It’s easy to talk about terroir when it comes to Quebec’s maple syrup, cheese, and honey, all products which have been made here since for centuries, but it gets a little trickier when it comes to wine. Despite already being home to 130 vineyards and 40 grape varietals, Quebec farmers only began experimenting with grapes in the 1970s and the province got it first wine growers association in 1987, meaning that the wine industry is roughly the same age as a Millennial. (Thursday July 14th, 2016 — Munchies_ Food by VICE )

Biodynamic farming is actually the precursor to organic and sustainable farming. It is from Dr. Steiner’s teaching of how to work with the earth and heavens to farm in harmony with nature. “Organic farming” was coined by those describing Dr. Steiner’s farming approach. (Monday July 11th, 2016 — Mother Earth News - USA)

... still the popularity of “moon gardening” endures. Maria Thun died in 2012, but her son Matthias continues to produce her lunar planting calendar, as do a host of others including the well-known biodynamic gardener Nick Kollerstrom. Will it give you better beetroot, or healthier roses? That’s the million-dollar question . . . (Saturday July 9th, 2016 — Irish Times )

Identical twins attending two of London’s top drama schools have thanked Ringwood Waldorf School for giving them the ‘curiosity and love of learning’ to pursue acting careers. Former pupil Leah Gayer is studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) while sister Mhairi is attending Guildhall School of Music and Drama. (Thursday July 7th, 2016 — Bournemouth Echo - UK)

Waldkindergärten, translated as “forest kindergarten,” is a concept that began in Sweden. Its main purpose is to foster a learning environment through discovery and play in outdoor settings. There are now over 1,000 forest kindergartens in Germany, as well as schools in England, Denmark, and Switzerland. They have even found their way onto American soil. (Tuesday July 5th, 2016 — The Epoch Times )

Bonterra Organic Vineyards, Mendocino County, California ... What he lacked in grape knowledge, however, Brinkley more than made up for with 13 years’ experience in biodynamic agriculture. “It’s about bringing everything into balance—the earth, air, and water,” Brinkley says. (Tuesday July 5th, 2016 — Modern Farmer - Hudson, New York USA)

Here are five reasons why everyone should be concerned about genetically engineered foods (Saturday July 2nd, 2016 — FoodAndWaterWatch.org - )

[Book extract] Free existence and absence of an authority is what is most distinctive about these institutions. (Saturday July 2nd, 2016 — DailyO - India)

According to a new report released by Environment America, five major animal agribusinesses — Tyson, JBS, Cargill, Smithfield, and Perdue — produce a combined 162,936,695 tons of manure every year. But it’s not just the manure that is threatening America’s waterways. The report also points to the huge volumes of grain that need to be grown to feed animals in factory farms, noting that the chemical-intensive farming often associated with the production of feed like corn and soy can also create runoff that threatens rivers, lakes, streams, and bays. Moreover, factory farms are some of the largest contributors to water pollution, dumping more toxic pollutants into waterways annually from their processing plants, by volume, than companies like ExxonMobil and Dow Chemical. (Thursday June 30th, 2016 — Think Progress - USA)

Biodynamic or bonkers? – is the question for today. Or, to put it another way. Does wine taste better on some days than others? atthias Thun, the man behind a book and app called, 'When Wine Tastes Best: A Biodynamic Calendar for Wine Drinkers', certainly thinks so and he's got some credible company. High street heavyweights, Tesco and Marks and Spencer, only present their wines to critics on days deemed favourable by Thun's biodynamic calendar and many seemingly sensible wine lovers are extremely wary of opening prized bottles on 'bad' days. (Wednesday June 29th, 2016 — Derby Telegraph )

Think about the last time you ate something that included wheat, soy, corn, rice, or palm oil. (Wednesday June 29th, 2016 — Think Progress - USA)

A Sussex rosé has become become the first English wine of its kind to scoop an international organic award. ... The vineyard's regent variety grape vines were planted 16 years ago and cultivated using biodynamic techniques, which aims to keep the vineyard in tune with the earth's rhythms. (Wednesday June 29th, 2016 — The Argus - UK)

Vasilis Dimas stunned his agricultural community near the ancient city of Corinth when he switched his organic olive groves to the more stringent, premium category of “biodynamic” four years ago. ... Such methods create a more sought-after product for which customers in Germany and other markets are willing to pay a premium. (Tuesday June 28th, 2016 — Forbes - USA)

Historic Yellow Springs representatives said that the unique show of weaving by the residents of Camphill from around the world shows their “power of creativity.” Historic Yellow Springs is hosting the Camphill Foundation World Wide Weave Exhibition in the village of Yellow Springs through July 6 at the Lincoln Galleries at Historic Yellow Springs. (Tuesday June 28th, 2016 — Daily Local News - West Chester, Pennsylvania USA)

Boyan Slat was just 16 when he realized he wanted to rid the oceans of plastic. It all happened after he dove into the problem in the most literal way while snorkeling in Greece and finding more drifting plastic than fish swimming. ... lat, chief executive officer of The Ocean Clean Up, has taken his eureka moment and turned it into a collection system based on floating barriers attached to the sea bed that use the ocean’s energy to gather plastic waste. After obtaining over $2 million through crowdfunding and more from Dutch government financing, Slat unveiled the first prototype last week in the North Sea, just off the coast of Netherlands. (Tuesday June 28th, 2016 — Think Progress - USA)

Who knew that the Windy City has become so green? As Co.Exist reported, Chicago is quietly becoming the country’s urban agriculture capital with 821 growing sites across the city, from small community gardens to multimillion dollar indoor farms, according to the Chicago Urban Agriculture Mapping Project. Even O’Hare’s Terminal 3 is home to the world’s first airport aeroponic garden. (Tuesday June 28th, 2016 — Care2.com - USA)

Perdue's new animal welfare standards seem as ambitious as the company's move away from antibiotics. ... The company has committed itself to following the Farm Animal Welfare Council's "five freedoms" for farm livestock, the most notable of which are the "freedom from discomfort," "freedom to express (most) normal behavior by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal's own kind," and "freedom from fear and distress." (Monday June 27th, 2016 — Mother Jones - USA)

Just as you catch up on local, organics and sustainability, along come biodynamics and veganics. These are emerging food interests on the lips of those associated with Chicago’s organic food specialty distribution firm, Goodness Greeness. (Sunday June 26th, 2016 — TheProduceNews.com - Oradell, New Jersey USA)

India and the United States have been working together to support India’s transition to clean energy, including its goal of deploying 175 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2022, including 100 gigawatts from solar power. (Thursday June 23rd, 2016 — Think Progress - USA)

“Not all pharmacists are human.” So begins a 1993 review article on the use of medicinal plants by animals. Reading on, we learn that pharmacists can be chimpanzees, Kodiak bears, starlings and grackles. As we learn more about how animals use plants to prevent and treat ailments, this list has only continued to grow. It now even includes caterpillars. Self medication defined: When a substance is deliberately sought out that prevents or cures a condition and its use results in increased survival and reproduction. (Monday June 20th, 2016 — Nature.org - )