There is a lot of history to that white stuff we never think about....
Showing posts with label Agriculture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Agriculture. Show all posts
The Difference Between Whole Wheat and Whole Grain Bread
Don't be fooled by labeling. Do you know the difference?
Snap and Grow Silver Greenhouse
Gardening
Snap & Grow provides the extras of a premium greenhouse with the ease of a basic one. Its supreme height and wide hinged double doors create a comfortable working space. The reinforced aluminum frame and the unbreakable crystal clear polycarbonate panels provide the perfect growth environment for your plants. Click here for more details.
Sleep, Creep, Leap: The First Three Years of a Nebraska Garden
Wednesday, 21 September, 2011
Sleep, Creep, Leap: The First Three Years of a Nebraska Garden, by Benjamin Vogt. Peeling off sheets of skin from a sunburned back. Visiting five nurseries and spending $1,000 in an afternoon. Raising 200 monarch butterflies. Hearing the wing beats of geese thirty feet overhead at sunset. How one piece of mulch can make all the difference. These are the stories of Benjamin Vogt’s 1,500 foot native prairie garden over the course of three years. After a small patio garden at his last home teases him into avid tinkering, the blank canvas of his new marriage and quarter acre lot prove to be a rich place full of delight, anguish, and rapture in all four seasons. Full of lyrical, humorous, and botanical short essays, Sleep, Creep, Leap will leave you inspired to sit a while with your plants, noticing how the smallest events become the largest—and how the garden brings us down to earth so that we can come home to our lives.
Benjamin Vogt is the author of the poetry collection Afterimage. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an M.F.A. from The Ohio State University. Benjamin’s nonfiction and poetry have appeared in such publications as American Life in Poetry, Crab Orchard Review, ISLE, Orion, Puerto del Sol, Subtropics, The Sun, and Verse Daily. He is also the author of the blog The Deep Middle where he rants about writing and his native prairie garden.
Click here for more information or to order.
Book Review
Sleep, Creep, Leap: The First Three Years of a Nebraska Garden, by Benjamin Vogt. Peeling off sheets of skin from a sunburned back. Visiting five nurseries and spending $1,000 in an afternoon. Raising 200 monarch butterflies. Hearing the wing beats of geese thirty feet overhead at sunset. How one piece of mulch can make all the difference. These are the stories of Benjamin Vogt’s 1,500 foot native prairie garden over the course of three years. After a small patio garden at his last home teases him into avid tinkering, the blank canvas of his new marriage and quarter acre lot prove to be a rich place full of delight, anguish, and rapture in all four seasons. Full of lyrical, humorous, and botanical short essays, Sleep, Creep, Leap will leave you inspired to sit a while with your plants, noticing how the smallest events become the largest—and how the garden brings us down to earth so that we can come home to our lives.Benjamin Vogt is the author of the poetry collection Afterimage. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an M.F.A. from The Ohio State University. Benjamin’s nonfiction and poetry have appeared in such publications as American Life in Poetry, Crab Orchard Review, ISLE, Orion, Puerto del Sol, Subtropics, The Sun, and Verse Daily. He is also the author of the blog The Deep Middle where he rants about writing and his native prairie garden.
Click here for more information or to order.
Scientists Warn of Link Between Dangerous New Pathogen and Monsanto’s Roundup
Agriculture
A plant pathologist experienced in protecting against biological warfare recently warned the USDA of a new, self-replicating, micro-fungal virus-sized organism which may be causing spontaneous abortions in livestock, sudden death syndrome in Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soy, and wilt in Monsanto’s RR corn.
Dr. Don M. Huber, who coordinates the Emergent Diseases and Pathogens committee of the American Phytopathological Society, as part of the USDA National Plant Disease Recovery System, warned Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that this pathogen threatens the US food and feed supply and can lead to the collapse of the US corn and soy export markets. Likewise, deregulation of GE alfalfa “could be a calamity,” he noted in his letter (reproduced in full below).
