Agriculture Sector

This Weekend: Harvest Festival

Klamath Deal is Cold Comfort for SF Bay Salmon Fishermen

The feds’ good news: ‘Peace in our time’ By Peter Jamison For California’s commercial salmon fishery, which repeatedly finds itself pummeled by bad breaks, the past week has brought an unusual flurry of decent news. Last Friday, federal and state officials announced an “agreement in prin ... More >>

New Report Foresees a Short Road to Extinction for CA salmon

It’s Time to Panic. But Then What? By Peter Jamison I recently observed that San Francisco salmon fishermen, despite some relatively good news in an industry that of late has lumbered from one calamity to the next, are still pretty glum these days. That’s because a number of highly publicized ... More >>

Plan Bee: Top S.F. Beekeeper Doubts 'Colony Collapse Disorder' Ever Existed -- and Many Scientists Agree

Buzz-Kill: Despite the press' fixation with 'Colony Collapse Disorder,' many scientists and beekeepers aren't convinced it's realPhilip Gerrie lives in Noe Valley with, as he puts it, "a spouse, two cats, and 100,000 bees." The past president of the San Francisco Beekeepers' Association is a soft-sp ... More >>

Stuffed Zucchini

Buzz-Kill: Despite the press' fixation with 'Colony Collapse Disorder,' many scientists and beekeepers aren't convinced it's realPhilip Gerrie lives in Noe Valley with, as he puts it, "a spouse, two cats, and 100,000 bees." The past president of the San Francisco Beekeepers' Association is a soft-sp ... More >>

Oyster Lovers Unite

This Valentines weekend may be your best chance to eat oysters for years to come.

Voodoo on the Vine

The origins of the increasingly popular Biodynamic wine are steeped in the occult and bad science.

Org. Org. Throws Kegger

The origins of the increasingly popular Biodynamic wine are steeped in the occult and bad science.

The Bee Buzz

S.F. beekeepers hope a mysterious plague doesn't destroy their hives.

Last Voyage of the Relentless

Friends and family of a well-known fishing captain are convinced he and his deckhand were victims of a maritime hit-and-run near the Golden Gate

Swing and Scarf

Get your fry on at Sweet's

Best Pastries (Outdoors)

Frog Hollow Farm

Traveling Companions

Gray whales are leading tourists, conservationists, and business operators on a rocky voyage toward economic and environmental salvation

The New Economy

The road to Punta Abreojos is paved with hollow intentions

Fins

Just when you thought it was safe to flag down the waiter, a storm brews over shark fin soup.

How We Slice It

Just when you thought it was safe to flag down the waiter, a storm brews over shark fin soup.

Honey, I Shrunk the Movie

Just when you thought it was safe to flag down the waiter, a storm brews over shark fin soup.

Just What You Need Before a Weekend of Rib-Eating: The Latest in Swine Flu Conspiracy News

i,max via FlickrGrist has a nicely conspiratorial analysis (*cue X-Files music*) of the current investigations into the origin of the swine flu epidemic. Among the highlights: The World Health Organization helped author a paper for Science that pinpointed the likely source of the swine flu as La Gl ... More >>

Eating Unnaturally, Naturally

i,max via FlickrGrist has a nicely conspiratorial analysis (*cue X-Files music*) of the current investigations into the origin of the swine flu epidemic. Among the highlights: The World Health Organization helped author a paper for Science that pinpointed the likely source of the swine flu as La Gl ... More >>

Snacktion: Frog Hollow Farm's Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

T Palmer​Name: Cherry Chocolate Chip CookiesBrand: Frog Hollow FarmOrigin: BrentwoodFound at: Frog Hollow Farm Market (One Ferry Plaza at the Embarcadero)Cost: $3.50Ingredients: Organic flour, organic butter, organic sugar, eggs, Scharffen Berger chocolate, organic walnuts, organic dried cherries, ... More >>

It's an Orgy of Harvest Stuff All Weekend at Ferry Plaza, Starting with Today's Booze Bash

Uncle Lynx/Flickr​This afternoon kicks off a weekend of harvest-related activities at the Ferry Building. Free events include an olive oil tasting, apple pressing and cider making, a Barnyard by the Bay petting zoo, and live music. Till 8 p.m. today, an organic spirits (boo!), wine, and beer t ... More >>

Lawyers for Fishermen, Leaky Dubai Star Tanker Talk -- But Disagree On What They Talked About

The opposing attorneys' stories seem to go together like oil and water...​Lawyers representing aggrieved San Francisco fishermen and the oil-spewing Dubai Star tanker spoke this week. They can agree on that. But not on much else, it would seem. After reviewing the $10 million class-action suit ... More >>

