Control the Food

This is happening in Europe now but it is only a very short hope “across the pond” as they say.   Remember what the war criminal Henry Kissinger said:

Kissinger: “Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people.”

http://www.naturalnews.com/040214_seeds_European_Commission_registration.html

Virtually all plants, vegetable seeds and gardeners to eventually be registered by government    

Most heirloom seeds to be criminalized

A new law proposed by the European Commission would make it illegal to “grow, reproduce or trade” any vegetable seeds that have not been “tested, approved and accepted” by a new EU bureaucracy named the “EU Plant Variety Agency.”

It’s called the Plant Reproductive Material Law, and it attempts to put the government in charge of virtually all plants and seeds. Home gardeners who grow their own plants from non-regulated seeds would be considered criminals under this law.
“This law will immediately stop the professional development of vegetable varieties for home gardeners, organic growers, and small-scale market farmers,” said Ben Gabel, vegetable breeder and director of The Real Seed Catalogue. “Home gardeners have really different needs – for example they grow by hand, not machine, and can’t or don’t want to use such powerful chemical sprays. There’s no way to register the varieties suitable for home use as they don’t meet the strict criteria of the Plant Variety Agency, which is only concerned about approving the sort of seed used by industrial farmers.”

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/040214_seeds_European_Commission_registration.html#ixzz2U68NnkhQ

Good News, Good News, Good News, and then Bad News

GW and his daughter testifying at the Agriculture Committee.

Hurrah, several local food sovereignty bills have been voted out of the Agriculture committee of the Maine Legislature as “ought to pass.”  Here are some excerpts from the Bangor Daily News article about the work sessions:

 

“The Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Conservation voted that two key bills — LD 1282 and LD 1287 — ought to pass when they are taken up by the full Legislature.

The committee also voted “ought to pass” on several bills aimed at Maine’s poultry industry. LD 218 exempts farmers who grow and slaughter fewer than 1,000 birds annually from state inspection and licensure, as long as they sell the poultry from the farm or deliver to the consumer’s home. LD 259 would allow the owners of slaughterhouses to rent their facilities to other farmers. LD 836 establishes a legal mechanism for the operation of mobile poultry slaughtering facilities.”

 

Anti GMO rally at the State House.

The GMO bill is in work session today.  LD 718.  With the way the Ag committee has voted lately I am very hopeful that this bill will also get a favorable vote.

The bad news is a that the Supreme Court came out with its decision yesterday against the farmer being sued by Monsanto for planting seeds he bought, not from them but, from a local grain elevator.    Okay, okay it was not the best case to take all the way to the high court so we will have to try again.   The OSGATA/Pubpat suit is a good solid suit that we can hope will succeed when it finally makes it way to the top of the judicial pile.

 

“Although Monsanto and other agrochemical companies assert that they need the current patent system to invent better seeds, the counterargument is that splicing an already existing gene or other DNA into a plant and thereby transferring a new trait to that plant is not a novel invention. A soybean, for example, has more than 46,000 genes. Properties of these genes are the product of centuries of plant breeding and should not, many argue, become the product of a corporation. Instead, these genes should remain in the public domain.”

Here are some other links I’ve been compiling for a while:

 

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs122/1104248386985/archive/1112571595184.html

 

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/448-farm-and-food-policy/16718-focus-monsanto-protection-act-ignites-massive-activism

 

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/448-farm-and-food-policy/16689-focus-monsanto-wrote-monsanto-protection-act

 

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/16705-monsanto-teams-up-with-congress-to-shred-the-constitution

Veggies = Speciality Crops

 

So yesterday was about state politics.   Here is what’s going on in Washington.   Don’t you just love it that our government think of the foods that feed us,  fruits and vegetables, as “specialty crops?”  Anyhow, here’s what they’re up to in DC:

 

 

Subcommittee Examines Specialty Crop Programs
for the 2013 Farm Bill

 

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Austin Scott, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology and Foreign Agriculture, held a public hearing to examine specialty crop priorities for the 2013 Farm Bill. The Subcommittee heard from growers and representatives of the specialty crop community on the effectiveness of the current programs within the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction.

Last summer, the Agriculture Committee reported H.R. 6083, the Federal Agriculture, Reform, and Risk Management Act (FARRM). The FARRM Act achieved $35 billion in savings to reduce the federal deficit, while expanding popular and successful programs that recognize the diversity of U.S. specialty crops, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, horticulture, and nursery crops.

“Growth in the specialty crops sector can play an integral role in our economic recovery. As we continue to examine farm policy and prepare to reauthorize the farm bill, it is essential that we expand on our past successes with programs that help grow our nation’s economy,” said Chairman Austin Scott (R-GA-8).

“This hearing is an important step forward in crafting a twenty-first century farm bill that invests in programs that generate significant domestic crop value.  Under the current farm bill, specialty crop programs that finance research and encourage value added production, not direct payments to farmers, receive only a fraction of overall funding. However, specialty crops as a whole make up nearly half of all domestic farm gate crop value. As the House Agriculture Committee works to reauthorize the farm bill, we must recognize the need to substantially fund our specialty crop programs in order to enhance the competitiveness of American agriculture and strengthen it going forward,” said Ranking Member Kurt Schrader (D-OR-5).

