But this year, obesity has become a national obsession just as Congress is embarking on one of its periodic overhauls of the nation's farm policy. In response to growing concerns about health, particularly children's health, the new five-year farm bill going before the Senate now provides a record $2 billion for specialty crops, including money to buy fruits and vegetables for school lunches and to assist organic agriculture. A kernel of truth? Nation's obese are corn-fed. The national...

Mudgee is at the fore of exciting new directions in farming practice with about 300 farmers, graziers and agricultural professionals from across Australia flocking to the carbon farming conference at AREC. A striking feature of the conference was the buzz of enthusiasm participants showed for the future of farming an industry that has endured tough times recently. Considered a world first, the conference indicated that the grass roots movement for changes in agricultural practice and...

Supreme Court to intervene in a Maryland lawsuit and a Nebraska criminal case to protect the fundamentalist group's right to protest at military funerals. Supreme Court to intervene in a Maryland lawsuit and a Nebraska criminal case to protect the fundamentalist group's right to protest at military funerals. Ben Nelson is co-sponsoring a measure to limit federal subsidies available to farmers. Senate because he has too many important city issues to resolve. Special report Read The...

Those reports show that the great bulk of GM canola is sold at similar prices to conventional canola in most major canola markets throughout the world said Dr Norton. Australia is not realizing any price premium for producing non-GM canola and is missing out on significant agronomic and environmental benefits from growing non-GM canola varieties under Australian conditions. The use of GM HT canola has provided substantial benefits to growers and the environment in Canada where canola...

Two experts on genetically modified crops are touring North Dakota this week telling producers that GM products are costing producers money and sometimes entire markets. Will Rostov, a senior attorney for the Center for Food Safety, and Greg Yielding, the executive director of the Arkansas Rice Growers Association, are in the state on behalf of the Dakota Resource Council explaining problems with GM crops and the loss of markets. Department of Agriculture will search the county in question...

LONDON - British consumers are unwittingly eating food produced from genetically modified crops with nearly all milk, dairy products and pork produced from GMO-fed animals, Britain's largest organic certification body said on Friday. The Soil Association, which opposes GMO crops, said that a survey estimated about 60 percent of maize and 30 percent of soya fed to dairy cattle and pigs is genetically modified. The Soil Association, which certifies about 70 percent of the organic food sold...