Genetically modified foods have gotten the cold shoulder from
consumers in Europe… and now, resistance to engineered food seems to
be growing in Canada. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy
Nelson reports:
Tag: agriculture
Keeping Disabled Farmers Farming
The life of a farmer isn’t easy. The work is hard. The days are long.
The profit margins, low. It’s tough work for anyone, but when a farmer
becomes disabled, the challenges are even greater. But as the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports, help is available…and
it’s keeping disabled farmers, farming:
Detecting Genetically Altered Crops
With growing concerns over the safety of genetically-altered food, some
farmers and processors are trying to segregate crops that have not been
genetically altered. But that can be hard, because you can’t tell them
apart just by looking… now, there’s a new test to detect genetically
engineered crops. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson
reports:
NASA Technology Helps Farmers
Years ago, farmers could keep track of their crops just by touring the
fields. But as farms grow larger, it becomes increasingly difficult for
farmers to assess the condition of their crops. Now, NASA technology
may offer some help. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson
has more:
Potato Farms Create ‘Super-Sized’ Problem (Part 1)
Ron Offutt grows more potatoes than anyone else in the
world. He grows them for the French Fry market. Press reports call him
the Sultan of Spuds and the Lord of the Fries—but his success has an
environmental price, as people in small towns near his potato farms have
learned to their dismay. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mary
Losure reports in the first of a two part series:
Potato Farms Create ‘Super-Sized’ Problem (Part 2)
Ron D. Offutt is the biggest potato grower in the world.
His privately owned company raises 1.8 BILLION pounds of potatoes a
year. They go to make French fries for fast food chains like McDonalds
and big potato processors like J.R Simplot. But Offutt’s
success has a downside. Many people who live near his potato farms
worry about the pesticides sprayed on his fields…but they soon find
they’re up against a system much bigger than they are. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Mary Losure reports, in the second part of a two part
series:
Can Biotech Feed the World?
This month the number of people on Earth reaches six-billion. Food
experts say feeding the world’s population will put more pressures on
the environment unless existing farms can increase production. … but
experts argue about the best way to do that. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Lester Graham has more:
crop management, yield, yields, technology, biological research, food,
food production, pollination, climate, natural capital, population,
population growth, world growth, genetics, genetically
Can Agriculture Keep Up?
As of this month (Oct.), there are six billion people on the planet and
the population will keep rising. It’s predicted the population will hit
eight-and-half billion by the year 2025. But some experts say the demand
for food will rise even faster. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Lester Graham reports… feeding the world will be one of the biggest
challenges of the coming century:
Determining the True Price of Produce
Many farmers are upset about the gap between what they earn for
their
crops, and what consumers pay at the supermarket. Now, a growers’
association is publicizing the disparity on the Internet. The "produce
price index" shows what farmers get for crops, compared to the retail
price…and gives the price spread between the two. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:
Farmers Take a Stand
Many rural communities are learning their water supplies are
contaminated with pesticides from nearby farm fields. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports… in one small town…
farmers realized what was happening and took a stand: