We are delighted to announce a major legal victory against the use of genetically-engineered (GE) crops in the U.S.

On August 13, a federal district judge in California issued a ruling that barred any future planting of Monsanto's genetically-engineered "RoundUp Ready" sugar beets until the US Department of Agriculture completes an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which could take until 2012.  The "RoundUp Ready" beets currently comprise 95% of the nation's sugar beet harvest.

As with all of Monsanto's GE crops, the sugar beets have been genetically altered to withstand Monsanto's patented herbicide, RoundUp.   According to the Center for Food Safety, which led the lawsuit against Monsanto, "similar RoundUp Ready crops have led to increased use of herbicides, proliferation of herbicide resistant weeds, and contamination of conventional and organic crops."

This is not the first time the USDA has ignored its responsibility and approved GM crops without proper testing.  In his order, Judge Jeffrey White noted that USDA's "errors are not minor or insignificant," and he's concerned that "Defendants are not taking this process seriously."  He also pointed out that "despite the fact that the statutes at issue are designed to protect the environment," USDA and the sugar beet industry focused on the economic consequences to themselves.

CFS Executive Director Andrew Kimbrell hailed the ruling as "a major victory for farmers, consumers... and the environment."  But it's a victory that could be lost without strong public support, as industry forces are pushing the USDA to rush through an EIS in time for spring planting.  Please join us in sending this easy, online message to the USDA - NO to untested GE crops; YES to protecting farmers, our environment, and human health!

(And thanks to our good friends and fiscal sponsor, Organic Consumers Association, for posting this alert.  Click here to join their "Millions Against Monsanto" campaign.)

Have you been to the Ag Fair yet?  If no you still have a couple days left, as the 62nd Annual Montgomery County Agricultural Fair in Gaithersburg runs through this Saturday, August 21.

Montgomery County's  Agricultural Fair is one of the largest and oldest in the region, and has tons for the interested foodie to see and do, from a milking parlor and birthing center  to the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden and live beekeeping demos.  There is also a slew of commercial, craft and nonprofit exhibits, tons of food, and loads of entertainment, including all the traditional carnival rides.  (And the food runs the gamut from farm fresh fruit and produce to ice cream and corn dogs!) 

The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair is a unique and fascinating exploration of our agricultural heritage, a classic Montgomery County experience not to be missed.

Click here for complete information and directions to the Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg - and we'll see you at the Fair! And when you go, don't forget to bring your canned goods to donate to those in need, as Manna Food Center will have collection points set up at the Fair entrances.



Reminder: School Food Meeting with MC Board of Education's Shirley Brandman - Friday, August 27

A quick reminder about a must-attend event for any parent (or concerned citizen) who wants to see our children fed healthier, fresher, more nutritious and more local food at school.

On Friday, August 27, Montgomery County Board of Education member (and former Board President) Shirley Brandman will be speaking on the issue of school food.  Shirley has been an advocate for improvements in school lunches, and this is a great opportunity to speak with a decision maker in our county on the subject.

The meeting will take place from 10am - 12 Noon at the home of school food activist Carrie Witkop, (pictured at left inspiring students), 8827 McGregor Drive,  Chevy Chase, Md. 20815. RSVP's are requested at carriewitkop@juno.com or by calling 301-654-1622.

So come share your concerns with Board member Shirley Brandman on the 27th - and if you do go, make sure to bring up the issue of the ban on school vegetable gardens as well!  (We also need an attendee who can write a short report on the meeting for an upcoming MVG update - let us know if you'd like to do that!)



Answer to Declining Bee Population Sought in N.D. Prairie

Did you know that more than half of the 2.5 million bee colonies in the U.S. are found in the Dakotas or western Minnesota?  And that North Dakota leads the nation in honey production?

It makes sense, then, that  the largest bee study in the country, comprised of 288 hives being followed for three years, is happening here in North Dakota.  As a follow up to last week's news item on the recent, disturbing disappearance of so many bees, labeled "Colony Collapse Disorder," here is an article from the Minnesota press on attempts to discover the cause of this potentially catastrophic problem.

