COMMENTARY
r u Bull-Shit-ting us?: Call us naive (or cynical), but we’re shocked to see this Monsanto propaganda piece masquerading as a NY Times op-ed. Former FDA biotech chief Henry I. Miller writes, among other things, that “Bad-faith efforts by biotechnology opponents to portray rBST [a synthetic hormone to stimulate milk production in cows] as untested or harmful, and to discourage its use, keep society from taking full advantage of a safe and useful product. The opponents’ limited success is keeping the price of milk unnecessarily high.” Wow. So it’s we “cynical activists” who are making milk cost more, not the high cost of feed corn? (We and those damn disaffected left-wing Cincinnati Post journalists.) We guess it’s also misleading of us to point out how rBST-amped-up cows must be milked three times a day, dramatically increasing their risk of mastitis, which requires regular antibiotics, which in turn contributes to antibiotic resistance in humans. Dr. Miller, your cynicism is breathtaking. We eagerly anticipate the press release announcing you’ve joined Monsanto’s board. (New York Times)
“Red State Welfare”: Guest columnist Timothy Egan’s Times Select op-ed piece yesterday is a real barn-burner call for a Food and Farm Bill. We’re down with everything he says about wanting to revitalize “rural America, encourage farmers markets, contribute to environmental health and to make it easier for poor people to buy fresh fruits and vegetables” — but guys, calling farmers subsidy-dependent “welfare queens” ain’t going to build a coalition for reform. (New York Times; if you don’t have Times Select, a certain Renegade Lunch Lady with no copyright fears has republished it).
No nuking!: Tuesday, July 3, is the deadline to submit comments on one of the FDA’s attacks on our right to know how our food is processed. The FDA plans to allow food to be irradiated but call it “pasteurized,” and forgo the “radura” symbol. (The Oregonian)
FEATURES
Refuting the Rachel haters: The right has revved up its claim that Rachel Carson, the environmental pioneer who criticized DDT in her 1962 book, “Silent Spring,” was responsible for the spread of malaria that killed millions. The facts say otherwise. Take that, Michael Crichton! (Salon)
Hurrah, netroots of change: How Democratic Reps. Ron Kind (Wis.) and Earl Blumenauer (Ore.) have turned to the so-called “netroots,” a class of left-leaning and liberal activists, to rally support for a bill that would reduce and redirect farm subsidies to rural development, conservation and nutrition programs. (The Hill)
“Half a million” gavaged geese?: Chinese businessmen are taking aim at the world’s gourmet food market — truffles, caviar and foie gras — with some success. (NPR)
Fishers are king: Sandy and Rossie Fisher of Brookview Farm in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia, are the 2007 winners of American Farmland Trust’s Steward of the Land award. The Fishers specialize in grass-fed beef and organic eggs, their entire farm is in a conservation easement, and they run an educational nonprofit, among other things. (American Farmland Trust)
“Nutrition Facts” often fiction: With FDA unable to regularly confirm the information on nutrition labels, groups like Florida Ag Dept., ConsumerLab.com , and the Good Housekeeping Institute are doing the important work of keeping corporations honest. One agency finds problems in 10% of the labels it checks. (Sun-Sentinel)
Professors o’ poop: Researchers around the country are studying how to turn massive amounts of manure into compost, animal bedding, and energy. (Columbus Dispatch)
Everybody loves chicken: The trials and tribulations of an Oklahoma beef farmer trying to get into raising pastured free-range poultry. (Pryor Daily Times)
A different type of food vs. fuel battle: A survey by Discover Financial Services finds that if gasoline prices increased $1, 52% of respondents will be somewhat or very likely to cut back on grocery spending. (Green Car Congress)
Farm-to-Cafeteria programs in the works in Kansas (ArkCity.net)
Notes on less-common backyard berries such as gooseberries (Delaware Online)
Food, Farming, & Food Politics events calendar
June 30th, 2007 at 4:59 am
I’m not sure that the statement that milking 3 times a day causes more mastitis is correct. It may up the exposure rates for bacteria, as the teat is susceptible during and directly after milking, but proper handling should reduce that to very little. When I lived on a farm, we would milk the animals more often, sometimes six times daily if they had mastitis, so that the bacteria wouldn’t have time to work. This would usually clear the animal up in several days, without antibiotics.
On another note, although we didn’t use rBST, I knew several farmers that did, and they had no problem milking twice a day. Milking three times a day definitely increases the yield of the animals, but was viewed by most as too labor intensive to be worth it.
I did a quick google search and couldn’t find anything to repute or refute my claims, but if you have any peer-reviewed studies, I would be more than happy to check them out.
June 30th, 2007 at 5:44 am
It will be interesting to see if the Renegade Lunch Lady shows up on anyone’s radar. . .