Growers and Grocers

The USDA has released a report that documents the economic effects of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy found in U.S. and Canadian cattle.
The net effect? Not much. The BSE discovery came at a time of record demand for U.S. beef, and the domestic market recovered quickly. Exports to foreign markets plummeted, but it turns out […]

Consumers are becoming more conscious of the need to support local farmers. But large structures such as a hospitals or schools don’t always have time to seek out producers from their own area.
Rick Barrett of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal reports that a former Whole Foods employee, Heather Hilleren, hopes to solve this problem with a […]

I understand the need avoid silly panics, but you’ve got to question Alabama’s decision to import Florida citrus despite the widespread citrus canker and a government ban on shipping Florida fruit to certain areas
The federal government wants to contain the disease, but Alabama believes the “cleansing” technologies are perfectly safe. That’s just not something I’d […]

The USDA has released a large list of farm subsidy recipients, according to this news release at St. Paul Pioneer Press. The disclosure comes as part of the 2002 Farm Bill, but the Environmental Working Group argues that the new information is only a good first step. The list excludes co-operatives, even though they receive […]

Bruce Cole, who now publishes Edible San Francisco in addition to his well-known blog Saute Wednesday, recently posted an article about slaughterhouses from the magazine. It’s a good look at the complicated logistics of beef slaughter in Northern California.
When we buy local meats, we usually focus on where the animals lived. Bruce looks into where […]

Earthquake survivors and bomb shelter residents will be able to enjoy their daily bread provided they have can openers on hand, according to this report on asahi.com. Japanese bakers at the Nagoya Light House Kowa dormitory figured out how to seal bread in a can and keep it fresh for three years, without preservatives and […]

The U.S. government announced more funds to compensate Florida citrus growers after the USDA ordered them to eradicate trees infected with citrus canker. The disease spread quickly in the high winds of 2004’s hurricanes.
The government now admits defeat, and has sought a treatment program that focuses on improving a plant’s health instead of eradicating the […]

Patrick, Todd, and Sarah, three of the main people at Heritage Foods USA, are travelling the United States and meeting the farmers they represent.
Heritage Foods sells non-mainstream breeds of livestock, animals that are often more flavorful than the high-yield commercial variants most people eat. As the passionate trio hits the road, they’ll be profiling growers […]

California melons fared better than stone fruit this year, according to the California Farm Bureau Federation.
I can’t add to the website’s text:

Excellent quality melons are being harvested in the Imperial Valley. Farmers expect to continue shipping fruit until July 4th. They credit warm weather in the desert for contributing to high quality among the melons […]

Online magazine Slate offers a humorous analysis of a Canadian advisory on lobster tomalley—the green goo in the big crustaceans. The Canadian government urges you not to eat two lobsters’ worth of tomalley in one sitting, since the organ collects toxins released by red tides.
In other words, if you’re one of those eaters who […]