While many are focused on pesticides or parasites as the cause, the reason might be more complex, and the current study suggests it might start with the bees' nutrition - specifically, the declining variety of flowering plants from which bees can get pollen.  According to the USDA's lead bee researcher, "Bees that eat only one or two kinds of pollen, like a person eating mostly junk food, will have weakened immune systems."  Which could in turn make them much more susceptible to pesticides and parasites.

And why might there be less flowering plants?  One likely reason is that since Americans are eating more grains like corn and wheat, which do not flower, and less veggies and fruit, which do, we have changed the landscape, and as a result bees might not be getting a healthy diet.

Researchers hope what's learned here on the North Dakota prairie will lead to changes in farm policy, encouraging farmers and others to create landscapes that are more bee friendly.  In the meantime, keep eating and planting those flowering veggies and fruits - for yourself, and for the bees!



Eat Fresh Local Food - Doctor's Orders!

We've known and said for quite a while that eating fresh, local veggies and fruits is crucial for good health.  Now, for some residents in western Massachusetts, it's the doctor's order.

As reported in the NY Times, "doctors at three health centers in Massachusetts have begun advising patients to eat 'prescription produce' from local farmers' markets, in an effort to fight obesity in children of low-income families."  The doctors are giving coupons equivalent  to $1 a day for each member of a patient's family to promote healthy meals.

Childhood obesity costs $14.1 billion in direct health expenses each year in the U.S. while treating obesity-related illness in adults costs an estimated $147 billion annually.

While experts stress that it will take more than a vegetable prescription program in isolation to have a long term influence on reducing obesity, this new pilot program is an important start.  There are now thirty-six states with some type of farmers' market nutrition programs aimed at women and young children, and efforts such as the one in Massachusetts may also help farmers' markets compete with the dollar "value" meals sold at fast-food restaurants.

"It worked wonders," said Leslie-Ann Ogiste, who bought eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash, corn, bok choy, parsley, carrots and red onions with the coupons. "Just the variety, it did help."  She added some to soups and rice dishes to disguise them from her 9 year old son, Makael, but the ruse was apparently unnecessary.  "It's really good," he said.

(Thanks to MVGer Emily for passing this on!)

In a string of significant victories around the country, animal rights and food activists have wrung some surprising concessions from factory farmed meat operations.  The EPA is actually starting to enforce the Clean Water Act when it comes to CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations), and the governor of Ohio urged farmers to negotiate with the Humane Society and accept a ban on new egg farms with "battery cage" confined chickens, rather than lose a referendum on the issue this fall.

As Tom Philpott writes in Grist online magazine, "when I put these news items together, I start to smell victory for the sustainable-food movement, that loose alliance of citizens and nonprofit groups demanding an ecologically robust, socially just, and humane food system." Increasing consumer preference for more 'natural' and local products as well as concerns about antibiotic use (70% of all antibiotics used in the U.S. go to livestock) are also helping to drive the change.

But as Philpott adds, "more even than consumer preference, change has been driven by political action. [The Humane Society] won real reform in Ohio and California not by urging people to 'vote with their forks,' but rather by organizing them to rally around a ballot initiative."

Here's hoping we see more smart organizing like this by the sustainable food movement -  with more victories to come!



Compost 101 for Urban Dwellers [Slide show]

Yard trimmings and food scraps make up 26% of all U.S. waste - why would you want to throw it in the garbage, only to end up in a landfill, when you could make rich black gold with it?

Also courtesy of Grist, here is a quick slide show from a composting "newbie," with a quick breakdown on composting and some of the options she's discovered for doing it in an urban environment.  It includes information and resources on building your own compost bin, if you have a small yard, and how to use compost crocks or worm bins for those without yards.

To quote growingSOUL's Jessica Weiss, if it comes from the ground or an animal, it needs to go into another animal or back into the ground.  Check out this Grist slide show for some ideas on how you can do composting with little or no space!

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