Composting is the basis of organic farming, but the USDA Organic rules for what can be composted could definitely be improved. 

USDA Organic bans sewage sludge and that’s really important as toxic sewage sludge is the reason why so much farmland is contaminated with PFAS “forever chemicals.” If you’re buying bagged compost at a big-box store, make sure to avoid toxic sewage sludge by looking for the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) label.

But, the National Organic Program lets industrial “organic” operations like Driscoll’s fertilize their containerized plants with nutrients from corn and soybeans that have been genetically engineered to soak up herbicides or produce their own insecticides. And, manure and animal carcasses contaminated with antibiotics and other animal drugs are allowed in “organic” compost, too.

TAKE ACTION: Get Factory Farm and Industrial Food Processing Waste Out of Organic!

READ: Is Your Compost Truly Organic? Let’s Dig In

LEARN MORE: BuildASoil.com’s “Loyal To The Soil” Guide to Composts and Fertilizers

BuildASoil.com carries Demeter Certified Biodynamic Malibu Compost. Use the coupon code ORGANICCONSUMER to get 5% off your order of any BuildASoil.com product anytime–the coupon doesn’t expire. Plus, everytime you buy from BuildASoil.com, 15% will go back to the OCA, so this is a great way to support us!

The Biodynamic Association:

“Each biodynamic farm or garden is an integrated, whole, living organism. This organism is made up of many interdependent elements: fields, forests, plants, animals, soils, compost, people, and the spirit of the place. Biodynamic farmers and gardeners work to nurture and harmonize these elements, managing them in a holistic and dynamic way to support the health and vitality of the whole.

Natural ecosystems include both plants and animals, which work together to fill complementary roles in the web of life. Many conventional and organic farms only grow crops or only raise livestock, which may be more efficient by some measures, but creates imbalances such as nutrient deficiency (if only growing plants) or pollution from excess manure (if only raising animals).

Biodynamic farms and gardens work to bring plants, animals, and soil together through living, conscious relationships, so that they each support and balance the whole.”



Read about Biodynamic Principles and Practices

The Biodynamic Association has created a marketplace you can trust to find high quality Biodynamic products, check it out

Demeter U.S.A. has created a directory to Find Biodynamic® Certified farms & products near you (zoom in to an area)

Christy Chan, Spicy Chefs:

“Did you know? Some of the fruits you’re eating actually have most of their nutrients in their peels, meaning if you’re tossing them out without a second thought, you might be missing out. 
Here are 10 nutritious fruit peels you should be eating—and 10 to always skip.

Kiwi

Believe it or not, the fuzzy exteriors of kiwis are edible! Not only is it edible, but it’s also highly recommended that you eat the entire fruit, skin, and all. In fact, the peel packs more fiber and three times the antioxidants than just eating the fruit alone.

Banana

Surprised? Well, you shouldn’t be—banana peels are loaded with important nutrients, like fiber, potassium, and antioxidants. Just remember to wash thoroughly before consuming to ensure there’s no potentially harmful residue leftover, like dirt or pesticides. Plus, eating bananas whole means less food waste!

Watermelon Rind

You likely toss out the white and green parts and only eat the red, juicy flesh, but watermelon rind is actually highly fibrous and nutritious—and psst, even make you better in bed. You can pickle it to make it more palatable and soft, or even juice it with other added fruits and ingredients.”

Learn more about what to eat and what not to, and choose organic, of course!

By OrganicEye:

“If you just look for the USDA Organic logo, you can’t tell whether your food comes from a pioneering organic family farmer and their ethical marketing and processing partners or a giant livestock factory, industrial-scale hydroponic greenhouse.

STEP 1: Shop Locally and Know Your Farmer / Producer

Home Garden: The freshest and most nutritious food

Local Farmers Markets: Your state department of agriculture should have a list.

Community Supported Agriculture: Get a fresh CSA box delivered weekly.

Member-owned Food Co-ops or Local Independently Owned Grocers: Most feature locally grown produce and will vet the local farmers for you.

When you meet the farmer at the market, sign up for a CSA, or buy from a food cooperative that knows their farmer-suppliers, you get the personal connection and integrity that you will never experience with an “organic” product from Walmart, Target, Costco, or a big grocery chain. 

Online resources for locating farmers who sell direct include: Real Organic Project, Eat Wild, Local Harvest, and your state department of agriculture.”

Read more to learn STEP 2 and STEP 3

Check out OCA’s Regenerative Farm Map to find a farm near you

Sustainable Pulse:

“George Kimbrell, Legal Director of Center for Food Safety continued; ‘The need to reform our broken industrial agriculture system to build a better future for our food is paramount. The MAHA commission recognizes that the overuse of pesticides in America’s industrial food system is a critical piece of the nation’s health crisis and acknowledges the now well-established scientific evidence of the dire harm these toxins are causing children, public health, and the environment. However, the report falls woefully short of providing any next steps in how the government is going to stop this health epidemic from continuing.

Much more is required – and urgently – in order to meaningfully address the twin public health and environmental crises we face. Protecting children’s health and building a healthy food system must trump pesticide corporations’ profits. Policy and governance must be based on sound science and reject fearmongering and lobbying influence alleging that these toxins are needed for a healthy food system or agricultural economy.

Our organization will continue to watchdog federal agencies to protect the public interest and ensure regulators comply with their duties to protect public health and the environment from these dangerous toxins. To be meaningful, the findings of the report must translate into concrete actions that truly advance a healthier, more sustainable food system for America’s farmers and consumers.’”

