Adding Seaweed to Cattle Feed Could Reduce Methane Production by 70%

“If we add dried seaweed to 2 percent of sheep and cattle feed, we could cut methane emissions by more than 70 percent, scientists have found. With livestock responsible for 44 percent of all human-caused methane – a gas that has 36 times the global warming potential of CO2 – this could cut a huge chunk of the 3.1 gigatonnes these animals release into the atmosphere each year…”

http://www.sciencealert.com/adding-seaweed-to-cattle-feed-could-reduce-methane-production-by-70

Farm Economy Downturn Prompts Fears Of A ‘Crisis’

“Farm income – cut in half since 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture – means many small farmers have not had a positive cash flow for several years. That could hurt small- or medium-sized farmers who have not reached the break-even point in that span.”

http://harvestpublicmedia.org/post/farm-economy-downturn-prompts-fears-crisis

Patrick Holden on ‘Why Vegan Diets Are Not as Sustainable or as Healthy as People Imagine’

 

“In my opinion, many people have been led astray by bad science. The tools used by scientific researchers in the past, and whose published papers have prompted changes in people’s diets, were not based on sound science. It was said that red meat and animal fats should be avoided, both because they are unhealthy and because ruminant animals (cows and sheep) are largely responsible for harmful methane emissions.”

But it turns out that neither of those positions are true.

https://www.farmdrop.com/blog/redefine-eat-healthy-sustainable-diet/

Lettuce Prices On The Rise As California’s Wet Winter Prevents Planting

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2017/04/14/lettuce-prices-on-the-rise-as-californias-wet-winter-prevents-planting/

“Prices right here right now, you are going to start seeing sticker shock,” said produce expert Michael Marks. “More than twice the price as what you should be seeing this time of year.”

“It is all because of the rain. The rain not last week, not last month, but the rain three months ago. Three months ago we should have been planting crops that we should be harvesting now. We can’t harvest those crops because they weren’t planted,” Marks said.

Everything You Need to Know About the FDA’s Food Labeling Rule – ENFORCEMENT BEGINS MAY 5th. ARE YOU READY?

“On May 5, the FDA will begin enforcing its new menu labeling rules, which requires that restaurants and other away-from-home food retailers include calorie counts on menus and signage. Though the rules took effect on December 1, 2016 and compliance is already mandatory, the FDA was not permitted to enforce the law until May 5, 2017 so many restaurants have not yet prepared.

One hold up has been that these rules were tied to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare and attempts to repeal the healthcare law have encouraged some restaurants to wait to implement these changes. Though these regulations were likely to remain in the law, some restaurants have been waiting until they find out what provisions will remain.

However, with the most recent healthcare repeal setbacks, this law is still on the books, and until further legislation passes, restaurants are already responsible for labeling their menus appropriately. Here is what you need to know about the rule.”

https://www.foodnewsfeed.com/fsr/health-nutrition/everything-you-need-know-about-fda-s-food-labeling-rule?utm_source=fs_insider&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20170405

 

Hidden Downsides of the Green Revolution: Biodiversity Loss and Diseases of Civilization

With the horticultural shift of the Green Revolution, industrial agriculture has been producing more calories than ever, but the lack of micronutrients in the resulting diet is causing widespread disease.

“The world’s worst health problems derive in one manner or another from problems with industrial agriculture, and are, in short, diseases of civilization. This sobering bit of business strikes straight at the heart of the question of sustainability, which has asked whether the land, the biota, the planet could stand industrial agriculture. The equally urgent question, now, is whether humans can stand it.”

http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/environmental-policy/the-green-revolution-zm0z14jjzchr

 

Rethinking Development and Health – Findings from the ‘Global Burden of Disease’ Study

  • The world is in the midst of an epidemiological transition. As countries increase their levels of development, their communicable disease burdens are declining and shifting to non-communicable diseases and disabilities.
  • Diet-related disease is becoming one of the world’s greatest health problems.
  • http://www.healthdata.org/sites/default/files/files/policy_report/GBD/2016/IHME_GBD2015_report.pdf