I'm glad there's a growing "green" trend! Energy, food, do it you'll save the world!

I just watched the movie Food Inc. It's dispicable what goes on in the food industry! I knew we lived in a money driven society, where profit is the only goal. But this movie sheds new light, in how the government is willing to overlook doing away witheverything that is right so a small margin can profit from it. We as a people, need to do turn this machine around before it runs all of us over. Watch the movie and make changes, we can still do it!

That was a good movie and sure was motivating. If you want to keep up the momentum, go and watch "Why We Fight", "King Corn", "The World According to Monsanto", "The End of Suburbia", "Life After the Crash" - can't think of any more off the top of my head. All great movies to motivate one to become more independent in both food and energy production.

Yup, burn wood, support your local farmers, grow your own veggies and toss a solar panel or two on the roof.

Thank you Tim and Franks! I was disgusted by the way safety is overlooked both for the workers who are processing our food and the final product that is reaching our homes! All for the sake of making a small percentage of the people richer. Meanwhile, our government supports the corporations and literaly ruins lives of small farmers. Our country is not really ours. It has become controlled by a handful of big wigs who have no concearn for its people. I will boycot walmart and mcdonalds. I will buy from farmers markets and continue to grow my own garden. I will continue to burn wood and consider some solar panels. The world as we know it has a lot of smoke and mirrors. We need to become more aware and be concious of our choices. Keep smiling and enjoy life!!

VCBurner - one website you might find useful is: www.eatwild.com

The site lists, by state, small farmers who are producing pastured meat, free-range chicken, eggs, etc. We used it to find a small farmer near us from whom we buy pastured beef and pork. I can honestly say that the products are superior in taste and, if you buy in bulk, very cost effective. Plus, I feel a lot better spending my money on this family's product which then goes to another family butcher operation - keeping our money local, competitive cost, superior product. Everybody wins!


I was outraged after watching "Food, Inc." - it amazes me that small farmers can loose in court to companies like Monsanto when it was really Monsanto that contaminated the small farmer's fields and tainted their heirloom seedstock. Plus, the intimidation tactics used, etc. Ridiculous. But, companies like Monsanto have masses of folks that lobby our supposed "elected" representatives to make sure that they are taken care of - ridiculous. Then, those scenes of the beef being processed in ammonia. Nasty stuff.

All we can do is keep doing what you're suggesting - buy local, grow an increasingly larger portion of your own food, help get your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers involved, etc.

Thanks for the link Tim! I'll look it up. Better start doing my part to better our food supply. Less Ecoli, more local farmers, better foods!

VCB thanks for the heads up on that movie. I watched it on demand this morning and it just reinforced the desire to eat local and stay away from the junk in the super markets. I made my wife watch it with me also....hopefully she got something out of it instead of thinking im crazy. I keep telling her im not eating bagged salad greens again because 35% have poop on them haha. btw my spinach and peas were planted last week....carrots and lettuce go in next week! peppers and tomatoes are in their pots. next year im investing in a heat pad and a grow light instead of setting them up in the window sills.

On a positive note, check out what this guy is talking about. If you want to see a QUALITY "fish farm" (and more), see this video. http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_barber_how_i_fell_in_love_with_a_fish.html

Yeah that movie got me too. I'm definitely eating more fresh veggies now.

I think there is a growing awareness. I hope there is. Mrs. Flatbedford is making a big effort to keep only, at least, better food in the house. It is hard, does cost a few more bucks and take more time, but I think it is worth it. We are still learning with the veggie garden, but getting better at it every year. between the garden and the wood burning, I feel we are making a difference.

You're welcome, we are still making adjustments on purchasing the better kinds of foods. I went on the website suggested by another member above and found some farms nearby that supply good quality meats. I've yet to go to them but the thought is still there everytime I bite into any sort of meat! I hear you about the gardening. My wife makes fun of me because gardening is one of my favorite hobbies. This will be my fourth Summer with a vegetable garden. I may start to grow sun flowers again this year also. I did that for a few years. The sun flowers attract all kinds of butterflies and birds and are also beautiful!
I quit smoking last Friday and feel great about it. I'm 33, my wife who's 29, quit three years ago. We are still trying to make a difference in the world. Everyone should watch that movie. Funny, my wife is actually the one who watched it on demand first. It made such a big impact on her that she made me watch it. It certainly opened my eyes to the secret world behind the super market shelves. I'm glad I could suggest something that may make a difference in someone's life! Thanks for posting.

