farmageddon Anyone seen this?

[dave1949]

I wrote a lengthy post and deleted it because I felt it was too much at one time. Short version:
The companies are not pure evil, they have done a lot for agriculture. They are profit driven and we as a society have steered their decisions. The organic movement is also about money, for those who are shaking their head, yes it is. It is a marketing gimmick that is taking advantage of many consumers. Organic is not free and pure and all those warm fuzzy feelings that they market. For the record organic practices are just as dangerous for agriculture and our food supply.
We must be good stewards of the resources God has given us. The land, crops, our bodies they all get sick and need help. Sometimes help is simple and sometimes it needs a complex approach. Responsible decisions are not just pump it full of a chemical, more antibiotics, walk off that health problem, only use this product so resistance is built and control no longer works, don't spray it those worms need to eat worse than we do.

Consumers must become aware of the way we get our food and become engaged in that process. The fastest way to do that is talk to farmer, buy from a farmer, and in time we will have change the industry. Farmers must make money to grow food. I know, duh? But consumers buying habits, the ever expanding gov regulations, and cheaper produced imports are killing small farms. My wife has done talks in schools and kids think chocolate milk comes from brown cows. We live in a rural area, that's scary. We must be responsible for our actions. As consumers have the final say the burden is ultimately on them. I would encourage everyone to visit a farm and see what goes on. I have yet to met a farmer that took the job lightly. How many of you know where the money from the farm bill goes?
Sincerely,
A small family farm selling directly from our field to your family

All good points, and I shouldn't get hot under the collar.

According to the news, a lot of the farm bill goes to food stamps. I don't think more than a trickle ends up at small family farms.

 

[NorTracNY]

Money is important, absolutely! The producers of the food must be able to survive. You should be proud of what you do and not fight labeling that says how you did it and where it came from. Around here this year, there was an invasion of bugs that were a concern to some farmers. They were allowed to combat the bug with some pesticide. The chemical wiped out many bee colonies in the area. Who's at fault? The bees?

 

[tungularafishcamp]

While I am new to farming I have been a small time food producer for my whole adult life(sea food) and many of the obstacles to making a living are the same, weather, markets, IDIOTIC GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS and such.

As a fisherman I never wanted/needed/wouldnt take government handouts, subsidies and feel the same way about my farming and I sure dont need my government giving aid to my competitors be they foreign or domestic.

While I know we have to have health and resource conservation standards I think they are getting out of hand and would be better served up by the state who will have a more intimate knowledge and easier access from resource users/consumers than being administered from DC where the lack of access and visibility is prime for the kind of lobbying we have there now.

 

[Reyer Farms]

Money is important, absolutely! The producers of the food must be able to survive. You should be proud of what you do and not fight labeling that says how you did it and where it came from. Around here this year, there was an invasion of bugs that were a concern to some farmers. They were allowed to combat the bug with some pesticide. The chemical wiped out many bee colonies in the area. Who's at fault? The bees?

I spend a great deal of time and money marketing my product tell my customers anything they ever cared to know about the product and the farm. I understand you are referring to huge farms providing millions of dollars worth of the worlds food supply, but those regulations have a way of trickling down to small farms who cannot bear the cost of compliance. This is why there are so few farmers. I must side with big ag Even though I don't grow any gmo seed. Regulations are costly and many times hurt more than help.

I know that not all eat catfish. In Ms it was big business until the balsa ( I am unsure of correct spelling ) fish was imported. Our farmers have to meet so many regulations that the imports do not that our farm raised catfish industry was crippled due to price. Farmers fought the gov for labels. US farm raised catfish. Is anyone else familiar with this?
Bees are caught in the crossfire many times. I find this to be a tragedy as bees are essential to farmers and crops. Many chemicals farms and households use hurt our bee population. This could be avoided through education about products and bee behavior. We have colonies and utilize chemicals responsibly to control pests and protect the bees. Beekeeping organizations are doing a lot to educate people in general not just farmers.
It is important to remember the dynamic relationship we have with one another, most of the time people have more in common than they think. Being proactive with our decisions is always more productive than being reactive to the decisions of others.
I am not trying to anger anyone but trying to steer the enthusiasm to understand these issues are broader in scope and have serious effects on our food and economy.

 

[Reyer Farms]

Yeah about 90% to the snap etc programs. The other 10% I have no clue, and just hope it's not wasted. I am on my phone but I agree with my fisherman farmer buddy about states being the overseers instead of DC. We need to accept responsibility for ourselves and no agency can really govern that behavior.

 

[dave1949]

This is an interesting discussion.

This link shows about 2/3 of the 2008 Farm Bill was designated for nutrition assistance, SNAP, etc. I don't if the new 2012/13 Farm Bill alters that by much.
FactCheck.org : Farm Bill Funds Distribution
It also reports abuse of the system by a few farmers, and we know some SNAP recipients also abuse it.

