"Sustainable" crops seen as cheaper alternative to organic

Protected Harvest, a Maryland-based certification agency, is pushing a new "sustainable" farming standard, saying it is needed because organic food is too expensive for most people. Opponents to the new certification say it will muddy the waters between what is considered organic and what is not. The new standard allows synthetic pesticides, which organic farming prohibits.

Read more about the organization at its Web site.

Philippines island wants to go organic

Leaders of the Negros Island have signed a pact that they hope will make the island the organic food capital of Asia. The pact will start with the increased use of organic fertilizer for crops.

Read more on this at The Sun Star.

Washington U students have more organic choices

From Whole Food Markets to organic products being offered at campus stores, students who choose to follow an organic lifestyle are finding more choices.

Read more on this story at Washington University's Student Life.

New Zealand Greens want organic program increased

Party co-leader Rod Donald and its candidate Steffan Browning unveiled the party's agriculture policy by saying 10 percent of the country's farms should be certified organic by 2010, with that share growing to 50 percent by 2020.

Read more about this story at Stuff.

Organic watchdog: USDA needs to step in

In a letter released today, the Cornucopia Institute asked USDA Secretary Mike Johannes to bring in a new set of administrators to heal the "very unhealthy" environment that exists among the nation's organic program and the country's organic farmers, producers and consumers. The letter comes after scathing reports from the American National Standards Institute and the agriculture department's Office of the Inspector General which criticized management of the USDA’s National Organic Program.

Read more about this in the Cornucopia News.

UK processors warn of organic milk shortage

Demand is outpacing the ability of organic dairy farms to produce milk, a British industry organization said. Some farmers want the per liter price for organic milk raised to help them pay for increased production.

Read more on this story at the Farmer's Weekly.

British schoolkids to get more organic food

At least 10 percent of the food fed to primary school students in England's North Yorkshire County will be organic this year, with that segment increasing to 25 percent by next year. The change is being made in an effort to provide schoolchildren with a more healthy diet, according to officials.

Read more about this story in the Yorkshire Post.

Organic farming declines in part of England

The number of organic farms in the West Midlands region of England has declined for the second year in a row, reports show. Blame for the decline was placed on the cessation of a national program to partially subsidize farmers who switched to organic methods, and on a cut in milk prices that hurt producers of organic milk.

Read more on this at IC Birmingham.

Poll: Organic food tastes better

The British Soil Association -- the UK body that certifies producers of organic food -- has released the results of a poll that shows one major reason people buy organic is because the food tastes better than products produced with synthetics. About 72 percent of the respondents said organic vegetables and produce tasted better, while 71 percent said meat produced organically tasted better.

Read the full story at The Food Navigator.

Tips offered for organic lawn care

A column in the Sun-Herald of Charlotte Harbor, Florida, gives some good pointers about caring for your lawn with organics. Read the full column here.