Op-ed

Cease and desist says California Department of Food and Agriculture. Sara Grusky says, gladly, when things like CAFOs and fracking and real public health threats are held accountable.

Growing more food faster requires sacrificing our future and produces only an illusion of abundance. More and more research is showing we need quality, not quantity. Who has the strength to feed the world far into the future?

Don't be fleeced by the hype of expensive "emerging technologies." There is a common-sense solution to feeding our growing population in our changing climate without poisoning our land and ourselves.

Agricultural subsidies have helped bring us high-fructose corn syrup, factory farming, fast food, a two-soda-a-day habit and its accompanying obesity, the near-demise of family farms, monoculture and a host of other ills. Yet — like so many government programs — what subsidies need is not the ax, but reform that moves them forward.

The Economist is hosting a debate and welcoming the public to vote on whether or not they think biotechnology and sustainable agriculture are complimentary. Rodale Institute farm manager Jeff Moyer responds. Read what he has to say and make sure your vote is counted.

Despite fundamental differences in what they represent, there are occasional calls to allow the use of genetic engineering within the USDA National Organic Program. Here are 10 essential points that I believe show why genetic modification crops are incompatible with organic production.

If cap-and-trade is the best we can do, let's insist on measuring soil carbon to get the most for our carbon-sequestration dollars.

Culture, context important in sharing "good ag ideas" in other nations