What The Latest Research Actually Says (And Doesn't) About Organic



The Organic Center l March 15, 2017



On Tuesday, The Organic Center wasted no time in responding to the New York Post article "Organic food isn't all it's cracked up to be" by Christian Gollayan. The Center pointed out how the article mislead readers about the full findings of the Science Advances study, which overwhelmingly support the benefits of organic, including more biodiversity, improved soil and water quality, greater profitability, and higher nutritional value. Precise analysis of scientific articles isn't always easy and almost never quick, but The Center has done a careful review of the work to explain the actual findings of the study. We all have an incredible amount of information to absorb, and it's critical that we get the most accurate facts in order to make the most informed choices in our daily lives. The Organic Center is an in-depth resource for anyone interested in diving beyond the headlines and into the facts. We have developed a simple social toolkit (i.e. a series of tweets, Facebook posts, and shareable graphics) to help individuals and businesses share the whole story with their networks.



Find the article here.



Murcott and TDE from all the growers are eating like a warm breeze on a sunny day. For a great value, consider bringing in the choice TDE from Deer Creek Heights Ranch. It cuts beautifully and tastes great!
Produce Report 
 


What to look for that is NEW and EXCITING

The official start of spring is right around the corner with beautiful weather and warmer temperatures in California, yet delayed plantings and labor issues continue to play a major part on availability for most items. There are still plenty of bright spots; with good supply and pricing in both strawberries and asparagus, you can't really go wrong with big displays on the classic springtime items. Pink variegated lemons from Buck Brand citrus could be cross merchandised with both! Import plums continue with the return of a few Happy Giants, as well as the black variety Angelino joining the lineup. "Baby" and "small" versions of many items also hint at spring, and with small Savoy cabbages, baby artichokes, baby lettuces, mini Persian cucumbers, green garlic, French Breakfast radishes and a few others scattered through the sets, eaters may be appeased.



Find the rest of the report here.

 

Can Organic Food Prevent a Public Health Crisis?

 

Form children's development to antibiotic resistance, a new European Parliament report charts the many benefits of organic food.



Civil Eats l by Elizabeth Grossman l March 8, 2017



Is organic food better for us? A growing number of scientific studies suggest that it is.



And now, the latest evidence to support this claim is a new report from the European Parliament, written by scientists at universities across Europe, including one who is also a professor at Harvard. The team reviewed the existing science on both organic food and agriculture and concluded that an organic food system offers clear health benefits.



Previous reports have looked selectively at the potential benefits of organic food and agriculture-its environmental sustainability or whether it contains certain pesticide residues, for example. This report, however, takes an unusually comprehensive look at the full range of possible benefits, from nutrition to absence of toxics. It's also based on hundreds of studies that include food analyses and epidemiological and laboratory studies.



Their findings are clearest when it comes to minimizing exposure to pesticides and to antibiotics used in livestock production. But the report also found that organically grown produce tends to contain less of the toxic metal cadmium-which the authors note is "highly relevant to human health."



Find the rest of the article here.

 

Lane Selman, an agricultural researcher at Oregon State University, has established a network that allows breeders to talk directly with users to develop vegetable varieties that best suit their needs.

Network Aims to Link Plant Breeders, Buyers



One of the ways the Culinary Breeding Network has reached out to the public is through its annual Variety Showcase.



Capital Press l by Margarett Waterbury l March 9, 2017



Oregon State University agricultural researcher Lane Selman wants to see more chefs and produce buyers step out of the kitchen and onto the farm.



During the course of her career, Selman observed that seed breeders' decisions directly impact growers, marketers and buyers. Yet few of those downstream stakeholders knew about current breeding projects, and fewer still understood the enormous impact seed breeding has on the landscape of the agricultural and food system.



Would connecting breeders with downstream crop consumers result in better, more useful plant breeding projects? she wondered.



She held a tasting event in Portland, and invited several local chefs to evaluate sweet peppers from a current variety trial in fresh, roasted and saut�ed form.



Not only did they provide excellent flavor feedback, they volunteered important information previously not considered in the project.   



Find the rest of the article here.

 
Family Farms Mean Business Rally



Friends of Family Farmers (FoFF) invites you to join its fourth biennial "Family Farms Mean Business" Rally and Day of Events at the State Capitol in Salem on Tuesday, April 4th, 2017! The Rally event includes educational farm and food policy workshops, a mid-day Rally on the Capitol steps, an indoor 'farmers market' to promote the positive impact of direct marketing and small farms, meetings with Legislators, and more.

In 2015 we had over 150 people. We hope to make the 2017 event even bigger and will be talking about issues like:

  • increasing support for new and beginning farmers
  • addressing economic risks to farmers from poorly regulated genetically engineered crops
  • addressing problems associated with factory farms
  • stopping proposed funding cuts to Farm-to-School
Morning policy workshops begin at 9:30 am.



Learn more and RSVP for the event here!






Trivia!



Keep playing for a chance to win! 




From Last Week:    
Language and produce lovers have a lot in common when it comes to the names of all our different plants, trees, root, and fruits. The right or the wrong moniker can have significant impact on how well known or desired a fruit or vegetable can be.  Some lesser known names for this item include blowball, cankerwort, doon-head-clock, witch's gowan, milk witch, monks-head, and priest's-crown, while the most common English name for this fully edible plant refers to the leaf structure and is derived from the French language for "lions tooth". 



Answer:

Dandelion 
 
How does trivia work? 
Each week we tuck a juicy bit of organic knowledge into our produce report. Everyone who answers will be entered into our monthly drawing. Then, the first week of every month we'll pick a winner and contact them to choose between an OGC t-shirt, apron or hat. Reply with your answer by Wednesday after receiving your Market Report to be entered in the drawing.



Send your answers to: [email protected]



We encourage everyone to join in the fun--the more the merrier! 


Organically Grown | 1800-B Prairie Road | Eugene | OR | 97402