I keep meaning to post this, and I keep putting it off, because I KNOW that you probably care more about what is going on at the farm (weeding, the last rain kick started the Canadian Thistle) and not more blabbing on the Food Safety Bill.
But I found this article last week about a farmer being raided for suspected interstate sale of raw milk.
"Stockton warned the requirement now is for federal agents to claim they have "credible evidence" regarding a case, but a proposed federal change would strike those words in the law and replace them with "reason to believe."
"The phrase 'reason to believe' would be inserted 14 times into the code with S. 510," she said. "If this bill goes through, the FDA will have control of farms. They will not need 'credible evidence' to act. They will essentially be given a free hand to act as they want. And look at how they already act, even with the existing constraints in place." "
How much less is "reason to believe" then "credible evidence," a world it seems to me... a constitutional world...
Showing posts with label food safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food safety. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
For milk?
Some of you may remember my post last year about Manna Storehouse and a private home raided by a swat team for the accusation of selling mislabeled meat through their co-op.
Well, a new story is coming to light, which is no less scary. A 5am raid on an Amish farmer, legally producing a product in his state, but being accused of some of his highly dangerous (raw milk) product being transported across state lines. Here it is.
I wonder how long it will be that we can legally eat veggies that actually touched the ground, and were not kept safe by huge wildlife exclusions zones, and piles of paperwork and regulation.
How long will our freedom of choice to buy veggies from who we like, drink milk we want (already gone in 21 states), or put salt on on dinner last? We need to stand up for our right to choose our food. (as sad as that is)
Well, a new story is coming to light, which is no less scary. A 5am raid on an Amish farmer, legally producing a product in his state, but being accused of some of his highly dangerous (raw milk) product being transported across state lines. Here it is.
I wonder how long it will be that we can legally eat veggies that actually touched the ground, and were not kept safe by huge wildlife exclusions zones, and piles of paperwork and regulation.
How long will our freedom of choice to buy veggies from who we like, drink milk we want (already gone in 21 states), or put salt on on dinner last? We need to stand up for our right to choose our food. (as sad as that is)
Are we all the same?
Here is a really nice article on SB510.
I like this quote: "Senate Bill 510 actually will strengthen the forces that have led to the consolidation of our food supply ... while harming small producers who give consumers the choice to buy fresh, healthy and local foods," said R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard in the release.
It is true. I rewatched Food, Inc. the other day and was torn again, between righteous anger at our food system and fear that documentaries like it will help cement a one-size fits all food safety system.
We need a system which does not treat a 4 acre veggie grower like Earthbound Organics. If you have not already, tell your senators you support the Tester Amendment. Here is info on it.
I like this quote: "Senate Bill 510 actually will strengthen the forces that have led to the consolidation of our food supply ... while harming small producers who give consumers the choice to buy fresh, healthy and local foods," said R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard in the release.
It is true. I rewatched Food, Inc. the other day and was torn again, between righteous anger at our food system and fear that documentaries like it will help cement a one-size fits all food safety system.
We need a system which does not treat a 4 acre veggie grower like Earthbound Organics. If you have not already, tell your senators you support the Tester Amendment. Here is info on it.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Call - tell them to support the Tester Ammendment!
Senate Bill 510 is going to pass, but a series of amendments look like they are going to be included! However, it is my understanding that the Tester amendment is not included in the amendments which will definatly make it in. It will be debated separately and voted on alone.
According to food safety news "The most contentious amendment in consideration, proposed by Senator John Tester (D-MT), to exempt food facilities with under $500,000 gross sales from preventative control plan requirements, and traceback and recordkeeping provisions, will not be part of the manager's amendment, but will be debated separately when the bill is brought to the floor. "
Please note that Food Safety news is on the separate side of the issue from me and thinks this amendment is "asking for trouble." But their article outlines the amendments made and pending clearly so here is the link: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/04/farmers-make-gains-in-senate-battle/
I would ask you to call your senators and ask them to support the Tester Amendment and support your local farms.
According to food safety news "The most contentious amendment in consideration, proposed by Senator John Tester (D-MT), to exempt food facilities with under $500,000 gross sales from preventative control plan requirements, and traceback and recordkeeping provisions, will not be part of the manager's amendment, but will be debated separately when the bill is brought to the floor. "
Please note that Food Safety news is on the separate side of the issue from me and thinks this amendment is "asking for trouble." But their article outlines the amendments made and pending clearly so here is the link: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/04/farmers-make-gains-in-senate-battle/
I would ask you to call your senators and ask them to support the Tester Amendment and support your local farms.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Fact and fiction...
So you may be hearing a lot about why the senate bill 510 (FDA Food Safety Modernization Act) is bad and what it does.
You may have heard:
You may have heard:
- You will have to pay $500 and be subjected to inspections to grow your own garden!
