The United States of Monsanto

Friends, I think it's becoming more apparent with each passing day that we, the people, have zero say in what our government does. On the heels of the passage of the food "safety" bill, I'm saddened to report that yesterday the USDA approved the unregulated release of Monsanto's genetically engineered alfalfa seeds, after all signs pointed to at least some regulation. This was a sudden switch by the pro-GMO Sec'y of Ag Vilsack that is bewildering everyone in the organic and "good food" movements. While we don't know why this happened, you can bet that the powerful GMO lobbies in Washington, namely Monsanto itself, paid for this with donations and promises to continue and expand the revolving door between its corporate offices and the USDA and FDA. This is tragic, if not frightening, on many fronts as it imperils not only organic alfalfa but the organic dairy industry itself. The reversal is even more bewildering considering that the USDA admitted that GE alfalfa poses a "significant risk" to the environment and the organic industry.

It is imperative that we continue to speak out and make the phone calls that need to be made. Call your Senators, Representatives or these numbers:

1) President Barack Obama:

Phone: (202) 456-1111
Fax: (202) 456-2461
Online: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

2) USDA/APHIS; Email: biotechquery@aphis.usda.gov; or call 1-301-851-2300 and record your comments

I will talk more about this in the next podcast along with information regarding recent farm raids and another plug for the upcoming documentary, "Farmageddon." These are trying times indeed, and we must take care to not lose faith or become discouraged. We have the right to organic non-GMO food and we are going to have to fight harder and harder for it.

Keiser Report: Monsanto and the Seeds of Evil (E109)

Max Keiser discusses Monsanto and GMO (genetically modified organism) technology, as well as the impact that the "fiat" currency of GMO seeds has on the world. This is a great, brief crash-course in GMOs as well as Monsanto's nefarious business practices.

Episode 3 "S.510" is here--on time, mind you!

As miraculous as it might seem, we actually made the deadline that we set only a few days ago. We promised to have Episode 3 up before the end of the weekend, and by golly we did it! Sure, we cut it kind of tight, but hey--at least we pulled it off. You can listen to or download Episode 3 by visiting our web page at www.foodfightpodcast.com.

Anyhoo, Episode 3 focuses on S.510, the Food Safety and Modernization Act, which is currently being batted around the Senate floor. It now looks as if a vote will not occur on this tyrannical food legislation until after Thanksgiving, so stay tuned. Please call and write your senators and ask them to vote no; however, if it looks as if they will vote yes, then please encourage them to do so only with the Tester Amendment added.

The links for Episode 3 are below.

John McCain and Friends Don't Want to Know Their Farmers!
Those silly senators think Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food is biased and may harm their agribiz cronies. Check out the article at Change.org's Sustainable Food Blog and the letter they sent to the USDA, which is available as a PDF linked within that article. Another short article is on the Brownfield Ag News for America website.

Challenge of the Day/Action Alert!
Take action against the Food Safety and Modernization Act (S.510) by calling your senators or visiting the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance. Urge them to vote "NO" on this tyrannical food legislation. If they are inclined to vote "yes," encourage them to do so only with the Tester Amendment added. Stop S.510!

S.510
Just punch that into your favorite search engine and you'll find no shortage of information. It gets crazier every day!

Egg Recalls
Not so egg-cellent. DO NOT buy eggs from these farms! Ever! Need to learn more about who to trust when buying eggs? Check out the Cornucopia Institute's new report and organic egg scorecard.

Are you a farmer who has been raided?
Need legal assistance? Or are you a farmer that wants to prepare yourself in the event of a farm raid? Check out the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund's farm raid page. They have some great online resources as well as some signage that you can print and post around your farm to prevent trespassing (including FDA trespassing).

Thanks for listening!

Put Your Hands Up and Back Away from the Cheese!!

Today you will see many blog posts, tweets and the like with the phrases "Save Morningland Dairy" and "Stop FDA tyranny against dairy farms," and probably many more. Those of us in the food and farming blogging/podcasting community decided to make today a day of action to raise awareness about the horrific abuse and unfair attacks that the FDA is carrying out against small family farms all over the country. The recent state of affairs is pathetic and nothing short of tyrannical. Don't believe me? Check out our featured farms that have been persecuted beyond any punishment ever levied against a Perdue, Cargill, ADM, etc. processing plant.

