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Does this really frighten….
….Big Ag (Monsanto) and Big Government (USDA)? Clearly they’re doing everything they can to prevent small farming from getting another grip on the country. Personally, I don’t think there’s a chance though we’re believers, supporters and do-ers. The only way we’ll ever feed ourselves again is there’s a calamity and we’re forced to. The problem is, if that happens anytime after a few more years, there’ll be no more local knowledge to help us survive. Still, I admire this Ohio couple. http://paleodietlifestyle.com/lessons-from-an-organic-farm/ We do raise our own greens and herbs, are members of a CSA for most of our vegetables, own a cow share for raw milk, and eat free…
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Can we learn from the Europeans….
….one of our readers thinks so, though he asks to remain anonymous because he works for you-know-who. Here’s the link: http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Regulation/US-review-gleans-ideas-from-European-food-safety-reforms My own jaded view is that this becomes one more weapon to beat up on the little guy. If Europeans experience fewer food-related illnesses, I suspect it’s not because of bureaucratic efficiency. Everything there, from farms to processing, operates on a much smaller scale. It’s the huge packing houses and the factory farms in the United States that cause our problems. And a corrupt system that keeps us looking the “other” way. Further, one-size agricultural rules are too often written in the bowels of Big Ag and Big…
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The Monsanto Story….
…though I really can’t vouch for it. Found this on the internet while reading about the demonstrations against Monsanto yesterday in 400 cities around the world. The protest was aimed at Genetically Modified food but one commentor filled in some history on Monsanto I didn’t know. A link to one story about the demonstrations follows, but first this: John F Queeny started Monsanto in 1901 – with a chemical byproduct from COAL TAR that tasted sweet. They had only one customer – Coca Cola. Doctors prescribed the cocaine beverage to many… and this coal tar sweetener is called saccharin. An early user was Pres. Ted Roosevelt – diabetic and overweight. A…
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To the barricades….
….there are times when I think I could be a revolutionary. Mostly those are times when I hear about the latest outrage perpetrated by chemical giant, Monsanto. It’s hard to imagine a more powerful, more destructive company on the planet. Their genetic engineering—all government-sanctioned—and their ability to skirt any real scientific review is without parallel. We’ve detailed many times their influence in Washington (and it has made no difference whether a Republican or Democrat is in charge). While other countries have been careful to keep a lid on genetically engineered foods, Monsanto has had free reign with its willing accomplices in the government and universities. One of the articles of…
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More reverberations….
….from the “Monsanto protection act”. Increasingly, Congress has moved away from regular order in handling potentially controversial issues. Like genetically modified crops. It’s common now to simply skip committee hearings and floor votes. Just find a complicated bill and slip in some extra language nobody will notice….until it’s too late. You almost get the feeling they really don’t care what we think. http://www.newsmax.com/newswidget/Monsanto-bill-protection-food/2013/04/01/id/497254?promo_code=EB8D-1&utm_source=National_Review&utm_medium=nmwidget&utm_campaign=widgetphase1
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It’s about time….
….safe food advocates are turning their fire on President Obama and Congressional Democrats for their “patty cake” deal with Monsanto. With all the talk about sequestration, the powers-that-be made sure last week that the dollars keep rolling to the chemical giant. Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski snuck the pro-genetically engineered language into a massive continuing resolution and it sailed through, apparently without anyone noticing the amendment. At least, that’s what they’re all saying on Capitol Hill. http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Critics-slam-Obama-for-protecting-Monsanto-200599011.html We note that while Monsanto’s relationship with the Obama Administration could be described as “incestuous”, it’s only closer in degree from past Republican administrations. Last we knew, at least three former Monsanto executives are…
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A victory for the pure food movement….
….and unexpectedly. Whole Foods has just announced it will begin labeling all its products that are genetically modified. With four-fifths of the worlds corn and soybeans now GMO, we trust the company has budgeted enough for new labels. Just about any box on the shelf will need the alert, as well as most of the produce. We wonder if they’ll go so far as to put notices on their meat, too. The biggest consumers of genetically modified corn are cows. There’s a lot of Big Ag propaganda in the article (Monsanto never sleeps) but still the basic story is a major setback for the “don’t ask what it is, just…
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In the tank…Pt 2….
…do you ever wonder how much of the so-called “scientific research” we treat as gospel has been bought and paid for by Big Ag, Big Food, Big Chemical and Big Government? The other day we posted an article about how the association of nutritionists was essentially a propaganda arm for the likes of Kellogg and Pepsi. Naturally, no one is more active is corrupting what used to be called “research” that our good buddies at Monsanto. Just the other day we read how soon we’ll be eating what is labeled as salmon, but in reality is a genetically-engineered combination of two types of salmon and…..eel! You see, this wonder salmon grows…
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The chemical arms race…
…. was going to call this post “GMO Roundup” (pun intended). But it really is chemical warfare right on the farmlands of the United States. It all started with Monsanto developing a powerful herbicide, “Roundup”. The trouble was, Roundup not only killed weeds, it killed the corn. Not to worry, then Monsanto developed Roundup-resistant seeds and today most of the major crops come from those seeds—corn, soybeans, sugar beets—in all, about 165-million acres of GMO crops. But then a new crop developed: weeds; weeds that were resistant to Roundup. Again, Monsanto was ready with the answer: more powerful Roundup. And of course, what happened was the weeds kept up with…