Roundup Linked to Infertility, Spontaneous Abortions and Other Animal Health Problems

The U.S. leads the world with more than 165 million acres of GMO crops, mostly Roundup Ready® crops around which are sprayed with 200 million pounds of Roundup. Monsanto owns patents on the genes of more than 93% of soybeans, 80% of corn, and 95% of sugar beets planted in the U.S., according to Food for Democracy Now. The combination of the herbicide and the genetically modified seeds and crops  attracts pests, creates superweeds and  resistant crop diseases that worsen each year. Cows, chickens and pigs fed these crops are getting strange diseases. These factors are affecting the entire food chain and human health. Indeed, truth is stranger than fiction. Tonight, we have an startling article by Laurie Neverman from Common Sense Homesteading written especially for the Journal that covers this topic well.–Augie

Roundup Linked to Infertility, Spontaneous Abortions and Other Health Problems

by Laurie Neverman

We have been told since its introduction in 1973 that the pesticide Roundup is a safe and effective way to control weeds.  With the introduction of Roundup Ready soybeans in 1996, and Roundup Ready Corn in 1998, Roundup use soared.  According to The New York Times, in 2010, Roundup Ready crops accounted for about 90% of the soybeans and 70 percent of the corn and cotton grown in the United States.

Now, we are finding that Roundup is anything but safe.  GMOs have been linked to organ disruption:

CAFOnated Meats, Eggs and Dairy

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are a highly destructive method of food production and is simply animal slavery. Chances are,  in CAFO-concentrated Ohio, CAFO expansions and new construction will likely double in the next five years . . . unless something is done quickly. The turning point for me was to see the video on the 32,000-cow confined dairy in Indiana. I would be much in favor of implementing massive DeCAFOnation programs setting those animals free.

Read DeCAFOnated Meats, Eggs and Dairy at the new Journal.

Troubled Waters: Death of the Lakes from Toxic Wastes Used as Farm Fertilizers

I am reposting Part 1 of Death of the Lakes by author David Michael. Part 1 focuses on Grand Lake in Celina and St. Mary’s Ohio. But this situation is escalating in all parts of the U.S. Part 2 is coming by Friday, according to David Michael, and it will cover the law suits, deaths and illnesses, politics and corruption about the spreading of the sludge.–Augie

Human illnesses and animal deaths have occurred recently from neurotoxins secreted by a heavy slime of blue and green algae floating on Ohio’s largest lake—Grand Lake St. Mary’s (Grand Lake) in Auglaize and Mercer Counties. This is a lake that has been deteriorating for decades, but especially so in the past 10 years as factory farms have sprung up all over the area, and more are being built.

A high concentration of factory farms and the application of composted manure from CAFO (confined animal feeding operations) manure and sewage treatment sludge (humanure, now called biosolids—a mixture of concentrated human excrement and industrial discharges) is spreading toxic and infectious substances on farmlands close by and in the watershed. CAFOs in the watershed area account for 3 million chickens; while sewage sludge spreading is permitted on 8800 Ohio farmlands—several close to the edge of Grand Lake.

Continue to the original story and comments here at the Journal. Be looking forward to Part 2 on Friday. Subscribe for the update!

War of the Words — Eating the Greens & Naturally Sustainable Organic Foods

War of the Words — Eating the Greens and Naturally Sustainable Organic Foods

I have referred to the War of the Words several times in my talks and conversations –and it seems to resonate, so I will expound here. There is some intended sarcasm also.– Augie

Scribble Scrabble Scramble

Make Up Your Own Words

Government, corporate and academia change-makers are  always defining and redefining our words for us. “Water” for example may have different meanings depending on the specific laws or regulations the word is set within. Redefinition is an age-old practice to manipulate people and take control. As soon as you understand one word defined, you can be sure its definition has already been changed. Attorneys love it.

Organic comes to mind. If you search the Journal you will not find me using the term– as I have a distaste for it– like organic CAFO-type factory farmed chickens and eggs. The word has caused so much confusion and frustration– I don’t like to use it. USDA stole the term from the grassroots and twisted it to where can mean a battery of concentration camps of 250,000 chickens or even a million–voila, most of your organic chickens and eggs at the supermarket. Funny, pesticides and herbicides are organic too.

Empires of Food–Feast, Famine and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations

Kathryne Pirtle is a musician, author, nutrition educator and food activist. She is also a Chicago correspondent for the Journal and a Weston A. Price Foundation co-chapter leader. Kathryne just put out her review of a new book relating to the government control of land versus a land of liberty for  agriculture and food production–how it relates to prosperity versus destruction of a society.

For all of our new readers, I want to emphasize that the living food (true food as some call it) with its naturally optimal nutrient density is proportionately related to the soil fertility– including plants and animals. This comes in having the freedom to nurture the soil versus slowly destroying it through manufactured chemicals and toxic concentrated human, hospital,  industrial and factory-farm wastes all called green. Some extracts follow (not of the wastes, the book review!) and I hope you go to her blog to finish it. Someone famous said the wealth of a nation is in direct proportion to its soil fertility.

