U.S. Organic Farms Faced with Mudslides

"A new danger has beset the nation’s struggling organic farms - too much rain. Hundreds of organic farms in southwestern Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota were drenched by a foot of rain in late August. The heavy downpour washed out plantings, eroded soil, and damaged fences and buildings. The owner of Wisconsin’s Harmony Valley Farm estimated his damages at $300,000.

“We have a lot of steep, hilly county and we’ve had a lot of mudslides,” said Tom Van Der Linden, a nearby agent for the Minnesota Extension Service."

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Maryland Farm Goes Organic to Get the Higher Price

"More than 100 years ago, a sharecropper scraped together $20,000 to buy 180 acres in Long Green.

Today, his great-grandson is betting that consumers' willingness to pay more for certified organic milk will keep the family farm healthy.

Bobby Prigel now sells his milk to the Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association. This year, he's getting $2 a gallon.

With the "certified organic" label on his milk, he would get a higher price -- $2.41 a gallon, he said."

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Nature's Gate Modifies Plant Standards for Organic Production

"Nature's Gate announces the release of a range of USDA certified organic body lotions, produced at its Californian plant that has been specifically modified for organic product manufacturing.

The Rainwater Organics range is certified organic by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); meaning that not only do over 95 per cent of the ingredients have to be organic, but the product manufacturing processes must also comply with the standards as well."

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Japanese Organic Market Beginning to Take Off

"Consumer demand for organic food is growing dramatically in Japan and other parts of Asia, according to the Soil Association's recently released global Organic Market Report 2007.

"The Japanese organic market is a very exciting one for the future because shoppers are increasingly wanting high quality, natural foods in keeping with the traditionally healthy diet in Japan," said Helen Browning, Soil Association food and farming director.

While research shows global sales of organic food and drink increased by £2.6 billion (about $5.2 billion) to £19.3 billion in 2006, Japan has previously lagged behind in the buying stakes due to delays in organic regulations."

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Organics in Elementary School

"There are times when elementary school parents dread the next thing their kid brings home from class, whether it's a math worksheet or another shoebox diorama assignment. But at north Hayward's Longwood Elementary, students are bringing home the groceries this fall.

"It's picked right out of the ground and the trees," said sixth-grader Jonathan Mendoza, 11, finishing a dollop of fresh salsa he helped cut and mix. "I didn't like salsa before, but this tastes better."

On Tuesday, organic farmers from northern Monterey County unloaded pickup trucks full of fruits and vegetables for the season's first of what will be a weekly outdoor farmers market outside the school."

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Frutzzo Unveils New Yumberry Juice

"Frutzzo, a pioneer in producing high-antioxidant super juices since 1999 (pomegranate juices since 2002 and the first organic pomegranate juice since 2003), today introduces to the U.S. the first juice from the Yumberry, a subtropical fruit harvested for
over 2,000 years. Yumberry is unusually rich in Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins (OPCs), the most powerful class of free-radical-scavenging antioxidants believed to support every metabolic system in the body.

Natural healing defense in a bottle, Frutzzo's Yumberry juice and juice blends are uniquely high in vitamins, minerals, food fibers and nutrients crucial for the human body. As well, if antioxidants had a "super hero," it would be OPCs, the major constituent of Yumberry's health benefits."

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Soy Baby Formula from My Organic baby

"VANCOUVER, B.C., September 5 /CNW/ - CLEARLY CANADIAN (OTCBB: CCBEF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, My Organic Baby, will feature a notable new product line of organic soy based baby formula product at the CHFA (Canadian Health Food Association) show September 6th-9th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre."

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