Traverse the Districts

The opposing attorneys' stories seem to go together like oil and water...​Lawyers representing aggrieved San Francisco fishermen and the oil-spewing Dubai Star tanker spoke this week. They can agree on that. But not on much else, it would seem. After reviewing the $10 million class-action suit ... More >>

The Humane Society and big agriculture slug it out over animal rights

The opposing attorneys' stories seem to go together like oil and water...​Lawyers representing aggrieved San Francisco fishermen and the oil-spewing Dubai Star tanker spoke this week. They can agree on that. But not on much else, it would seem. After reviewing the $10 million class-action suit ... More >>

Does Large-Scale Urban Fish Farming Make Sense Here?

Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago TribuneA student at the Chicago High School of Agricultural Science checks on an experimental tank of tilapia.​Our favorite morsel from the blogs. Mission fishin': While the idea of urban farming continues to crackle through the zeitgeist, for most of us it's still more ... More >>

Industrial Corn's Solution for Gulf Oil Spill? Create Bigger Nitrogen Dead Zone!

AP News/NASANitrogen-filled sediment flowing from the Mississippi into the Gulf, as seen from space.​Our favorite morsel from the blogs. Shucked: Grist's Tom Philpott registers outrage ― outrage! ― in Big Corn's positioning re: the Gulf oil oil spill. Philpott, take it away: As if being b ... More >>

Pretenders, Protesters Show Up For Trans-Pacific Trade Talks

www.animalliberationfront.comChrissie Hynde ain't pretendin​Foreign trade deals don't need China and Japan in order to be successful, merely relevant. And they certainly don't need to be globe-busting in order to draw demonstrators: several events are planned today as the Trans-Pacific Partnership ... More >>

Women Are Essential to the Food Revolution: Farmer Jane Author Speaks at Omnivore

Julia PlasenciaCity Slicker Farms' Willow Rosenthal.​While testosterone drives the majority of restaurant kitchens, women tend to actually alter the way we eat ― as farmers, mothers, businesswomen, and activists. Women are more likely to own sustainable farms, work at agriculture nonprofits, ... More >>

Northern California Is Turning into Northern Italy

Julia PlasenciaCity Slicker Farms' Willow Rosenthal.​While testosterone drives the majority of restaurant kitchens, women tend to actually alter the way we eat ― as farmers, mothers, businesswomen, and activists. Women are more likely to own sustainable farms, work at agriculture nonprofits, ... More >>

With Rice Paddy Art, Japanese Village Creates Tourist Bonanza

Shiho Fukada/New York TimesImages are "painted" using thousands of rice plants genetically engineered to have different hues.​In Inkadate, a village in rural northern Japan, rice is not just an important crop, a staple, it's a medium for intricate, colorful paddy art that might make Christo or ... More >>

California Wants to 'Decriminalize' Immigrant Farm Workers

​The California Department of of Food and Agriculture calls for a sweeping effort to protect immigrant farm workers -- including those who traveled to the U.S. illegally -- in a new plan outlining the state's agricultural future.The plan, called AgVision 2030, asserts that immigrant labor is vital ... More >>

Saul's Picks Up on Urban Beekeeping Buzz for Rosh Hashanah Talk

Saul'sA farkakta idea? Nobody ever got stung merely talking about beekkeping.​Those hoping to learn more about the honey they're dipping challah and apples into during the Jewish High Holiday season can do so at Saul's Adventures in the Honey Harvest next Tuesday night. Topics for discussion i ... More >>

EPA Honcho Jared Blumenfeld Saddened to Ditch Polluting Boat

How I miss old Jane...​Jared Blumenfeld, San Francisco's former boss of both the Department of the Environment and Rec and Parks Department, was appointed in January as EPA administrator for Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and the Pacific Islands. Also during the past year, he donated Jane, h ... More >>

Gas Mask Removed from Cow at Aquarium's Controversial Global Warming Exhibit

Humans in gas masks just aren't the same​A cow in a gas mask is a memorable image. That's probably why it was deployed, to great effect, in a recent exhibit on climate change at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. While this is the sort of thing that would doubtless please André Breton, dairy farmers -- n ... More >>

A Timeline of Fishing in the San Francisco Bay

Humans in gas masks just aren't the same​A cow in a gas mask is a memorable image. That's probably why it was deployed, to great effect, in a recent exhibit on climate change at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. While this is the sort of thing that would doubtless please André Breton, dairy farmers -- n ... More >>

