With all the hullabaloo over health care reform and the economy, you might not have heard about H.R. 2868, the Chemical and Drinking Water Security Act of 2009. Passed in the House on November 6th, the bill now goes to the Senate. Opponents of the act, let by Republican Frank Lucas, ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, are once again using the same old tired excuse to avoid being responsible members of the sustainable agriculture community. Congressman Lucas issued this statement on the passage of H.R.
“This vote was another hit to agriculture and to the American consumer. Under this legislation, it’s going to be significantly more expensive for agricultural input producers to provide farmers with the necessary tools for agriculture production. Without inputs like fertilizers and pesticides, it will be difficult for farmers to produce the same amount of product at the same high quality we have come to expect. Ultimately, this means our food costs will dramatically increase, or we will become reliant on foreign food imports.”
Study after study has shown that farmers can raise as much, if not more, crops without the use of harmful chemicals. The Congressman, while believing he is protecting farmers, is only protecting agri-business, specifically the chemical herbicide and pesticide companies, like Monsanto, that own the exclusive rights to these chemical “inputs.” (Input sounds much better than deadly chemical fertilizer, doesn’t it?)
Now that the bill is in the Senate, it will be reworked in committee. I’ll keep you posted on the progress. Let your Senator know how you feel about chemical fertilizers being pumped into the water supply in the name of cheap, abundant food. Learn more about H.R. 2868 here.
ELGIN, Minn, Nov. 3, 2009 – The USDA today announced the award of more than $17 million in grants to 29 institutions to address the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers and enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture.
“Beginning farmers and ranchers face unique challenges and need educational and training programs to enhance their profitability and long term sustainability,” Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said. “The training and education provided through these grants will help ensure the success of the next generation of farmers and ranchers as they work to feed people in their local communities and throughout the world.”
Merrigan announced the funding in Elgin, Minn., at the Hidden Stream Farm and was joined by representatives from the Land Stewardship Project, the local grant recipient that provides local and regional training, education, outreach and technical assistance initiatives that address the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers. Eric and Lisa Klein, the proprietors of Hidden Stream Farm, were some of the first graduates of the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings course. Since graduating from Farm Beginnings, the Klein’s have developed a thriving pasture-based livestock operation that markets pork, chickens and beef in southeast Minnesota and the Twin Cities.
This funding announcement is part of USDA’s new ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ initiative which was launched in September 2009 to emphasize the need for a fundamental and critical reconnection between producers and consumers. ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ includes such major agricultural topics as supporting local farmers and community food groups; strengthening rural communities; enhancing direct marketing and farmers’ promotion programs; promoting healthy eating; protecting natural resources; and helping schools connect with locally grown foods.
The grants were awarded through USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA, formerly the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service) Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). BFRDP is an education, training, technical assistance and outreach program designed to help U.S. farmers and ranchers, specifically those who have been farming or ranching for 10 years or fewer. Congress authorized the FY 2009 funding for this program in the 2008 Farm Bill, with another $19 million in mandatory funding for FY 2010. Under the program, USDA will make grants to organizations that will implement programs to help beginning farmers and ranchers.
Beginning farmers and ranchers interested in participating in any of the education, outreach, mentoring and/or internship activities are asked to contact the grantee institutions listed below.
Fiscal year 2009 recipients include:
Developing Innovations in Navajo Education, Inc., Flagstaff, Ariz., $674,507
Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation, Brinkley, Ark., $313,278
Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association, Salinas, Calif., $515,862
Fort Berthold Community College, New Town, N.D., $614,356
Langston University, Langston, Okla., $525,000
Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa., 572,178
Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa., 733,821
South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D., $701,608
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn., $74,000
University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg, Texas, $665,038
Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $748,651
Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $524,896
Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, Spring Valley, Wis., $151,515
Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people’s daily lives and the nation’s future. For more information, visit www.nifa.usda.gov .
Does anyone else have a problem with the blurb below?
On October 24, 2009, the Monroe Lego Club joined millions of people around the world to bring attention to climate change. The Lego Club created an animated, stop-action-video to help world leaders understand that we need to return to 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.Let’s let the Lego people, with our help, share the story of how important it is to achieve 350 ppm of carbon dioxide on Earth and reduce the impacts of climate change. From Media-Citizen Global
If this doesn’t prove that climate change is nothing more than a marketing tool, I don’t know what does. It’s mighty nice of the LEGO Group to sponsor events that could put them out of business. Think about it for just one second. What are LEGOS made from? Plastic, and it is one of the most dangerous substances on the planet, polluting our water and air, and spewing boatloads of nasty carbon into the air.
