CAFO's

I am thankful for the people out there who have done the research for those of us who didn't know or think about what has been happening over the last 35 years. Industrial food farming. The more I read about industrial animal farms, I cannot believe that it is not illegal?! I learned its rather the opposite, proposed by the Nixon government to help get food cheaper. I listened to a program on NPR, 'fresh air,' with guest Michael Pollen, author of Omnivore's Dilemma. Terri Gross, the host, asked some incredibly great questions and Michael Pollan responded with equally enlightening answers that I think we all need to hear. I highly recommend it.


The whole idea surrounding industrial food farms, i.e. the Farm Bill, was to produce huge quantities of certain crops, like corn and soybeans, and the government will give you a subsidy. Then put tons of animals in small confinements to produce more meat in less space. When you allow yourself to think about the treatment of the animals being confined to these small spaces and the waste they produce in this small area, which causes disease, and therefore the need to treat them with antibiotics: this all leads to a never ending cycle of something very unhealthy. Michael Pollen has researched this thoroughly and I have only heard tidbits of his book, but just listening in on this show helped me understand the problem so much more clearly. He actually wrote a letter to the next president of the U.S., stating his idea that the answer to the energy crisis, economy, dependence of foreign oil, and creating more jobs, is a restructure of the food industry first and foremost. I totally agree. And most importantly the Farm Bill needs to be changed. Why wouldn't our government want to promote a greater and healthier way to grow crops and raise animals so that the results lead to a healthier country and a better way to provide food for our country. As well as a natural way to take care of the land, versus the pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Crop rotation and/or rotating animals and crops fertilizes the fields for crops and gives the animals a healthy diet and a good life.


A quote from the interview: "when we eat meat from industrial farms, we are eating petroleum (to make the pesticides) and are spewing out green house gases."


He emphasises this is not just a 'left' issue, it is equally on both political parties responsibility and interests. He states that there are evangelicals out there who are interested and teaching these principles in there homes. I appreciated this comment because that is who I am. I am fighting for these issues and putting it all on the liberals as if no one else cares or should is not right.

He suggests schools starting up gardens to produce better produce to cook with, this would emphasize better food in the school lunch program. Also, he says the white house should rip out their front lawn and grow a garden to promote this kind of attitude in everyone. Isn't that great! Did you know Eleanor Roosevelt did this in the time of the depression, planted a garden in the white house yard and called it a victory garden. She influenced people all over the country to do the same. Greg and I planted some garden areas in our front yard this year and it looks beautiful out there and natural.


I was also reading more of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle yesterday, and that left me thankful for the people who have fought for something better and have worked hard to keep the organic/pasture raised animal farms, and food farms. A quote from her book that parallels Michael Pollan's arguments is:

"U.S consumers may take our pick of reasons to be wary of the resulting product ( speaking about industrial animal farms ): growth hormones, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, unhealthy cholesterol composition, deadly E. coli strains, fuel consumption, concentration of manure into toxic waste lagoons, and the turpitude of keeping confined creatures at the limit of their physiological and psychological endurance."


I am thankful that these issues are becoming so much more evident to all of us, at least I hope they are. It really is easy to go about our lives and trust that people are doing what is best for each other. But it seems to be about the economic status and not about what is better for the earth and what is natural and healthier. I realize this will take time to change, but just as in all changes, small steps need to start happening. Wouldn't it be great if the government started the change by encouraging a better way of eating and supporting the farmers who can help do this.


For the first time in my life, I have thought more about the presidential election and what exactly we are aiming for as a country. I vow never again to let myself just vote as a party affiliation without looking more into the issues. I don't think that any president can do everything they propose to do, because it is a lot of people working together up there to make things happen. But the fact that I haven't taken the responsibility to research makes me really disappointed in myself. It feels like this attitude is responsible for the focus always being put on the same issues. We associate certain issues and stances with each party. It seems everything is caught up in budget spending, religious issues, whether or not errors were made in the previous presidency, and tax cuts for who and when. (which seems a silly argument when they passed a 700 billion bail-out. Who isn't going to get taxed for this one!) It would be great if the election was not such a battle of party affiliation, but for the best leader, and an affiliation as a nation together. A little idealistic thought... I don't know much but I plan to keep learning.

Just a little extra reading up on CAFO's, see what wikipedia has to say and look at those pictures. What results do we expect from this picture?