“On February 24, Judge Naomi Buchwald handed down her ruling on a motion to dismiss in the case of Organic Seed Growers and Trade Assn et al v. Monsanto after hearing oral argument on January 31st in Federal District Court in Manhattan. Her ruling to dismiss the case brought against Monsanto on behalf of organic farmers, seed growers and agricultural organizations representing farmers and citizens was met with great disappointment by the plaintiffs.”

For folks who were unable to attend the recent conference in Port Towsend, some of the videos are available here online. These and the Organic Seed Alliance’s Basics of Organic Seed Production are essential viewing for organic farmers who want to branch into organic seed production.

This article about our seed company was written by Lisa McKinnon of the Ventura County Star. Check out our seed company web site at http://www.agtoseeds.com

Consumer resistance to transgenic food is high, part of a debate that is coming to life in courtrooms and online.

Breathing much easier now that rain is dropping in the Ojai Valley. If anyone is interested in precise precipitation measurements, check out this feature of the National Weather Service.

“As we face uncertain and extreme weather patterns, growing scarcity and expense of oil, lack of water, and a growing population, we will require farming systems that can adapt, withstand or even mitigate these problems while producing healthy, nourishing food. After 30 years of side-by-side research in our Farming Systems Trial (FST)®, Rodale Institute has demonstrated that organic farming is better equipped to feed us now and well into the ever changing future.”

Our first detailed cultivation about tomatoes is now available via Scribd.

Now’s the time to start to think about planting seeds. Check out our seed company, All Good Things Organic Seeds, and find our certified organic seed varieties. New varieties are being added all the time! (Pictured: Fizz Kale).

We are proud, if often overwhelmed members of the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) network. This article from the Los Angeles TImes describes a bit of the history of the organization, with a specific focus on the Southern California WWOOF context. Favorite passage:

“Not all farms are created equally,” said Jess Sullivan, 24, a graduate student at UC San Diego who runs a one-acre WWOOF farm with her boyfriend in southeastern San Diego County. Sullivan worked on farms in Maine and Belize during her undergraduate days at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

In recent months, they have been flooded with applications. She has received as many as 110 in one month alone; she takes only about three volunteers at a time.

She said applicants fall into several categories. The confused — those who have finished college and are avoiding figuring out what to do with their lives; the wanderers — the ones who blithely travel the world with a hunger for exploration; and the ambitious — those who are hooked on the trend of community farming, with a genuine interest in agriculture.