Markets May Lose Farmers

School lunches are improving; Walmart's into sustainability: Mark Bittman

(NEWSER) - Sometimes it’s important for a critic to drop the criticism and offer some praise. In the New York Times , Mark Bittman presents a taste of good news in the food world:

1. Backers of better food policy are gaining real traction: The reauthorized Child Nutrition Act will improve school lunches, while the Food Safety Modernization Act will make our meals safer.

Farmers are turning to leftover sweets as biofuel drives up the price of corn

(NEWSER) - The biofuel craze has doubled the price of corn in just a few years, forcing farmers from Pennsylvania to California find alternatives to feed their livestock. What they're coming up with is cookies, candy bars, cheese curls, breakfast cereal and french fries, reports the Wall Street Journal. More»

Farmland has outperformed S&P 500 since recession

(NEWSER) - While Wall Street fiddles and the rest of the real estate market largely fizzles, there's a new hot commodity that has investors flocking to it: Farmland, reports the LA Times. Average farm real estate prices have doubled over the last decade, unlike, say, Florida condos, and many Americans and foreigners alike are turning to what they view as a safer alternative to the markets. "You want to throw your money into something you can't touch?" says one California farm manager. "Or do you want to put your money into soil and sun, into food that feeds people?" More»

Furry friends are also perfect food animal for budding DIY farmers

(NEWSER) - Rabbit as food is a troubling conceit for many Americans—“it’s this weird association with Easter,” a chef says—but the animal is taking off with a small group of budding butchers, urban farmers, and those just enamored of its lean, healthy meat. “This is my gateway animal,” a woman at a recent rabbit-killing seminar who envisions raising the critters in her backyard tells the New York Times . More»

Shop would close roads; some fear heavy traffic

(NEWSER) - Michelle Obama is backing a push for a farmers' market near the White House, WTOP reports. The president said last month that he and his wife were interested in “a little farmers' market outside of the White House.” Now, with Michelle's support, a market hopes to move in on a section of Vermont Avenue each Thursday, which has some residents bemoaning the thought of more rush hour gridlock. More»