It’s Friday and I am writing to you from beautiful Corvallis, Oregon where I’m attending the 8th Organic Seed Growers Conference. If you aren’t able to be here, remember that the Organic Seed Alliance and eOrganic will be live streaming the sessions. Register here for the live broadcast on Feb 5th and 6th.

I’ve uncovered a plethora of good material this week during my digital treks and nocturnal analyses. It’s a conundrum how Organic continues to flourish while, at the same time, pesticide use is on the rise. The true cost of conventional food production is considered and a look at how climate change is being tackled through agricultural practices in California. Not to be overlooked are GMO labeling initiatives and emerging technologies, both forces changing our food system.

Here are some of the juiciest tidbits from the week:

Organic

Washington State University researchers have concluded that feeding a growing global population with sustainability goals in mind is possible. Their review of hundreds of published studies provides evidence that organic farming can produce sufficient yields, be profitable for farmers, protect and improve the environment and be safer for farm workers.(WSU)  http://bit.ly/20wHSPX              

Sweden: Organic food sales up 40% in 2015 (Fresh Plaza) http://bit.ly/1QdwXzP

Upper Midwest farmers transitioning to organic can now get aid (AP the Big Story) http://apne.ws/1nO4xpH

Pesticides

Monsanto’s glyphosate is the most heavily used weed-killer in history. (phys-org news) http://bit.ly/1NQQ1lV

True Cost Accounting Food

 What You Need to Know About the Corporate Shift to Cage-Free Eggs (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/1SI7ByR

Who Really Runs America? According to Richard Manning, Industrial Agricultural Has the Final Say (Food Tank) http://bit.ly/1SI7PGn

Climate Change

California’s Grand Plan to Fight Climate Change on the Farm (Civil Eats) http://bit.ly/1R3p5ps

GMO’s

8 Battleground States in the GMO Food Labeling Fight (Eco Watch) http://bit.ly/1o7nIut

FDA bans imports of genetically engineered salmon — for now (Washington Post) http://wapo.st/1mejDmW

Emerging Technologies

“Test-tube” beef is moving beyond the lab. Memphis Meats, a company founded by three scientists, is working to become the first company to sell meat grown from animal stem cells. (Meat + Poultry) http://bit.ly/1KYklec