Morningland Dairy is one of the farms under attack currently. The FDA has decided that they must dispose of a vast quantity of milk and cheese based on lab samples that did NOT follow proper chain of custody protocols. Additionally, none of Morningland's products have EVER made anyone sick, nor have they ever been linked to any contamination. The situation is nothing short of absurd. Learn more at http://uncheeseparty.wordpress.com.

Estrella Family Creamery is having the same problem with the FDA: http://estrellacheese.wordpress.com/.

Because these are small family-owned and -operated farms, they are on the brink of losing everything. After you have learned more about them, if you are so inclined you may donate to literally save their farms at:

Morningland Dairy

Estrella Family Creamery

Times are tough, we all know that, so if you are unable to donate (but remember that even a few bucks will help them) please participate today in our "Google bombing" effort. All you have to do is search the terms “save morningland dairy" and “stop FDA tyranny against dairy farms” as those are the two key search terms we've identified in order to draw attention to and raise awareness of this ridiculous state of affairs, courtesy of the completely misguided FDA. How will this help, you ask? Google has an option for viewers to search the most-entered terms. If we and you and everyone continually search these terms, they will be at the top of the list and viewers will then search the terms and learn the truth. Simple! Be sure to ask your friends and family to do the same. Who knew that activism could be so easy?

In Podcast 3, available this weekend, we will be exploring both of these victimized farms in more detail and will be giving you additional info re: raids on dairies and other small farmers. We will also be focusing on the most tyrannical piece of legislation related to food and farming to hit the Senate floor EVER, S. 510, which is actually on the verge of passing--unbelievable! We will be discussing this and I will tell you all about my email war with California Senator Barbara Boxer's inbox as well as the fight I had with her voicemail system.

Also be sure to check out the trailer for "Farmageddon," an incredible new documentary that is focusing on this very issue. We will be featuring some audio of this in one of the upcoming episodes so be sure to check it out.

Podcast 2 is up!

Hello friends! Podcast 2 is up and available on our website at foodfightpodcast.com. Please go there to download and enjoy! We cover a new report released regarding harmful residues in the industrial meat supply, the devastating effects the BP oil spill is having on farmers and fisherfolk in the Gulf region, the Animal Welfare Approved label, and some other items. We also have a great Challenge of the Day and a kick-ass Hero of the Day, so we hope you enjoy all of the info. Podcast 3 will be up soon, so until then email us any questions or comments at foodfightpodcast@gmail.com.

Below are the links to information we discussed in Episode 2:

Action Alert 1
Tell Govt. to Reject Cruel Factory Farm Confinement Methods!

Siddiqui Nomination Update
Why is this guy so bad? Check out the Civil Eats or Democracy Now! website.

Report: Hazardous Residues in Meat--yum!
If you eat industrial meat, you MUST read this very important report from the USDA's Office of the Inspector General.

BP Oil Disaster and Gulf Region Food & Farming
Impacts from this disaster could wipe out the unique food heritage of the Gulf Region.

Animal Welfare Approved (AWA)
AWA is a fairly new third-party program that audits and certifies REAL family farms that utilize high-welfare methods of farming. To find a supplier of AWA certified items, visit the AWA website.

Premium Standard "Farms" Busted
Agri-biz giant loses lawsuit brought by farmers subjected to the pollution caused by a gigantic hog factory farm.

CAFO: The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories
If you really want to know what happens in factory farms, you must read this book. Encourage friends and family to do so as well. What is done to these animals is truly tragic.

Action Alert 2
Tell the DOJ & USDA to protect family farmers and stop the abusive practices of big poultry companies. Visit the Farm Aid website today!

Hero of the Day!
Check out this great article about Lynn Henning, a family farmer from Michigan that doesn't let the agri-biz bullies push her around!

Documentary Alert
Now out on DVD, a must see film: The Farmer and the Horse. It's only $11.99 and you can purchase a license for a community screening for just $125. You can see a preview at the Kickstarter website.

Dave Matthews discusses Family Farmers

Not only does Dave Matthews make great music, he also is a huge supporter of Farm Aid. Here he is talking about the importance of our family farmers.

Episode 2 is almost ready!

Look for it in the next few days! Until then, here's some food for thought: “Cheap food is going to be popular as long as the social and environmental costs of that food are charged to the future. There’s lots of money to be made selling fast food and then treating the diseases that fast food causes. One of the leading products of the American food industry has become patients for the American health care industry.” --Michael Pollan