By Heather Callaghan It’s only been 5 years since consumers slowly started hearing about a secret ingredient that has resided in some meat products for 20 years, now dubbed “pink slime.” To hear the American Meat President talk of ammonium hydroxide gas treated “Lean Finely…
by Heather Callaghan In June, we reported on a David and Goliath fight between a longstanding farmers’ market in Mount Jackson, Virginia and the city. It was a nonsensical decision on the city council’s part to require the market operators to cough up $15-20,000 to…
by Heather Callaghan Use of stimulant medications to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents has increased significantly over the past several years – around the globe. Recently, we reported a staggering increase in the UK for children as young as three. That report…
By Heather Callaghan I got in big trouble as a kid when we went to restaurants. I wanted tons of pancakes but could hardly eat any. So to this day I’m known for wasting food ordering adult portion pancakes. What we didn’t realize is that…
by Heather Callaghan There are many reasons, this year, to believe that the USDA will be more lax than ever on meat safety. Eat large-scale and processed meats at your own risk. Just before Labor Day weekend, the USDA quietly admitted that they have lifted…
by Heather Callaghan “Eating healthy” means a lot of things to different people and it might seem complicated with all the millions of books, programs, and websites available. It might seem complicated with a busy schedule and limited budget. But it doesn’t have to be…
by Heather Callaghan Recently we learned of four-year-old “Rosie” and her single, disabled mother, “Mary” who were trying to keep the girl’s garden despite a property manager’s previous insistence that the garden go this week. It was later stated that the reason for removal was…
by Heather Callaghan Genetic modification is touted as the only way to feed starving nations, yet they often have decreased yields or lead to superweed and insect resistance. But there are solutions other than changing the entire ecology. Biodiversity, crop rotation techniques, or…simple crossbreeding! Earlier…
by Heather Callaghan Names have been altered to protect those involved…. Just when you think the front-yard garden wars can’t get worse, enter USDA’s rural development dictatorship domineering the food source of the most vulnerable of our society. In a South Dakota subsidized housing unit…
GMOs and wild weeds become friends with benefits… XIAO YANG by Heather Callaghan A lot of GMO talk surrounds the rapidly growing appearance of superweeds due to herbicide resistance. Did you too suspect that genetically modified plants were also transferring their genetic material to these…
by Heather Callaghan In an odd turn of events, raw milk and pastured-egg farmer Alvin Schlangen, who received a court victory last September, was brought up on the same charges again and found guilty. Jury nullification, which is frequently upheld in Minnesota, was the saving…
by Heather Callaghan What do you say to your friends and family who want to know why you are passionate about growing your own, buying local organic, and refusing genetically modified ingredients? What do you say to the increasing amount of pro-GMO activists who call…
by Heather Callaghan Even though the EU is initiating a 2-year ban on neonicotinoid pesticides which are heavily implicated in causing massive bee die-off, and a few organizations are suing the EPA for turning a blind eye towards pesticides – there is still a dire…
by Heather Callaghan Places like Wal-mart brag that they eliminate the middle man; but they haven’t seen the likes of The Farmery. What if your food was grown at your store – and it’s not even picked yet until you come by to cut the…
by Heather Callaghan Are farmers getting disillusioned? In the Midwest states like Minnesota, Nebraska, Illinois and Iowa farmers are baffled by a resurgence of corn rootworm that Monsanto technology promised to protect against. New insight comes from independent farm consultant Dan Steiner whose phone rings…
By Heather Callaghan The UK, like the U.S., is concerned by a baffling increase in heavy prescription drugs like Ritalin and psychotropics apparently given to children diagnosed with ADHD* as young as three – although guidelines condemn its use for children under age six. Medical…
By Heather Callaghan Imagine you own and run an all-natural sweetener factory. You walk into work and all the employees are sprawled out dead – on the floors, over railings, in the vats. They’ve been gassed; poisoned. Your immune system is slightly stronger so you…
By Heather Callaghan Were you surprised to see that 70% of Americans are on prescription drugs? A majority of them are anti-depressants which have dangerous and sometimes deadly results. Anyone who has ever visited SSRIstories.com knows what I’m talking about. Well-meaning doctors don’t often look…
By Heather Callaghan A farmers’ market in Mount Jackson, Virginia is causing an uproar by saying, “Yes, we’re suing the town.” This little market bought an unoccupied former business building in Mount Jackson in an effort to improve the town and provide a fun place…
By Heather Callaghan The true ways of the Farm are almost nearly forgotten… In almost 40 years, do Star Wars parodies ever become tiring? No, they do not. They are awesome. Especially when people use their creative gifts and humor to harness some great educational…