The team’s new study is the first to show that degrading plastics are leaching potentially toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A into the seas, possibly threatening ocean animals, and us.
A study from USC found that plastic children’s toys are among the favorites of marine life. It’s also one of the most dangerous.
So why are proponents of climate change willing to overlook the obvious? Further, why are they teaching children that some pollution is better than others? The LEGO Group is not part of the solution. They are the problem.
I suppose you really can fool some of the people all of the time. But they don’t fool me for a second. They might be singing Kumbaya on the magic green bus, but they’re really controlling the message. And that’s my problem with the whole “green” ideology. As long as you’re nice to them, then it’s okay to stink the place up. But if they don’t like a particular corporation or individual, they single them out and pummel them like bullies in a school yard.
On second thought, maybe LEGOS are the perfect symbol of global warming. Like LEGO blocks, global warming can be whatever you want it to be.
First Ever Natural Spring Water to be Bottled Straight from the GroundWithout Filtration or TreatmentState of Maine Grants Unprecedented Waiver Based on Detailed Water Analysis ofCenturies-Old, Rare Free-Flowing Spring
Harrison, ME (October 14, 2009) – Summit Spring (www.summitspring.com), the bottled water company based out of the small town of Harrison, Maine, has announced the release of RAW WATER, the first ever spring water to be bottled directly from the source without any filtration, treatment, pumps or boreholes used in the process whatsoever.
“It’s not every day that the little guy gets to make such a big step,” commented N. Bryan Pullen, President of Summit Spring Water. “The fact that the State ofMaine will allow this product on the market, with absolutely no filtration, is unprecedented and speaks to the sanctity of our historic source.”
Summit Spring gathers its water from one of the oldest and most revered natural free-flowing springs in North America, and has been celebrated for its uncommon purity since the beginning of its recorded history in the late 1700’s. This new product, RAW WATER, is nutrient rich; “living” spring water, blessed with essential minerals and gravity fed straight into a clear glass one liter bottle. The glass bottle is then placed immediately into a recycled-content brown paper bag lined with wax, to protect it from sunlight’s corruption and spoiling, further preserving the taste and clarity of the water inside.
“There are naturally occurring nutrients in ‘living’ spring water, such as microscopic algae, potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium that are routinely being stripped out of bottled water through treatment, reverse osmosis and filtration. When water comes straight from the ground it has nourishing qualities that are not present in purified and treated water. The centuries old reputation of Summit Spring water as a ‘healing tonic’, in addition to extensive and continuous analysis allowed the regulatory agencies to give this unprecedented approval”, notes N. Bryan Pullen, President of Summit Spring Water.
Summit Spring Water is one of a select few bottled waters to carry the State of Maine Premium Grade designation, meeting the very stringent quality and testing guidelines developed by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Summit Spring is located 750 ft. above sea level, is surrounded by pristine Maine forest and has been protected for centuries from man’s contamination. The unspoiled spring flows naturally, producing some of the purest source water on the planet – and unlike most bottled water, Summit Spring will go straight into the bottle, mere minutes after bubbling from the Earth with a natural purity only Mother Nature’s filtration process can provide.
This revolutionary product will feature a very unique packaging concept, with language denoting the great care that has been taken to protect and preserve the integrity of Summit Spring, making it possible to deliver raw water of this quality to consumers and is in response to growing worldwide concern about raw food, natural products, chemical treatments and disease.
RAW Water bares no nutrition label, as there is none required by the U.S government for 100% spring water that is pure, natural, untouched and untreated. For additional information about Summit Spring, please visit: www.summitspring.com
After years of reading about the homesteading adventures of Countryside readers, it has finally dawned on me. The difference between the homesteading success stories and the tales of smoldering ruin is that successful homesteaders are craftsmen/women. They didn’t choose a minimalist lifestyle; instead, they combined determination and knowledge to craft a way of life , a heritage. A lifestyle takes money. A way of life takes time.
Established homesteaders like Sue Robishaw of Many Tracks and my friends Roger and Ann from Confessions of a Tightwad, are masters of the craft. They know full well that homesteading is a gilded craft, requiring the knowledge of the ages to sharpen modern skills. In the pages of Countryisde, the words of sage homesteaders guide others through the often tenuous steps to mastering their own level of self-reliance. I’m often in awe at the personal mastery of the readers who write to us. They are willing to try, repeatedly, to forge a way of life that reflects who they are and what they’re doing here. If you want to know someone’s heart, simply look at the things they care enough to do for themselves. Homesteading isn’t about a lifestyle; it’s about personal mastery.
