Today in Organic: August 28, 2009

Micro greens at the Green City Market / Mark Andrew Boyer

• The recession is hitting farmers hard, the Wall Street Journal reports: "According to USDA calculations, its 2009 forecast is $9 billion below the 10-year average for farm profits." That's a big deal for the economy, because farmers account for about 13 percent of the GDP. "Less than 1% of Americans are engaged directly in agriculture. Yet farmers have a big impact on the economy. They are big spenders, produce commodities that are ubiquitous in the economy, and use about half of the nation's land."

• Is organic palm oil any better than the synthetic stuff? Not much, says Grist's Lou Bendrick: "Organic certification bans the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, but has nothing to say about rainforest management. That’s right—you could burn down pristine rainforest, plant it with a palms, and still get organic certification."

• Andrew Leonard from Salon.com says Monsanto should fear the wrath of the Department of Justice's antitrust division, because "farmers — and, ultimately, consumers — have little choice over what they can plant or what they eat."

• Comments close on the USDA Census of Agriculture today. Click here to add your comments.