On January 27, Vilsack gave blanket approval to all genetically modified alfalfa. Following orders from President Obama, he also removed buffer zone requirements. This is seen as a deliberate move to contaminate natural crops and destroy the organic meat and dairy industry which relies on GM-free alfalfa. Such genetic contamination will give the biotech industry complete control over the nation’s fourth largest crop. It will also ease the transition to using GE-alfalfa as a biofuel......Continue reading.
Dr. Don M. Huber, who coordinates the Emergent Diseases and Pathogens committee of the American Phytopathological Society, as part of the USDA National Plant Disease Recovery System, warned Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that this pathogen threatens the US food and feed supply and can lead to the collapse of the US corn and soy export markets. Likewise, deregulation of GE alfalfa “could be a calamity,” he noted in his letter (reproduced in full below).
On January 27, Vilsack gave blanket approval to all genetically modified alfalfa. Following orders from President Obama, he also removed buffer zone requirements. This is seen as a deliberate move to contaminate natural crops and destroy the organic meat and dairy industry which relies on GM-free alfalfa. Such genetic contamination will give the biotech industry complete control over the nation’s fourth largest crop. It will also ease the transition to using GE-alfalfa as a biofuel......Continue reading.
Ireland Bans Genetically Modified Crops
Agriculture
Prince Charles has called it the "biggest environmental disaster of all time," while Monsanto and others maintain it's safe for humans and the environment. Genetically modified foods are a contentious issue, but Ireland is erring on the side of caution, placing a ban on growing any genetically modified crops.
Ireland will ban growing of GM crops, and a voluntary GM-free label can be placed on all animal products--such as meat, poultry, eggs, fish, crustaceans, and dairy--that are raised with GM-free feed, according to a GM-Free Ireland press release. Ireland joins Japan and Egypt as one of the few but growing number of countries that have banned the cultivation of GM crops...... Continue reading.
Ireland will ban growing of GM crops, and a voluntary GM-free label can be placed on all animal products--such as meat, poultry, eggs, fish, crustaceans, and dairy--that are raised with GM-free feed, according to a GM-Free Ireland press release. Ireland joins Japan and Egypt as one of the few but growing number of countries that have banned the cultivation of GM crops...... Continue reading.
Focus on Nebraska's Wine Industry
Agriculture
The 14th annual Nebraska Winery and Grape Growers Forum and Trade Show is March 3-5 in Kearney. The event is organized by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Viticulture Program in cooperation with the Nebraska Winery and Grape Grower's Association. Presentations will include the tips for growing cold-hardy grapes, measuring sulfur dioxide and marketing. For more information, go to agronomy.unl.edu
Optimistic News For Nebraska Agriculture
Agriculture
JournalStar - Over the past 60 years, the trend has been toward fewer Nebraska farms and ranches virtually every year. A Friday report showing the Feb. 1 count of 47,200 unchanged from a year ago is an exception to the rule and may reflect almost unparalleled prosperity, especially in the grain sector, over the past 12 months...... Continue reading
Kearney Hub - Car bumpers and tractor body panels of the future may be made of plastics that include Nebraska corn. The resin enhancers will be processed in Nebraska from dry distillers grain, a byproduct of ethanol processing...... Continue reading
Slashfood - Here's an agricultural trend we can all get behind. Combat veterans are making the transition to civilian life by way of farming... Nebraska's Combat Boots to Cowboy Boots and other state programs are providing training, funding and support to get veterans back on the land that they fought to protect...... Continue reading
Kearney Hub - Car bumpers and tractor body panels of the future may be made of plastics that include Nebraska corn. The resin enhancers will be processed in Nebraska from dry distillers grain, a byproduct of ethanol processing...... Continue reading
Slashfood - Here's an agricultural trend we can all get behind. Combat veterans are making the transition to civilian life by way of farming... Nebraska's Combat Boots to Cowboy Boots and other state programs are providing training, funding and support to get veterans back on the land that they fought to protect...... Continue reading
A Little Milk With Your Antibiotics and Hormones?
