As someone who comes from a small dairy farm family that includes 1.5 USDA employees (my cousin is still a full-time student studying sustainable design) I can tell you that there are also good people trying to do good things there.
No, your comments didn't offend, I just felt a need to acknowledge that thought "outloud" as I read your posts. Joey --- On Thu, 11/20/08, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] FW: [Odairy] Fwd: USDA Rushing Through > Dangerous New Rules on GE and Pharmaceutical Crops > To: [email protected] > Date: Thursday, November 20, 2008, 4:44 PM > I believe Pegi has pegged it right, to put it mildly. To > anyone willing > to get past the rhetoric to investigate the real effects of > USDA policy > history on average citizens, it is obvious that the agency, > since its > inception in the early 20th century, has been the loyal > servant of big > agribusiness. The result is the unmitigated disaster we > call industrial > agriculture, for which the USDA has been a primary midwife > all along. > > >From that perspective it is an enormous waste of time > to ask the agency > or the congress critters who supposedly ride herd on it to > serve the > public interest. So it should be no surprise that the track > record of > political efforts, say, to make the NOP (National Organic > Program) > actually serve the goal of making US agriculture > sustainable, is liken to > a treadmill, one step forward and one or two steps > backward, where you > are lucky to simply run in place. > > For those who realize the extent to which our current type > of government > is a servant of corporate power, it is no surprise to > discover that all > federal agencies have essentially the same sordid history > as the USDA. > > So what political strategy will work? In the post-petroleum > era, as > industrial agriculture slowly chokes on its immense energy > inefficiency > and ecological damage, and gradually shrinks from its > present dominance > of 99% of food production, opportunities will open to > replace it with > more sustainable farming systems designed and managed under > local, > democratic control. Instead of the present certification > program approach > that is expensive, unwieldy and easily and already > corrupted, a > combination of rising inputs costs and direct policy > interventions in > local food systems could drive farming toward > sustainability. For the > present then, the main political effort should be local > consciousness > raising, to build understanding of the food crisis we face > and to build a > consensual vision of a workable local food policy. > > Karl North > Northland Sheep Dairy, Freetown, New York USA > www.geocities.com/northsheep/ > "Mother Nature never farms without animals" - > Albert Howard > "Pueblo que canta no morira" - Cuban saying > > On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:33:57 -0600 Pegi Ficken > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > writes: > > > > I've taken the liberty of forwarding this. I > haven't seen it > > discussed here, but it doesn't seem too > sustainable to me. > > Pegi> > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Wed, 19 > > Nov 2008 16:28:06 -0800> Subject: [Odairy] Fwd: > USDA Rushing Through > > Dangerous New Rules on GE and Pharmaceutical Crops> > > I know we all > > have a ton on our plate with the NOP livestock rule > and many> other > > things, but this one (deadline for comments Monday) is > extremely> > > important. Perhaps it is only a coincidence that the > long-delayed > > timing of> the NOP livestock grazing rule proposal > means that we > > are> pre-occupied precisely in time for this > rulemaking on GMOs to > > go more under> the radar. In any case, we can't > just let this one go > > by.> > > <http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/>> > USDA > Rushing Through > > Dangerous New Rules on GE and Pharmaceutical Crops> > > ____________________________________________________________ > Click here to find experienced pros to help with your home > improvement project. > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/PnY6rw2eRIzMxH9zam5Ee5gA9eMqWqFYP1c7DuQNSyTz8RVHxdkQV/ > _______________________________________________ > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins > County area, please visit: > http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
