It’s springtime in Racine, Wisconsin and the ten acres adjacent to our distribution facility lay ready for cultivation. The cover crop planted last fall had worked its subterranean magic, suppressing thistles and weeds, building topsoil, micronutrients and loam. The prolific rains had rendered the land moist and open, ready for planting. Steve Spinner’s vision for creating a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program near a UNFI facility was as close as placing a seed in the soil. The only hitch in this idyllic giddy-up was finding a suitable farmer willing to undertake the organic dream. Continue reading “A Tale of Ten Acres Continues – UNFI’s Agrarian Path to Local Organic Food”
Month: May 2017
Delaying the Organic Animal Welfare Rule is Nothing to Crow About
It’s springtime, and you may be too occupied with your summer vacation planning or planting tatsoi to pay attention to organic policy, especially when it comes to Animal Welfare. Springtime foibles may have your attention today, but it’s worth paying heed to what’s happening in DC. Even if you don’t give a cluck about chicken or livestock, what’s occurring now in Washington may set a dangerous precedent for all in the organic sector. Continue reading “Delaying the Organic Animal Welfare Rule is Nothing to Crow About”
Farm Bill 2018: An Omnibus For All?
There is a little known yet enormous slice of legislation that gets passed every 5 years or so that literally affects everyone who eats. This mighty omnibus of a Farm Bill wields a trillion dollar budget and touches every aspect of food and agriculture in the US. In Latin omnibus means “for all” and current deliberations on the 2018 Farm Bill have the opportunity to represent organic and sustainable food and farming “for all”—but only if we get involved. Continue reading “Farm Bill 2018: An Omnibus For All?”