By Delia Quigley
Health
A recent article in the New York Times disclosed that the F.D.A. has questioned the illegal levels of antibiotics in commercial milk, while the dairy industry refuses to allow testing. Reporter William Newman wrote that despite the Food and Drug Administrations intention to begin testing for antibiotics in milk, sometime this month, the dairy industry claims that testing “could force farmers to needlessly dump millions of gallons of milk while they waited for test results.”
Naturally, the F.D.A. granted the industry a reprieve while a faster testing method could be developed; but all is not well on the U.S. milk front. Traces of antibiotics have been showing up in the nation’s milk supply for some time now and when the F.D.A. becomes alarmed, it must be pretty bad indeed. Surprisingly, what Neuman failed to mention was that it was because farmers accepted Monsanto’s offer to increase milk yields in their cows by injecting Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) that led to higher levels of antibiotics being used.
Europe and Canada were intelligent enough to ban the use of rBGH because of concerns over human health and animal welfare. In American dairies the average lifespan of a dairy cow has decreased from a natural lifespan of 25 years to a mere 5 years, and those years are spent in a constant cycle of providing milk from painfully engorged udders. The pus from a cow developing mastitis ends up in the milk, which required raising the levels of antibiotics......Continue reading
Naturally, the F.D.A. granted the industry a reprieve while a faster testing method could be developed; but all is not well on the U.S. milk front. Traces of antibiotics have been showing up in the nation’s milk supply for some time now and when the F.D.A. becomes alarmed, it must be pretty bad indeed. Surprisingly, what Neuman failed to mention was that it was because farmers accepted Monsanto’s offer to increase milk yields in their cows by injecting Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) that led to higher levels of antibiotics being used.
Europe and Canada were intelligent enough to ban the use of rBGH because of concerns over human health and animal welfare. In American dairies the average lifespan of a dairy cow has decreased from a natural lifespan of 25 years to a mere 5 years, and those years are spent in a constant cycle of providing milk from painfully engorged udders. The pus from a cow developing mastitis ends up in the milk, which required raising the levels of antibiotics......Continue reading
Why Should Punxsutawney Phil Have All the Fun?
By Curt Arens
One summer day when I was home from college, and when my parents still lived on the farm where we live now, I peered out the kitchen window and made an announcement. “Beavers are coming up to the farm from the creek,” I said. It was quite a revelation. We live at least a half mile from West Bow Creek, and there was no reason for any well-minded beaver to search that far away from home for wood.
The “beaver” I had seen for the first time on our farmstead, was actually a beaver without the flat tale. It was a woodchuck, i.e. groundhog. I have to say that for many months I was astounded to come face to face with those groundhogs, as they cleaned up stray walnuts in our orchard and burrowed beneath the chicken coop.
Over the years, entire colonies have inhabited our farm, then moved on. With a three-acre grove of trees immediately west of our farmstead, they have plenty of shelter. They can do their fair share of damage to buildings, but I have to say that they have a kind, gentle look.
So Groundhog Day has a little more significance these days, when woodchucks are relatively common in our region...... Continue reading.
Agriculture
One summer day when I was home from college, and when my parents still lived on the farm where we live now, I peered out the kitchen window and made an announcement. “Beavers are coming up to the farm from the creek,” I said. It was quite a revelation. We live at least a half mile from West Bow Creek, and there was no reason for any well-minded beaver to search that far away from home for wood. The “beaver” I had seen for the first time on our farmstead, was actually a beaver without the flat tale. It was a woodchuck, i.e. groundhog. I have to say that for many months I was astounded to come face to face with those groundhogs, as they cleaned up stray walnuts in our orchard and burrowed beneath the chicken coop.
Over the years, entire colonies have inhabited our farm, then moved on. With a three-acre grove of trees immediately west of our farmstead, they have plenty of shelter. They can do their fair share of damage to buildings, but I have to say that they have a kind, gentle look.