Before I take up more space than her in my diatribe, let’s hear Kathryne.–Augie

Book Review: Empires of Food–Feast, Famine and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations

by Kathryne Pirtle

Book by Evan D.G. Fraser and Andrew Rimas (Pub. by Free Press, 2010)

Empires of Food is a fascinating book that certainly reveals the old adage that “history repeats itself.” As we moved away from the hunter-gatherer paradigm to that of civilization, man has often been deceived by the pursuit of progress. From the Mayan,

Read more and buy here

Greek and Roman empires to our present day society, many urban societies have mistakenly sought development through monoculture–an agricultural system that depends on limited crops like wheat, corn and soybeans.

However, these agricultural systems have always suffered grave consequences:

“These societies, these food empires, can only exist if three things happen: Farmers need to grow more food than they eat; they need a means of trading it to willing buyers; they need a way to store it so it doesn’t turn to sludge before reaching its economic apotheosis. When these three premises are met, urban life flourishes. Which is, in itself, the seed of the problem…When a food empire fails, mobs tear apart the marketplace, angry over the cost of bread. Governments raise armies to conquer greener, more fertile valleys. People uproot. Forest creeps back over old fences. Arable land falls into disuse, and society contracts. It happens again and again. And it’s happening now…..”

Read the entire review at Kathryne’s Performance Without Pain blog.

Also . . .

The iShop is NOW OPEN! Browse around! NEWLY published book called 30 Days to Wellness is now next to the checkout. A Christmas gift for children and grandchildren: Healthy Kids Recipe eCards (hard cards coming soon). See if you can find them under our  iShop at livingfood.us !

Two Declarations for Farm and Food Freedom

Two international figures came out last week to make serious statements about farm and food freedom. Sir Julian Rose and the ICPPC Manifesto and Michael Schmidt with his  Edmonton Declaration. Michael sent me his and Julian sent his to Kimberly Hartke. I thought it appropriate to tie these two together–Augie

The International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside (ICPPC) held their Anniversary conference this past weekend. The Manifesto for 21st Century Food and Farming “Farming for the People with the People”was circulated there and was submitted to Hartke is Online! by their co-director, Sir Julian Rose.

Sir Rose, a strong advocate/activists for real farming and raw milk, gives the Manifesto which states:

Continuing to adhere to the present corporate and state controlled food and farming regimes means that:

• Farmer’s time honoured right to save their seeds and to cultivate, distribute and trade the produce resulting from these seeds will continue to be subverted, curtailed and stolen.
• People’s right to perpetuate the biodiversity of locally adapted native plants, herbs and animals for culinary, medicinal and general environmental health will be denied.
• People’s rights to gain lawful access to unused or barren land for the purpose of growing food for their own consumption in ways that do not harm the environment will be blocked.
• People’s time honoured right to carry on the daily operations of good farming practice unhindered by state and corporate power structures, will be denied.

We call for a people led and people owned  renaissance of agriculture. One which will liberate the creativity and ingenuity of man and draw inspiration from the time honoured peasant and family farming practices that still form the foundation of self sufficient, sustainable and ecological agricultural production throughout the world.

Read the brief  Manifesto submitted at Hartke is Online!

The Edmonton Declaration by Michael Schmidt

The following document was presented at Michael Schmidt’s news conference on the steps of the Alberta Legislature recently:

Photo– Courtesy of The Bovine
 

“Agriculture has been the backbone of Canada. History has taught us that a healthy Agri-culture is able to feed all the people and therefore creates a healthy and socially stable environment.

At the turn of the last century 70% of our Canadian population was actively involved in farming.

Today we have only 2% of the population left working on farms.

80% of them have to have another job to keep their farm going.

The average age of today’s farmers is 56 and hardly any young farmer can afford to start farming.

Corporate farming has taken over food production and multi national corporations control most of the farming inputs, food processing and distribution.

Food safety regulations and production standards are passed based on intensive lobby powers by those who control the current food chain.

UPDATE: David vs Goliath: Sustainable Farmer/Soil Scientist Against Big Ag Money in Iowa Race for Secretary of Agriculture

“Iowa is the Corn State, and its about time that farmers quit growing Corn and start raising Cain.”–Augie

Francis, Susan and Rodney– Sustainable Dairy Farmers, Raw Milk Lovers and with your help can be Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture

Your chance to give David a few more stones to hurl at the Goliath he is up against in this neck-to-neck battle– this is the one to watch!

