Got (raw) milk?

A small, underground movement in Nevada County came to the fore this weekend when advocates of drinking raw milk spoke at the first Sustainable Local Food and Farm Conference, held in Grass Valley.

Despite concern about potentially deadly pathogens that can grow in raw dairy products, people in Nevada County are creating a growing demand for unpasteurized milk, cheese and butter.

[ READ MORE (The Union) ]

Rising commodity prices and extreme weather events threaten global stability

Get ready for a rocky year. From now on, rising prices, powerful storms, severe droughts and floods, and other unexpected events are likely to play havoc with the fabric of global society, producing chaos and political unrest. Start with a simple fact: The prices of basic food staples are already approaching or exceeding their 2008 peaks, that year when deadly riots erupted in dozens of countries around the world.

It's not surprising then that food and energy experts are beginning to warn that 2011 could be the year of living dangerously -- and so could 2012, 2013, and on into the future. Add to the soaring cost of the grains that keep so many impoverished people alive a comparable rise in oil prices -- again nearing levels not seen since the peak months of 2008 -- and you can already hear the first rumblings about the tenuous economic recovery being in danger of imminent collapse. Think of those rising energy prices as adding further fuel to global discontent.

[ READ MORE (Grist) ]