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Sunset Farmers in Field

Farm Bill Updates

About every five years, the U.S. Congress passes the biggest set of food and farming policies that define the majority of federal farm, food, nutrition, and rural economic programs. At a cost of about $440 billion over five years, these programs influence: What is grown; who grows it; how it is grown or produced; what is done with those products and where they are sold; who can access and afford those goods; and how we invest in rural communities.

Watch and listen as two experienced farmers share stories and practical approaches for small-scale, diversified farms that use the principles of agroecology.  This discussion may provide you with ideas that small farms where you live can adapt and thrive.

After many long days of negotiations, the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) made a historic move for safer food and farming by passing a resolution on highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) that calls for action to globally phase out the use of the world’s most toxic pesticides by 2035. Tied with this resolution was the passing of a mandate for UNEP to implement this commitment by forming the Global Alliance on HHPs.

spray-dicamba

Monsanto fails farmers (again)

For the second year in a row, farmers in Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee are experiencing serious crop damage from exposure to the drift-prone herbicide dicamba. This is also the second growing cycle that Monsanto’s latest genetically engineered seed line — “Xtend” — has been allowed

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lead image farmworkers fields 1

Pesticide incident sends 18 farmworkers to hospital

Advocates press for better notification & protections For Immediate Release: June 27, 2017 Salinas, CA – A major pesticide drift incident that sent 18 farmworkers to the hospital illustrates the need for new rules that provide more stringent notification policies and stronger protections for fieldworkers

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blur-rural-farm

Closing loopholes, building momentum

It’s been an interesting few weeks for those of us tracking food, farming and pesticide issues. Hard-to-pronounce chemicals like chlorpyrifos and dicamba have been making headlines, and a wonky legal victory that’s flown largely under the radar could help close a dangerous loophole in our

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