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What’s in a name – 2
…continuing our rant about labeling (See What’s in a Name below)… Our daughter, Carolyn, is a cancer surgeon in Texas though her career has moved more and more to nutrition and integrative medicine. She is now the director of the Baylor Medical Center integrative medicine department and it was in that role she was interviewed on a Dallas radio program the other day. Naturally, she was singing the benefits of grass fed beef and was surprised when one of the callers to the program said he was a grass fed beef farmer and at that very moment was delivering meat to one of his customers. Almost seemed like a plant,…
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What’s in a name….
….as consumers have become more health-conscious, the nation’s food producers have responded. But not the way you may think. Instead of making their products better, they’ve changed their labeling to make it seem better. And the USDA, FDA and the rest of the government from the White House down have been their willing accomplices. What we used to call “the natural food” sector, until Big Ag co-opted that term, too, is only an infinitesimal part of the total picture. But it’s existence at any level is apparently considered a threat that the Big Guys and the Government (including our Virginia state government, by the way) are determined to stamp out.…
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Sometimes I wonder….
….if it’s worth the fight. The government, which of course is vitally concerned about the food you eat, (sarcasm intended) has come up with still more regulations. What they say, of course, is they’re only thinking of you. But what they’re doing of course, is trying another end run that will favor Big Ag and penalize those small farmers who actually care about the quality of the food we eat. What Uncle Sam plans to do is “inspect” producers and processors in high risk areas. And the cost of us high risk farmers will be $13,000 a year. Big Ag, which makes billions and is the cause of all the…
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In an ideal world….
….this would provoke a national discussion and a “new” approach to farming. In an ideal world. Agriculture Secretary Vilsack is quoted as saying in a speech recently that rural America is fast becoming irrelevant. Now what Vlasick wants is for farmers to “get with the program” and stop bickering. Here’s the AP report: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_VILSACK_RURAL_AMERICA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-12-08-08-24-10 In short, Vilsack apparently wants farmers to quit whining and stop resisting all those regulations that are good for them. Where to start? First, farmers are right to be suspicious of government regulations because government programs is what got them into trouble in the first place. They took the “candy” to buy tractors, and silos and…
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Forget Democrats and Republicans….
….vote for the Dinner Party. Well, in California anyway, where there’s one of those propositions on the ballot which challenges genetically modified foods and the unholy alliance between Big Ag and Big Government. Michael Pollan recently wrote an article about it in the New York Times magazine. Here’s the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/magazine/why-californias-proposition-37-should-matter-to-anyone-who-cares-about-food.html?_r=1
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Whatever happened to the Farm Bill?
Well, unfortunately, it’s alive and well in Congress. But at least one Senator is getting impatient with the delay and wants it passed now. We’ve made our own view clear: this is a trillion-dollar boondoggle (sweetened with the Food Stamp program to garner votes) that would be a good place to start if either party was really serious about cutting spending. Here’s a link to a pretty good summary of what the bill contains: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/316531/reminder-how-bad-farm-bill-veronique-de-rugy
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Nothing ever happens in our little county….
….and we like it that way. But now “mass” protest has struck and it’s farmers with pitchforks. Seems the zoning people have gone downtown on us and want to crack down on roadside farmers’ stands who are engaging in what economists call “line extension”. The problem apparently is that some folks want to stretch the definition a bit and are also selling crafts and cakes and other “contraband” supplied from off the farm. The word is someone even had a kids’ birthday party at the farm. Horrors! So Fauquier county, about as farm friendly as a county, cracked down. That provoked a “pitchfork protest” by some of our neighbors….and that drew…
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As if we didn’t know….
….it turns out that an important arm of Big Ag (and Big Chemical) is the Farm Bureau. This non-profit giant, basing much of its clout on its insurance business, claims to represent the American farmer. In fact, it is a mouthpiece for some of the worst farming practices. Here’s the link: http://thefern.org/2012/07/farm-bureau-gets-a-closer-look-in-new-report/
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Well, of course…
….once again, in a remarkable display of bi-partisanship despite the bitterness everywhere else, Republicans and Democrats have gotten together to produce another monstrosity of a Farm Bill. As befits such a bill, it is laden with 60% more pork than the last one. Corn subsidies are still there even though corn is at the highest price in history. And Californians will still get handouts to enjoy their foie gras. It’s all in the time-honored tradition of what used to be called “log rolling”. I’ll vote for your bill if you’ll vote for mine. Sometime back, lawmakers from Ag states realized their grip on the process was slipping and so they…
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The Unholy Alliance?
Sometimes I have to tell myself not to be so paranoid. As you will have figured out by now, when it comes to food and health, I’m no fan of the government, Big Ag and the drug companies. Now a writer has developed some history that indicates we need to throw Big Banks into the mix as well. There’s no question that we’re an over-weight, over-medicated nation, but I hesitate to blame it on a “grand conspiracy” put in motion 100 years ago. Nevertheless, that’s the claim. You can read and decide for yourself. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/07/15/ellen-brown-discusses-money-system.aspx?e_cid=20120715_SNL_Art_1 When you consider today’s “insider relationships”, cronyism and the revolving door involving people at the…