Learn more

TAKE ACTION: Ban Roundup, Don’t Bail Out Bayer!

Kate Nelson writes for Civil Eats:

“The Sioux chef, known for celebrating and restoring pre-colonial foodways, launches two new Indigenous food ventures and publishes his second book. 

Sean Sherman walks through an expansive commissary kitchen in South Minneapolis, his eyes lighting up with excitement. He isn’t taking in the kitchen as it is—dormant but well-equipped with an industrial smoker, a walk-in sausage-making area, and plentiful storage space. Instead, he’s seeing the future of his Meals for Native Institutions initiative, when the space is up, running, and realizing a long-term vision to introduce more Indigenous foods into the American food system.

Sherman, an Oglala Lakota tribal member with an unassuming demeanor, a soft smile, and a signature long braid hanging down his back, has endeavored to revitalize Native American food traditions since 2014, when he founded The Sioux Chef, a catering and educational enterprise. His focus is on ‘decolonized’ food—made without Eurocentric ingredients such as beef, pork, chicken, dairy, wheat flour,  and cane sugar—most notably at his acclaimed Minneapolis restaurant, Owamni.”

Read about how the goal is to developing a model that works anywhere

By Daily Sabah with AA, edited by Ayşe Sena Aykın:

“The term “forgotten foods” refers to thousands of highly nutritious crops that were once integral to local diets but have been sidelined due to the global dominance of wheat, rice, corn and soybeans. These foods not only offer rich nutritional value but are also more resilient to climate change, making them a promising solution to food insecurity.

Some of the most well-known forgotten foods making a comeback include quinoa and chia seeds. However, many other crops from different regions of the world are gaining attention, such as kernza and taro from North America; amaranth, tepary beans, chaya, oca, ulluca, yacon and gran chaco wild fruits from Latin America; fonio, bambara, spider plant, lablab beans, baobab, yam bean, cowpea and teff from Africa; and moringa, buckwheat, finger millet, small millet and swamp taro from Asia.

These foods, though not widely cultivated in modern agriculture, offer a wealth of benefits for both nutrition and resilience. Various scientists and organizations worldwide are working to bring these foods back into focus, promoting them as a crucial part of the solution to food insecurity.”



Read why it’s critical to reintroduce highly nutritious “forgotten foods” into the global food chain

We like to assume our organic garden is thriving with rich, fertile soil, free from toxic chemicals and factory farm waste, but that may not be case if we have purchased store bought compost.

The truth is, many “organic” composts are contaminated with factory farm manure, industrial food processing waste, and other questionable materials.

The USDA’s Organic National Program allows factory farm waste and industrial food processing waste to be used as fertilizer, undermining the integrity of organic soils. This means your organic produce could be grown with manure from factory farms or waste from GMO processing.

We can do better. Join us in calling for stronger organic composting standards that prioritize truly organic and sustainable practices.

Will you support our efforts to reform the National Organic Program?

Your donation will help us advocate for stricter composting standards, promote biodynamic and OMRI-certified compost options, and educate consumers about the importance of clean compost.

Together, we can build a healthier, more organic and regenerative food system.

Please make a donation today and help us create a better future for our soil, our health, and our planet. With your support, we can make a real difference.

Make a tax-deductible donation to Organic Consumers Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Make a tax-deductible donation to Regeneration International, our international sister organization

Have you considered making a grant request from your Donor-Advised Fund?

By Gabriel Zakaib, Street Sense Media:

“’When you’re singing with people, you lose the sense of loneliness, I think. It’s a bridge between you and other people because you hear them, and you see them singing,’ said Roy Barbour, who volunteers with Street Sense to co-lead the theatre workshop with Leslie Jacobson. Barbour and Jacobson aim for the group singing they guide to create energy, community, and hope — each a basic pillar of wellness.

In the atrium above the Street Sense offices, vendors shared their hopes to wake up in a warm bed, see industrial smokestacks replaced with green gardens, and find their loved ones smiling. Guided by writing prompts that differ each week, vendors draw from their experiences to write a script they will turn into a play and perform for the public. “It gives you a chance to focus on something that takes you completely away from what you’re worried about, what you’re thinking about, you focus in on the free expression. It helps you let go of static emotions,’ participant Angie Whitehurst said.’”

Read how this trauma-informed approach aims to help the brain return to its natural baseline of operation, rather than expecting to face difficulty all the time

Neuroscience: Go Swimming and Your Brain Will Thank You

Messy Gardening” Is the Emerging Trend That Embraces the Chaos — Here’s How to Design an Outdoor Space With It Intentionally

RFK Jr. Tells Farmers, GOP Not To Worry About His Report Targeting Pesticides

It’s Time To Stop the Great Food Heist Powered by Big Business. That Means Taxation, Regulation and Healthy School Meals

New Mexico Is the Latest State Developing Standards to Protect Workers in Extreme Heat

How GMO and Hybrid Seeds Impact Farmers’ Mental and Physical Health

That’s Nuts: 10 Types of Nuts and Their Surprising Health Benefits

Insurers Warm To Behavioral Health in Primary Care

Research Update: Okra, Fenugreek Extracts Remove Most Microplastics From Water

Chemical-Free Farming Brings Life Back to Rural France

The ‘Ghost Woodlands’ Transforming England’s Barren Sheep Fells

A Letter to Young Farmers from Willie Nelson and David Senter

Planting by the Moon From The Old Farmer’s Almanac

How Does Natural Resource Consumption Cause Harm? Read These Resource Consumption Facts