Digest: Stop finger-pointing, start fixing the subsidy program
A big warm-and-fuzzy thank-you to the person who said, in your comments on the Digest survey, that you loved the "Planck's constant" pun. You made our week.
NEWS
Tempest in a Philpott: Grist's Victual Reality column today is a humdinger, with Tom Philpott comparing recent farmer-dissing comments made by the Environmental Working Group's Ken Cook to the row between Carlos Petrini-Ferry Plaza farmers. It's a valid comparison, and it's true that us non-farmers can be a little ... shrill, callous, fill in the blank ... in our "Big Ag" snark-hunting. The piece offers a balanced counterpoint to the heated commodity-subsidy discussion, warning us of the fallacy of blaming farmers for the subsidy mess. But it is a mess, and while large commodity farmers didn't cause it, we'd love to see them join forces to reform it. Disclosure: Philpott is a small organic farmer himself — and has escaped from his Ethicurean pedestal to become a friend of ours. (Grist)
The Outsider: A state scientist says the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency barred him from testifying about the dangers of the farm chemical atrazine, its prevalence in the state's water supply (thanks to corn) and then fired him. (Star Tribune)
A Kinder, gentler Farm Bill: Ron Kind, a Democratic representative from Wisconsin dairyland, is making a name for himself as a crusader for big changes in farm policy. It’s making many of his colleagues nervous. (New York Times)
F-Duh-A: Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Bart Stupak (D-MI) sent a letter to the FDA asking how closing laboratories and reducing staff will help to improve food safety. (Congress Daily via Government Executive)
40 say no way to 123: Forty public-interest groups have signed a letter opposing the infamous Section 123 of Title I of the House's Food and Farm Bill draft, which would preempt state and local food regulation efforts such as bans on planting of transgenic crops, some animal welfare protections, and tougher food safety laws. (Press Release)
West Coasters, your letters are working: 26 members of the California congressional delegation representing urban and suburban districts have written a letter (PDF) urging House Ag Chair Collin C. Peterson to enact major reforms in the 2007 Farm Bill, advocating for a significant expansion of programs that increase markets for organic, family and beginning farmers, promote healthier local food systems, and provide farmers the resources they need to protect our environment and preserve our farmland.
We (heart) Harkin: Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate Ag Committee, wants to increase the number of organically farmed acres by offering support for product marketing, transition to organic methods, and co-op formation. Doing something about the ethanol boom, which makes corn the only crop worth planting, would be another good idea. (Iowa Politics)
Isn't it environic?: A scientist who developed new ways to process, transport, and store large amounts of fruits and vegetables has won the 2007 World Food Prize. (International Herald Tribune)
No criminal charges wil be brought over last year's E. coli outbreak linked to fresh spinach (Salinas Californian/AP)
Quebec farmers' win right to sue government over mad cow crisis (Bloomberg.com)
Democrats want to give black farmers another chance at claims (AP)
FEATURES & COMMENTARY
Raw-ten deal: Why is unprocessed milk the only illegal food in North Carolina? An intrepid reporter digs deep into the raw-milk wars. Comment section is as alive as the milk. (Independent Weekly)
One giant cluster-cluck: The director of Consumers Report's Greenerchoices.org is perplexed by inconsistent government regulations, such as rules for benzene in food and drink. The EPA allows a maximum of 5 parts per billion, but its regulatory authority applies only to bottled water. The FDA, meanwhile, is who has authority over soft drinks and has no benzene limit. So soda makers can continue to increase the possibility of benzene formation in their drinks by combining ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or erythorbic acid and a benzoate salt (sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate). While the USDA "regulates the chicken, the EPA is responsible for the water the chicken drinks, and the FDA is responsible for the egg it lays."
Well, "The Waltons" it ain't: "Organic, Inc." author Sam Fromartz has a short editorial about whether organic has reached a tipping point. We're busily trying to figure out who's who in the following passage: "the so-called 'organic community' was more like a dysfunctional family, with the eccentric uncle, the rich brothers, the penniless artisan, the fiery anarchist, the fighting parents, the co-dependent daughter, all of whom talked about the bygone days when the family was happy." (Natural Foods Merchandiser)
CCD journal article: A "Social Insects" scientist in Australia looks into what's killing American honey bees, outlining the history of mass bee die-offs and discussing whether or not major concern needs to be paid to the problem. (Public Library of Science)
ON THE BLOGS, ETC.
The Eggoiste: Hip-mama blogger Ali buys two sets of eggs — one farm fresh, one supermarket not-so-fresh — cooks ‘em up, and does a blind taste test. (The Cleaner Plate Club)
It's easy being peas-y: The mom of the family chosen by the Seattle P-I to shift their shopping at the farmers market, shares some good tips for readers interested in switching to fresh & local. (Farm Fresh Family)
Aural Ethicurean: Sierra Club Radio features Amy Stewart, author of "Flower Confidential," and Ed Hopkins, who talks about how water pollution is causing gender mutations in fish. NPR examines gum arabic, a major ingredient in sodas, and how the Sudanese civil war is affecting supply. And KCRW's Good Food from two weeks ago had two Ethicurean-themed pieces (Mental Masala listens via podcast, and is often a few shows behind.) First, a conversation with Chef Neal Fraser of Grace Restaurant about his push for sustainability and the practical challenges he faces (at the 29:00 mark). Second, a few minutes with Sam Fromartz on organic farming (43:00).
Comments
By deliberately on June 22nd, 2007 at 4:00 am
As always, great post and thanks for keeping up the pressure on Farm Bill activity. This is one of my absolute favorite sites and is "must" reading every day.
By faustianbargain on June 22nd, 2007 at 3:56 pm
i dont think raw milk should be on our shelves. while i do believe that it shouldnt be made illegal to consume or sell raw milk, i dont think the any govt health agency can support the sale of unpasteurised milk. if people want it because they think its healthier for them, they should make arrangements to purchase it and take the responsibility/risks that come with consuming unpasteurised milk.
i dont think the govt should interfere, but i also dont think any regulating agency, govt'l or otherwise, can endorse, in good conscience, raw milk products.
By Mike on June 22nd, 2007 at 5:03 pm
faustianbargain, why should I, as a consumer, require government endorsement of a product before a middleman (read: retailer) to be able to sell it to me? The government certainly doesn't endorse the cigarettes or alcohol that I can buy in a store, so why should I expect them to endorse the milk? You say that you don't want the government to interfere but you also think that it should. Hmmm.
By DairyQueen on June 22nd, 2007 at 7:04 pm
Faustian, I agree with Mike and I'd also add that raw milk is no more dangerous than ground beef, and statistically speaking probably less so. (Although given how small the sales volume is, that might be hard to quantify.) I would sooner drink a gallon of raw milk than eat a fast-food hamburger any day.
Basically, anything and everything you ingest carries risk. As we have learned, the FDA inspects less than 2% of edible imports, even those coming from companies with questionable practices. And yet this food is "safe enough" for sale on supermarket and pet-food-store shelves. I really think milk can be both unpasteurized and safe to drink if care is taken.
By Walter Jeffries on June 27th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Fix? Fix??? How about eliminate the subsidy program totally. Not just farm subsidies but ALL subsidies. That will drive up the cost of oil to it's real level rather than the artificial low price we see at the pumps. This will in turn force the prices of products to reflect the real cost of transporting them across the continents and around the world. If we eliminate all subsidies there will be a little pain for a little while but things will settle down. Don't forget to make sure the government gives you back the tax dollars they're taking right now to support subsidies. That savings will pay for the higher price at the pump and elsewhere.