Amanda Hitt: Our food system is failing us
Amanda Hitt food integrity campaign director of the Government Accountability Project Posted: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 4:30 am 1 Comment
In May, E. coli-laden romaine lettuce sickened dozens of Americans in five states, and a food-related listeria outbreak has killed at least two Texans. An endless deluge of foodborne illness outbreaks demands re-evaluation of our current food system.
Americans must broaden their evaluation of food safety, however, beyond the finished product, and take the quality of the overall production cycle into account. While outbreaks and hospitalizations grab headlines, there are unseen costs to our production system. We must start putting a premium on food integrity and re-evaluate the entire process -- from soil to plate.
Foodborne illness sickens over 76 million Americans every year, causing 725,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. One recent Georgetown University study showed that the related costs of these illnesses (medical bills, lost wages, decreased productivity) totals over $152 billion a year.
But the true cost of foodborne illness is far greater. The societal and environmental impacts of food production are themselves a type of “foodborne illness” that sickens habitats and communities. These costs must be accounted for. Read More
I find it insulting to everyone who produces food and fiber in this country when people claim that our food system has failed. One of the first numbers they like to bring up is that 76 million cases of food poisoning happens every year. This is certainly a large number and no one in our industry will be happy until it’s zero but let’s put it in perspective. There are about one billion meals consumed every day in this country alone. That means that 99.98% of the meals consumed in this country happen without incident. Is that worthy of being called a failure? Today’s farmers and ranchers are producing more food and fiber with fewer inputs than at any point in the history of the world. Is that a failure? Our livestock are healthier than ever before thus producing a consistent product. Along with that the world has never before seen a safer, more affordable, more abundant food supply. Is that a failure? There is no doubt that we can continue to improve upon our practices but the abundant supplies of food and clothing in this country seems to make it overly easy for our detractors to be critical of our industry.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Ag Student's Livestock Abused, Tortured
Jun 9, 2010 10:26 pm US/Pacific
Dozens Of Animals Brutally Attacked At High School
WINTERS, Calif. (CBS13) ― An unknown number of suspects savagely hurt and killed dozens of animals in an attack on a high school agriculture department, stunning students and staff and sparking a search for the people responsible.
Officials said students at Winters High School discovered the horrific scene Wednesday morning after vandals opened up all the pens and began killing and torturing many of the animals.
All of the department's steers were let out into the field and all the other corrals were opened up, said high school junior Prestlie Pearce.
At least 25 chickens were killed, many with their necks snapped and wings broken, and five pigs were shoved into a sewage pit. The pigs were forced to stand on their hind legs to keep their snouts above the sewage and fought each other all night while trying to get out.
"I don't know how you could shove five pigs into a three-by-three sewer hole that's five feet deep," Pearce said.
Staff member Eliott Hererra helped rescue the pigs and said he was surprised to see they survived the ordeal."They were stacked on top of each other," Hererra said. "The gut feeling of seeing those pigs struggle made me want to throw up." Read More
This was a horrible event that happened last week. While there are some of the fringe in our society that think feeding livestock in a pen or using them for a food source is abuse, I think most everyone could agree that the people who did this are the ones that we should truly be concerned with.
Dozens Of Animals Brutally Attacked At High School
WINTERS, Calif. (CBS13) ― An unknown number of suspects savagely hurt and killed dozens of animals in an attack on a high school agriculture department, stunning students and staff and sparking a search for the people responsible.
Officials said students at Winters High School discovered the horrific scene Wednesday morning after vandals opened up all the pens and began killing and torturing many of the animals.
All of the department's steers were let out into the field and all the other corrals were opened up, said high school junior Prestlie Pearce.
At least 25 chickens were killed, many with their necks snapped and wings broken, and five pigs were shoved into a sewage pit. The pigs were forced to stand on their hind legs to keep their snouts above the sewage and fought each other all night while trying to get out.
"I don't know how you could shove five pigs into a three-by-three sewer hole that's five feet deep," Pearce said.