What Fish You Can Buy, and When, in San Francisco

Humans in gas masks just aren't the same​A cow in a gas mask is a memorable image. That's probably why it was deployed, to great effect, in a recent exhibit on climate change at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. While this is the sort of thing that would doubtless please André Breton, dairy farmers -- n ... More >>

Food Costs, Diet Drinking, and Buying the Right Fish

​Today's notes on national stories, local trends, random tastes, and other bycatch dredged up from the food media.1. Pain at the Cart. At the New York Times, Kim Severson surveys the rising costs of food -- beef up 12%, tomatoes up 11%, milk up 7% -- and then puts it in in perspective: Globally, ... More >>

Becky Selengut Teaches How to Pick and Cook Good Fish

​ Becky Selengut, a cooking teacher and food writer based in Seattle, is coming to San Francisco this weekend to speak about and cook from her new book, Good Fish: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from the Seafood Coast. On Saturday morning, she will be doing a cooking demo at the Ferry Plaza Farmers ... More >>

Portraits of the New Food Movement

Anne Hamersky​Farm Together Now: Portraits of a New Food Movement Where: The Commonwealth Club's Gold Room, 595 Market (at Second St.) When: Thu., June 30. Networking reception starts at 5:30 p.m., program at 6. Cost: $20 general, $8 Commonwealth Club members, $7 students with valid ID. ... More >>

Mee Mee's Cow Ears and Coin Cookies, the Horror of Bycatch

​ Today's notes on national stories, local trends, random tastes, and other bycatch dredged up from the food media. Mee Mee Bakery's macaroons.​1. Mee Mee's sweets. Rice Plate Journal, my block-by-block survey of Chinatown restaurants, is finally hitting the dense restaurant zone of Powell an ... More >>

Millions of Bees Buzz in S.F. Backyards and Balconies

BotheredByBees/flickr​San Francisco is a gold mine -- not for the precious metal, though. We're talking about honey. Since the 2007 media furor over mysterious honeybee deaths, when alarming numbers of North American honeybee colonies suffered colony collapse, urban beekeeping has taken off. ... More >>

Organic Chicken Actually Proven to Be Safer

Alarmed by the recent outbreak of drug-resistent salmonella in ground turkey, which killed one Californian woman? The way to protect yourself might be to buy organic. Yesterday, NPR reported that a University of Maryland study found that big organic chicken farms have much lower levels of antibio ... More >>

S.F. Plays Host to Millions of Bees

Alarmed by the recent outbreak of drug-resistent salmonella in ground turkey, which killed one Californian woman? The way to protect yourself might be to buy organic. Yesterday, NPR reported that a University of Maryland study found that big organic chicken farms have much lower levels of antibio ... More >>

California's Farmworker Protection Laws Aren't Being Enforced

Not pictured: heat stroke.​Yesterday, the LA Times ran a great piece checking up on how strongly the state was enforcing six-year-old regulations requiring farms to provide shade, water, and rest periods for their workers so they don't die of heat exposure. The answer: not well. While many farms ... More >>

Comprehensive Guide to CSAs in San Francisco: Fruits and Vegetables

Contents of a weekly share from Shooting Star CSA​The number of CSAs -- Community Supported Agriculture groups -- available to San Francisco residents has really grown in the last few years. From farm-fresh produce to grass-fed beef and sustainably caught seafood, there are just so many choice ... More >>

Farmageddon Cries For Small Farms and Raw Milk

​The US government is at war with small farmers who try to raise animals for meat and milk in sustainable ways. Regulations are written for -- and often by -- agribusiness. And the situation has actually gotten worse under President Obama, with gun-toting agents raiding family farms to confisc ... More >>

Pacific Salmon May Have Caught a Superbug

Factory farming is being held accountable for the the rise of antibiotic-resistent staph, virulent strains of E. coli, and now a powerful virus that has killed off huge numbers of Atlantic farmed salmon in Europe. But the latter seemed to be restricted to the ocean to the east of us until recently, ... More >>

Our Bay, Our Fish: Local Fishermen Can Now Sell Herring in S.F.

Factory farming is being held accountable for the the rise of antibiotic-resistent staph, virulent strains of E. coli, and now a powerful virus that has killed off huge numbers of Atlantic farmed salmon in Europe. But the latter seemed to be restricted to the ocean to the east of us until recently, ... More >>

What Caused the Hole in the Local Salmon Population?

University of California, DavisBaby Coho salmon: worth protecting.​In the latest episode of their new science podcast, Field Trip, local journalists Kara Platoni and Eric Simons set out to ask the question: Why exactly are all the fish in the ocean disappearing, and how do we measure how quickly ... More >>