This week’s issue of Bytes is loaded with news about how agrochemicals are wreaking havoc on our land, water, wildlife and our own public health. We can be proactive by asking that the Conservation Stewardship Program funding be quadrupled and opened up so more farmers are eligible.

Organic and Regenerative is the only way out of this toxic, degenerative agriculture model that dominates America’s farming practices now. 

Send this letter to your congress person today!

Dear State Lawmaker,

Congress did a great thing in the 2008 Farm Bill when it created the Conservation Stewardship Program.

At its height, 72 million acres were enrolled—about 7 percent of all working lands in the U.S., including crop, forest, pasture and range land.

But, this doesn’t reflect the true potential of the program, as more than three-quarters of qualified farmers get shut out of the Conservation Stewardship Program every year.

The Conservation Stewardship Program zeroes in on the best way to draw excess carbon dioxide down from the atmosphere: helping farmers and ranchers improve soil health.

Congress got back on the right track with the Conservation Stewardship Act when they passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that reversed the 2018 Farm Bill’s reductions in CSP funding. 

IRA investments in the Conservation Stewardship Program could increase the amount of carbon stored in working lands by about 70 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent per year by 2030.

Agriculture is responsible for 10 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, with emissions in the range of 700 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent per year. So, we’re talking 10 percent of 10 percent or 1 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. It seems small, but that’s the equivalent of taking about 16 million cars off the road.

If that figure were quadrupled, which it easily could be given that 4 times as many farmers have tried to enroll in the Conservation Stewardship Program, it would reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by 4 percent—the same as taking 64 million cars off the road.

Increasing Conservation Stewardship Program spending is worth it just for the climate, but higher soil carbon also increases yields and makes food more nutritious.

Congress should quadruple funding for the Conservation Stewardship Program in the new Farm Bill, and while it’s at it, Congress should tighten up eligibility requirements.

Right now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is rewarding greenhouse gas polluting industrial farmers for what Bayer and the other agrochemical companies market as “precision agriculture.” What it amounts to is adjusting the nozzles on their pesticide sprayers and fertilizer applicators to make sure they use the “right” amount—with no promise they’ll use any less!

Conservation Stewardship Program money shouldn’t go to nozzle adjustment.

Please make the Conservation Stewardship Program your Farm Bill priority. If fully funded and done right, it’s one of the most promising climate change actions Congress could take.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Your Name

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Fully Fund the Conservation Stewardship Program—and Make Sure the Money Goes to Real Regenerative Organic Agriculture Practices

Science Media Centre:

“Exposure to agrochemicals, even in doses too low to kill insects, causes significant damage to their behavior, development and reproduction, which is aggravated when the temperature rises, according to a study published in Science. The research analyzes the effects of 1,024 molecules – insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, plant growth inhibitors – on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and on other insects.”

‘This is an impressive study because of the breadth of pesticides tested (over a thousand) and because of its experimental design that covers not only individual chemicals, but several mixtures in a gradient of realistic concentrations. In addition, it includes effects on mosquito larvae and butterfly caterpillars to compare results.

The merit of this work is in demonstrating that insect exposure to non-lethal pesticide residues is of more importance than might be thought. Of greater concern are the negative effects of a cocktail of molecules on reproduction. This confirms what we already indicated a few years ago, saying that pesticides – not only insecticides, but all other plant protection products on the market – are a major cause of insect decline, even more so than climate change. In fact, the study confirms that temperature only increases the magnitude of the effects of those chemicals, but it is clear that such effects would not occur if the pesticides were not present: the cause is the pesticides, not the temperature!’” —Francisco Sánchez-Bayo, Honorary Associate Professor, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia

Read more

Pam Melby writes for Fox Creek Artistry:

“Sisu Cider is made by fermenting a ton of good-for-you foods in apple cider vinegar, and extracting their goodness. These good-for-you foods tend on the spicy side, and when they are fermented and concentrated the spice gets revved up! Needless to say, you may need to work your way up to taking gulps or shots of this Sisu Cider. It is not for the weak of heart (or palate)!

The first ingredient of my Sisu Cider is turmeric. If you haven’t put turmeric in your regular cooking routine, start using it now! It is most widely-known for its anti-inflammatory properties that greatly reduce gastrointestinal discomfort. But, it is also antibacterial and antifungal. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, chemopreventive, chemosensitization, and radiosensitization activities. Woo hoo! I add turmeric to just about every dish that comes out of my kitchen. It doesn’t have a strong flavor, so sneaking it in is easy! Just be careful about the utensils that you use with it, as turmeric will stain things yellow! (Homemade clothing dye, anyone?!)

Up next is black peppercorns. When black pepper is added to turmeric, it increases turmeric’s bio-availability by over 2000%! You are more likely to get all the benefits from turmeric if you also add black pepper.”

Read more in this engaging blog, learn about the concept of Sisu, and check out this amazing healing recipe

Carey Giliam writes for The New Lede:

“New types of Roundup weed killing products marketed to US consumers contain chemicals that pose greater health risks to people than prior formulations suspected of causing cancer, according to an analysis by an environmental health advocacy group. The report was disputed by Bayer, which called the analysis “deeply flawed.”