So Groundhog Day has a little more significance these days, when woodchucks are relatively common in our region...... Continue reading.
Funds Available For Nebraska Organic Farmers
Agriculture
Nebraska farmers who want to switch to or maintain organic production have until March 4 to apply for a share of $1.5 million in U.S.D.A. funding from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Click here for more information.
Mexico Says No to Monsanto
Agriculture
The Mexican government denied Monsanto’s request to expand its pilot project in northern Mexico. The request was rejected because the government says additional tests and studies need to be carried out to determine the effect of genetically modified corn on native corn species...... Continue reading
Related stories:
First Strong Evidence of Genetically Modified Plants Growing in the Wild in U.S.
Monsanto Sues Farmer Who Unintentionally Had GM Canola Turn up on His Land for Patent Infringement
USDA to Fully Deregulate Monsanto's Genetically Engineered Alfalfa
National Organic Coalition 'Gravely Disappointed' With USDA Decision To Allow Unrestricted Planting Of Genetically Engineered Alfalfa
USDA Decision on GE Alfalfa Leaves Door Open For Contamination & Rise of Superweeds
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons, SDA photo by Keith Weller
Haitians Burn Monsanto Seed
By Ryan Stock
Agriculture
"A fabulous Easter gift," commented Monsanto Director of Development Initiatives Elizabeth Vancil. Nearly 60,000 seed sacks of hybrid corn seeds and other vegetable seeds were donated to post-earthquake Haiti by Monsanto. In observance of World Environment Day, June 4, 2010, roughly 10,000 rural Haitian farmers gathered in Papaye to march seven kilometers to Hinche in celebration of this gift. Upon arrival, these rewarded farmers took their collective Easter baskets of more than 400 tons of vegetable seeds and burned them all.[i] "Long live the native maize seed!" they chanted in unison. "Monsanto's GMO [genetically modified organism] & hybrid seed violate peasant agriculture!"
According to Chavannes Jean-Baptiste, coordinator of the Papay Peasant Movement (MPP), "there is presently a shortage of seed in Haiti because many rural families used their maize seed to feed refugees."[ii] Like any benevolent disaster capitalist corporation, Monsanto extended a hand in a time of crisis to the 65 percent of the population that survives off of subsistence agriculture. But not just any hand was extended in this time of great need, rather: a fistful of seeds. The extended fist was full of corn seeds, one of Haiti's staple crops, treated with the fungicide Maxim XO. With similar benevolence, not just any tomato seeds were donated to the agrarian peasants, but tomato seeds treated with Thiram, a chemical so toxic the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ruled it too toxic to sell for home garden use, further mandating that any agricultural worker planting these seeds must wear special protective clothing.[iii] Happy Easter! Monsanto's web site's official explanation for this toxic donation is that "fungicidal seed treatments are often applied to seeds prior to planting to protect them from fungal diseases that arise in the soil and hamper the plant's ability to germinate and grow. The treatments also provide protection against diseases the seed might pick up in transfer between countries."[iv] However, according to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet, "repeated exposure [to Thiram] can affect the kidneys, liver and thyroid gland. High or repeated exposure may damage the nerves."[v] Why would Monsanto be so eager to donate seeds that could potentially compromise the health of so many famished people?...... Continue reading
According to Chavannes Jean-Baptiste, coordinator of the Papay Peasant Movement (MPP), "there is presently a shortage of seed in Haiti because many rural families used their maize seed to feed refugees."[ii] Like any benevolent disaster capitalist corporation, Monsanto extended a hand in a time of crisis to the 65 percent of the population that survives off of subsistence agriculture. But not just any hand was extended in this time of great need, rather: a fistful of seeds. The extended fist was full of corn seeds, one of Haiti's staple crops, treated with the fungicide Maxim XO. With similar benevolence, not just any tomato seeds were donated to the agrarian peasants, but tomato seeds treated with Thiram, a chemical so toxic the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ruled it too toxic to sell for home garden use, further mandating that any agricultural worker planting these seeds must wear special protective clothing.