Organic Living

Family Farmers Fight Michigan Township For Their Animals

"Kelly Vander Kley Hunter and her family have spent the last three years pouring their time and money into building a small hobby farm in Mattawan, MI. Roughly a three hour drive from Detroit, Mattawan is a rural community that is home to many small farms with many farm animals. Yet Vander Kley Hunter had still checked before purchasing the property to make sure that having animals would be all right, and the township confirmed that farm animals were indeed allowed. But earlier this summer, the Hunters received a letter stating that their farm was no longer in compliance with the township zoning ordinance and that they had 90 days to get rid of more than half of their animals." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFamily Farmers Fight Michigan Township For Their Animals

Radio wave-treated water could change agriculture as we know it

"A groundbreaking new Irish technology which could be the greatest breakthrough in agriculture since the plough is set to change the face of modern farming forever. The technology – radio wave energised water – massively increases the output of vegetables and fruits by up to 30 per cent. Not only are the plants much bigger but they are largely disease-resistant, meaning huge savings in expensive fertilisers and harmful pesticides. Extensively tested in Ireland and several other countries, the inexpensive water treatment technology is now being rolled out across the world. The technology makes GM obsolete and converts excess CO2 into edible plant mass." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRadio wave-treated water could change agriculture as we know it

Plants use underground fungus network to send ‘distress signals’ to each other

"The scientists isolated the plants from each other above ground, covering them with bags and thereby preventing airborne chemicals (one form of plant communication) from traveling from one plant to the other. Then, the team introduced the aphids. In the plants that were connected by fungi, when a single plant was infected with aphids, the other two plants began to mount their chemical defenses, secreting aphid-repelling substances that also attract the wasps that feed on aphid larvae. The plants that were not connected by mycorrhizae were apparently not warned of the attack on the single plant in their group because they secreted no defensive chemicals." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPlants use underground fungus network to send ‘distress signals’ to each other

Scientists: Plants communicate with one another through ‘nanomechanical vibrations’

"A study reveals that plants are able to communicate with each other even when light, scent and touch have been removed from the equation, leading scientists to speculate that there’s a wholly different mechanism they use to encourage each other’s growth. It’s long been known that planting basil near other species can tend to encourage its neighbor’s growth, and it’s not new that plants communicate with each other through shade, chemical smells, root structures and other forms of touch. By planting chili pepper next to basil, then separating them from all known methods of plant interaction, the chili plant still grew as if it knew the basil was there." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingScientists: Plants communicate with one another through ‘nanomechanical vibrations’

Vermont Completely Nullifies Federal Hemp Ban

"Vermont has become the most recent state to take a stand against the federal government and nullify the federal ban on hemp cultivation. Governor Shumlin signed the new bill into law in June. Vermont is actually the 9th state to lift the ban on hemp, and 20 states have introduced industrial hemp legislation for the 2013 legislative season. However, what makes Vermont unique is that the new law does not hold a stipulation or amendment requiring the federal government to first lift the ban on hemp cultivation. Much like Colorado, Vermont will proceed regardless of the federal law banning hemp cultivation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVermont Completely Nullifies Federal Hemp Ban

Report Finds “Probably Carcinogenic” Chemicals in All Municipal Water Samples Tested

"Chlorine and other water treatment chemicals, in addition to being somewhat toxic in and of themselves, react with ordinary organic particles in the water ( manure from livestock, dead animals, fallen leaves, etc.) to create hundreds of extremely toxic byproducts, which aren’t monitored or regulated at all. These toxic byproducts have been labeled 'disinfection byproducts,' or 'DBPs,' and there are 600 we know about and probably hundreds more that we don’t. Shockingly, raising concerns about the quality of your local drinking water without verifiable evidence of your claims may now be considered 'an act of terrorism.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingReport Finds “Probably Carcinogenic” Chemicals in All Municipal Water Samples Tested

Farming Experts Predict Food Safety Laws Will Destroy Local Foods Trend

"The most wonderful aspect of going local with your diet, is the opportunity to meet pioneers of organic, sustainable agriculture. There is tremendous work being done by farmers like Mike Tabor. Yet, a gross lack of understanding by public interest groups on what really constitutes food safety has led to increasing federal control over our food supply. Now, the FDA is dictating farming practices, packaging and sterilization steps that threaten to choke out small producers. Here is what two farmers have to say about these food safety laws and this ominous regulatory trend." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFarming Experts Predict Food Safety Laws Will Destroy Local Foods Trend

Argentinian vet designs $3 IUD device to boost beef production

"Turin, 47, began experimenting with home-made bovine IUDs 20 years ago. Today he has a small factory built next to his home in Pergamino — 245 kilometers (152 miles) north of Buenos Aires in Argentina’s livestock and agricultural heartland — to produce the $3.00 devices. The cheap and simple items have been a success: some 2.5 million bovine IUDs have been exported to places like Brazil — a world beef-producing giant — and Spain. Spanish officials have even approved one of Turin’s models for use in sows, especially since the castration of boars was recently banned due to animal welfare concerns." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingArgentinian vet designs $3 IUD device to boost beef production

Human Intelligence is Slowly Declining: Genetics Or Food?

"Researchers from Harvard have found that a substance rampant in the nation’s water supply, fluoride, is lowering IQ and dumbing down the population. One study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that pesticides, which are rampant among the food supply, are creating lasting changes in overall brain structure — changes that have been linked to lower intelligence levels and decreased cognitive function. UCLA researchers found that HFCS may be damaging the brain functions of consumers worldwide, sabotaging learning and memory. In fact, the official release goes as far to say that high-fructose corn syrup can make you ‘stupid’." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHuman Intelligence is Slowly Declining: Genetics Or Food?

Bolivian man claims to have lived for 123 years thanks to quinoa and coca leaves

"Bolivian indigenous farmer Carmelo Flores, who could be the oldest person to have ever lived, attributes his longevity to quinoa grains, riverside mushrooms and around-the-clock chewing of coca leaves. Speaking in the 4,000-metre (13,123-feet) high hamlet where he lives in a straw-roofed hut, Flores says the traditional Andean diet has kept him alive for 123 years. Flores is still strong enough to take daily walks in shoes made of recycled tires. Flores said he fought in the brutal 1932-35 Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay, and had to hunt skunks to nourish himself." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBolivian man claims to have lived for 123 years thanks to quinoa and coca leaves