Staff member Eliott Hererra helped rescue the pigs and said he was surprised to see they survived the ordeal."They were stacked on top of each other," Hererra said. "The gut feeling of seeing those pigs struggle made me want to throw up." Read More
This was a horrible event that happened last week. While there are some of the fringe in our society that think feeding livestock in a pen or using them for a food source is abuse, I think most everyone could agree that the people who did this are the ones that we should truly be concerned with.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
EPA Disapproval Vote Tomorrow
Rockefeller Backs Murkowski's EPA Resolution in Senate
By ROBIN BRAVENDER of ClimateWire
Published: June 9, 2010
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) will vote for a resolution to hamstring U.S. EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, he said yesterday.
"I intend to vote for Senator Murkowski's Resolution of Disapproval because I believe we must send a strong message that the fate of West Virginia's economy, our manufacturing industries, and our workers should not be solely in the hands of EPA," Rockefeller said in a statement.
The Senate will vote tomorrow on a disapproval resolution (S.J.Res. 26 (pdf)) from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that would essentially veto EPA's "endangerment" finding, a scientific determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. The finding is the basis for EPA's greenhouse gas regulations, which are set to take effect next year.
Asked yesterday whether she thought she could muster the votes needed for passage, Murkowski said, "It really is dependent on many of our colleagues on the other side, who have said they agree that the EPA moving forward is the worst option. So now they've got an opportunity to really back that statement by supporting this resolution of disapproval."
Read More
This vote is still on schedule for tomorrow. Please contact your Senators and urge their support for this resolution. The endangerment finding by the unelected officials at the EPA will drive up the cost of everything from food to energy with no foreseeable benefits. In order to get this done though everyone need to let their opinion be heard. Take a couple minutes right now to do it.
By ROBIN BRAVENDER of ClimateWire
Published: June 9, 2010
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) will vote for a resolution to hamstring U.S. EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, he said yesterday.
"I intend to vote for Senator Murkowski's Resolution of Disapproval because I believe we must send a strong message that the fate of West Virginia's economy, our manufacturing industries, and our workers should not be solely in the hands of EPA," Rockefeller said in a statement.
The Senate will vote tomorrow on a disapproval resolution (S.J.Res. 26 (pdf)) from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that would essentially veto EPA's "endangerment" finding, a scientific determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. The finding is the basis for EPA's greenhouse gas regulations, which are set to take effect next year.
Asked yesterday whether she thought she could muster the votes needed for passage, Murkowski said, "It really is dependent on many of our colleagues on the other side, who have said they agree that the EPA moving forward is the worst option. So now they've got an opportunity to really back that statement by supporting this resolution of disapproval."
Read More
This vote is still on schedule for tomorrow. Please contact your Senators and urge their support for this resolution. The endangerment finding by the unelected officials at the EPA will drive up the cost of everything from food to energy with no foreseeable benefits. In order to get this done though everyone need to let their opinion be heard. Take a couple minutes right now to do it.
Another Pet Shelter Suffers From Name Confusion
Tuesday June 8, 2010
Donations to local animal shelter down more than 30 percent
Director says economy, confusion over name might have led to decline
by Billy Wolfe
Daily Mail staff
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Donations to the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association shelter are down about $70,000 from this time last year, according to the shelter's bookkeeper.
In June 2009, the shelter had about $212,000 in donations on hand. As of Monday, the shelter had about $141,000, bookkeeper Barbara Taylor said.
The state of the economy may to be blame. Taylor said a $25,000 allocation from the Kanawha County Commission for a new truck also inflated last year's numbers somewhat.
But Director Donna Clark said the shelter has always faced an uphill battle with fundraising. One thing that has made it difficult to raise money over the years is the name of the shelter, she said.
Because the shelter's name includes the word "humane," Clark said many donors mistakenly believe their donations to the Humane Society of the United States directly support the local shelter.
She said the local shelter and the national organization are two totally separate entities, although the Humane Society has given some money to the shelter in the past.
"We hear it all the time, 'But I already gave to the Humane Society,' " she said. "They think they are helping the shelter here, but they don't understand that money doesn't come locally."
Read More
Add another local pet shelter to an ever-growing list who say that the HSUS is damaging their efforts to provide hands on pet care in their communities.
Donations to local animal shelter down more than 30 percent
Director says economy, confusion over name might have led to decline
by Billy Wolfe
Daily Mail staff
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Donations to the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association shelter are down about $70,000 from this time last year, according to the shelter's bookkeeper.
In June 2009, the shelter had about $212,000 in donations on hand. As of Monday, the shelter had about $141,000, bookkeeper Barbara Taylor said.