[iii] Happy Easter! Monsanto's web site's official explanation for this toxic donation is that "fungicidal seed treatments are often applied to seeds prior to planting to protect them from fungal diseases that arise in the soil and hamper the plant's ability to germinate and grow. The treatments also provide protection against diseases the seed might pick up in transfer between countries."[iv] However, according to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet, "repeated exposure [to Thiram] can affect the kidneys, liver and thyroid gland. High or repeated exposure may damage the nerves."[v] Why would Monsanto be so eager to donate seeds that could potentially compromise the health of so many famished people?...... Continue reading
Monsanto’s Roundup Triggers Over 40 Plant Diseases and Endangers Human and Animal Health
By Jeffrey M. Smith at The Institute For Responsible Technology
Agriculture
While visiting a seed corn dealer’s demonstration plots in Iowa last fall, Dr. Don Huber walked passed a soybean field and noticed a distinct line separating severely diseased yellowing soybeans on the right from healthy green plants on the left. The yellow section was suffering from Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), a serious plant disease that ravaged the Midwest in 2009 and ’10, driving down yields and profits. Something had caused that area of soybeans to be highly susceptible and Don had a good idea what it was.
Don Huber spent 35 years as a plant pathologist at Purdue University and knows a lot about what causes green plants to turn yellow and die prematurely. He asked the seed dealer why the SDS was so severe in the one area of the field and not the other. “Did you plant something there last year that wasn’t planted in the rest of the field?” he asked. Sure enough, precisely where the severe SDS was, the dealer had grown alfalfa, which he later killed off at the end of the season by spraying a glyphosate-based herbicide (such as Roundup). The healthy part of the field, on the other hand, had been planted to sweet corn and hadn’t received glyphosate.
This was yet another confirmation that Roundup was triggering SDS. In many fields, the evidence is even more obvious. The disease was most severe at the ends of rows where the herbicide applicator looped back to make another pass (see photo). That’s where extra Roundup was applied.
Don’s a scientist; it takes more than a few photos for him to draw conclusions. But Don’s got more—lots more. For over 20 years, Don studied Roundup’s active ingredient glyphosate. He’s one of the world’s experts. And he can rattle off study after study that eliminate any doubt that glyphosate is contributing not only to the huge increase in SDS, but to the outbreak of numerous other diseases.
More than 30% of all herbicides sprayed anywhere contain glyphosate—the world’s bestselling weed killer. It was patented by Monsanto for use in their Roundup brand, which became more popular when they introduced “Roundup Ready” crops starting in 1996. These genetically modified (GM) plants, which now include soy, corn, cotton, canola, and sugar beets, have inserted genetic material from viruses and bacteria that allows the crops to withstand applications of normally deadly Roundup...... Continue reading
Don Huber spent 35 years as a plant pathologist at Purdue University and knows a lot about what causes green plants to turn yellow and die prematurely. He asked the seed dealer why the SDS was so severe in the one area of the field and not the other. “Did you plant something there last year that wasn’t planted in the rest of the field?” he asked. Sure enough, precisely where the severe SDS was, the dealer had grown alfalfa, which he later killed off at the end of the season by spraying a glyphosate-based herbicide (such as Roundup). The healthy part of the field, on the other hand, had been planted to sweet corn and hadn’t received glyphosate.
This was yet another confirmation that Roundup was triggering SDS. In many fields, the evidence is even more obvious. The disease was most severe at the ends of rows where the herbicide applicator looped back to make another pass (see photo). That’s where extra Roundup was applied.
Don’s a scientist; it takes more than a few photos for him to draw conclusions. But Don’s got more—lots more. For over 20 years, Don studied Roundup’s active ingredient glyphosate. He’s one of the world’s experts. And he can rattle off study after study that eliminate any doubt that glyphosate is contributing not only to the huge increase in SDS, but to the outbreak of numerous other diseases.
