Smother Crops Beat Superweed!

As predicted, cotton farmers are dealing Roundup resistance in weeds.  Palmer Amaranth has found a chink in roundup's defenses and is going nuts.  The good news?  Smother crops, a weapon of choice used by organic farmers for decades, saves the day.

Smother crops are where the farmer plants a field of dense vegetation (in this case rye), rolls, or mows it flat, and then plants his crops in little gaps.  It's like growing your mulch in place!  The 'mulched' crops then benefit from growing in a weed free environment.  ALSO! a side benefit is the addition of organic matter to the soil which helps retain water an nutrients. Read: less fertilizer.

Killing two birds with one sustainable stone?  That's how it's always been done on small scale organic farms.

Boo!

I am not in favor of this ruling.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/27/147506542/judge-dismisses-organic-farmers-case-against-monsanto

GMOs are going to be just another pollutant whirling around the planet.

Trans Atlantic Organic

The US and EU will soon allow each other's organic food products to cross the Atlantic.  But, if I start seeing organic European potatoes in Maine, I'll be pissed.

Is this really necessary?  I have said before that 3VotesADay is not anti-globalism, but I am skeptical that Europe really has things to offer that we can't source, in California or at least on our own continent.  The article mentions European Chocolate.  C'mon!  There is no place in Europe where you can grow cocoa.  So they take cocoa grown in Africa, ship it north, add milk, package it, then ship across the Atlantic.  Farmers in Africa are not going to see any benefit. 

The U.S. would do well to encourage cocoa production (and coffee) in Puerto Rico, where it's close by, and inherently fair trade.  The multi-hemispheric supply lines make me nervous.  We had a tough enough time tracking down bad cantaloupes just within the US last year.

While in the U.S. we can source our tropical luxury items from South America, Europe can source those same items from Africa.  Think there might be any support for a contiguous continental diet?
 (continental diet, not breakfast...images of bagels in a hotel lobby come to mind)

Momentum

No more hog crates says McDonalds.  They're inhumane.

Two thoughts:

- Good, but what are they replacing them with?  And what's in it for Mickey Ds?
- If McDonalds is starting to care about animal welfare, the vote with your fork movement is gaining momentum nicely.  Woo!  Small victories.

I mean, WalMart carries organic labels, and McDonalds has humane animal treatment, overall that can be considered progress.  But, beware of the lobbying clout these corporations will have on our officials!

I can hear it now...

These organic regulations are stifling growth, remove this rule here about prohibitions on growing this genetically modified organism...

Whups, that argument happened already...

So what will McDonalds be using to replace those inhumane crates?  And how close to the letter of the law will they be?

Better Homes for Chickens

It's great to hear two rivals working together for greater good.  These guys are improving conditions for layer hens.  It is much better than two sides shouting at each other with nothing to show for it.

The result in this case are more spacious living quarters for hens, allowing them to be more like chickens, and less like egg machines.  They can perch, open their wings, turn around, and have access to nesting boxes.

I am definitely happy about this advancement, but still skeptical of the overall system.  As an owner of a small flock of layer hens, I ask myself if the conditions of the chickens would sell the eggs.  Would they bring a customer into their henhouse and say "this is how our chicken are raised, will you buy our eggs?"  Yes, its better than the old system, but is it really what we are striving for? 

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.