Written testimony provided by the witnesses is linked below.

Witness List:

Panel I

Ms. Sarah M. Frey-Talley, President and CEO, Frey Farms, Keenes, Illinois

Mr. William L. Brim, President and Owner, Lewis & Taylor Farms, Inc., Tifton, Georgia

Mr. Barry Bushue, Vice President, American Farm Bureau Federation, President, Oregon Farm Bureau Federation, Boring, Oregon

###

 

God Made a Farmer and Then He Made Monsanto

So I watched the “God Made a Farmer” commercial on YouTube (because I do not watch the Superbowl, but that is a different post, suffice it to say I call Superbowl Sunday “The Biggest Single Day of Domestic Violence Incidence in the Year”  which it is)  and of course I got all misty because Paul Harvey was one hell of a writer even if his politics are a bit too conservative for me.   I was torn.  It was a great piece.   Even if it was a commercial for a gas guzzling road hog.   I wondered how I could, in good conscience, blog about it.   Then my friend Tom Luther sent me this on Facebook.   Thanks Tom.   Think of these as both sides of the story.  Or better yet think of it as…the rest of the story.

 

3/2/13 Update.   The funny video has been removed.   Thanks Monsanto.   We should all chip together and buy them a sense of humor.

3/10/13 Update #2.  See the comment section of my post “Broken Girls”  one of my wonderful followers has put the funny video there.  I will try to move it back into this post when I have a minute but for now it is there.   Thanks!

 

At Union’s Applewood Farm, a lesson in listening

reposting from the Penobscot Bay Pilot:

By

Bill Packard

Posted:

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

I’ve got a friend and business associate named Joel whom many people would dismiss as just a simple farmer. I buy manure and hay from him for my business and we get eggs for the house. Joel and his wife, Sally, work hard on their farm, but they really enjoy what they do. It’s great to go there in the spring and watch the calves trot along behind their moms and see the other spring beginnings that happen on a farm.

There’s way more to Joel and Sally than many realize. They understand how local decisions can impact their lives and they speak out when they don’t agree. That’s pretty basic American stuff, but few people can say that they have done it. There is something about Joel and Sally that I find very interesting and also lost on a lot of people these days. They listen.

More and more as politics get heated and people get really involved, they forget to listen. I look at some folks and listen to them and realize that there is no sense getting into any kind of debate with them, because their mind is made up. Kind of like the saying: “Don’t try to confuse me with the facts. My mind is made up!” Joel and Sally aren’t like that. They listen. Now let me get one thing straight right here. I’m not saying they don’t have opinions or take a position. They certainly have strong views about things, but listening to others is very important to them to understand other positions and respecting those positions if they deserve it.

Joel tells a story about a woman who came by the farm questioning all they did. She wanted to know about the feed and conditions and how they dealt with the animals when it was time for slaughter and she thought she knew all the “right” ways to farm. After answering her questions and listening to her concerns, Joel shared reality with her. If she wanted to put pressure on his already marginal farming operation, which he and his wife did out of love for it, not monetary wealth, he would turn the valuable property into expensive house lots and he and his bride would move to a comfortable climate with the profits and this lady would win the battle over proper farming operations. The lady in question listened to what Joel said and became interested in buying some manure from this well-run farm for her gardens and when it all ended, both had learned something from the other.

This is what seems to be missing in many of today’s discussions. One side is talking but the other side is not listening. It’s fine to disagree. There is nothing wrong with that. Disagreeing while being disagreeable is a real problem and I think a lot of that comes from not listening. There are many people who will tell you that I’m opinionated and set in my ways, etc. Guilty as charged. The older I get, the more I realize that many things don’t change and it’s easy to predict the outcome in a lot of situations. But I do listen. I do want to hear the other side of the argument. I believe that I should take in all that’s said politely and may or may not share my point of view on the issue. If its politics, more and more I just let it go because so many people have become so closed minded about things that they just shut down and don’t want to listen. I think that’s sad and I think it’s sending the country in a direction that is not healthy.

Once you decide that your mind is made up, you close your mind to new ideas and opportunities. You put people into categories because of their past beliefs and decide whether you will agree or not, even before you hear what they have to say.

Things don’t work that way at Joel and Sally’s farm. If you go over there on Payson Road in Union to buy some eggs or beef or hay, or manure, open your mind and listen to the conversation. You could learn a lot. Or, if you prefer, just leave the money in the box at the bottom of the refriderator in the garage, take your eggs and leave. Better still if you have that kind of attitude, buy your eggs someplace else.

 

Bill Packard lives in Union and is the founder of BPackard.com.  He is a speaker, author, small business coach and consultant. 

Farm Foreclosure Information

Here’s the flyer that Food for Maine’s Future handed out at the Agricultural Trade Show this week.  For more information about farm foreclosures call 1-866-933-WCEM.  Another great program from Food for Maine’s Future. 