More than 30% of all herbicides sprayed anywhere contain glyphosate—the world’s bestselling weed killer. It was patented by Monsanto for use in their Roundup brand, which became more popular when they introduced “Roundup Ready” crops starting in 1996. These genetically modified (GM) plants, which now include soy, corn, cotton, canola, and sugar beets, have inserted genetic material from viruses and bacteria that allows the crops to withstand applications of normally deadly Roundup...... Continue reading
Does God Smile on Genetically Modified Crops?
By Eric Steinman
Agriculture
Unless you have been living in a hole for the last few months, you have undoubtedly heard about the multitude of leaked diplomatic cables that served as an early Christmas present to the world, courtesy of the muckraking website WikiLeaks. While the majority of the attention surrounding these “leaks” have been devoted to the many diplomatic cables concerning U.S. wars currently being fought (Afghanistan and Iraq, in case you needed a reminder) as well as a few embarrassing trivial matters between diplomats abroad, but buried deep within the WikiLeaks kerfuffle were a few interesting diplomatic matters concerning genetically modified (GM) foods and the attempt by certain U.S. diplomats and multinationals to make these foods more appetizing to the European Union (E.U.).
One of the key players in this controversy was the Vatican...... Continue reading
One of the key players in this controversy was the Vatican...... Continue reading
USDA Poised to Approve Genetically Engineered Alfalfa
By Sarah Parsons
Ring the Frankenfood alarm. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is on the verge of approving Monsanto's genetically engineered (GE), Roundup Ready alfalfa for the spring planting season.
According to Food & Water Watch, the USDA released its environmental impact assessment on GE alfalfa on December 16, 2010. This is one of the very last stages in the approval process for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Unless we raise a huge ruckus right now, you can bet that Big Ag will be sowing its GE alfalfa seeds this coming spring.
The real issue here is that Monsanto's Roundup Ready alfalfa seeds threaten to destroy the livelihoods of organic farmers and disrupt the organic food industry. The USDA admitted as much, but due to industry pressure, the agency still seems hell-bent on giving GE alfalfa the green light.
The USDA acknowledges that, as with any GE crop, Roundup Ready alfalfa runs the risk of spreading outside of its containment area and cross-breeding with organic alfalfa varieties. Organic varieties must be au naturale in order to be considered organic, so this kind of mixing has the potential to completely destroy the livelihoods of organic alfalfa farmers. Plus, alfalfa is a huge feed crop for dairy and beef cattle. A hindrance to the organic alfalfa industry would also harm the organic dairy and beef industry.
Organic foods aren't the only things threatened by GE alfalfa's approval, either. As we're seeing right now with Monsanto's Roundup Ready corn, cotton, and soy plants, weeds tend to evolve a resistance to Roundup, an herbicide. These resistant weeds morph into voracious "superweeds," choking out crops and pushing farmers to increase their reliance on toxic pesticides and herbicides. More chemicals are not only an extra expense for farmers, they contaminate soil, groundwater, and wildlife with toxins.
The USDA says it can mitigate the contamination of organics by limiting the planting of GE alfalfa to certain regions in certain states. This kind of policy is not only ineffective, it's unfair to organic farmers residing in regions where GE alfalfa will be planted.
The only real solution to protect the environment and organic farmers is for the USDA to deny approval of GE alfalfa. Food & Water Watch, the Center for Food Safety, and a coalition of other sustainable food groups are working to do just that...... Continue reading.
Agriculture
Ring the Frankenfood alarm. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is on the verge of approving Monsanto's genetically engineered (GE), Roundup Ready alfalfa for the spring planting season.According to Food & Water Watch, the USDA released its environmental impact assessment on GE alfalfa on December 16, 2010. This is one of the very last stages in the approval process for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Unless we raise a huge ruckus right now, you can bet that Big Ag will be sowing its GE alfalfa seeds this coming spring.
