Not keen on green: Organic farm criticized for harming land
DAN CHARLES, Minnesota Public Radio News
May 9, 2021
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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Hardly a week goes by, it seems, without a big food company making promises to deliver products from green, sustainable farms. Turning those promises into reality, though, can be complicated.
Take Gunsmoke Farms, a vast property that covers 53 square miles just northwest of Pierre, South Dakota. The food company General Mills, the Minnesota-based maker of Cheerios, announced in 2018 that it would convert the farm to organic production. The company planned to turn it into an educational hub to teach other farmers “how to implement organic and regenerative agriculture practices.”
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1. Making promises to deliver products from green, sustainable farms is easy, but turning those promises into reality can be complicated. Take Gunsmoke Farms, which is just northwest of Pierre, S.D., for instance. Food company General Mills announced in 2018 that it would convert the farm to organic production. The company planned to turn it into an educational hub to teach other farmers how to implement organic and regenerative agriculture practices. Now, some of Gunsmoke Farms neighbors say that the farm is doing more environmental harm than good. – MPR News
Listen • 4:12
Wind-blown soil fills a ditch between a road and the fields of Gunsmoke Farms, a large organic farm northwest of Pierre, S.D., in early March.
A huge organic farm that s backed by General Mills is facing accusations that it s doing more environmental harm than good. The project shows the difficulties of delivering on green promises.
Hardly a week goes by, it seems, without a big food company making promises to deliver products from green, sustainable farms. Turning those promises into reality, though, can be complicated.
Take Gunsmoke Farms, a vast property that covers 53 square miles just northwest of Pierre, S.D. The food company General Mills, maker of Cheerios, announced in 2018 that it would convert the farm to organic production. The company planned to turn it into an educational hub to teach other farmers how to implement organic and regenerative agriculture practices.
A Giant Organic Farm Faces Criticism That It s Harming The Environment npr.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from npr.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.