Mike Adams: S510 Food Safety bill is still alive and may unleash a new army of FDA agents

The U.S. government wants to know where your greenhouse is. Under Senate Bill 510 -- which is now back in the hands of the U.S. Senate after the House hid an amendment in an appropriations bill and passed it last night -- American food producers would be required to register their facilities with the U.S. government. The feds, it seems, want a database of food growers so they know who to target for surprise inspections (show me your papers!).

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Beeline to Extinction

According to the recently released annual survey by the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), more than a third of U.S. managed honeybee colonies-those set up for intensified pollination of commercial crops-failed to survive this past winter. Since 2006, the decline of the U.S.'s estimated 2.4 million beehives-commonly referred to as colony collapse disorder (CCD)-has led to the disappearance of hundreds of thousands of colonies

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New Studies Expose Potential Risks of GMO Trees

New Studies Expose Potential Risks of GMO Trees Red Flags Raised About Potential Negative Impacts of Proposed Large-Scale Release of Genetically Engineered Trees in the U.S. WASHINGTON - May 4 - While the U.S. Supreme Court hears its first-ever case involving a genetically modified organism, alarms are sounding over the proposed planting of more than a quarter of a million genetically engineered (GE) eucalyptus trees in the U.S., and transgenic trees are being globally condemned.

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Fears for Crops as Shock Figures From America Show Scale of Bee Catastrophe

The world may be on the brink of biological disaster after news that a third of US bee colonies did not survive the winter

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The Food Nightmare Beneath Our Feet: We're Running Out of Soil

John Jeavons is saving the planet one scoop of applesauce at a time. Jeavons stands at the front of the classroom at Ecology Action, the experimental farm he founded on the side of a mountain above Willits, in Northern California’s Mendocino County. For every tablespoon of food he sucks down his gullet, he scoops up six spoonfuls of dirt, one at a time for dramatic effect, and dumps them into another bowl. It’s a stark message he’s trying to get across to the 35 people who have come from around the country to get a tour of his farm -- simplified, to be sure, but comprehensible: For every unit of food we consume, using the conventional agricultural methods employed in the U.S., six times that amount of topsoil is lost. Since, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the average person eats a ton of food each year, that works out to 12,000 pounds (5,443 kilograms) of topsoil. John Jeavons estimates that using current farming practices we have 40 to 80 years of arable soil left.

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Organic Gardening Tips

1. If you can not use finished compost for a while, cover the pile with a tarp to avoid leaching the nutrients out of the compost. 2. Companion planting is an excellent way to improve your garden. Some plants replenish nutrients lost by another one, and some combinations effectively keep pests away. 3. Dry your herbs at the end of the summer by tying sprigs together to form small bunches. Tie them together with a rubber band and hang, tips down, in a dry place out of the sun. Keep the bunches small to ensure even circulation. Store dry in labeled canning jars, either whole or crumbled. Freezing is also a good way to preserve herbs. 4. Water in the morning to help avoid powdery mildew and other fungal diseases that are often spread by high humidity. 5. The longer the growing season, the more compost is needed in the soil. A longer growing season requires more nutrients and organic matter in the soil.

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A Beginner's Guide to Organic Gardening

For many of us, the idea of having an organic garden -- one grown without chemicals -- is somewhat of a fantasy. Sure, we'd like to enjoy undeniably healthy vegetables right from our own backyards. But with everything you need to know about soil, compost, and companion planting, it seems impossible to pull off. But it's not. All you need is patience and a willingness to weed, water, and get muddy. Here is the step-by-step.

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The Advantages of Having Your Own Organic Vegetable Garden

Today, many people are concerned about the soaring price of food. While a vegetable garden won't provide everything you need, it can go a good way towards reducing your food bill. Even if you have just a small amount of space around the foundation of your home, you can use it for a wrap-around vegetable garden. Depending on the plants that you choose to grow and how you store them, you may even find that you can have fresh vegetables on hand all year long.

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