The real issue here is that Monsanto's Roundup Ready alfalfa seeds threaten to destroy the livelihoods of organic farmers and disrupt the organic food industry. The USDA admitted as much, but due to industry pressure, the agency still seems hell-bent on giving GE alfalfa the green light.
The USDA acknowledges that, as with any GE crop, Roundup Ready alfalfa runs the risk of spreading outside of its containment area and cross-breeding with organic alfalfa varieties. Organic varieties must be au naturale in order to be considered organic, so this kind of mixing has the potential to completely destroy the livelihoods of organic alfalfa farmers. Plus, alfalfa is a huge feed crop for dairy and beef cattle. A hindrance to the organic alfalfa industry would also harm the organic dairy and beef industry.
Organic foods aren't the only things threatened by GE alfalfa's approval, either. As we're seeing right now with Monsanto's Roundup Ready corn, cotton, and soy plants, weeds tend to evolve a resistance to Roundup, an herbicide. These resistant weeds morph into voracious "superweeds," choking out crops and pushing farmers to increase their reliance on toxic pesticides and herbicides. More chemicals are not only an extra expense for farmers, they contaminate soil, groundwater, and wildlife with toxins.
The USDA says it can mitigate the contamination of organics by limiting the planting of GE alfalfa to certain regions in certain states. This kind of policy is not only ineffective, it's unfair to organic farmers residing in regions where GE alfalfa will be planted.
The only real solution to protect the environment and organic farmers is for the USDA to deny approval of GE alfalfa. Food & Water Watch, the Center for Food Safety, and a coalition of other sustainable food groups are working to do just that...... Continue reading.
Ranchers Oppose Yellowstone Bison Relocation
Nature/Outdoors
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Ranchers are voicing concern about plans to relocate some Yellowstone Park bison to Indian reservations in Montana and Wyoming. The ranchers are worried about the animals' history of carrying brucellosis, a disease that causes domestic cows to miscarry.
"There isn't anyone up here who wants it. It's a cockamamie idea, and it's an experimental deal," said John Brenden, a Scobey rancher and legislator. "I don't like anybody experimenting on us."
At issue is the relocation of more than 40 bison, kept under quarantine for three years as part of an experiment to keep alive at least some of the bison migrating from Yellowstone National Park. 3 reservations want the animals for their bloodline purity
Bison that have left the park and tested positive for brucellosis have been slaughtered in Montana to prevent the animals from coming in contact with livestock.
However, the quarantined bison have tested negative for brucellosis for three years, been allowed to reproduce in captivity and are now ready for relocation. Three Indian reservations, the Fort Belknap and Fort Peck reservations in Montana and Wind River in Wyoming, have submitted proposals for acquiring the bison.
The animals are sought after because of bloodline purity, said Robbie Magnan, a tribal fish and game director who manages an existing herd of 117 bison on the Fort Peck Reservation. Park bison breed within their species, unlike their nonpark cousins that over the years have been crossbred with cattle.
Magnan said the park bison would not only improve the quality of the Fort Peck herd but also help tribal members return to a traditional diet low in carbohydrates and rich in bison meat. Diabetes is a serious problem on the reservation. Lowering carbohydrate consumption is considered key to managing blood sugar levels...... Continue reading
"There isn't anyone up here who wants it. It's a cockamamie idea, and it's an experimental deal," said John Brenden, a Scobey rancher and legislator. "I don't like anybody experimenting on us."
At issue is the relocation of more than 40 bison, kept under quarantine for three years as part of an experiment to keep alive at least some of the bison migrating from Yellowstone National Park. 3 reservations want the animals for their bloodline purity
Bison that have left the park and tested positive for brucellosis have been slaughtered in Montana to prevent the animals from coming in contact with livestock.
However, the quarantined bison have tested negative for brucellosis for three years, been allowed to reproduce in captivity and are now ready for relocation. Three Indian reservations, the Fort Belknap and Fort Peck reservations in Montana and Wind River in Wyoming, have submitted proposals for acquiring the bison.
