Agriculture

Leveling the Playing Field

Much of the recent Farm Bill debate has focused on subsidies for rich farmers, but what about government support for some of the largest multinational agribusiness companies in the world? Research released last month suggests that stripping away direct and indirect subsidies benefitting meat and poultry companies could bring dramatic changes to our farm economy.

Agri-food in Brisbane

I spent three days at the end of November in Brisbane, a booming but still small-ish city, some 930 km North of Sydney, on Australia's east coast.

Clock Ticking on NAFTA

You may have thought NAFTA was old news. But surprisingly, over a decade later, it still has not been fully implemented. Because NAFTA was so controversial in all three countries when it came into effect in 1994, the deal delayed implementation of the final agriculture provisions until January 1, 2008. And those final provisions are a big deal - particularly for Mexico.

Sustainability in the Farm Bill

This week, the Senate will vote on 40 final amendments to the Farm Bill. One amendment the Senate should support comes from Senators Wyden and Harkin. The amendment would restore sustainable production criteria to the Bioenergy Crop Transition Assistance Program (BCTAP) within the Farm Bill's Energy Title.

First concentrate on the farm

The Nov. 24 commentary by pro-irradiation advocate Michael Osterholm ignores a number of unresolved health concerns with respect to irradiating food (e.g. possible vitamin depletion, threats to public safety from introducing additional radiation sources into communities, etc.).