The state of the economy may to be blame. Taylor said a $25,000 allocation from the Kanawha County Commission for a new truck also inflated last year's numbers somewhat.
But Director Donna Clark said the shelter has always faced an uphill battle with fundraising. One thing that has made it difficult to raise money over the years is the name of the shelter, she said.
Because the shelter's name includes the word "humane," Clark said many donors mistakenly believe their donations to the Humane Society of the United States directly support the local shelter.
She said the local shelter and the national organization are two totally separate entities, although the Humane Society has given some money to the shelter in the past.
"We hear it all the time, 'But I already gave to the Humane Society,' " she said. "They think they are helping the shelter here, but they don't understand that money doesn't come locally."
Read More
Add another local pet shelter to an ever-growing list who say that the HSUS is damaging their efforts to provide hands on pet care in their communities.
Agri-Women Share Truth About Food Inc.
American Agri-Women challenge message of movie Food, Inc.
By Drovers news source Monday, June 07, 2010
American Agri-Women is attempting to bridge the gap in the debate over food production. Food, Inc. is a documentary that aims to change the way America eats and the way American food is produced, but many in the agriculture world say the movie did not get it right. American Agri-Women wants to clear up misconceptions from the movie and continue the dialogue about America's food.
"Movies like Food, Inc. demonstrate how important it is that farmers share with consumers how food is produced. And as producers, we are interested in providing that information,” said American Agri-Women President, Chris Wilson. “Women in agriculture have a unique perspective because we are both producers and consumers. We help grow the food, and we also prepare it for our families to eat.”
Unfortunately, the film does not portray agriculture accurately. It suggests the food supply is dominated by corporate farms. However, the 2007 edition of USDA Structure and Finances of U.S. Farms: Family Farm Report, found that 98% of farms in the U.S. - more than 2.1 million - are family owned and operated. The truth is, according to Wilson, millions of family farmers work hard every day on their farms and ranches to bring us the food on our tables. Wilson and her family live on a farm of their own near Manhattan, Kansas. Read More
The absolute best way to correct the misinformation being spread about agriculture is for farmers and ranchers to personally set the record straight. Hollywood movies like Food Inc. are more concerned about the money they can generate rather than sharing the truth. People want to know the truth and they want to hear it from the people that grow their food. If you don’t want Michael Pollan or Wayne Pacelle telling your story for you then you better stand up and do it yourself.
By Drovers news source Monday, June 07, 2010
American Agri-Women is attempting to bridge the gap in the debate over food production. Food, Inc. is a documentary that aims to change the way America eats and the way American food is produced, but many in the agriculture world say the movie did not get it right. American Agri-Women wants to clear up misconceptions from the movie and continue the dialogue about America's food.
"Movies like Food, Inc. demonstrate how important it is that farmers share with consumers how food is produced. And as producers, we are interested in providing that information,” said American Agri-Women President, Chris Wilson. “Women in agriculture have a unique perspective because we are both producers and consumers. We help grow the food, and we also prepare it for our families to eat.”
Unfortunately, the film does not portray agriculture accurately. It suggests the food supply is dominated by corporate farms. However, the 2007 edition of USDA Structure and Finances of U.S. Farms: Family Farm Report, found that 98% of farms in the U.S. - more than 2.1 million - are family owned and operated. The truth is, according to Wilson, millions of family farmers work hard every day on their farms and ranches to bring us the food on our tables. Wilson and her family live on a farm of their own near Manhattan, Kansas. Read More
The absolute best way to correct the misinformation being spread about agriculture is for farmers and ranchers to personally set the record straight. Hollywood movies like Food Inc. are more concerned about the money they can generate rather than sharing the truth. People want to know the truth and they want to hear it from the people that grow their food. If you don’t want Michael Pollan or Wayne Pacelle telling your story for you then you better stand up and do it yourself.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Loos Trails and Tales
I was lucky enough to be a guest of Trent Loos on Loos Trails and Tales this morning. We discussed my conversations with John Jordan of Jordan Winery from last week and how this situation was almost identical to what happened when Yellow Tail chose to donate money to the Humane Society of the United States.
To learn more about Trent Loos, you can visit him on the web at www.FacesOfAg.com.
To learn more about Trent Loos, you can visit him on the web at www.FacesOfAg.com.
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