- It will outlaw organics!
- It will end Farmers Markets and CSAs!
- It will mean only GMO seeds can be sold!
These things are NOT true. The law will not do this, your garden will not be illegal and your farmers market is safe, you will still be able to buy organic veggies and avoid GMO varieties.
But it will have significant impacts. Basically the problem is this - it is trying to apply a one size fits all mold to farms and food producers, across the board, regardless of size of the grower (/producer) or means of distribution.
- It is NOT limited only to products involved in interstate commerce, which means that the food your farmer grows for your local farmers market is not exempt.
- It does NOT recognize differences in farm size, which means a 10 member CSA will have to pay the same fee, complete the same paperwork, and compile the same Hazard Plan as a multi-thousand acre non-diversified farm.
- It puts the FDA in charge of farmers production methods. Is this really the right place for this to be? Shouldn't this be a Department of Agriculture issue? People who deal with farms and not pharmaceutical factories?
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system will apply to even the smallest local food processor. This means that the person making cupcakes or jelly for market will be considered legally the same as Kraft food.
But honestly, my biggest concern is not for this bill today. In all probability, if it passes the worst that will happen with small producers is they have to pay their $500, because the amount of work involved in implementing this involves is so large that it will be years before they work their way down to the 2 acre grower. BUT it will set up a framework to institute regulation whenever public opinion blows.
So lets say that in 5 years there is a U-pick strawberry farm somewhere which gets contaminated somehow with something? Lets say, hypothetically, that 24 children who picked strawberries there get very ill, a couple may even die. With this law in place it would be a matter of REGULATION not LEGISLATION that U-pick berry farms are no longer compliant with food safety laws.
Lets say that in 7 years there is a farmers market somewhere where jalapenos which are contaminated with something are sold. They trace it back to a farmer who had a deer walk across his field. There is not necessarily proof that that is the source of the contamination, but since we know that animals should not be within 1000 feet of food (California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement) new REGULATION not LEGISLATION is put in place that any food grown within 200 feet of evidence (footprints) of animals must be destroyed.
Lets get crazy and say that in 20 years there is a problem somewhere and good diligent organic farmers by compost from a company who has produced a bad, contaminated product. People in 4 states get sick, 25 die. Now you can no longer use compost in farms via the stroke of a pen.
I am all for food safety, but I feel that the small grower is a pretty safe bet from a safety standpoint. We are NOT the same as big farms and should not be treated such.
We need to call and let our Senators know that we do not agree with 510. Since it is pretty much guaranteed to pass (which senator will risk being against food safety, and be accused during the next election of being responsible for death of the next child to be victim to a food contamination outbreak) we need to support amendments which exempt small producers.
One size does not fit all!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!!!
Got your attention? But according to some you are putting your life at risk with every salad (or veggie) until the government steps in. I was reading an article from the Chicago Tribune today, and came across this great quote in reference to leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, ect):
FARMERS GROW IN THE DIRT. Dirt, by it's very nature is not clean, it is dirty. It is dirt.
The article goes on to say "Greens are especially vulnerable for several reasons, including that they are grown so close to the ground -- unlike, say, fruit from trees ."
So I suggest we stop eating all veggies and switch to fruit. But the question is can we still eat berries, they are kind of in the middle.
Bad growing and handling practices are a problem. But regulation which imposes the same rules on me, who grows 1000' of lettuce a year, cuts fresh heads, washes them with clean fresh water, and gets it to my end user in less then 24 hours as someone who grows a 100+ acres of lettuce, processes in factory like conditions and sends it for distribution to wholesalers where we hope it will be sold within a week-ish is silly. I mean STUPID! MORONIC!
(deep breath)
Let's take the same train of thought into your kitchen. We know restaurant fires used to be a bad thing, that is why we now have code imposed hood systems, with major ventilation and fire suppression built in. These are expensive units, expensive to buy, install, and maintain. But these units save lots of lives (and buildings) each year. They are such a good idea I think that we should mandate every home to have one over their stove (and microwave.) After all, you do the same thing, you cook food. Also you need to install NSF surfaces, 3 bowl sinks, grease traps, and let the health department inspect you every few months. It is for your own safety!
That is pretty ridiculous, you probably agree (or else you would not be reading my blog.) And imposing the same rules on small farmers as on large agri-businesses is equally as ridiculous.
Info from Cornucopia Institute here.
- "These items are grown outdoors in fields with dirt. It's probably impossible to grow them without contact with a food-borne pathogen," said Craig Hedberg, a professor at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health."
FARMERS GROW IN THE DIRT. Dirt, by it's very nature is not clean, it is dirty. It is dirt.
The article goes on to say "Greens are especially vulnerable for several reasons, including that they are grown so close to the ground -- unlike, say, fruit from trees ."
