Saturday, December 29, 2007

Organic Products Are Booming But Government Funding Isn’t

As you may be aware, you are finding more and more products on your grocer’s shelves that are organic. The category is growing so fast that Stonyhill Farms, an organic yogurt manufacturer, is even running out of organic cows to meet the demand.

It seems the only ones unaware of this trend is Congress. They just approved an amendment raising the funding for organic agriculture research from $1.8 million per year to $5 million. While this sounds like a big increase, when you compare it to the Department of Agriculture’s annual $90 billion budget and the $25 billion (not millions) that goes to annual crop subsidies to farms that depend on chemical farming and to research in genetically engineered crops, it turns out to be a paltry amount.

So…in the coming years, if you can’t find organic products when you want them, just remember how Washington sets it priorities. Pop your Congressional and Senatorial representatives an email – www.house.gov and www.senate.gov – if you’d like to make your opinion count.

 

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