Friends of the Earth (FOE) reported Tuesday it found four chemicals have recently been added to Roundup products that have been scientifically shown to cause a variety of health problems, including reproductive defects, kidney and liver damage and neurotoxicity.

The analysis comes after the agrochemical company Bayer pledged that it would remove glyphosate from its popular Roundup herbicide products sold for residential lawn and garden use starting in 2023.

Bayer, which bought Monsanto in 2018, made the change to try to curtail the filing of future litigation as it battles thousands of lawsuits filed against Monsanto by cancer patients who claim they developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma from using Monsanto’s Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides.

But FOE said it found the chemicals used in the new Roundup formulations are, on average, 45 times more toxic to humans experiencing chronic exposure than  glyphosate-based Roundup. The chemicals were roughly four times more acutely toxic, the group said.”

Read more

TAKE ACTION: Make Your State the First to Ban Monsanto’s Roundup Weedkiller!

Chris Gayomali writes for The Guardian:

“Dr Michelle Davenport says her grandmother is 95 and doesn’t have any wrinkles. Skin smooth as a dewdrop. She came to America from Vietnam, and attributes her youthful complexion to rarely, if ever, eating out at restaurants: not on birthdays, anniversaries or other special occasions.

‘She was always telling me: ‘Don’t ever eat out, eating out is super bad for you,’ says Davenport on the other end of a Zoom call. ‘So we always had to cook at home. And when she did cook, it was always water-based: steamed meat, stews and lots of vegetables.’

Davenport, 39, is a scientist and registered dietician based in San Francisco whose work focuses on slowing the deleterious effects of ageing. She argues that this can be accomplished by cooking mostly with broth and water. On her Instagram page, which has nearly 200,000 followers, you’ll find recipes for dishes like collagen-rich oxtail phở, green curry salmon, steamed eggs and gà hải nam (the Vietnamese version of Hainan chicken, a recipe passed down directly from Grandma).

Cooking this way, she says, mitigates the creation of advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, formed when food is cooked at high dry temperatures, like over the grill or in an air fryer.”

Read about AGEs

A form of what is now called regenerative agriculture, or regenerative organic agriculture, was practiced over thousands of years ago by Mayan and indigenous people throughout the Americas. The Mayans survived and thrived in harmony with the Earth—without pesticides, chemical fertilizers, GMOs, or concentrated animal confinement. They fed themselves while also maintaining a proper carbon cycle (a balance between CO2 in the atmosphere and carbon in the soil and forests) and a biologically healthy and diverse environment.

Our mission today as “regenerators” throughout the Americas and the world is to recapture, reestablish and scale up these traditional practices. We must modify them to match the specific ecological and marketplace conditions in our local areas and regions. In this manner we can regenerate the soil, dramatically improve yields and food quality, restore public health, eliminate the pressures that cause forced migration, and last but certainly not least, draw down and sequester enough excess carbon from the atmosphere through enhanced plant photosynthesis and reforestation to reverse global warming and climate disruption.

Beyond the still-utopian dream of open borders, indigenous communities have begun discussing in practical terms what we can do right now to mitigate and eventually put a halt to forced migration. We owe it to them and to ourselves to change the discussion on the “immigration crisis” from anti-immigrant vitriol and deportation to one of cross-border solidarity and regeneration. —Ronnie Cummins

Check out the plethora of wisdom from our our recent People’s Food Summit speakers for inspiration and real life practices showcasing land based efforts that are healing the earth and bringing it into balance with regenerative organic agriculture!

Please help support OCA and Regeneration International in our mission today as “regenerators”, to scale up these traditional practices and focus on local solutions for a healthy planet.

Make a tax-deductible donation to Organic Consumers Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Make a tax-deductible donation to Regeneration International, our international sister organization

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola:

“STORY-AT-A-GLANCE

Proper hydration is essential for optimal health, as it regulates body functions and transports nutrients. However, the common advice to drink eight glasses of water daily is inaccurate and outdated

• A study analyzed food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) from 93 countries, focusing on those that tax sugary beverages and promote water consumption. Only 48 countries had messaging encouraging water over sugary drinks
• Bolivia, Brunei, and Peru had the most comprehensive guidelines for promoting water consumption and discouraging sugary beverages. Researchers emphasize the need for specific, culturally adapted hydration recommendations
• The myth of drinking eight glasses of water daily originated from a 1945 recommendation without scientific basis. Instead, use thirst and urine color as guides for hydration
• Proper hydration involves maintaining electrolyte balance. Drinking too much water disrupts this homeostasis. Consuming salt with water and natural options like mineral water or coconut water will help maintain hydration”

Learn more

Diane Parrish, BookTrib:

“If you live in the Northeast, as I do, you are well aware of the signs: maple trees beginning to flame with color; ornamental grasses waving their feathery tassels in the wind; tomato plants spent and wilted from the effort of packaging all those seeds into edible containers. Autumn is upon us. Never mind that some days it’s still 85 degrees under a blazing sun. Somehow every growing thing knows it’s time to switch gears, shed the summer wardrobe, and make preparations for a long winter’s nap.

