The Government's At It Again

I mentioned in a prior post last year about the dangers of the Food Safety Bill that was pushed through the House. Well, the bill is still in circulation (under a different name now) and is scheduled to be voted on this year in the Senate. The bill is S510 and everyone should get familiar with it.  The initial premise behind the bill was to protect Americans from food borne illnesses and contamination of our food supply. This seems rational to me since we have been dealing with A LOT of salmonella, E.coli and listeria outbreaks lately. However, all these outbreaks have taken place on large scale industrial farms or food processing plants. The problem with the bill is that the regulations to enforce food safety protocols are not directed specifically at the culprits (Big Agra). The bill will allow the FDA to enforce it's rules and regulations to all farms even small, diversified, organic ones that have stellar food safety practices and records. This can cause major changes in the way we obtain fresh food because adherence to these rules can and WILL put the smaller farms out of business.

Right now we have the liberty as Americans to go to our local farmers market and pick up fresh produce grown locally, free range eggs and raw dairy if we so please. We can even purchase livestock and grass fed meat from trusted farms that feed and treat their animals humanely and the way nature intended. The new bill plans to make it very difficult for these farms to obtain licenses to sell any of their food commercially and will also require them to put into place the same exact safety provisions that will be required on the big industrial monoculture farms. The difference is that the big monoculture farms can afford to do it, the small farmer can't.

Overtime, demand for organic and sustainable food will grow while supply will diminish, thus pushing the price of organic food sky high. It will be cheaper to buy imported organic food than domestic. Does this even make sense? Well the bill does not require international farms to adhere to the same regulations and therefore, the imported food will be cheaper. Big major changes in the way we get our organic food are coming if this bill is passed the way it is.

Its not to say that the small farmer should have no safety protocols, but the issue isn't with the small farmer. I could understand if we were seeing outbreaks of disease on the local organic farms but we AREN'T. Then why are we punishing people who are not at fault? It will only be a huge disservice to Americans who care about their diets and look to healthy sustainable sources to get their food.

The bill is 250 pages with many many provisions. One of them gives complete control over seeds to companies like Monsanto. As you all should know, Monsanto creates GMO's.  These are genetically modified seeds that produce larger yields and bigger crops. the effects on human health have not been determined yet but we do know that GMO's are not a part of nature and therefore should probably  not be consumed. What would our country be like if all our crops were planted with GMO seeds? We would have no choice. We would have to succumb to this outlandish and unconstitutional law that prohibits us from obtaining food that is locally and sustainably grown with natural seeds borne from the earth.

Do I believe that Big Agra is behind this bill? Well, maybe partially. I think (as I mentioned before) that the initial intention of the bill was for food safety. But it has changed so much since then and has gotten more complex and more prohibitive and less flexible thus becoming very dangerous to Americans. Its bad enough that the Food Industry lobby has so much power in Washington. This bill would  be the last nail in the coffin for the small farmer.

There is an amendment out there called the Tester-Hagan amendment (named for 2 senators in MT and NC). This amendment serves to protect the small farmer and preclude him from having to comply with these stringent federal regulations that will ultimately destroy him. Currently the amendment is not a part of the bill, but it still has a chance to get included.

Please read more about S510 and contact your local senator to find out if they are for or against the bill. Then tell them that they need to vote AGAINST it or support the Tester-Hagan Amendment at the very least. Its amazing the legislation that can get passed without us even being aware of it. If you just read this post, then consider yourself aware and now responsible for your future. Get the word out about this dangerous bill.

Read more here:
farmandranchfreedom.org
Previous Blog Post about Food Safety Bill

Buyer Beware!

The organic movement is under attack by the big corporations. I am not going to name names because I used to work for one of these corporations. However, I have much respect for this company and the knowledge I gained from working there but I do not agree with the tactics that are being employed to "get a piece of the organic pie". We all know that organic food is not cheap but there are reasons for this. Usually the farms are smaller scale and it costs more to protect the food from animals when not using pesticides. Many of these organic farms use manual labor to uproot weeds and keep out the critters. But its all worth it for our health.

Big companies are now using "marketing terminology" to fool the consumer into believing they are getting healthy organic food and are charging a premium for these products too!! You will see how your neighborhood grocery store may now have a "green aisle" that for the most part will have only true organic products stocked there. Names like Amy's, Applegate Farms, Ians, Horizon Organic, Dr. Praegger's and more. But mixed into the regular aisles you will find processed food with names like "all natural" or even "organic" on the labels. This is diluting the organic message and putting our health at risk. Don't be fooled. These products have high fructose corn syrup, GMO's, pesticides and many other synthetic and toxic chemicals in them. They think that just because they deiced to use 'natural flavoring' instead of 'artificial flavoring' they have the right to call it all natural. Well news flash people!! Natural flavoring is nothing but synthetic chemicals engineered to taste like fruits or vegetables that are naturally occurring (ie. orange flavor). Artificial flavors are synthetic chemicals engineered to taste like something that does NOT occur in nature (ie. BBQ flavor). I know it must make you feel good to know that Cheetos has now gone "natural" but don't buy it!! It was and still is a garbage processed food made almost entirely out of corn and chemicals. And let me tell you, its not by chance that the word natural is the biggest word on the package. These marketers know that while you are rapidly scanning the aisle for healthy alternatives, words like these will pop out at you and lure you in to buy. We put this word on a pedestal and would never think that the product labeled with this name is anything but!