So I suggest we stop eating all veggies and switch to fruit. But the question is can we still eat berries, they are kind of in the middle.
Bad growing and handling practices are a problem. But regulation which imposes the same rules on me, who grows 1000' of lettuce a year, cuts fresh heads, washes them with clean fresh water, and gets it to my end user in less then 24 hours as someone who grows a 100+ acres of lettuce, processes in factory like conditions and sends it for distribution to wholesalers where we hope it will be sold within a week-ish is silly. I mean STUPID! MORONIC!
(deep breath)
Let's take the same train of thought into your kitchen. We know restaurant fires used to be a bad thing, that is why we now have code imposed hood systems, with major ventilation and fire suppression built in. These are expensive units, expensive to buy, install, and maintain. But these units save lots of lives (and buildings) each year. They are such a good idea I think that we should mandate every home to have one over their stove (and microwave.) After all, you do the same thing, you cook food. Also you need to install NSF surfaces, 3 bowl sinks, grease traps, and let the health department inspect you every few months. It is for your own safety!
That is pretty ridiculous, you probably agree (or else you would not be reading my blog.) And imposing the same rules on small farmers as on large agri-businesses is equally as ridiculous.
Info from Cornucopia Institute here.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Issue 2
I know, I know. You want me to blog about the farm and not silly legislation! But here is one you get to actually vote for, YOURSELF. Here is one you get to tell your friends and neighbors about, to educate those around you. And we can make a real difference.
On the ballot this November 3rd you will see Issue 2. It will say:
A yes vote is a mistake, in my opinion. You are voting to create a board, primarily of industry insiders (the ones who run CAFOs and Battery Chicken houses now) who will set standards that every farmer will have to follow. Rules that are probably not even applicable to people like me with 24 chickens...
The Humane Society of the United States says "It’s designed to favor large factory farms, not family farmers, Issue 2 is opposed by the Ohio Farmers Union, the Ohio Environmental Stewardship Alliance, League of Women Voters of Ohio, the Ohio League of Humane Voters, and the Ohio Sierra Club. The editorial boards of Ohio’s major newspapers—including the Columbus Dispatch, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Akron Beacon Journal, and Dayton Daily News—all oppose this effort to enshrine the agribusiness lobby’s favored oversight system in the state’s constitution."
Other groups which oppose Issue 2 are the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (the certifying organization for Organic in Ohio), Northeast Ohio's chapter of Slow Food, and the Innovative Farmers of Ohio (an organization for small, sustainable growers).
The Journal of Whole Food and Nutritional Health says "Factory Farmers are promoting this constitutional amendment as a way to protect them from criticism by the Humane Society and PETA and other people who may question their treatment of animals.... Do not be fooled by the misleading language of this proposal. It protects large, industrial farms that confine hundreds and even thousands of animals for rapid growth using antibiotics, hormones, and unnatural habitats. Vote NO on Issue 2"
We have about a month to make sure everyone we know knows about this issue, so I will try to talk about it about once a week until then, interspersed with lots of farm photos and news.
Until then, think about this. Many of us are doing what we can to limit how much meat we eat from CAFOs or Battery Chicken Houses. So why would we support a bill which puts that very industry in charge of animal care regulations in our state, in our state constitution?
Why?
On the ballot this November 3rd you will see Issue 2. It will say:
- "2 PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT: TO CREATE THE OHIO LIVESTOCK CARE STANDARDS BOARD TO ESTABLISH AND IMPLEMENT STANDARDS OF CARE FOR LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY"
A yes vote is a mistake, in my opinion. You are voting to create a board, primarily of industry insiders (the ones who run CAFOs and Battery Chicken houses now) who will set standards that every farmer will have to follow. Rules that are probably not even applicable to people like me with 24 chickens...
The Humane Society of the United States says "It’s designed to favor large factory farms, not family farmers, Issue 2 is opposed by the Ohio Farmers Union, the Ohio Environmental Stewardship Alliance, League of Women Voters of Ohio, the Ohio League of Humane Voters, and the Ohio Sierra Club. The editorial boards of Ohio’s major newspapers—including the Columbus Dispatch, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Akron Beacon Journal, and Dayton Daily News—all oppose this effort to enshrine the agribusiness lobby’s favored oversight system in the state’s constitution."
Other groups which oppose Issue 2 are the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (the certifying organization for Organic in Ohio), Northeast Ohio's chapter of Slow Food, and the Innovative Farmers of Ohio (an organization for small, sustainable growers).
The Journal of Whole Food and Nutritional Health says "Factory Farmers are promoting this constitutional amendment as a way to protect them from criticism by the Humane Society and PETA and other people who may question their treatment of animals.... Do not be fooled by the misleading language of this proposal. It protects large, industrial farms that confine hundreds and even thousands of animals for rapid growth using antibiotics, hormones, and unnatural habitats. Vote NO on Issue 2"
We have about a month to make sure everyone we know knows about this issue, so I will try to talk about it about once a week until then, interspersed with lots of farm photos and news.
