Clipmarks | bignosemousie's 'agriculture' clips

The Meatrix needs your help

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:33:57 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: In case any Clippers would like to volunteer for the cause, they need people that can read and write Chinese, Japanese or Korean.

Links to the two Meatrix movies at the top.

Clip Source: www.sustainabletable.org

The Meatrix and The Meatrix II: Revolting. For short, entertaining films on the problems with our meat and dairy supplies, watch the award-winning animated Matrix spoofs produced by Sustainable Table and Free Range Graphics.

Clip Source: sustainabletable.org

We need HELP proofreading Chinese, Japanese and Korean!

But, we are in desperate need of people to help proofread the Asian languages. Can you read Chinese, Japanese or Korean? Do you have a friend who might be able to help? If you can volunteer a little time, please contact Dawn at dawn@sustainabletable.org for more details. For Chinese, we need someone who can read and write and who has the capability to re-type the subtitles for us (they are already created but need some help!)… this would be a little more time commitment if anyone is interested!

You will be showered with Meatrix gifts if you can help out, THANKS!!

Tags: volunteer, meatrix, agriculture, dairy

The Sustainable Table

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:27:48 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: There are many links, and much information at this website for getting started.

Clip Source: www.sustainabletable.org

oday’s dominant form of agriculture relies on synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, large amounts of water, major transportation systems and factory-style practices for raising livestock and crops. Artificial hormones in milk, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, mad cow disease, and large-scale outbreaks of potentially deadly e.coli are all associated with this industrial form of food production.

Sustainable agriculture involves food production methods that are healthy, do not harm the environment, respect workers, are humane to animals, provide fair wages to farmers, and support farming communities. But rather than focus on the problems, Sustainable Table promotes the positive shift toward local, small-scale sustainable farming.

Clip Source: www.sustainabletable.org

Small changes can have large, lasting impacts, so join the millions of people who are now making wiser choices about the food they eat. Find out what you can do – and then go do it!

Tags: agriculture, sustainable, farming, eating, health, food

Not just a Farm Bill, it's a food bill

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 20:17:16 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks:

If the eaters and all the other “people on the outside” make themselves heard, we just might end up with something that looks less like a farm bill and more like the food bill a poorly fed America so badly needs.

Call your Senator!

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Americans have begun to ask why the farm bill is subsidizing high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils at a time when rates of diabetes and obesity among children are soaring, or why the farm bill is underwriting factory farming (with subsidized grain) when feedlot wastes are polluting the countryside and, all too often, the meat supply. For the first time, the public health community has raised its voice in support of overturning farm policies that subsidize precisely the wrong kind of calories (added fat and added sugar), helping to make Twinkies cheaper than carrots and Coca-Cola competitive with water.

“This is not just a farm bill. It’s a food bill, and Americans who eat want a stake in it.”

Tags: farming, farm bill, agriculture, politics

National Action to Support Farmers

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:26:13 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: See source for ways to help. Send an email and call your Senators. It's easy to email your Senators at the source.

Clip Source: action.environmentaldefense.org

TODAY: National Action and Call-In for Conservation

Join 30 wildlife, environmental and conservation groups in a National Action and Call-In for Conservation.

The Senate is now debating the 2007 Farm Bill. A vote is expected in the coming weeks.

But the Senate Agriculture Committee is considering a Farm Bill that MIGHT NOT include enough conservation funding.

Take action! First, email your Senators to support a Farm Bill that provides $6 billion in new funding for conservation programs.

Then, call Capitol Hill (202-224-3121). Tell your Senators you support more conservation funding for farmers.

A single call is worth more than 100 emails, so your call is well worth it

Tags: agriculture, politics, farmers, farm bill, environmentalism

Higher grocery bills

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:37:12 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: There is so much more info at the source. I recommend reading the entire article.

Clip Source: www.chron.com

In the Houston area, grocery prices rose 0.9 percent in July, on the heels of a 0.4 percent increase in June, according to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A basket of groceries that cost $100 in July 1984 and $183 a year ago would cost nearly $190 today.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans reported paying significantly more per week — between $8 and $20 — for groceries, according to a survey by America's Research Group. That's up from 53 percent in February and March.

Part of the rise in price is increased demand. About 14 percent of the U.S. corn crop is going to produce ethanol as an environmentally-friendly alternative and gasoline supplement.

Higher fuel costs translate to higher food prices because very little food gets eaten in the same part of the world where it is grown,

In addition to more corn going to ethanol, growing wealth in China and other developing nations means those countries have more money to buy food.

Tags: environment, agriculture, corn, ethanol, farming, shopping, consumerism

Smart Guides for eating

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 20:28:50 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: The guides are .pdf, so I couldn't clip them. The Smart Plastics Guide looks helpful.

Clip Source: www.iatp.org

Healthier Food Uses of Plastics

Plastics are widely used to store and package foods and beverages. In IATP's latest Smart Guide, we offer tips for parents and children on how to avoid environmental and health risks from plastic packaging of food. The Smart Plastics Guide is the latest in a series of consumer guides put out by IATP. Other guides report on meat and dairy, produce and fish.

