Month: November 2016

I just heard the top 3 things that are being forgotten how to do are; Shining shoes, fixing a dripping faucet and changing the oil in your car.  It happens slowly over time and generations, we forget to teach or we don’t have time or it becomes easier for someone else to do it for us.  We cannot afford to provide for our family because the small farm we had to provide food and chores and work ethic for our family, all the while creating family time as a unit, supported by a factory job is nearly gone.

I have been writing my blog for nearly a year now and I have been trying to reach out, have people hear what’s wrong, and all the while remembering what was, and in many places, still right.  The right people, in the right places still exist.  They have been sidetracked, disillusioned by the societal advances in to thinking the hard work, chores and effort couldn’t exist in the new technology age.  Not true.  This is an opportunity to incorporate both.

I have recently came across a finely written 2007 article by Diane Comey titled “A Deeper Look at CAFOs”.  Diane clearly and succinctly lays out the areas of concern I have stated this year, with a more comprehensive look at the politics of the CAFO’s and the large producers, and the negative socio-economic effect of CAFO.  Thank you Diane!

Now, think about this, in a 2001 study from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) concerning the food losses in the growth to plate (or growth to dump).  Referenced in Nov 18^th 2016 blog

Food Consumed vs. Food Loss:  Measured from farm to production, transportation, to stores and consumer waste

• Grains = 38% loss
• Seafood = 50% loss
• Fruits & Vegetables = 52% loss
• Meat = 22% loss
• Milk = 20% loss

This is a very comprehensive study to indicate losses in various stages of the food growth to the table.  It not only points out the issues, but the areas where there has been creative cost and food saving techniques.  There is a small local farmer incentive that directly relates to many of the areas and concerns I have been writing about.  Distance from the consumer is a major waste criteria.  Not only from the farm to the processing plant, but from the plant to the store and in-store waste.

Perhaps we can consider the large powerful corporations that contractually bind and force good meaning small farmers of fruits and vegetables, just as corrupt as the CAFO.  Just as the animal confined, the fruit and vegetable is confined to the corporation, just to be distributed back to the communities from which they came.  Processed and refined, taking out much of the nutrients, and wasted along the way.

This again reinforces the thought of keeping the locally grown produce, more local or regional to create a sustainable food, land, water and most of all a community that will thrive just because it exists in that way.  And I do not just mean a community will thrive.  The Husbands, the Wives, the boys and girls, families and neighbors will truly become healthy and well inhabitants of our earth, and become the good stewards of the place God put under our care.

How, can we in today’s society and changing landscape of, beliefs, social media and a reactionary lifestyle survive?  Many of our not long ago beliefs, needs and very basic wants, changed.  At least we thought until just recently.  Some of the current generations, will never know or clearly realize the hard work and effort it took to provide and put food on the table.  I truly believe we all still want the same thing, whether we know it or yet understand it.  What am I talking about!?

We no longer react to the issues that truly mean anything to us as individuals or families.  We continue to grow and focus on the media, the presidential candidates, or the president elect.  Mainly because we think that those things matter the most.  They don’t and shouldn’t.

When the effects of Fracking, and the continuous neglect to our food & land is right in front of us and we go on like it will never affect us.  We will only complain when it does, instead of seeing it as it happens and really noticing that something is wrong.  And then speaking up, using the media (or old school, actually speak with someone in person) we all have our faces locked into, instead of posting pictures of our food, cat or socially blowing up on an individual.  I firmly believe that in many areas of our lives today, our satisfaction of our accomplishments are misplaced.

The illusion of what is good, and good food is what is in front of us today.  Conveniently located mega stores and the prepackaged boneless meats and ethylene gas ripened fruits and vegetables.  Now, think of the antibiotic ridden chickens, pigs and cows, to the bright and colorful packaged chips and aunt so and so’s cookies.  Nearly 90% of the food on our store shelves contain soy or corn/corn syrup.  They want us to lose sight of all the processes, chemicals, antibiotics, GMO, unsanitary conditions, packaging and all of the unnatural fillers and substitutes for natural flavors and scents. Sure, these you may have heard before, so let’s look at a few other effects our country is other similar areas, directly related to our mass production of our food sources.

Getting food from the farm to our fork:

1. Uses up to 10% of the total U.S. energy
2. 50% of U.S. land
3. 80% of all freshwater consumed in the United States.
4. 40% of food in the United States today goes uneaten
5. $165 billion worth of food Americans throw out each year

Also, the uneaten food ends up rotting in landfills as the single largest component of U.S. municipal solid waste where it accounts for a large portion of U.S. methane emissions.

• Reducing food losses by just 15 percent would be enough food to feed more than 25 million Americans every year at a time when one in six Americans lack a secure supply of food to their tables.
• Increasing the efficiency of our food system is a triple bottom-line solution that requires collaborative efforts by businesses, governments and consumers. To see more

Think back to a couple blog’s ago, were I wrote and reported on Agri-hoods and local sustainability for small to medium communities. Where they would not have to be dependent on the mass produced foods, while growing not only community of families and children but health and wellness our country.  This approach, not only would reduce the waste of food, energy but could provide food for the needy, homeless as well as limit our dependence on other countries for much of our food we import.