Until then, think about this. Many of us are doing what we can to limit how much meat we eat from CAFOs or Battery Chicken Houses. So why would we support a bill which puts that very industry in charge of animal care regulations in our state, in our state constitution?
Why?
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Section 105
Section 105 of the food saftey bill now waiting in the wings to be voted upon when everyone is busy elsewhere...
'(1) In general - Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and representatives of State departments of agriculture, sall publish a notice of proposed rulemaking to establish science based minimum standards for the safe productionad harvesting of those types of fruits and vegetables that are raw agricultural commodities for which the Secretary has determined that such standards minimize the risk of serious adverse health consequences or death."
So in other words when people tell you that the law will have no impact on farmers they are not lieing. Because really who knows what those rules will be? But if they take as a model some of the rules coming out of grocrey store requirements for greens, many small farms will be unable to meet those requirements, if for no other reason then they do not have enough land for the buffer zones, which are a couple hundred feet deep. I posted about this in July.
You can probably tick off any item which has recently had recalls as the first targets, these will include at a minumum greens, spinach, cilantro, peppers, and tomatoes... That list includes some of the higher value items to a small farm, and more will certainly follow. Just something to think about.
'(1) In general - Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and representatives of State departments of agriculture, sall publish a notice of proposed rulemaking to establish science based minimum standards for the safe productionad harvesting of those types of fruits and vegetables that are raw agricultural commodities for which the Secretary has determined that such standards minimize the risk of serious adverse health consequences or death."
So in other words when people tell you that the law will have no impact on farmers they are not lieing. Because really who knows what those rules will be? But if they take as a model some of the rules coming out of grocrey store requirements for greens, many small farms will be unable to meet those requirements, if for no other reason then they do not have enough land for the buffer zones, which are a couple hundred feet deep. I posted about this in July.
You can probably tick off any item which has recently had recalls as the first targets, these will include at a minumum greens, spinach, cilantro, peppers, and tomatoes... That list includes some of the higher value items to a small farm, and more will certainly follow. Just something to think about.
Monday, August 17, 2009
S 510
The new bill to oppose is Senete Bill 510, the sister to HB 2749 The Food Safety Modernization Act. Fight for your right to artesional cheeses and pastas, and home produced bakery goods, jams, and jellies.
Check out this from the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund.
Here are the main talking points they outline...
Check out this from the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund.
Here are the main talking points they outline...
- Talking Points (note: these same problems are also found in HR 2749)
Food safety problems lie with the industrial food processors and food imports, not with local producers. FDA should not be given any additional regulatory power over the local food system than what the agency has at present. - S.510 calls for federal regulation of how farmers grow and harvest product. Farmers selling food directly to local markets are inherently transparent and accountable to their customers, and there is no reason to impose these regulations on them. Based on FDA's track record, it is likely that such rules will also discriminate against diversified sustainable farms that produce animals and crops in complementary systems.
- S.510 expands FDA's powers over food processors, regardless of their size, scale, or distribution. FDA oversight of small, local food processors is overreaching and unnecessary. Small processors selling into local markets do not need federal oversight, unlike the large, industrial, multi-sourced supply chains that are the cause of most foodborne illnesses and food recalls.
- S.510 applies a complex Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system to even the smallest local processors, imposing onerous paperwork and record-keeping on these small businesses. Applying a HACCP system to local foods facilities processing for local markets, as well as farmers making value-added products, could undermine and extinguish these emerging small businesses attempting to bring healthy local foods to American consumers.
- In fact, when HAACP was applied to the meat packing industry, it was instrumental in reducing the number of smaller regional and local meat packers, yet failed to increase the number of independent, objective inspectors in giant meat slaughtering and packing facilities.
- Bottom line: One size does not fit all when considering food safety bills! Local foods businesses are not the same as animal factories or mega-farms that sell products into industrial scale national and international markets, and should not be regulated the same way!
Bottom line... I will post more on my thoughts on the real bottom line of this law later this week. We still have time to help oppose this, but they will try to push it through while they think no one is paying attention, and everyone is looking at healthcare, cap&trade, and immigration.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
H.R. 2749 - The new fight...
My husband asked me the other day, again, "Did you ever think you would be a radical?"
Me? A radical, no... I am as centrist as they come. Right and wrong, not left and right. And I am sorry, small businesses are at heart of this nations foundations, and small farms at the begining and center of those. Small farms operate, for the most part, on razor thin margins if they manage to make a profit at all, additional regulation and requirments will put burdens on them that most of them will not be able to survive. I think that is a pretty centrist view... Not everyone agrees with me, however.