Other words are being abused as well. Misleading corporate strategies now include redefining the term “local” to mean not locally owned, grown or produced, but just something “close by,” or worse yet, local through association with something else. This is just wrong and unsuspecting consumers will fall prey to tactics like these. This is why I suggest supporting a local farmers market. There you can actually speak to the people growing the food and understand how their farming practices affect the food you eat.

Now is the time that we must get vigilant. The reason why health care costs are out of control is because we are not HEALTHY. We are obese, we have diabetes, cancer, autoimmune and chronic diseases and its mainly due to our DIET. We need to read the ingredients of everything we buy. High fructose corn syrup should not be an ingredient in anything that is deemed to be "organic". If it is then you know you are being duped. If the product has ingredients with more than 4 syllables you can raise your eyebrow as well because 9 out of 10 times it a corn derivative. Words like maltodextrin, dextrose, lecithin, xanthan gun, gum arabic, high oleic safflower oil, etc. Most processed foods contain these and organic impostors will as well.

Staying away from GMOs (genetically modified foods) is harder to do because the ingredients will not tell you if it has been genetically altered. GMOs have only been around since the 1990's and are causing many health problems and unforeseen illnesses and the government is not doing anything about it. The FDA actually supports this type of farming. There are environmental risks too. Scientists are concerned that GMOs will reduce biodiversity which is essential to our long term sustainability on this planet. So check the PLU code on your food to see if it is a GMO.
Here’s what you should look for:
• A four-digit number means the produce is conventionally grown
• A five-digit number beginning with 9 means it's organic
• A five-digit number beginning with 8 means it's GM
Check out this website for a list of GMO free foods http://www.geaction.org/truefood/shoppersguide/

Please don't be fooled by the sneaky marketing tactics of these big companies that are trying to reap the rewards of "being organic". They are still cutting corners and putting our health at risk. Its up to you to take charge of your health and your lifestyle. Taking the time to buy truly local and organic is a form of activism in itself!

The Farms I have Come to Love

With the help of wonderful friends I was able to do research and find local farms that I felt comfortable with and then started purchasing their food. I also went out to visit one of the farms to see the milking operation. Talk about sanitary. The cows are treated well, they are happy and content. During milking, they are given a little bit of grain (the only grain they get). The milk is pumped through stainless steel equipment that is cleaned with hot steam, bottled immediately, kept at 35 degrees Farenheight and sold with in a couple of days. The cows are continuously evaluated for their health. I feel like I "know" the cow that our milk comes from. How many people that buy pasturized milk can say that? I take my boys to the farmers market in the next town every Wednesday morning to pick up our orders. I am now friends with Chad (the son) and he keeps me updated on new items that the farm may be selling. He is a caring man and answers all questions that I may have regarding his products or farming practices. For example, one week the egg yolks from his free range eggs didn't look as orange as they usually do. He told me that his yolks will be most orange during the spring and summer months when he can get the most betacarotene (through certain veggies) in the chicken feed. I had no idea! Chad's farm is called Carlton Farm located in Rockmart GA. Their website is www.Carltonfarm.com. Every Wednesday I meet people who have been buying his milk and eggs for years. Its become a little community for us now. We chat about our lives and whats new since we last saw eachother.

The other farm that I purchase meat from is located in TN. Its called West Wind Farms and is run by a sweet couple named Kimberlie and Ralph Cole. We have yet to visit them but plan on doing so one day this summer. They send us a list of their meat and cheese selections once a month. Its not just large cuts either. We can get seasoned roast beef, bacon, sausages and bones for stock. They deliver to a host house in my town and I have now become good friends with her. I actually bring her a gallon of raw milk from Carlton Farms once a week because she can't get to the farmers market. She is a keeper for honeybees and harvests honey from them once a year. Its an amazing sight to see but a little scary as well!! My point is that we are a community of people who are opting out of the processed food machine. We are choosing to go back to nature and support local sustainable farms. These farms cultivate the land and improve the environment instead of using up our natural resources. I feel safe when I eat their food. My body feels good knowing its all grass fed without harmful chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics or vaccines. The website for West Wind Farms is www.westwindfarms.com. I am now on the search for raw butter in bulk. These farms need A LOT of cream in order to churn butter and they rarely sell it. I have made it before on my own but it spoils easily. If I can find a farm that sells raw butter, I would be their first customer!