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globalbriefs News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefi ts all.
Milk Muddle Organic Milk Producer Under Pressure
The Aurora Organic Dairy pastures and feedlots north of Greeley, Colorado, are home to more than 15,000 cows—more than 100 times the size of a typical organic herd. It is the main facility of the company that supplies milk to Walmart, Costco and other major retailers. They adhere to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic regulations, but critical weaknesses exist in the inspection system the government uses to ensure that
is organic; farmers are allowed to hire their own inspectors to certify them, and thus can fall short of reaching standards without detection. Organic dairies are required to allow the cows to graze daily throughout the growing season rather than be confi ned to barns and feedlots. Although the USDA National Organic Program
food
allows for an extremely wide range of grazing practices that comply with the rule, Aurora was observed onsite and via satellite imagery by the Washington Post as
having only a small percentage of the herd outdoors on any given day. The company disputes the data. U.S. organic dairy sales amounted to $6 billion
last year; although it is more expensive to produce, the milk may command a premium price of 100 percent more than regular.
Bat Banter Computers Decipher Animal Language
The Egyptian fruit bat is a highly social mammal that roosts in crowded colonies. A machine learning algorithm helped
decode their squeaks, revealing that they speak to one another as individuals. The research appears in the journal Scientifi c Reports. Researchers at Tel Aviv University,
in Israel, discovered that the bats exchange information about specifi c problems in four categories. Ramin Skibba, at Nature, notes that besides humans, only dolphins and a handful of other species are known to address individuals, rather than making broad, general communication sounds. Studies allow that it may eventually be possible to understand nuanced communications in other species.
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Central Florida natural awakenings
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