If you agree with me and want to support your right to eat produce from small farms, fruit from u-pick operations, and small scale grass fed livestock it may be time to speak up. This time against HR 2749 which has passed committee and is on it's way to the house floor for a vote (although it has not yet been scheduled for one.)
You can read the text of the bill here... I will be going over the text in detail in the next couple days to get a real handle on what it says (reading a bill, what a concept?) I will post about it more, but from what I am seeing this is being pushed through fast, so if you want to act, don't wait. This bill is moving at an unusally fast rate...
It got a number on June 10, went to committee on June 17, passed instantly, and is headed for a vote on the floor of the House... Which makes me think that this is the one they wanted all along. And several orgnizations which had no stand on HR 875 have very strong opinions aganist this one...
Watch out...
Me? A radical, no... I am as centrist as they come. Right and wrong, not left and right. And I am sorry, small businesses are at heart of this nations foundations, and small farms at the begining and center of those. Small farms operate, for the most part, on razor thin margins if they manage to make a profit at all, additional regulation and requirments will put burdens on them that most of them will not be able to survive. I think that is a pretty centrist view... Not everyone agrees with me, however.
If you agree with me and want to support your right to eat produce from small farms, fruit from u-pick operations, and small scale grass fed livestock it may be time to speak up. This time against HR 2749 which has passed committee and is on it's way to the house floor for a vote (although it has not yet been scheduled for one.)
You can read the text of the bill here... I will be going over the text in detail in the next couple days to get a real handle on what it says (reading a bill, what a concept?) I will post about it more, but from what I am seeing this is being pushed through fast, so if you want to act, don't wait. This bill is moving at an unusally fast rate...
It got a number on June 10, went to committee on June 17, passed instantly, and is headed for a vote on the floor of the House... Which makes me think that this is the one they wanted all along. And several orgnizations which had no stand on HR 875 have very strong opinions aganist this one...
Watch out...
The bill may be dead in the water, the issue is not...
Here is a really good post on food safety legislation ...
The point basically is that HR875 is basically dead, but the issue of food safety is still very much alive. To quote the above link when discussing other food safety bills...
"Perhaps the worst of the lot is HR 1332, Rep. Costa’s Safe FEAST Act of 2009, which is backed by the Big Ag group Western Growers. It would create a HACCP system for produce. (HACCP is the set of burdensome recordkeeping requirements credited with hastening the demise of many small-scale slaughter facilities.) It doesn’t take the size of operations into account. It would pay for inspections by charging fees to farms and processors and would hand the duty of inspection over to third-party certifiers. Because yeah, that’s worked so well for us to date.
Then there’s Rep. DeGette’s H.R. 814, which actually does mandate a National Animal Identification System, which we and lots of other people have major concerns about. And there’s H.R. 759, offered by Rep. Dingell, which requires traceability of food from farm to restaurants and requires that the recordkeeping be done electronically. It also charges fees to processors — small or large — for inspections."
Oh, yeah! NAIS - the national animal identification system, whose first goal is the tagging and tracking of ever agricultural animal in the country but whose proponents suggest it should apply to every domesticated animal!
Here is a very nice description of some of the issues around food safety... It discusses among other things the greens rules I posted about last week.
The battle over HR875 may be over, but the war over your right to decide what food you want to buy, what farmers you want to support, and what production techniques you think are right has just begun...
The point basically is that HR875 is basically dead, but the issue of food safety is still very much alive. To quote the above link when discussing other food safety bills...
"Perhaps the worst of the lot is HR 1332, Rep. Costa’s Safe FEAST Act of 2009, which is backed by the Big Ag group Western Growers. It would create a HACCP system for produce. (HACCP is the set of burdensome recordkeeping requirements credited with hastening the demise of many small-scale slaughter facilities.) It doesn’t take the size of operations into account. It would pay for inspections by charging fees to farms and processors and would hand the duty of inspection over to third-party certifiers. Because yeah, that’s worked so well for us to date.
Then there’s Rep. DeGette’s H.R. 814, which actually does mandate a National Animal Identification System, which we and lots of other people have major concerns about. And there’s H.R. 759, offered by Rep. Dingell, which requires traceability of food from farm to restaurants and requires that the recordkeeping be done electronically. It also charges fees to processors — small or large — for inspections."
Oh, yeah! NAIS - the national animal identification system, whose first goal is the tagging and tracking of ever agricultural animal in the country but whose proponents suggest it should apply to every domesticated animal!
Here is a very nice description of some of the issues around food safety... It discusses among other things the greens rules I posted about last week.
The battle over HR875 may be over, but the war over your right to decide what food you want to buy, what farmers you want to support, and what production techniques you think are right has just begun...
Thursday, July 16, 2009
I am putting your health at risk...