I have questions. How do they know? Why does their winter prep affect us so profoundly, rendering some of us melancholy, energizing others to pick up the pace? The short answer might be that we are related to our botanical cousins on a molecular level and couldn’t separate our lives from theirs if we tried. The longer answer, as explored in the books below, is more complex, startling, and inspiring.

This month’s books include science writing, a book of essays about nature, and novels that tell the story of the relationship between humans and their botanical kin.”

* The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoe Schlanger

* Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake

* The Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

* The Trees by Conrad Richter

* North Woods by Daniel Mason

Learn about these books

Read: “Alarm Call as World’s Trees Slide Towards Extinction”

“COP16, the UN World Summit on Biodiversity, is underway in Cali, Colombia, from October 21 through November 1. This summit carries a crucial task: establishing policies and actions to reverse the alarming trends of biodiversity loss and species extinction driven by human activities. World leaders attending are tasked with ensuring that agreements align with the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): ‘the conservation of biological diversity; the sustainable use of the components of biological diversity; and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.’ These agreements must also amplify the voices of all stakeholders, particularly Indigenous peoples, local communities and people of the Global South, translating their experiences and insights into inclusive actions to combat biodiversity loss.

The Colombian government, the summit’s host country — which holds the dubious distinction of having the highest number of murdered environmental activists in any given year since 2012 — has launched a call to commit to ‘Peace with Nature’ by moving toward an economic model that does not prioritize the extraction, overexploitation and pollution of nature. In line with this objective, the current government has also been strongly promoting the approval of the Work Plan for the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities of the world, which recognizes Indigenous peoples as the primary custodians of biological diversity. But how are Indigenous peoples, especially Indigenous women, responding to this pivotal call, and what critical messages and concerns will they bring to the summit?”

Read more

By Beyond Pesticides:

Join for Session 2:  November 14, 2024 — 1 PM Eastern (EST)

“The 41st National Forum, Imperatives for a Sustainable Future, offers us an opportunity to elevate our understanding of the petrochemical threats. This powerful forum, hosted by Beyond Pesticides, will highlight the critical need to adopt practices and policies that eliminate one of the major sources of the problem, petrochemical pesticides and fertilizers.

Among the significant changes that are taking place is the transition to organic land management, from agriculture, landscapes to playing fields, as part of a holistic strategy that recognizes the multidimensional nature of the problem and solution.

The two major imperatives for sustainability and a livable future are community and decision maker understanding of and action on:

1. The threats to human health and ecosystems and the dire consequences of inaction or measures that fall far short of what is necessary; and
2. The path forward to eliminate reliance on petrochemical-based products, including the constellation of toxic materials associated with chemical-intensive practices—from food production to the management of homes, gardens, parks, and schools.

Plan now to join us as we come together to empower effective action and chart a path for a livable and sustainable future. You are part of the solution! Registration provides access to all sessions of the Forum.”

Your registration includes access to both seminars! Donations are requested, but not required. You can watch Session 1 as well. Register here to get the link.

Christian Simmons, Drug Watch:

“The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized its cancellation of Dacthal, just months after it issued a historic suspension to halt the use and sales of the pesticide.

Dacthal, also known as DCPA, has been connected to adverse health effects in unborn babies when pregnant mothers are exposed to it.

‘With the final cancellation of DCPA, we’re taking a definitive step to protect pregnant women and their unborn babies,’ Michal Freedhoff, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a statement.

‘The science showing the potential for irreversible harm to unborn babies’ developing brains, in addition to other lifelong consequences from exposure, demands decisive action to remove this dangerous chemical from the marketplace,’ said Freedhoff.

Lawyers have begun to investigate potential Dacthal lawsuits involving those who were exposed to the pesticide. There are concerns about its impact on thyroid hormone levels in unborn infants, which is linked to impaired motor skills, decreased IQ and other worrying impacts.”

Read how questions surrounding Dacthal health effects go back years

USDA Launches Program Promoting Organic Dairy Products

High Doses of Adderall May Increase Psychosis Risk

LA County Home Cooks Can Now Get Permits To Sell Food to the Public

Why Bumble Bees Are the Fuzzy Heroes We Need

Scientists Create Public Database of Hundreds of Food Packaging Chemicals Found in Humans

Africa’s Small-Scale Revolution Against Big Agriculture: Five Farmers Talk Greener, Better Food

Apply Now for Rodale Institute’s Farmer Training

Making Peace with the Earth: Protecting Biodiversity, People’s Rights and the Integrity of the Convention of Biological Diversity

After Hurricane Helene, Local Farmers and Chefs Pivot to Disaster Relief

Senator Booker Introduces Bill to Eliminate Toxics from School Lunches

Ever Felt So Stressed You Didn’t Know What To Do Next? Try Talking to Your ‘Parts’

Imposters Stole Thousands of Pounds of Posh Cheddar, Rattling the U.K. Cheese World

Unveiling Fascia: The Role of Connective Tissue in Pain and Mental Health Treatment

Over 70% of Children’s Diets Now Consist of Ultra-Processed Foods