S510 (The Food Safety Modernization Act) up for vote

S.510 is moving forward and thankfully, the Tester-Hagan amendment is included (albeit somewhat compromised). The final vote on the bill is delayed until 11/29.

Big agribusiness has supported S.510 since its inception. (Illinois Senator Durbin authored S.510; sigh...) I believe that this bill will further consolidate large agribusiness and make it even more difficult (really? is that possible?) for small producers to compete in the market place. Once the Senate agreed to include the amendment to the bill - large agribusiness came out swinging. During these few days between the agreement on the amendment and the final vote, you can bet that the agribusiness lobbyists are working hard to pull or further dilute the amendment.

Best case scenario, in my opinion, would be no passage of this bill; but obviously that is not going to happen because agri-money talks. As a future small producer and proponent for small farms, the best we can hope for is that the amendment is included - not pulled from the bill.

Grist.org has a good debate on the bill here.

Iowa disappoints...

I was sorry to hear that Francis Thicke was not successful in his attempt to unseat the Iowa incumbent Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey.

Francis is an organic dairy farmer, holds a Ph.D. in agronomy with a soil science specialty, and is an educator. He ran a positive campaign and believes in local foods, land stewardship, CAFO reform, revitalization of rural economies and alternative energy.

Bill Northey is backed by Monsanto's money.

Comment to the USDA re genetically modified seeds!!

Did you know that the USDA is considering letting Monsanto patent its genetically modified alfalfa?

In its draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), issued on December 18, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) claims that there is no evidence that consumers care about genetically modified (GM) alfalfa. Click here to learn more.

If you care about this issue - and how can you not - please comment. This is the basis of our food system! As Joel Salatin says, farmers are first and foremost, grass farmers.

Comment to the USDA here.

We can't undo this one. Once it is out there, there is no going back.

Veggies on the White House Lawn

This is not a political blog. (But I do have a picture of me with President Obama when he was Senator - so that will tell you my leanings.)

I love this! Veggies on the White House Lawn. Hooray!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/dining/19garden-web.html?hp