We are very sorry! After reading this article "Crops, ponds destroyed in quest for food safety" I have seen the error of my ways. We are, I suppose, lucky that members can come to the farm at all to pick up, racked as they must be illness caused by our violations of food safety standards required by many super markets for their greens growers. Fine, I suppose, until those large growers push to make these rules apply to everyone!
Should these rules apply to me? If so, it was nice being your farmer because as of today we are out of business.
For example, there is a requirement for 450 foot dirt buffer zones around fields. These no-man lands are to have no vegetation, to prevent animals from straying into the fields and contaminating my crops. The aerial photo shows 12 acres of our fields. The area in the center that does not have a colored overlay is the "safe" area to grow...
Wait a minute???
I am also very sorry to say to those of you whose children sweetly ask if they may feed a carrot to the chickens or who bug you all week about when they get to come back to the farm to visit the chickens, children, under 5 are no longer allowed on the farm. At all. You know they are a "diaper risk." Even if they never touch a growing veggie, never step foot in the garden, even if they never see the veggies in the field they are a safety risk (as are their parents if they are not wearing an official farm ID badge.) It is truly amazing that those of us who enjoy cooking with young children have survived meals where they MIX THE DOUGH, WITH THEIR HANDS!!!) Personally, I am wondering how my own children will feel, not being able to live on the farm with us until they are 5, but all in the name of food safety...
Then there are the deer and rabbits. Any place we see evidence of animals be it a footprint or a toad, we are to destroy all crops in a 30' wide swath through the garden. I am telling you now, we will have no garden. Personally, I see an occasional toad and frog as a sign that we have a healthy garden, but I guess it is not so healthy for you! I suppose the park will be OK with us poisoning all our animal friends! After all, we must be safe.
So (on the unlikely case) that any of our members are still alive to read this, please accept my apologies! The facts are according to Seattle trial lawyer Bill Marler, who represented many of the plaintiffs in the 2006 E. coli outbreak in "In 16 years of handling nearly every major food-borne illness outbreak in America, I can tell you I've never had a case where it's been linked to a farmers' market, could it happen? Absolutely. But the big problem has been the mass-produced product. What you're seeing is this rub between trying to make it as clean as possible so they don't poison anybody, but still not wanting to come to the reality that it may be the industrialized process that's making it all so risky."
I stand by the statement that their may come a day when doing what we do - growing food on a small scale using natural and sustainable methods - will be illegal...
Should these rules apply to me? If so, it was nice being your farmer because as of today we are out of business.
For example, there is a requirement for 450 foot dirt buffer zones around fields. These no-man lands are to have no vegetation, to prevent animals from straying into the fields and contaminating my crops. The aerial photo shows 12 acres of our fields. The area in the center that does not have a colored overlay is the "safe" area to grow...
Wait a minute???
I am also very sorry to say to those of you whose children sweetly ask if they may feed a carrot to the chickens or who bug you all week about when they get to come back to the farm to visit the chickens, children, under 5 are no longer allowed on the farm. At all. You know they are a "diaper risk." Even if they never touch a growing veggie, never step foot in the garden, even if they never see the veggies in the field they are a safety risk (as are their parents if they are not wearing an official farm ID badge.) It is truly amazing that those of us who enjoy cooking with young children have survived meals where they MIX THE DOUGH, WITH THEIR HANDS!!!) Personally, I am wondering how my own children will feel, not being able to live on the farm with us until they are 5, but all in the name of food safety...
Then there are the deer and rabbits. Any place we see evidence of animals be it a footprint or a toad, we are to destroy all crops in a 30' wide swath through the garden. I am telling you now, we will have no garden. Personally, I see an occasional toad and frog as a sign that we have a healthy garden, but I guess it is not so healthy for you! I suppose the park will be OK with us poisoning all our animal friends! After all, we must be safe.
So (on the unlikely case) that any of our members are still alive to read this, please accept my apologies! The facts are according to Seattle trial lawyer Bill Marler, who represented many of the plaintiffs in the 2006 E. coli outbreak in "In 16 years of handling nearly every major food-borne illness outbreak in America, I can tell you I've never had a case where it's been linked to a farmers' market, could it happen? Absolutely. But the big problem has been the mass-produced product. What you're seeing is this rub between trying to make it as clean as possible so they don't poison anybody, but still not wanting to come to the reality that it may be the industrialized process that's making it all so risky."
I stand by the statement that their may come a day when doing what we do - growing food on a small scale using natural and sustainable methods - will be illegal...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
HR 875... What it says and what it doesn't
I would think that with all of my posts the past week I would have lost readers, amazingly people seem to want to read these posts.
I have had a lot of comments (an emails) from people about HR 875 so I wanted to clarify my points in a short post.
What does HR 875 NOT do...