We did a 100ft row of them last year. The kids loved the monsters but they are a PIA to deal with at the end of the season. Everything else gets tilled under.

I grew the smaller kinds in three different colors. Some fo the most beautiful ones had yellow and red colored petals. They were sort of a pain to take care of. But it's hard to match their beauty when they are all glowing in the sun! At the end of the season, there's a lot of posting and propping, and cropping going on. I used to harvest the seeds and replant the following year. When we moved to the new house the birds stole all the seeds I spread in a garden and I haven't grown them since. This year, I'll get some seeds and start over.

I woodn't put too much faith in "organic" meats and produce. I have a few friends that farm organicLEE and they say "There's more than one way to skin a cat".
There isn't much policeing yet in the "organic" biz. Buyer beware. True organic is to grow your own.

I ain't never been swayed to do anything by one movie or one person. That being said, I still have 1/4 of a cow left in my freezer from last year as well as sweet corn we grew, probably 9 pheasants left, and some other odds and ends from the garden. My canned stuff is running out, too, just in time for me to get some fresh stuff a-growing. I just assumed that's the best way to do it. I won't bother telling the rest of America how they should process what they eat or how they should get their food.

So, is this the movie where they are all up in arms because some Chinese or Japanese fishermen are killing dolphins inhumanely?

I agree with you 100% about the "organic" movement. I think some people may buy these sorts of products because it's a fad! They are the same ones that own two or three SUV's for no other reason, than their popularity. I drive a minivan because we have four boys. I will eventually buy a truck because I need it for many reasons. But, I assure you that is not what I meant by making changes. I don't care if the farmer down the road uses fertilizer as long as I can support the local business. The meats are a different story. Beef that is on the supermarket shelves is bathed in amonia at the slaughterhouse. The cows are fed corn because it's cheaper than letting them pasture. Cattle are not meant to eat corn. This practice, along with the poor conditions they are kept in causes major amounts of ecoli. The ecoli could be reduced by 80% if the cattle was fed grass for only 5 days prior to being slaughtered. But this would not be cost effective. The FDA does nothing to improve the situation because the major beef companies along with other major players control the industry regulations. Money talks. If I were you, I'd watch the movie, if you haven't already! It may turn your stomach and blow your mind! :ahhh: On a more positive note, I went on eatwild.com and found some locally processed beef, pork and poultry farmers. They raise pastured, grass fed cattle and free range chickens and don't bathe their products in amonia or chlorine. :gulp: The local slaughterhouse they use is right here in Mass. They don't add fillers to the final product. These changes are not only going to improve my family's health, but hopefully, if more people do these things we can improve the food industry. Watch Food Inc.

Good for you Danno! Sounds like you are smarter than most people when it comes to your food. As far as being swayed by a movie, I must confess, this one did it for me! However, some of the things I learned while watching the movie were just re-iterated. I already knew about the evil machine that runs our wonderful country. But, this movie just touched deep with the way the government lets poor safety regulations slide to earn the big compamies $$$ at the expense of the general population's health and the livehood of the small farmers. LMAO, no dolphins were discussed in this movie!! :lol: You should watch it, it will blow your mind! Food Inc.

Hey Jags, thanks for posting!

Sounds great, to have all this so close to you! We had up to 36 chickens and roosters, 6 guinea hens, 3 goats, 11 ducks. But were a bit overwhealmed by all our livestock. I sold them all last fall. I miss the eggs. I learned a lot about raising animals from the experience. I may raise a few meat birds this year as well as about 1/2 dozen layers for the coop that I'm building out back! The guinea hens and goats are too loud. I like the sound of silence sometimes. Though, I must admit I miss those chickens pecking around my yard. They made a mess of everything, though. This time I've got some wire fence to close them into a section of the yard.

