Joey, I am sure you are right, and I did not mean to suggest otherwise. I believe that all kinds of farmers, including organic, are far from sustainable, but that most are doing the best they can in an agricultural economy that prevents us from doing more and still make ends meet. The main responsibility for the agriculture that I described as a disaster lies not with the farmers as a class, but with another class in our society that has orders of magnitude more power than we do over the decisions that affect all our lives.
Thanks, Karl On Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:36:39 -0800 (PST) Joey Gates <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > 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/PnY6rw2eRIzMxH9zam5Ee5gA9eMqW qFYP1c7DuQNSyTz8RVHxdkQV/ > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 > > ____________________________________________________________ Click to become a master chef, own a restaurant and make millions. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/PnY6rw2ROjxRE9Ox6oZt2MkuYuLx76ZoDIGMKTfeKoIGGoaLw5dTn/ _______________________________________________ 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
