vintage grange pin

Spotted this weekend at the NOFA Mass Winter Conference! Thanks to conference presenter Martin Dagoberto of MA Right to Know and MA Pollen Action for coming over to share this sweet swag with us!

ASAP: demand that obama veto the DARK act!

The following message is from our friends at the Cornucopia Institute and references the recent GMO labeling law, so called the DARK (Deny Americans the Right to Know) Act, which purports to mandate GMO labeling while, in reality, does not give the FDA the ability to enforce the act, allows companies to opt for labeling practices that are not –er– exactly labeling, and (perhaps most dangerously) takes the right away from states such as Vermont to enact their own GMO labeling laws.

“President Obama has yet to sign the toothless GMO food labeling bill passed by Congress.  If you already called the President, or signed one of the “unofficial” petitions, urging him to veto the bill you still have one more chance to influence him.  Please sign the official We the People petitionto the White House today urging President Obama to veto this bill.”

Modified is a gorgeous and deeply personal feature-length documentary that delves into the labyrinth of asking why, if they are labelled in 64 other world counties, are genetically modified organisms (GMOs)– not labeled on food products in Canada and the United States.

Film maker Aube Giroux (the mastermind behind Kitchen Vignettes) has entirely self-produced the film up until this point and has launched a kickstarted to cover the post-production costs. I don’t know about you, but I want to see this movie! Let’s make it happen!

 

DARK Act Comeback

This just in from the Organic Consumers Association newsletter:

DARK Act Comeback? Everybody loves a Comeback Kid—unless that “kid” is the DARK Act. In March, the Senate voted down the DARK Act, the bill that would Deny Americans our Right to Know about GMOs. Since then, Monsanto and its front groups, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) have been using their power, influence and, most of all, money to ram some version of the DARK Act through Congress before Vermont’s first-in-the-nation GMO labeling law takes effect on July 1. Reliable sources say that the DARK Act will soon be up for another vote. Last time, Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) didn’t have the votes to pass his bill to take away states’ rights to label GMOs. Many of those who voted against the bill were pro-GMO Senators who take campaign contributions (and their talking points) from companies like Monsanto. But realizing they would take a lot of heat from their constituents, they voted no in the hope that a more palatable “compromise” bill might come along. The Senators who voted against the DARK Act last time could easily flip their votes to support a “compromise” (capitulation) to block Vermont’s law and replace it with a weak federal standard, because of—what else?—pressure from the big corporations who profit from toxic pesticides and GMO foods. TAKE ACTION: Stop the DARK Act Comeback! Tell your Senators: Protect Vermont’s GMO labeling law.  Dial 888-897-0174 to tell your Senators to vote against any compromise that would block or delay Vermont’s bill from taking effect. Help us protect Vermont’s GMO labeling law

do you know where the presidential candidates stand on agriculture?

This week, for In These Times, John Collins researches what the current presidential candidates have to say about agriculture— and what he discovers might surprise you. For instance, Hilary Clinton has the most detailed proposition for supporting small farms, including mention of student debt reform. She even proposes doubling funding for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. But, then again, she has received significant campaign funding from GMO industries. Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, has a sort of nebulous proposition that ignores the details and gets to the heart of the matter, notably including: reversing NAFTA and a fun little historical rid-bit about how Abraham Lincoln called the USDA the “People’s Department.”

the dark act has been introduced into the senate

Monsanto’s Dream Bill (H.R. 1599) would prohibit any state efforts to require labeling of genetically engineered foods (GMOs) — and it already passed in the House of Representatives and was just introduced in the Senate. We have to stop this bill in the Senate!

The Grocery Manufacturers Association, an industry group that represents Monsanto, Nestlé, Dow and Pepsi, is pushing this bill because it would let them continue to keep quiet about their production and use of GMO foods.

Make sure our Senators hear from their actual constituents, since they’re already hearing from the industry lobbyists. It’s our right to know what is in our food, and corporations should not be allowed to keep us in the dark.

Sign HERE to send an email to your Senators. Personalize it to tell them why this issue is important to you!

gmo labeling proposal shot down by safeway shareholders

…due to a lack of scientific evidence from anti-GMO activists, who were labeled as fearmongers.

“In the face of all of the uncontroverted scientific evidence that GMOs are safe, the proponent of the GMO-labeling proposal had the temerity to tell Safeway’s shareholders that no long-term scientific evidence exists to show that GMO foods are safe,” noted Danhof. “This is beyond willful ignorance. Some anti-GMO activists are shameless in their attempt to advance their agenda.”Click to read more—>

stong feelings in iowa on both sides of the gmo labeling debate

The debate really hasn’t occurred in Iowa in a prominent way, in part because of the prevalence of GMOs in Iowa agriculture and because of the clout that such agribusinesses as DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto wield in this state. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t strong feelings in Iowa on both sides of the GMO labeling debate. Click to read the rest of this editorial in the Des Moines Register—>

a lesson in working with designers to get a nice logo done

Have you ever wondered how the Non GMO Project Verified seal was developed? This article interviews Barry Deutsch of Deutsch Design Works to give perspective of how the logo process evolved to become the celebrated butterfly icon used today.

a note from GMO free new york

Greetings to all Endorsers of the NY GE Food Labeling Campaign!

If you’re here in NY with me, I hope you’re all surviving the Arctic tundra we’ve seemingly turned into. More snow predicted for NYC Wed night! 😦

[I apologize for not emailing each of you individually — there simply aren’t enough hours in the day and this message is too urgent. I also apologize in advance if you’re already been asked to take this action by someone else in the NY GE Food Labeling Campaign or if you wind up with another email from me because you’re in my MailChimp database.]

The time has come for me to cash in my goodwill chips. We need EVERYONE to send out an action alert ASAP for New Yorkers to contact their district legislators (we don’t want calls/emails coming from non-constituents and out-of-staters). Bill A.3525 (Rosenthal)/S.3835 (LaValle) is likely coming up for its first committee vote in the Assembly at the end of this month. Not coincidentally, yesterday the New York Farm Bureau launched its attack on the bill with its own action alert targeting the 30,000+ farmers in its membership. (You can read the misinformation-filled letter here: http://capwiz.com/nyfb/issues/alert/?alertid=63084141&type=ST&show_alert=1).

vermonters – take action!

Several important bills are coming right up.  Much more info available at ruralvermont.org

GMO Food Labeling Bill – H.112
Tues 5/7 – House Judiciary Committee PASSED the GMO Labeling bill 7-4. We now expect that the GMO Labeling Bill, H.112, will come to the floor of the House for a vote on Thurs. and Friday of this week. VT could lead the way on giving citizens the right to know and make informed decisions about the food they eat and feed their families. ***ACTION NEEDED: Please call your Representatives (you can look them up here) on WED. and THURS. and ask them to VOTE YES on H.112.*** Vermonters’ health and our environment are priceless. Call the Sergeant-At-Arms office at 828-2228 and leave a very brief message for your Representative with your name, town and phone number. For additional updates, visit the Vermont Right to Know GMOs page. You can also follow the action on the VTRTK Facebook page.

Hemp Bill – S.157
The Hemp bill is back on track and expected to reach the House floor for a final vote by the end of the week. For more information contact Robb[at]ruralvermont.org