 

Sad News in My In-Box This Morning

Subject:  MOFGA Mourns The Death Of Russell Libby

Date: December 10, 2012 6:04:36 AM EST

 

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association announces, with great
sadness, the death of its beloved leader Russell Libby, following a long
struggle with cancer. He passed away peacefully among his family at his home
this morning in Mt. Vernon, Maine. He was 56.

Russell lent his extraordinary leadership skills to MOFGA for almost 30 years.
He served on the Board of Directors for a decade before becoming its long-
serving Executive Director in 1995. He held that position until November 2 of
this year, when he assumed the title of Senior Policy Advisor. In that role he
continued to guide the organization with his characteristic wisdom, compassion
and dedication, even as his health failed. Prudently, he took many steps to
make sure that MOFGAs course would remain steady in the time to come. A
search for a new Executive Director is set to begin on January 1, 2013.
MOFGA is now under the guidance of Heather Spalding, who has worked
closely with Russell at MOFGA since 1997.

We are saddened beyond words by Russell’s passing, but we are grateful for
the legacy he has given us, said MOFGA Board President Barbara Damrosch.
MOFGA has always been a vibrant organization that, through educational and
policy work, has advanced the cause of safe, healthful food in Maine and
championed the farmers and gardeners who grow it. Russell nurtured MOFGA
to the point where its membership now exceeds that of any other state organic
group. New farmers look to Maine for encouragement and inspiration.

A memorial service will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 15, at
the Mount Vernon Elementary School. At a later date, to be determined,
MOFGA will host a gathering in honor of Russell in the Exhibition Hall at the
Common Ground Education in Unity.

Winding Down

 

I will be temporarily winding down this blog over the next few days.  I will be taking a month-long hiatus while I take part in the National Novel Writing Month challenge during November. More on that later.

 

But over the next few days I will post a few links to keep you entertained for a bit.  The first one today is the trailer of a great movie I saw last week in Belfast at the Colonial Theater.  Betting the Farm is a documentary made by Cecily Pingree and Jason Mann about the two-year struggle of a group of Maine organic milk farmers to start-up, run and make a success of Maine’s Own Organic Milk (MOO Milk).  It is a very moving film and is getting showings all over the state and the country.  See it if you can.

 

 

Common Ground Fair in Pictures

Common Ground Country Fair is unique. And believe me I use that word advisedly.  There really is nothing else like it.  There are sights, sounds and smells you will not experience at any other agricultural fair in the world.  Or at least none that I know of.  Perhaps in some far, far land where fairies rule and sugar plums grow on trees there is another event that can compare to this wonderful weekend.  But I have my doubts.

I am going to share some of these sights with you now.  Maybe I can get the sounds and smells out to you next year.  Or even better come to the fair next year and experience them for yourself.

Here they are in no particular order:

My friend Mandy, the Roller Derby Queen, with the shiner she acquired in the rink.

Apple ladders walking by.

The Sewall Orchard booth, with none of their usual, delicious cider; but a very informative sign about why the apple harvest is way down this year.  Hint:  it’s climate change.

The beautiful, huge bus that brought one of the food vendors to the fair.  I heard it was all custom wood paneling inside and very, very nice!

The train that brings the fair-goers in.

Or the tractors, one driven by my friend Ron, that bring the fair-goers in from the parking lots (you are encouraged to carpool!)

Hobbit Holes for chickens.

Two farmers markets.  One at each gate.  So as you leave you can stock up on all the wonderful organic produce these farmer/members grow on their organically certified land.

The Harry S Truman Manure Pitching Contest.  Great for this Presidential election cycle but it happens every year.

The raw materials and their producers.

Trees dedicated to much-missed, long-time activists like Tom Sturtevant.

Speaker podiums made of driftwood.

All sorts of alternative transportation devices.

And the next generation of transport.

But these are the only “rides” at the fair.  Cardboard sleds down the amphitheater’s berm.

Farmers in residence.  Who live at the fairground year round and farm it.  Here’s Angela giving a talk about growing medicinal herbs.

Volunteers everywhere.   This fair is volunteer-powered.

An Occupy Encampment.

People taking pictures of people taking pictures.  That’s my pal, Roger, the Maine Paparazzi.

Windmills.

Veggie parades.

Very tall people.

Stone arches created at the fair by the Stone Workers Guild, right there at the fair grounds, over the last several years.

Pet pigs named Peanut.

Some of the best food you will ever eat.  Bean-hole beans at the Wilderness Encampment.

Juice made with solar energy to give you energy.

Here’s the winning food booth.  Local Sprouts Co-op. The best butternut squash sandwich you will ever eat.  Know any other fair that offers butternut squash sandwiches?

  Booths to sort your compost and recyclable.  Keeping them out of the waste stream.

And the team that does the final sorting.

And Music, Music, Music.

It’s a big place and you really do need three days to see it all.  Just follow the sign posts.

They’re Here!

Never thought I would be doing just a photo blog but here are the pics of  the new chicks and their very proud mother.  More politics later but for today let’s just  celebrate Mona’s success.  She is a fierce and attentive mother,  just my kind of gal!!!

First Sighting.

Here’s number two!

Getting adventurous.