Big Organic

Just because the label says Organic, does not mean it's sustainable.  Yes, fewer chemicals, better attention to the environment, safer for people, it's really a great choice.  However, it may be shipped across the country.  If you have the option, it's even better to support your local farmer.  I wrote about this before at the FAQ in 3VotesADay.org.

Southern Fork Voting

In the southern U.S. there is a sterotype propagated by Paula Deen that it's all canned food and fried chicken.  Not so!

There are some amazing regional farmers that grow excellent varieties, and pay very close attention to quality because local restaurants and consumers want this great food!  They even created their own local market because there were some 'farmers markets' that sold food from across the country.  What's up with that?

Buying local agricultural products has so many great benefits!

Sneaky USDA!

People have other things on their mind this time of year.  So the USDA decided it was a good time to trash a proposal to regulate antibiotics being fed to HEALTHY animals.  We've been worried about this issue for 30 years.  Over use of antibiotics is how crazy strains of diseases get bred.  Ask your farmer if they use antibiotics on healthy animals.

Container Gardens

Container gardens in New York City at vacant lots.  What great ingenuity!  Move the crates around to available locations and off you go.  Is there any doubt we crave good local produce?

Fork in action

The gentleman interviewed knows how to use his fork!  A McDonalds is coming to a health conscious town.  Fight it at city hall or simply, don't buy anything there.  It would take a concerted effort, but I'm sure we can find some examples of big chains leaving a place because nobody came in.

Kale Battle!

Another post about Vermont!
So there's this guy in VT, that made up this slogan with a local farmer: "Eat More Kale."
Simple, to the point, supports a healthy lifestyle, Kale grows well in New England.
Woo.  What's the matter?

Chick-Fil -A, a ginormous multi-state, multi-million corporation that sells hundreds of chicken sandwiches a minute is suing and ordering this guy to quit his business because they have an add campaign 'Eat Mor Chikin.'  C'mon, nobodys going to confuse those two.

Support the little guy, support an independent business, and support Kale!

Kale - Brassica (Broccoli family), grows great in cold weather, minimal fertilizer needs, minimal pest problems, high in nutrients for you, no animal welfare questions, solar powered, and you can eat it right out of the ground.  Sounds pretty good to me!

News on the Intervale

A look at farming in the Intervale in Vermont.

Virtual Farming BS

So, I was just reading an article about Zynga and Farmville, and the tremendous amounts of money they are fighting over, and the long hours they have to work.  Soon they'll offer an IPO, an a few people will get really really rich.  (Yay, more 1%ers.  Arrrgh!)
Where did all this money come from?  From folks on Facebook, playing a virtual game, buying VIRTUAL carrots with REAL money.  (yes, and viewing advertising)  Real life is not as charming as the dewy eyed cartoon farmers.  Real life farmers are dirty, tired, and love what they do, because they are creating a real product, for real people.  They work hours that would put any whiny dot-commer to shame.  Oh yeah, and it's outside, in the rain, heat, humidity, hail, snow....  Know how many carrots farmers have to sell at $1.50/lb to stay above the poverty line? (minus seed costs, minus transportation, minus electricity, water, rent, etc. etc.)
 Supporting a real farm, keeps a real person in business, preserves your agricultural landscapes, and you get a real carrot in the end!  (way better "rewards")

Whew.  Sorry.  Just consider taking those hours you were going to spend investing in a virtual farm, and invest in a real, local farm.

Second Chance

Some towns are getting a second chance to preserve a natural resource as people recognize the value in farmland.  Yes, it's largely due to real estate tanking so bad that land without houses becomes a better buy... but lets look at the silver lining.  Keeping houses from sprouting on good farmland allows this renewable resource to be used by future generations for veggies, or corn, or chickens, or any multitude of farming operations.  That McMansion which some might think is a great idea now, will be shabby in a few years, and nobody will give a darn about your nifty faux-tile roof.  Oh, let's remodel to keep pace with the latest in house fashion.  Barf!

Good soil keeps it's value for generations.

Hot Potatoes

Interesting article on the battle for preserving good quality seed from genetic contamination.  

Somewhere in Maine

Yay!  Discovery of the joys of supporting your local farmstand. 
More more!  Those big box stores will be no more.

psst.  One beef with the linked article/blog thingy.  If you're touring your local farm, be ready to put in some serious work!  These guys are busy growing your food, would love to chat, but need to get a ton of stuff done.   (Exceptions made for NY Times reporters, who will produce tremendous amounts of free advertising)

Salad Recall

There's a recall on bagged salad coming from potential salmonella contamination.  Kudos to Taylor Farms Retail for recalling this stuff BEFORE any people reported being sick.  Though, I can't help but wonder if this extra caution is due to the recent cantaloupe catastrophe with listeria.  Extra scrutiny is good, but why does it have to follow on the heels of people getting sick and dying?  It's not a new pattern of course, our society always examines circumstances surrounding a disaster very carefully, until there is a more exciting...

OMG! Lindsay Lohan got arrested again!?

...Squirrel!

Attention span of our collective consciousness?  A 6 months, tops.
But you know who has a long term view of your health and environmental health?  Your local organic farm.  These guys care about the soil from decades to generations.

And they take good care of their products,
to keep the products safe,
because they care about you,
because you vote with your fork.

 

Urban Gardens in Detroit

So Detroit has been pretty crummy thanks to our economic gyrations.  The upside is that there have been a number of empty lots converted into gardens.  Some people are even growing on many different lots.  One guy is making 1000 bales of alfalfa!  All within the city limits?  Now thats local.

The trick is, gardens and green spaces in urban environments make places more desirable to live. (Yay!...but)  More desirable locations fetch higher prices, and are prone to development, which paves over, or pushes out the gardens.  (Dammit!) The farms around Detroit are also in a legal gray area that gives them no protection.

What to do?  Get your fork of course!

Killer Cantaloupes

Whoa, those are mean melons!  A listeria outbreak is leaving folks chasing cantaloupes across 26 states.  That's a huge recall area, and these things don't grow with barcodes and GPS tracking devices (yet...).

Hello local grower, could I please buy some fruit from you that has not crossed 8 state lines?  And U.S. government, can we please have the Food Safety Modernization Act for the stuff we can't get locally?

What a day!  Met some amazing farmers just a touch south of Portland, around Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Stopped by Jordan's Farm where there is a tremendous confluence of local farm products.  An entire meal can be found after perusing the isles and coolers at this comprehensive stand.  It really shows what a well organized network of farmers can do.

Later on I stopped by Green Spark Farm.  Don't let the beautiful, delicious produce fool you, they're on their 2nd season!  They humbly attribute credit to MOFGA's journeyperson program and farming mentors, but the majority their success surely comes from the enthusiasm and positive energy of their own sparks.  And kudos to the community for voting with their forks and supporting young entrepreneurs who are caring for land.

Poll: Americans' Concern About Food Safety Drops

On a recent NPR survey, it appears that people are not worried as much about food safety.  Looking at the numbers for income sheds a little light on the matter.  Folks making more money, were less concerned about food safety, folks with less money were more concerned.  Hmm, perhaps because the wealthy could afford to know where their food came from?  This is a classic problem where the well heeled can afford to live in areas with less pollution, receive better health care and consume safer products.  Can anyone say income gap?

It is surveys like this that really support the growth of food stamp benefits into farmer's markets.  The market in Portland, Maine is making great steps in this direction!  Not only do people on food stamps have better access to good quality, safe food, but the farmers have a wider customer base.

Hey all!
After a few years in grad school for plant and soil science, I'll be back on 3VotesADay.
Now with 25% more perspective!