What do I suggest:
I have had a lot of comments (an emails) from people about HR 875 so I wanted to clarify my points in a short post.
What does HR 875 NOT do...
- No where in the bill can I find anything about implementation of NAIS (National Animal Identification) system.
- Nowhere in the bill can I find anything that criminalizes backyard garden.
- It does not out law organics
- It does not mandate annual inspections of farms
- Establishes a new "FSA" - Food Safety Administration on par with the FDA.
- Defines farms as "Food Production Facility"
- Gives this new agency the right to create new regulations on processing, growing, harvesting, sorting, and storage operations of food
- Requires them to set minimum standards related to fertilizer use, nutrients, hygiene, packing, temperature controls, animal encroachments, and water
- Require labeling of all food to allow traceability back to the farm
- Requires reporting from farms to the governments
- Specially define farm as a... well a farm! Which is why some are speculating that home gardens may be included. I find this pretty unlikely.
- Exempt small farms from any requirements. No where have I found any language that would set up a tiered regulation system where small farms would have a different set of regulations then large companies. That is a problem!
- Exempt home produced items from any requirements. They would be defined as "Category 4 Food Establishment." No where have I found any language that would set up a tiered regulation system for home produced items. In Ohio we have a pretty farmer friendly set of laws on home produced items. The law requires random at least quarterly inspections of Category 4 food establishments.
- Define what the regulations will be. This is the crux of the problem. We are setting up an framework that will allow new regulations to be set within an administration which will be on the level of the FDA. What will the regulations be today, and what will they be in 10 years? Will I be required to put a UPC type sticker on every item I grow, to comply with the tractability requirement? It is perhaps the most reasonable solution. UPCs cost about $60 a piece to set up. Then you need the stickers and all that. We are growing 100 varieties this year. That would be $6000 in coding fees. That is to comply with only one line of a 40 page piece of legislation. If I was a 400 acre farm growing 10 items my fee would be only $600. See the problem?
What do I suggest:
- Specially exempt farmers markets
- Exempt farms with less then $1,000,000 in annual sales
- Exempt Food establishments with less then $1,000,000 in annual sales
- Specifically define farms so home gardens are not included
- Establish a system of public comment on the regulation
Friday, March 13, 2009
Outlaw farmers...
When the government outlaws gardens only oulaws will have gardens.
We have been saying for a couple years that ONE DAY what we do, grow naturally produced heirloom produce on a small scale may be illegal. People laughed, rolled their eyes, or regarded us with skeptisim. I am really worried that we are moving more rapidly in that direction than I had felt possible.
Another blogger posted about HR 875:
The safest food you can eat in America is raised by small conscientious farmers. Farmers that care for their animals, the food they grow, the jams they process, the bread they bake. Why??? Because they eat the products too. The USDA for years has encouraged farmers' markets. Food gurus like Micheal Pollan, Alice Waters, Eliot Coleman have prodded Americans to eat local fresh foods.
Now..........Ms Rosa Delauro has introduced this legislation that will take farming to a whole new level. Well -- maybe not a hole new level.......... just the level that Monsanto, ADM, and Cargill wanted ..... no organic, no small farms.
Others will tell you that there is no reason we cannot farm, if we have the required "safety" plan and appropriate equipment. I would assume at a minimum that would consist of a building with NSF surfaces ($100,000+), wash lines ($10,000+), packing lines ($5,000+), and coolers ($5,000+). If these numbers seem high, I would argue they are pretty low in my experience at my day job in commercial architecture. they go the route of FDA butchering facilities add $20,000 to pave the drive way (gravel is no good) and $6,000 for an extra bathroom.
And that is before we pay a consultant $100 an hour to write our required "safety" plan and help us comply with a new maze of regulation... That is before one of us spends most of our time compiling the required paperwork, reports, and plans.
Do you think anyone would be willing to pay $5,000 a season for their CSA share? Anyone?
We have been saying for a couple years that ONE DAY what we do, grow naturally produced heirloom produce on a small scale may be illegal. People laughed, rolled their eyes, or regarded us with skeptisim. I am really worried that we are moving more rapidly in that direction than I had felt possible.
Another blogger posted about HR 875:
The safest food you can eat in America is raised by small conscientious farmers. Farmers that care for their animals, the food they grow, the jams they process, the bread they bake. Why??? Because they eat the products too. The USDA for years has encouraged farmers' markets. Food gurus like Micheal Pollan, Alice Waters, Eliot Coleman have prodded Americans to eat local fresh foods.
Now..........Ms Rosa Delauro has introduced this legislation that will take farming to a whole new level. Well -- maybe not a hole new level.......... just the level that Monsanto, ADM, and Cargill wanted ..... no organic, no small farms.