David vs Goliath: Sustainable Farmer/Soil Scientist Against Big Ag Money in Iowa Race for Secretary of Agriculture

“Iowa is the Corn State, and its about time that farmers quit growing Corn and start raising Cain.”–Augie

Francis, Susan and Rodney-- Sustainable Dairy Farmers, Raw Milk Lovers and with your help can be Iowa's Secretary of Agriculture

UPDATE: I was informed last night that an anonymous donor to the Francis Thicke campaign from Fairfield, Iowa will MATCH every new dollar donated UP TO $25,000 to pay for the beautiful billboards to be erected on Iowa highways and the boss TV commercials.

Fowl Play: Pumped and Plumped Meat

The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund just updated their front page today (they are doing a super job at posting valuable and interesting information). I liked this one from Kaayla Daniel on the chicken schemes.–Augie

Fowl Play: Pumped and Plumped Meat
By Dr. Kaayla Daniel, Ph.D., CCN | October 12, 2010

Ever wonder about those plump well-endowed DD cup chickens at the supermarket? Yes, chickens today are bred to be mostly breasts, but that’s not all. Such chickens — or at least their parts — could well be examples of “reformed meat technology” also known as “pumped meat.” Same might be true of supermarket turkeys, hams, beef and even fish.

To create simulated “whole cuts,” food processors start with pieces of real meat, poultry or fish, then mix in — or inject — some form of soy protein along with soy or another vegetable oil, food colorings, salt, phosphates, flavorings (including MSG) and other additives. These are then massaged, shaped and bound into familiar meat-like shapes — such as chicken nuggets. After fabrication, these products may be sliced, ground or dried. [1,2]

International Nutrition Conference to Explore The Politics of Food

Before tonight’s announcement, I am asking my readers and subscribers to use my new form to tell me something about yourself. This new short form will also give you an opportunity to subscribe if you have not already done so.  I will prompt you again at the end.–Augie

Are you going to the Conference? If so, I would like to meet you there.

International Nutrition Conference to Explore The Politics of Food

October 12, 2010-WASHINGTON, D.C.— The intense debate generated by proposed food safety legislation, ongoing government opposition to raw milk, and raids by agents with guns drawn on private food clubs in California and Ohio, has vaulted the subject of food politics into the eye of consumers and policy makers.  Should small farms be regulated? Are the USDA dietary guidelines improving health or causing disease? Do citizens have a right to the foods of their choice?

Food activists, raw milk advocates, nutritionists, farmers and consumers will explore these issues at Wise Traditions 2010, the 11th annual international conference of the Weston A. Price Foundation, November 12-15 in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. With over 136 licensed raw dairy farms and forty applications pending, Pennsylvania leads the nation in preserving traditional dairy farming methods and providing access to raw milk for consumers.

The Weston A. Price Foundation, a nonprofit nutrition education foundation, will host more than twelve hundred participants for the four-day event of presentations, seminars, food preparation demonstrations and farm tours, in addition to showcasing delicious traditional foods.  Attendees will include health and nutrition professionals, farmers, activists and wellness-oriented citizens from around the world. The event is open to the public and Continuing Education Credits are available for some health professionals.

Several experts will address the subject of raw milk, including Tim Wightman, dairy and soil expert, Ted Beals, MD, physician and dairy safety consultant, and Mark McAfee, owner of the largest raw dairy in California.

At the general session on Saturday, November 13, Geoffrey Smith will discuss the politics of genetically modified organisms, Judith McGeary will explore the pitfalls in proposed food safety legislation, and Sally Fallon Morell will present insights into the negative effects of the USDA dietary guidelines on foods served at school lunch programs and in institutions like prisons and hospitals.

Other topics on the menu include dental health, heart disease, soil and livestock fertility, cancer alternatives and native diets. The exhibit hall, featuring over one hundred vendors of whole foods, supplements, body care products and crafts, will be open on Saturday and Sunday

The conference will feature several full day seminars on Friday, November 12: Traditional Diets by Sally Fallon Morell; Holistic Cancer Therapy with Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, MD;  Gut and Psychology Syndrome by autism specialist, Natasha Campbell McBride; Soil Health and Fertility with Will Winter, DVM, and Jerry Brunetti, soil health expert; and Milk Quality, Testing, and Continuing Education for Dairy Farmers with Mark McAfee, Dr. Ted Beals, and Tim Wightman, author of the Raw Milk Production Handbook.

Other partial day tracks will cover the topics of cooking, wellness, hormones, environmental hazards,  fitness and weight loss.

The conference will feature delicious traditional meals, with much of the food donated by sustainable small farmers from around the country.

For further  information about WAPF, visit www.westonaprice.org. For the conference schedule or to register for the conference visit the conference page at www.westonaprice.org/conferences/2010-conference.html or phone (304) 724-3006.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Kimberly Hartke phone 703-860-2711, cell 703-675-5557 press@westonaprice.org

I am asking my readers and subscribers to use my new form to tell me something about yourself. This new short form will also give you an opportunity to subscribe if you have not already done so.  –Augie