Tags: health, plastics, food, environment, agriculture

How to tap into the bounty nearby

Tue, 22 May 2007 16:06:49 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: More resources at the source.

Clip Source: www.mercurynews.com

Here are some resources to inspire you to eat what's local:

www.eatlocalchallenge.com

A blog that offers insight and testimonials on eating locally produced foods.

www.eatwellguide.org. Plug in your ZIP code to find farms, restaurants, stores, markets, and bed and breakfasts that feature sustainable and humanely raised food.

www.localharvest.org. Pinpoints farmers markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area.

Books

"Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, A Year of Food Life" by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver

"Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables" by John Peterson

"The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

"Real Food: What to Eat and Why" by Nina Planck

"The Slow Food Revolution" by Carlo Petrini in conversation with Gigi Padovani

Tags: books, farming, agriculture, eating, food, environment, produce

Reasons to buy local produce

Tue, 22 May 2007 15:45:26 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: Buying local also means the food is grown because it tastes good and not because it ships well. More reasons in the article, I recommend reading it.

Clip Source: www.daily-times.com

Local produce fresher and safer; promotes economic growth

By Lisa Meerts The Daily Times

Eating locally grown foods does more than provide a tasty and nutritious meal. It also supports the local economy, saves farm land from development and builds community.

Guillermo Payet, president of Local Harvest, a national organization that connects growers with consumers, said food grown and sold locally supports the economy by keeping money circulating within the town. It promotes environmentally sound farming practices because people

see the farms and know whether they damage the environment.

But when the farm exists 5,000 miles away, no one knows the difference.

Farmers also earn the most money when they sell directly to a customer rather than going through a middle man.

Ultimately, as gas prices rise, it will make economic sense to eat locally grown foods rather then spend money on fuel shipping it up from Chile or other countries,

Tags: agriculture, agribusiness, farming, food, eating, environment, farms, health

Saving the family farm

Sun, 13 May 2007 22:29:35 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: Check out the National Family Farm Coalition for more information about each of these policies. Eat better to live better.

Clip Source: www.nffc.net

U.S. farm and food policy must change in order to reverse the economic devastation currently faced by our nation’s family farmers and rural communities. In addition, our international trade policy must recognize each nation’s right and responsibility to make their own decisions about how to develop and protect the capacity to grow food, sustain the livelihood of food producers, and feed the people in its own borders.

The following is an outline of policies that the NFFC is pursuing. Family farmers and their allies are working together to:

(1) Enact farm policy (the Food from Family Farms Act)

(2) Restore competition to the farm and food sector

(3) Negotiate Fair Trade Agreements

(4) Promote Food Security and Food Safety

(5) Hold US Government Agencies Accountable

(6) Minimize the risks of Genetic Engineering

Tags: nffc, farming, agriculture, society, environment, family, food

Ark of Taste

Tue, 08 May 2007 23:03:17 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: The Ark of Taste is a project of the Slow Food Foundation. Its goal is to reintroduce forgotten foods, so that they do not go extinct. Large scale agrobusiness really threatens the existence of thousands of plant types, as well as animal species. Really interesting website with lots of information.

Clip Source: www.slowfoodfoundation.com

75% of European food product diversity has been lost since 1900

93% of American food product diversity has been lost in the same time period

33% of livestock varieties have disappeared or are near disappearing

30,000 vegetable varieties have become extinct in the last century, and one more is lost every six hours

The mission of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity is to organize and fund projects that defend our world’s heritage of agricultural biodiversity and gastronomic traditions.

We envision a new agricultural system that respects local cultural identities, the earth’s resources, sustainable animal husbandry, and the health of individual consumers.

Clip Source: www.slowfoodfoundation.com

The Ark of Taste aims to rediscover, catalog, describe and publicize forgotten flavors. It is a metaphorical recipient of excellent gastronomic products that are threatened by industrial standardization, hygiene laws, the regulations of large-scale distribution and environmental damage.

Tags: slow food, food, biodiversity, agriculture, farming, environment, science

Monsanto sues small farmers again (and again)

Sun, 06 May 2007 17:19:46 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: Monsanto is suing a canola farmer because bees pollinated his crops with "trademarked" pollen from a GM farm. Nice way to do business. Soon all canola crops will be owned by Monsanto, if it doesn't kill the bees first.

Monsanto also sued a dairy farmer to prevent him from labelling his milk rBGH-free. Monsanto is the number one producer of rBGH.

Clip Source: www.organicconsumers.org

Percy Schmeiser is a farmer from Saskatchewan Canada, whose Canolafields were contaminated with Monsanto's genetically engineered Round-Up Ready Canola by pollen from a nearby farm. Monsanto says it doesn't matter how the contamination took place, and is therefore demanding Schmeiser pay their Technology Fee (the fee farmers must pay to grow Monsanto's genetically engineered products).