Others will tell you that there is no reason we cannot farm, if we have the required "safety" plan and appropriate equipment. I would assume at a minimum that would consist of a building with NSF surfaces ($100,000+), wash lines ($10,000+), packing lines ($5,000+), and coolers ($5,000+). If these numbers seem high, I would argue they are pretty low in my experience at my day job in commercial architecture. they go the route of FDA butchering facilities add $20,000 to pave the drive way (gravel is no good) and $6,000 for an extra bathroom.
And that is before we pay a consultant $100 an hour to write our required "safety" plan and help us comply with a new maze of regulation... That is before one of us spends most of our time compiling the required paperwork, reports, and plans.
Do you think anyone would be willing to pay $5,000 a season for their CSA share? Anyone?
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Protecting us from dangerous criminals...
On December first a swat team entered a private home in rural north east Ohio and held the occupants of the home (adults and children) at gun point for nine hours. During this time they executed a search warrant and tore apart the family's house looking for contra ban. At the end of the day they left with about $10,000 worth of "evidence."
The Lorain county swat team assisted the State department of agriculture in this raid. Department of AGRICULTURE!?!?! Yes.
The search was not for drugs or guns or even counterfeit purses. No it was for food. The Manna Storehouse a local co-op in LaGrange, Ohio. The charge, as near as any seems to be able to figure out has to do with some meat that was found in a freezer at Oberlin college which was not properly labeled (meaning it did not come through a USDA licenced facility.) Although they are not charged it seems likely they will be with operating a retail establishment without a licence, a third degree misdemeanor. For that a Swat team?
I would point you to the following link for more information. The Bovine. Be sure to click on the links at the bottom for more information, there are four posts on this and links to other blogs.
In the end, I fear that this may be a case of the government protecting us from non-industrialized food. And that scares me. Our right to decide what we eat is under attack. Already raw milk, unpasteurized cider, farm processed meat. What is next? Veggies?
I will keep on top of this for everyone and post updates. Things like this send shivers up my farmer's spine.
The Lorain county swat team assisted the State department of agriculture in this raid. Department of AGRICULTURE!?!?! Yes.
The search was not for drugs or guns or even counterfeit purses. No it was for food. The Manna Storehouse a local co-op in LaGrange, Ohio. The charge, as near as any seems to be able to figure out has to do with some meat that was found in a freezer at Oberlin college which was not properly labeled (meaning it did not come through a USDA licenced facility.) Although they are not charged it seems likely they will be with operating a retail establishment without a licence, a third degree misdemeanor. For that a Swat team?I would point you to the following link for more information. The Bovine. Be sure to click on the links at the bottom for more information, there are four posts on this and links to other blogs.
In the end, I fear that this may be a case of the government protecting us from non-industrialized food. And that scares me. Our right to decide what we eat is under attack. Already raw milk, unpasteurized cider, farm processed meat. What is next? Veggies?
I will keep on top of this for everyone and post updates. Things like this send shivers up my farmer's spine.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Anouther food outbreak and local farms
I always get so scared when there is an outbreak of disease from a food born pathogen, especially one linked to fresh produce.
Invariably calls are made for better food safety. And that means more regulation, red tape, and less freedom. But people are smarter then that, right?
The recently passed George Carlin said "Think how smart the average person is. By definition, half the people are stupider then that!" I've been thinking of that recently.
What happens when children die? People want something done, and indiscriminately. The local movement is still small and so many people still think that food comes from a grocery store and before that a refrigerated truck. Someone should "DO SOMETHING!" about food safety.
But big ag will want small farmers to take on the same burden as they do, and if the answer ends up being UV light or chlorine baths or "certified fields" or special handling facilities will they exempt small producers? Probably not, and with the extra requirements come up front costs that most small farmers cannot afford.
Last year the board of the Countryside Conservancy visited our farm and asked us one simple question. "What can we do to help you?" Our answer was simple "Be there to offer legal support when they try to make what we do illegal..."
This spring I signed a multiple page contract and bought a part of another farmer's stock so I would have the right to purchase an agricultural product directly from him. And even that may or may not end up being accepted by the State Department of Ag when push comes to shove. This farmer may be risking his farm and his family's lively hood to sell me a product I want to buy.
What happens if produce goes that way? If all washing and prepping has be done in a certified facility? I can say that all my produce is washed with the same water that my family (and an entire city) drinks and as we do not have any recirculation system it is all fresh water (we wash with a garden hose) but will that be enough? Probably not... What if fields have to be tested? How much will that cost? $1000 a field a year? Not much if your field is 5,000 acres, but we have two 1 acre fields and a 1/4 acre field in production right now...
900 people are sick and who knows how many more. They are still looking for the source. It is a horrible thing and "something should be done" but I fear that "something", as more incidents like this occur (and they will,) will cast a wide net and catch many who have nothing to do with the problem.
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