On March 7, US Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman announced a new proposal for uniform and consistent national standards for organic food. This proposal would establish a clear national organic standard that reflects concerns expressed in the more than 250,000 comments received after the initial organic proposal made in December 1997. Briefly, the new standards would ban the use of genetic...

Every year proposed US federal agency rules are published in the Federal Register so that interested members of the public may read and comment on the proposed rule before it goes into effect. Recently, the Internet has begun to show the potential to change and help democratize this process. The Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) Proposed Rule on the Temporary Assistance for Needy...

The Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC) is a specialized segment of the National Agricultural Library. AFSIC provides this Web site as a collection of resources and information on organically produced foods. The site provides links to numerous government agencies and other organizations aimed at supporting organic agriculture. An assortment of AFSIC publications includes tips...