migrant jobs threatens poor communities
Full Cost-Accounting: Corn-based ethanol uses 50 gallons of water per mile driven
Meat Packers Update: Competition Bureau has no trouble with only two corporations in meat packing
Germany Bans Cultivation of Monsanto GM Maize: courts take the precautionary approach
Imposing a Business Model: AGRA is described as a way to build agri-business in Africa, not sustainable food production
Fumigating Argentina: the use of glyphosate on GE soy is creating a health catastrophe in the rural sector
"Transgenic treadmill": Glyphosate resistant johnsongrass is forcing more dependence on agri-technology
Brazil's Coffee Crop Threatened: climate change on top of the economic crisis will reduce Brazil's agriculture capacity

#263: March/April 2009 TOC pdf 
Signs of spring: and hope in the resurgence of interest and action to create a sustainable local food system
Promises and Propaganda: EuropaBio says biotech promises to solve water problems
- Following the footsteps of tobacco: looking at the biotech propaganda strategies
- The complete propaganda machine: Monsanto enters the blogosphere (to control the messaging, of course)
- Monsanto funds scholarships and a journalism training course
- University of Regina associate dean shills for biotech
- Ingo Potrykus continues to seek Vatican blessing for biotech Growing
Resistance: A message from Kenya in support of the resilience of local varieties
- Mexico City to protect historic maize varieties
- Brazil Soy State loses taste for GMO seed
- Non-GE soy demand growing North and South
Sweet Treats:
- Industrial Gelato
- Industrial Ice Cream
Farmworkers: a story from tomato central, Immokalee Floride
"Changing the Vocation of the Land": Venezuela's Chavez moves to protect environment

#262: February 2009 TOC pdf 
Three Blind Mice:: Sarah Martin explores the three giants in the institutional foodservice business
Cheese [made from milk] Please: The Big Three cheesemakers object to a ruling that cheese must be made mostly out of real milk
Marketing:
    New CWB executive changes tack: government-appointed CEO now admits that the CWB plays an important role for farmers
    Profits - but not for the farmers: Viterra posts a record profit as a private corporation
    And more agrifuels subsidies
DNA Testing for Adulteration: UK researchers can now identify pure Basmati rice
Not a Straight Line: UK author says development is complex
Sohpisticated Science: Kenyan organization researches pest and vector management for pest control
Plant breeding in China: Scientists use non-invasive genetic technologies
The Taro Story (cont.): Hawaiian legislators are trying to protect the crop which is sacred to Native Hawaiians
Crop destruction in Gaza: Economic and military siege of Gaza has contaminated and destroyed land and water sources
Cooking the GMO Books: Friends of the Earth unmask the industry front group, ISAAA
A More Reliable Source: IFOAM reports an increase in organic food production
rBGH failing: New England dairy industry rejects the growth hormone

#261: January 2009 TOC pdf 
Growth, Energy and Food: Brewster reflects on distancing in energy policy
The Seed Policy Project: a new initiative towards seed sovereignty in Canada
GMO-free Ice Cream: an opportunity for an Irish dairy
Guns and Peanut butter: a BMJ article on misguided food policy regarding allergens
Global sourcing: shipping by sea is cheaper than overland, even if it means importing from overseas
GMO-free food and feed: Japanese seek non-GMO seeds, while the Western Canadian Wheat Growers tout GMOs
Seaweed shortage: due to over-exploitation or climate change?
Financial Crisis: Monsanto loses in recession
Cargill goes public, sweetly: the company is advertising its new sweetener to the public
Stevia gets USFDA go-ahead: stevia extract is classified as 95% purity
The ABCD of Global Agriculture: ADM, Bunge, Cargill, and Louis Dreyfus in China
Need to Stretch: laying hens in cages
GM crops only a fraction of primary global crop production: despite claims by Monsanto et. al. GM crops are not widely popular


 

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