This Consumer Reports article about contamination, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains, in pork samples from grocery stores:
Almost 70 Percent Of Pork In Stores Unsafe, Consumer Reports Says - Forbes

The hog farming industry response: (The reader's comments are interesting)
Fear-Mongers Take Aim at Ractopamine, Could Disrupt Export Markets | National Hog Farmer Blog

As a consumer, I don't know who or what to trust or believe, similar to GM grains. I know people in medical science believe/fear the use of antibiotics in farming will create, apparently has already created, resistant strains which pose a risk to humans who need effective antibiotics. In the face of uncertainty, I do know that my risks are lowered by eliminating uncertainty. I can find certainty and trust in grains and meats that have nourished humans for thousands of years without alterations and additions to normal animal feeds.

I don't think I am alone in that assessment of risk and risk reduction. The market for organic and locally sourced foods is a reaction to risk assessment and a search for quality.

As far as regulations, agencies and inspections go, I think it needs to be done by someone. Doing it at the state level may be a jurisdictional challenge given the widespread nature of companies that operate in multiple states and are registered who knows where, but Delaware is a good bet.

The USDA and FDA came into existence to serve a real need. They have saved a lot of lives. Unfortunately, I think they have become captives of the industries they are regulating and that is a political issue, not a needs issue. I think we need them to do the job they were intended to do.

We live in a collaborative society, farmers are a nexus in that collaboration because we all need to eat. Basically, we all trade some services for food, whether it is teaching school, building tractors, wiring a home or healing the sick. Now, add food processors into the mix because much of what we eat isn't in its original/natural form and hardly any comes directly from a farmer. I think this is where things started going off the rails, and I think that is where the fixes are to be found.

For example, I was reading about sheep farms in Wyoming going broke due to the drought, and low prices because of a glut of imports from New Zealand. One rancher noted if he is lucky, he gets $0.80/lb for lamb that still sells for $7+/lb in the store.

 

[KTurner]

The market for organic and locally sourced foods is a reaction to risk assessment and a search for quality.

The USDA and FDA came into existence to serve a real need. They have saved a lot of lives. Unfortunately, I think they have become captives of the industries they are regulating and that is a political issue, not a needs issue. I think we need them to do the job they were intended to do.

And who can say that a food is organic? Yikes, that's right, the people that you just said are no longer doing their job. The third bullet on that web page, "Overseen by a USDA National Organic Program-authorized certifying agent", sounds like a govt jobs program to me. How can we hire more gov workers? Hey, lets require farmers to have their operations overseen by a gov worker!

Keith

 

[tungularafishcamp]

LOL I looked into organic certification when I started marketing produce but dont qualify because my only fertilizer/soil builder/soil is kelp in various stages and since I dont buy certified organic kelp (I pick it up off the beach) my stuff cant be certified organic.

OH WELL, that is the benefit of selling local and knowing your producers/consumers my consumers know what they are getting!

 

[dave1949]

LOL I looked into organic certification when I started marketing produce but dont qualify because my only fertilizer/soil builder/soil is kelp in various stages and since I dont buy certified organic kelp (I pick it up off the beach) my stuff cant be certified organic.

OH WELL, that is the benefit of selling local and knowing your producers/consumers my consumers know what they are getting!

That's true, and I know of local farmers who say and do the same. They are not certified organic, but they get as near to it as is reasonable.

Note that I didn't say everything has to be organic, I said people have more faith in "organic" products. Be they right or wrong, it's the motivation I was pointing out.

The truly crunchy organic farmers will tell you that the USDA has allowed the definition of organic and other terms to be bastardized at the behest of, and for the benefit of big Ag. They are unable to protect the market meaning of the terms that their movement was founded upon.

For example, "free-range" chickens:
Organic Vs. Free-Range Chicken | National Geographic
"USDA standards require that producers of "free-range" chicken "demonstrate that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside" during raising. However, free-range regulations do not enumerate a given amount of daily time during which the chickens must be "allowed access" to the outdoors, or the size of the outdoor space they may roam. This makes the term "free-range" inherently ambiguous without a more substantive description of the conditions in which chickens were raised. Under the regulatory language, all organic chickens are raised under generic free-range conditions. However, free-range chicken does not necessarily qualify as an organic food product."

 

[dave1949]

And who can say that a food is organic? Yikes, that's right, the people that you just said are no longer doing their job. The third bullet on that web page, "Overseen by a USDA National Organic Program-authorized certifying agent", sounds like a govt jobs program to me. How can we hire more gov workers? Hey, lets require farmers to have their operations overseen by a gov worker!

Keith

Here is a short overview of certification and how it happens. It is not done by a gov. employee, it is done once per year, certification is optional. So, it isn't like a civil servant is following farmers around with a clip board. I'm sure producers look at the cost, the potential benefit, and make a choice, like Rick and the kelp.

"An organic system plan (application) must be
submitted for initial review and then updated each
year in order to remain certified. In addition to a
technical review of your application, an organic
inspector inspects your farm or facilities and audits
your records. To maintain certification, an inspection
must happen every year. The producer is expected to
keep the certifier informed of changes to the organic
system plan and to use only materials and inputs that
are listed on the plan and that have been approved by
the certifier."

http://mofgacertification.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/mcsbrochure.pdf