Oakhurst Dairy has been owned and operated by the same Maine family since 1921, and Monsanto recently attempted to put them out of business. Oakhurst, like many other dairy producers in the U.S., has been responding to consumer demand to provide milk free of rBGH, a synthetic hormone banned (for health reasons) in every industrialized country other than the U.S. Monsanto, the number one producer of the rBGH synthetic steroid, sued Oakhurst, claiming they should not have the right to inform their customers that their dairy products do not contain the Monsanto chemical.

Tags: monsanto, farming, agriculture, genetics, agrobusiness, engineering, science

GM crops are killing the bees

Sun, 06 May 2007 17:05:53 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: The article makes a good case for GM crops being bad for bees. I didn't know the disappearance of bees was heavier in Texas and California. I just noticed there weren't as many where I live.

Clip Source: www.organicconsumers.org

California and Texas have been hit particularly hard by the sudden disappearance of bees, but dozens of other states are reporting major losses as well.

So what's the cause of colony collapse?

The bee collapse began in isolated pockets before progressing rapidly around the nation. If cell phones are to blame, shouldn't the effect have been simultaneous, and witnessed years ago? And if pesticides are strictly to blame, shouldn't beekeepers near major farm systems be able to track those pollutants and narrow the field of possible suspects?

Several scientists have come forward with the startling claim that genetically modified food

is destroying bees.

A former agronomist has commented that the one trial of GM crops in the Netherlands quickly led to colony collapse within 100 kilometers of the fields, and it's reasonable to hypothesize nature's pollinators would bear an averse reaction to plants with poison coursing through every stem.

Tags: agriculture, genetics, food, farming, bees, science, nature

Gifts from one mother to another

Fri, 04 May 2007 22:56:18 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: Buy a gift that keeps on giving. Heifer Project International is recognized by the BBB and has won the Hilton Humanitarian award. Help a mother to improve her life and the lives of her children by purchasing animals or seeds.

Clip Source: www.heifer.org

Raising children is a big job, and it's even harder for mothers who struggle for dependable sources of food and income. Honor or remember your own mother by helping another with a Mother's Day basket from Heifer International. The animals and training your gift makes possible will help a woman in Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, or even right here at home care for her family the way your mother cared for you.

Mother's Love Basket
With shares of a heifer, goat, and water buffalo, the Mother's Love Basket includes animals that produce nourishing milk for a mother and her family and fertilizer for their crops. Learn More

Mother Earth Basket
Filled with seedlings and bees, the Mother Earth Basket offers essential trees that help clean the air and bees that help pollinate fruits, flowers, and vegetables. Learn More

Tags: mothers, farming, agriculture, charity, gift

Murder that threatens our survival

Fri, 04 May 2007 22:26:48 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: Languages are being murdered faster than ever before. What does this mean? The article ties linguistic diversity (LD) to biodiversity (BD). The two diversities seem to enforce and support each other. When the language dies, the knowledge dies with it. Interesting article for anthropologists and linguists.

Clip Source: www.journeytoforever.org

Habitat destruction through logging, the spread of agriculture and use of pesticides, and the economic and political vulnerability of the people who live in the world's most diverse ecoregions are recognised as the main causes of the disappearance of biodiversity. What is less widely understood is the link between diminishing global biodiversity and the disappearance of languages.

While new trees can be planted and habitats restored, it is much more difficult to restore languages once they have been murdered. And languages are being murdered today faster than ever before in human history. Even the most optimistic prognoses claim that only half of today's 6,000-7,000 spoken languages will exist by 2100.

People might say: so what? It might be better for world peace if we all speak a few big languages and understand each other. But language diversity is decisive for the future of the planet.

Tags: linguistics, language, biodiversity, science, biology, farming, agriculture, anthropology

Why is fast food so cheap?

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:28:03 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: "Many consumers would like to support skilled farmers who produce healthy products, are good stewards of their land, work to preserve clean water and open spaces around our communities, and are contributing to a secure food system.

Our representatives need to know this is the kind of farming we want to support with our tax dollars in the new 2007 Farm Bill. "

See source for links, information and opportunities for change. Get educated and get involved!

Clip Source: www.animalvegetablemiracle.com

Have you ever wondered why fast food is cheap – in spite of all the fossil fuels and processing that were required to make it – while simple, unprocessed organic produce is relatively more expensive?

This puzzle has a two-word answer: Farm Bill.

The U.S. government urges us to eat more fruits and vegetables, but our agricultural programs offer virtually no assistance to fruit and vegetable farmers. Organic growers, furthermore, have to pay out of pocket for the costs of certifying and inspecting their own farms. By contrast, the inspection and regulation of “conventional” (non-organic) farms, feedlots, slaughterhouses, packing and processing plants are paid for by our taxes.

Our subsidies guarantee the cheap supply of processed corn- and soybean-based carbohydrates and fats that dominate the menus of our school lunch programs and fast-food chains.

It’s no coincidence that this is an American problem – it’s directly related to the U.S. government's farm and nutrition policies.

Tags: farming, health, agriculture, vegetables, fruits, organic, politics