organic food

Farm bill extension doesn’t sit well with many organic farmers

Abbie Fentress Swanson — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 22:00:28 +0000

Shoppers looking for organic food may have to look a bit harder this year.

Making the case for local, fresh (if not organic) foods

Abbie Fentress Swanson — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:57:48 +0000

Tammy Sellmeyer bends to pick up a strawberry in the middle of a hoop house on the 25-acre farm she owns and operates with her husband, Greg, just south of Fulton, Mo. The Sellmeyers plant some 3,000 strawberry plants here each year and sell them at the Columbia, Mo. farmers market. This past May, they sold 400 quarts in just three hours. But two years ago, they didn't have many berries to sell at all because pests got to their crop.

Can you make any money raising organic beef in Missouri? [infographic]

Scott Pham and Abbie Fentress Swanson — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:18:06 +0000

In Tebbetts, Mo., JJR Family Farm raised USDA-certified organic livestock without antibiotics or genetically-modified feed. After six years of raising and selling organic beef, they decided it was just too expensive to keep the certification. Rancher John Rice helped us figure out just how much it costs to raise organic beef in Missouri.

How much is organic certification worth?

Abbie Fentress Swanson — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:15:14 +0000

The organic farming industry is booming. Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched its federal organic certification program in 2002, the number of organic farms has more than doubled. U.S. organic food sales have also grown from $1 billion in 1990 to $31.5 billion in 2011, according to the Organic Trade Association.

Weathering the recession, drought

Kristofor Husted — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 21:40:16 +0000

In recent months, a fairly severe drought and a slowly recovering economy have thrown food businesses for a loop.

Coming up we’ll listen in on a conversation Abbie Fentress Swanson had with President Barack Obama’s top agriculture guy about the looming dip in corn exports. But first, some businesses have been able to weather the storm better than others. Jennifer Davidson has this report about one successful shop in West Plains.

Now, things aren’t so peachy for everyone in the food industry. Clearly.

Interview with author Michael Pollan

Véronique LaCapra — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:20:29 +0000

Michael Pollan considers himself a writer, a professor and eater.