Newsletter - June 17, 2025

If you have a love for live, organic food and at the same time possess an entrepreneurial spirit and want to get involved in the organic food industry, why not talk with us? We are seeking a business partner.

If you’re a recent graduate and are contemplating a career in the organic food industry, why not consider doing an internship? We offer hands-on experience in sales, marketing and production of live organic food.

In the past decade, US organic retail sales increased by an average of 8% per year.  

In 2023, the US organic marketplace posted record sales.

For further details email jesse@livingtreecommunity.com

Jesse Schwartz PhD
President
Living Tree Community Foods

by Patrick Greenfield

Bird populations across North America are falling most quickly in areas where they are most abundant, according to new research, prompting fears of ecological collapse in previously protected areas.

Analysis of nearly 500 bird species across North America has found that three-quarters are declining across their ranges, with two-thirds of the total shrinking significantly.

The study, published in the journal Science, indicates that former strongholds for bird species are no longer safe, particularly in grasslands, drylands and the Arctic.

In one of the most ambitious uses of citizen science data so far, scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology used observations from eBird, a popular application used by birdwatchers to record sightings, to model changes between 2007 and 2021. The granularity of the data allowed researchers to track the rate of change in 27 sq km (10 sq miles) segments across North America, showing dramatic declines in areas where less than two decades ago bird species had thrived.

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By Claire Robinson

Genetically modified (GM) crops have increased agriculture’s dependence on pesticides rather than reducing it, a study published in April found.

Drawing on data from four GM crops — Bt cotton, herbicide-tolerant (HT) soybean, HT and/or Bt maize, and HT canola, the researchers — including agricultural development expert professor Glenn Davis Stone from Washington and Lee University and Bt cotton expert K. R. Kranthi of the International Cotton Advisory Committee — traced the surge in chemical use over three decades.

They found a paradox: while GM seeds were supposed to reduce pesticide use, their introduction caused pesticide use to soar. The researchers explain this outcome using the Jevons paradox, an economic theory that dates back to 1865.

British economist William Stanley Jevons argued that efficiency in resource use often leads to more, not less, consumption. The study applies this idea to GM crops, which were claimed to reduce pesticide use, but in reality have made it skyrocket.

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