Gregg Banse's blog

This month I'm announcing a contest. But before I give you the details let me give you some background about why.

I've been involved in farming and gardening in some fashion for more than 30 years. I've watched the organic movement transition from the back-to-the-land hippies into the commodity of multinational marketing departments. The term organic has gone from a general concept of food raised without use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides into a Federal law that splits hairs over the minute details of what should or shouldn't be considered "organic".

Smart Packaging?

Here we go again with irradiation. A Texas A&M University researcher has developed a way to improve the safety of packaged fresh vegetables. Dr. Jaejoon Han studied how packing vegetables in plastic bags coated with a natural antimicrobial agent and then processing them under electronic beam irradiation can reduce amounts of foodborne pathogens. They call it "Smart Packaging". I don't like the direction this could lead. It's not a big step to conceive the USDA would require all packaging of fresh vegetables use this method of sterilization. Irradiated salad anyone?

In my opinion, Monsanto is public enemy number one when it comes to genetically modified crops (aka transgenic crops). It is estimated they have invested millions in the industry and fully expect to reap several times that much in return. But it should be common knowledge that Monsanto isn't in this for the short-term dollar. They aren't naive. Monsanto knows that winning the genetically modified food battle is about who can stand in the ring the longest and with their deep pockets and marketing machine, Monsanto stands to win the war. Monsanto's latest right hook, their new website Conversations about Plant Biotechnology (http://www.monsanto.com/biotech-gmo/asp/default.asp), is just another punch in their arsenal.

I'm on the USDA emailing list and receive all sorts of announcements from them. While we already know that Genetically Engineered crops are in the food supply and used in non-food related products, I was surprised to learn how well embedded they are! From a USDA press release I received yesterday:

press release from NOFA Vermont

The last public hearing on the proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS) will be held this Thursday, August 17 in Randolph and Montpelier, as indicated below. This is an important opportunity to give input on the premises registration component of the NAIS. NOFA-VT does not support mandatory premises registration - justification of our position is contained in the position statement on our web site (www.nofavt.org).

Many of you may not know this but my other hat is as a search engine strategist for 7th Pixel. One of the questions I'm often asked is "how do I get my website to be #1?" I'm never quite sure how to answer this question. Largely because there is no easy answer. There is a formula and I'm going to tell you what it is in Mind Your Own Business. The first installment, "Search Engines Like Content" (coming soon), will be followed by many more on the topic of using the Internet to market your products and services. Through this series of papers I hope you will see new marketing opportunities and ways to improve not only the visibility of your website but also how it contributes to your bottom line.

Fairfield, Vermont - May 15, 2006
BY Alex Martin - Channel 3 News

Governor Jim Douglas wielded his veto pen Monday and struck down S18, the controversial genetically engineered seed liability bill recently passed by both the Vermont House and Senate.

I thought I'd try something. As the publisher of Farm & Garden I am often informed of many different deals and discounts that are going on. I'm guessing many of you receive these as well. Some of the deals and discounts I learn about aren't necessarily well promoted. In fact, some aren't even made public. So I thought it might be interesting to tell you about some of the deals I know of and see if you find them useful. If you do, please comment on this entry (see below) and tell me.

By: Carolyn Jung (Mercury News)

Half a mile off the shore of Kona, Hawaii, in blue waters 200 feet deep with currents that can range over 2 knots, a type of amberjack is being raised -- one that hopes to buck the bad rap of many other farm-raised seafood.

By: HAMIDA GHAFOUR (Toronto Globe and Mail)

LONDON -- Britain is anxiously waiting for what seems like the inevitable spread of avian flu to its shores, at a time when memories of mad-cow disease and the foot-and-mouth crisis are still fresh.