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besides you got obama care to come to the rescue "right taz!" so who gives shit anyway? LOL

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ORIGINAL: Marini
I recently saw a free documentary called "Food Fight".
This is an excellent short documentary by Chris Taylor, that is very informative, and gives the history about how our food sources and food supplies have been changed and shaped by large agricultural policies/and large agricultural farming policies over the last 75 years or so.
http://www.foodfightthedoc.com/foodfight.html
Here is a trailer from the film: Trailer from Food Fight the documentary
For those interested you can watch it free on hulu.
It really opened up my eyes as to some of the reasons we have so much processed crap/and what has been DONE to most of the fruits/vegetables in the grocery stores these days.
When you open your eyes and realize how much the government has been involved into subsidizing industrial agriculture, which equals promoting/encouraging a lot of the processed foods that we have available and consume, it makes your jaw drop.
We hear a lot about the processed foods, but what about what industrial agriculture has DONE to fruits and vegetables, also?
Some other food for thought is the whole area of "farm subsidies" that taxpayers are subsidizing that make us fatter and unhealthier.
Here is an excellent fairly recent article on farm subsidies.
Scientific America- For a healthier country overhaul farm subsidies
It is great to know that many people are wide awake/waking up to the processed crap that fills our grocery stores and the big link to obesity, diabetes, and all manner of health problems.
I enjoyed a segment of the film in which people had to eat a vegetable from a local grocery store and a vegetable from a sustainable farm, and everyone was amazed at how different they actually tasted.
Having more small and local farms and farmers, having more natural, sustainable and organic based products, and making these foods more available and affordable should be of concern to everyone.
It's odd with all these "programs" aimed at childhood/adult obesity, increased rates of diabetes, and food related diseases, that our government still subsidizes and promotes the manufacturing of all these adulterated food/processed food/and genetically altered vegetables/and fruit that fills our grocery stores.
Big agriculture does not care about quality, taste, or creating healthy foods, their goal is to produce large amounts of food.
Good food should be a right, not just a privilege.
Why isn't this issue a BIG national issue?

• A Conservative interpretation of the US Constitution
  
• Personal Responsibility
  
• Help for the truly needy
  
• Limited Government
  
• Consumption Tax (non-profit charities and food exempt)
  

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What is the solution? Buying locally grown? Farmer's Markets? Those are personal choices. Make them yourself. Grow your own food and share. That should easily show the difference between local stuff and the big commercial providers. Raise your own cows. Feed them grass and not corn. Raise your own hogs and/or chickens. Someone is going to have to do that.

And, so we're on the same wavelength, I'm actually looking forward to starting my own garden full of veggies for me to can after harvest so i have access throughout the year. And, I'll be starting some fruit-bearing plants (apples, grapes, blueberries, etc.) for the same purpose. I am going to choose what I plant and might even see if I can save some of my very own seed for the following year. I'm looking into grass-fed local beef and will consider raising my own chickens in the future. I'm not really concerned with pigs because I can live without pork. Bacon and sausage, though, are too damn good to pass on. I'll still rely on others for those products (or the meat that goes into those products). I've often heard that the healthiest way to shop is to stay around the perimeter of a store. The tendency for stores to have all the processed "stuff" in the aisles drives that.

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ORIGINAL: Marini
My main point was NOT that we can't create or seek out better sources of food.
WHY are we sitting back and allowing the government
to use our tax money to subsidize industrial agriculture which is ruining the quality of our produce?

I am talking about the rise of
Industrial agriculture,
and how we are subsidizing food that is usually not healthy nor good for us.

Why not subsidize the smaller, organic farms and encourage their growth and subsidize their survival?

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I heard someone on either one of the news chanels or youtube recently and his comment was "most people dont realize that its the lobbyists that create the laws"..

And it doesnt matter which party you vote for, they both support susidies, Monsanto and all that shite..

.. just sayin'..

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ORIGINAL: Marini

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What is the solution? Buying locally grown? Farmer's Markets? Those are personal choices. Make them yourself. Grow your own food and share. That should easily show the difference between local stuff and the big commercial providers. Raise your own cows. Feed them grass and not corn. Raise your own hogs and/or chickens. Someone is going to have to do that.
And, so we're on the same wavelength, I'm actually looking forward to starting my own garden full of veggies for me to can after harvest so i have access throughout the year. And, I'll be starting some fruit-bearing plants (apples, grapes, blueberries, etc.) for the same purpose. I am going to choose what I plant and might even see if I can save some of my very own seed for the following year. I'm looking into grass-fed local beef and will consider raising my own chickens in the future. I'm not really concerned with pigs because I can live without pork. Bacon and sausage, though, are too damn good to pass on. I'll still rely on others for those products (or the meat that goes into those products). I've often heard that the healthiest way to shop is to stay around the perimeter of a store. The tendency for stores to have all the processed "stuff" in the aisles drives that.

