Herbicides Don’t Just Kill Weeds In the last post, we looked at biological cascades in ecosystems. We saw that seemingly unrelated activities are linked together through complex food webs. Living creatures that seem unrelated at first glance turn out to be so dependent on one another that what benefits one species can benefit many. Likewise, … Read more
Why Should I Build a Farm? The economy of the post-pandemic world has changed. As the world takes on the challenge of economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 world, displaced workers are looking at digital sales, direct marketing, and, believe-it-or-not, organic farming as niche industries where they can hang their hats anew, and restore the … Read more
Regenerative Agriculture is a Promising Approach to Building Better Food Systems. Regenerative agriculture is rapidly becoming a buzzword, largely because it offers great promise for restoring soil and environmental health while building farm profits and improving human health and nutrition. What is not to love about the concept? Food Systems are Built on Four Interdependent … Read more
This conference was held in early 2020, just before COVID-19 became a household word. The speaker insights are as relevant today as they were then. You can view playbacks on our sister site, at endofite.com. Watch the Playbacks Good Nutrition Begins On Farms and In Gardens. Hipocrates once recognized food as the best medicine. Of … Read more
The dangers of glyphosate and other pesticides prevalent in modern food systems have been discussed in previous posts, including our 2016 report on glyphosate in food webs, and our 2018 interview with investigative journalist, Carey Gillam. Like Alex Vasquez’ 2014 YouTube video that pronounced glyphosate as the toxic chemical of the year, Gillam’s book, Whitewash, … Read more
Health Concerns Led International Businessman Glen Schultz to Abandon Fortune 500 Sales and Start a Farm As Glen Schultz researched the cause of his son’s ailments, he became concerned about the way milk and other foods were being produced. At first, he shopped from natural grocery stores. But that wasn’t enough. The more deeply he … Read more
Food Insecurity is a Barrier to Education Food insecurity is a growing problem in public schools, including college campuses. In a nation that was once considered the bread basket of the world, even prominent media like the Washington Post are making note of growing food insecurity on campus. Authors of a recent study out of West … Read more
Nopales, or Prickly Pear cactus, include numerous species of the genus Opuntia which thrive in poor soils and arid lands. These cacti can be grown and harvested for their tunas, or fruit, and for their pads. They thrive in deeper, well drained soils, and can tolerate pH levels as high as 7.8. California researchers have investigated … Read more
Few ideas may seem less intuitive to bring together than global warming and nutrition. Yet, when you remember that health begins in living soil, and all life is stressed by too much heat, the logic starts to fall into place. Scientists correlate climate change with nutrition According to a recent report in Science Advances (summarized in the Vox) … Read more
What is a Disruptive Innovation A disruptive innovation is an innovation that enters the market inconspicuously, at the grass roots, so to speak. Adding remarkable value, often at a low cost, the innovation quickly transforms the marketplace. For more than a century, agricultural advisors have focused on the chemical needs of soils, often at the … Read more
