Whether GMO foods are safe to eat is one question. Put that question aside and look at what we do know now regarding one crop, Bt Corn – designed to eliminate the need for pesticides to control rootworm, a destructive beetle like insect, that feeds on the roots of corn. This damage to the corn plants roots is tremendously costly for the farmer and on up the chain. Bt Corn changed this by having the toxin that kills rootworm introduced in the species transgenically. In the short term it worked, crop yields improved and losses due to rootworm dropped dramatically. … Read More
10 Problems With Genetically Modified Foods
This story published at WallStCheatSheet.com is an excellent overview of the concerns that GMO products raise. There are simply too many questions and very few answers. Should we be concerned or not? If not, let’s prove it…[link]
New SunRidge Farms Pretzels coming!
SunRidge Farms is pleased to announce an expanded Pretzel line. These Non GMO items come in a variety of delicious coatings from Milk Chocolate to Blueberry Yogurt. Check your favorite grocers bulk section to find these delicious snacks or print out the flier and bring it with you so they can order for the store to carry. Download PDF
Trail Mix
It was 75 degrees in Santa Cruz last Sunday and the urge to dust off the camping and backpacking gear was too great to resist. I pulled it all out and began to go through everything to see what was needed for the coming season. Fortunately, it looks as if all the gear is in tip top shape and I only need to pick up some more bear spray and small propane cartridges for the stove and it’s go time. Oh yeah, and to load up on SunRidge Farms Trail Mix and other SunRidge Farms mixes for snacking on the… Read More
Farm Bill Reflecdt Shifting American Menu
From the New York Times comes an article on the impact and changes in the new Farm Bill just recently passed. Check it out here – [link]
Getting better at buying in bulk!
The conversion from a standard grocery store shopper to a more disciplined and careful BULK grocery shopper has taken time but the results are clearly positive. We’re eating better foods, snacking less, and reducing our waste impact. The really great thing is that in the bulk shopping I’m talking about doesn’t require me to buy 10 lbs. of pasta to get my savings like warehouse bulk buying requires. If we’re having pasta for dinner I can buy 12 oz. in bulk instead of a prepackaged 16 oz box knowing that we only eat 12 oz. and likely throw the rest… Read More
Dow pushing Enlist as a competitor to Monsanto's RoundUp
A competitive seed product for soybean and corn is poised to enter US Agriculture. Designed by Dow, these new GMO crops are intended to compete against Monsanto’s GMO portfolio of engineered crops and seeds. Here’s the full story – [link]
Chinese funding of GMO research declines
The Chinese Governments push to research GMO’s has slowed due to reduced funding. There is enough confusion as to the safety, claimed yields, and regulation that the Chinese have been very slow in allowing GMO seeds to be used. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next couple of years. Here’s the story from Reuters – [link]
California drought affecting Almonds
The drought in California is impacting almond growers to the point of having to remove the trees themselves because if they die in the orchard insects and disease spread to the remaining and neighboring orchards. The impact on crop production this year is unknown but farmers fear the worst. For more, [link]
US Food Companies find going 'Non GMO' no easy feat
People want Non GMO. That message is being heard by major food companies now and they are finding that the supply chain is so filled with GM crops that it’s a real challenge to convert. That’s how pervasive and insidious the GM problem has become. From Reuters this article details some of these issues in great detail – [link]