The animals are sought after because of bloodline purity, said Robbie Magnan, a tribal fish and game director who manages an existing herd of 117 bison on the Fort Peck Reservation. Park bison breed within their species, unlike their nonpark cousins that over the years have been crossbred with cattle.
Magnan said the park bison would not only improve the quality of the Fort Peck herd but also help tribal members return to a traditional diet low in carbohydrates and rich in bison meat. Diabetes is a serious problem on the reservation. Lowering carbohydrate consumption is considered key to managing blood sugar levels...... Continue reading
Cattle Farmers and Ranchers Help Fight Hunger
Health
(ARA) - It's easy to think that in the "land of plenty," everyone has consistent access to high-quality, nourishing food. Sadly, that's not the case. More than 50 million Americans in 2009 did not have constant access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"One of the biggest challenges we face is awareness that there's a hunger problem in the United States. It's hard to imagine in a country as prosperous as ours," says Ross Fraser, spokesman for Feeding America, the largest hunger relief organization in the United States. "But our food banks are struggling in these tough economic times to provide enough high-quality, nutritious food to all the people who need help feeding their families."
Securing high-quality protein items, like beef, for those who are food insecure is a major priority, according to Feeding America. High-quality and nutritionally efficient foods, such as beef are important to help meet nutritional needs, particularly for those individuals who are food insecure. One 3-ounce serving of lean beef is about 154 calories, yet provides 10 essential nutrients, including iron, zinc, protein and B vitamins to help maintain a healthy weight, build muscle and promote proper growth and development. With iron and zinc deficiencies being some of the most common nutritional deficiencies worldwide, beef is a good source of iron and an excellent source of zinc and can help fill those nutrient gaps.
"In the United States, just 2 percent of us raise the food that provides the nutrients we need here and abroad," says Scott George, a Wyoming cattle farmer and chairman of the Federation of State Beef Councils. "And our population will only continue to grow. That means farmers and ranchers like me must do all we can to provide an affordable and accessible supply of high-quality, nutritious beef."
To start, cattlemen around the country have stepped up to the challenge to fight hunger in their communities, donating beef, other foods, money and time to local food banks. Despite busy schedules and heavy workloads, cattle farmers and ranchers are generous with their time and donations to charities. Nearly 80 percent of cattle farmers and ranchers contribute $500 or more annually to local and national charities, according to a recent survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. On average, cattlemen donate 11.5 hours a month to community organizations. In addition, raising cattle for beef represents the largest single segment of American agriculture, keeping millions of people employed at a time when the country needs it most.
Compared to 50 years ago, there are half as many farmers and ranchers today feeding a U.S. population that has more than doubled. And yet, each U.S. farmer produces enough food and fiber to feed 155 people in the United States and abroad. By continuing to innovate and advance what they do, cattle farmers and ranchers are able to provide nutritious food, protect the environment and ensure a secure domestic supply of beef now and for generations to come.
To learn more about the people who raise cattle, their commitment to growing sustainable, nutritious and wholesome food and to learn how you can help fight hunger in your backyard, visit http://www.explorebeef.org/. Or check out the YouTube Channel BeefPastureToPlate to see videos - produced on behalf of the Beef Checkoff Program - that showcase the way that cattle are raised throughout the country.
Facts about farmers and fighting hunger:
* More than 50 million Americans in 2009 did not have constant access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle, meaning they were food insecure.
* There are more than 308 million people in the United States today; and the country relies on less than 2 percent of those folks to raise the food for the United States and abroad.
* Beef is environmentally and nutritionally efficient. Each pound of beef produced today uses less land, less water, and less fossil fuel energy than in the past, yet delivers more than 10 essential nutrients to the diet, including protein, iron, zinc and B vitamins.
* Iron and zinc deficiencies are some of the most common nutritional deficiencies worldwide and beef is a good source of iron and an excellent source of zinc.
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