I know we have options such as growing our own food, farmer's market's, buying locally, etc.
I agree with all that you said, believe it or not.
My main point was NOT that we can't create or seek out better sources of food.
WHY are we sitting back and allowing the government
to use our tax money to subsidize industrial agriculture which is ruining the quality of our produce?
I am talking about the rise of
Industrial agriculture,
and how we are subsidizing food that is usually not healthy nor good for us.
Why not subsidize the smaller, organic farms and encourage their growth and subsidize their survival?
Thanks for responding.

• A Conservative interpretation of the US Constitution
  
• Personal Responsibility
  
• Help for the truly needy
  
• Limited Government
  
• Consumption Tax (non-profit charities and food exempt)
  

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Almost guaranteed that the "smaller, organic" farms would end up taking those subsidies to become "larger, organic" farms, and then the laws and everything would be changed so that they become the next Big Ag. IMO, it's better that we don't subsidize either.

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ORIGINAL: Marini

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Almost guaranteed that the "smaller, organic" farms would end up taking those subsidies to become "larger, organic" farms, and then the laws and everything would be changed so that they become the next Big Ag. IMO, it's better that we don't subsidize either.

No! Joe Public will not allow this to happen!
We will create more farming watch dogs to check on things!

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Nooooo!!
I will continue to believe it could work.

• A Conservative interpretation of the US Constitution
  
• Personal Responsibility
  
• Help for the truly needy
  
• Limited Government
  
• Consumption Tax (non-profit charities and food exempt)
  

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ORIGINAL: DesideriScuri

Who would have thought that our farmers would have become Big Ag?

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ORIGINAL: TheHeretic

How much are you willing to pay for a tomato, Mari? An orange? A salmon fillet? A loaf of bread, or a bag of rice?

I fully realize that industrial agriculture is able to produce massive amounts of INEXPENSIVE, often full of corn, corn syrup, etc. "food" by using a variety of methods.

I think many people would be willing to pay a little more, to have better quality sources of food.

How many people would the planet be able to support, without modern farming techniques?

I am not talking about feeding everyone on the planet, I am talking about the quality of food in the United States.
Are we finally just one big country/world now?
Whatever happened to caring about the United States?
Surely we are capable of growing sustaining our own food to feed ourselves?

We are getting more farmer's markets opening up around here, and the difference in quality and taste is dramatic. My sister-in-law tells me that there are jam exchanges, where they can trade the excess blackberry jam they make from the bramble behind their house for a huge variety of homemade jams and jellies, from all over the country.

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ORIGINAL: Marini
Why can't the government give MORE support to small organic/sustainable farmers and LESS to the industrial agricultural giants?

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Because the small organic/sustainable farms can't afford armies of lawyers lobbying on their behalf. I'd guess that more than 80% of the legislation brought up in congress is written by lobby lawyers and not by our elected officials.

BINGO!!! That's it, will let's get them lawyered up than!!!


We raise chickens, pigs, and have a pretty good sized garden... We sell eggs, chickens, and pigs, and avoid buying a large percentage of our food stuffs at any given grocery store.

Oh yeah, you cannot compare the taste our our home grown to store bought... There is no comparison, especially with the eggs and chicken.

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ORIGINAL: tj444

to a certain degree, its simply evolution..

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I wish the current administration, would take on the fight to eliminate subsidizing Big/corporate agriculture and lead the charge to encourage the creation, growth, promotion and sustaining the small sustainable/organic farmers.

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ORIGINAL: TheHeretic

Well, I think the best way to support small organic farms is to buy what they produce, and not regulate and tax the farmers out of existence. I don't remember Paul Harvey talking about the farmer spending two hours in the lab, and three more at the computer, submitting test results.

I've seen the documentary previously.

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Report: 15% of Americans on food stamps


A record number of Americans are using this food stamp card to purchase groceries these days.

The number of Americans on food stamps hit a record high in June, and economists don't expect much improvement as long as unemployment remains high.

Those receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program numbered 46.37 million, the government announced in a report that hit just days ahead of the monthly nonfarm payrolls report, which the Labor Department releases Friday.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/report-15-americans-food-stamps-980690

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Employment Situation

February 01, 2013
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 157,000 in January, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 7.9 percent. Retail trade, construction, health care, and wholesale trade added jobs over the month. More...
(HTML) (PDF)
http://www.bls.gov/cps/

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ORIGINAL: Marini

Now you have given me an idea.
I think the small farmers should pay the lowest tax rates possible.