I smell what your steppin in! I'm more and more aware of what life should be like in this world. The blinders get removed slowly when you stop and look at things! I'm proud of what I'm learning and love to share this with others. That's all we can do to improve this world! I'm not a politician or a tree hugger, just a simple man who wants to make a small difference. This is my first year heating with wood and I love it. I also love the fact that I can go to a local farm and buy healthier foods as well as grow some of my own.

Thank you for the kind words. I'm 33 and learning about life as it should be. I was not raised with too much of the natural ways in mind. I always just thought I could count on the supermarket to provide good products and the government to regulate those products. But, I guess that was mostly smoke and mirrors! My view hasen't changed much about these things, it's just a little bit clearer. Thanks for the post.

Chris

I watched it last nite.
I didn't care for the way they demonized the farmer for animals standing in their own poo and the mortality rate of high production farming. It's a sad fact but thats the way it is on a farm. No way around it when your dealing with 1000's of animals and 1000's of gallons of poo.It's just the way it is if America wants cheap food.
My wife is from Manhattan and when she first moved here she was astonished just like most people watching that movie at the factory like setting at most farms here. We have many 500-1000 cow dairies. Most people wood be shocked to know that most farm laborers make minimum wage and farms are not required to pay overtime.
We've visited my wifes relatives in Manhattan and they have "organic" farmers makets there and I just wonder at the number of people who buy produce that think it's truLEE "organic".

Thanks again Jags! I'm looking forward to the spring and gardening time myself! Once again, thanks for the post. Take care.

I hear what you're saying about the demonizing of the big farmers. I didn't think about it that way. The thing that bothers me the most is how the gov. overlooks the ecoli problem because the big meat companies basically have the FDA in their pocket. And how companies like montsanto can ruin farmers lives with their multitude of cash and army of atourneys. I understand that this is the cheapest way to produce the quantity of food the country requires at the price we expect. The point I'm trying to make is, that to spite the fact that my family is being raised solely on my union carpenter pay, it's important for the six of us to start doing our part to improve our world. We don't have lots of money, but if we can make a difference, maybe others will too and the whole country will benefit. Farmers should make more $, quality of the meats should be better, people should care more about these things. The general population should know where the food comes from and the safety regulations that are being overlooked. The only way for these things to improve is if the people start to care. We as a people should care.
Great to talk to you, thanks for the post.
Chris

VCBurner - I hear you about the behavior of companies like Monsanto, ConAgra, etc. The best thing to do is vote with your dollars. Not only buy from, but establish relationships with your local farmers. Try to eat more seasonally, learn to preserve food, etc. Something we're going to check out this year is produce auctions - you can get some pretty good deals on stuff - of course, you'll have to take it home and process it somehow, but it's another way to keep your dollars local.

I am in no way convinced I am going to save the world. The world can take care of itself. I do however, believe in good stewardship, and disapprove of treating animals as petri dishes and protien cultures. Most of my decisions when it comes to "green" living have a personal profit motive. I can't deny that. I keep my house at 60F in the Winter to save money. If someone wants it warmer I've cut, split, stacked, dried, and moved a pile of it wood right next to the stove. TA-DA! I doubt I'd burn much wood if oil was under a dollar.

I grew up in between 3 farms, and some days when it was wet and the wind blew just right our house smelled like a farm too. Big frigging deal. I watch the films of the feedlots (which used to be called stockyards, they were grain-finished for 6 months MAX) and remember that it was in NOT like that. A farmer who only has 100 head is going to take care of each and every cow. Most of their problems are self-inflicted (antibiotics and ecoli come to mind) and would not be a factor in less intensive operations.

Anyhow, what is important to remember is every member of the chain can claim they're a victim.
The farmers have one customer, so they have no choice.
The processing companies have to compete with overseas markets if they're not willing to accept the price offered by McDs and the other big buyers.
The chains complain about competition and cost cutting and what the American consumer is willing to pay for a burger.
Then we got the 500lb tubby on disability who's too fat to work.

I'm not worried about it. When gas hits $5/gallon all of a sudden this local "feel good" movement is going to have the competitive advantage. These large distribution chains from the cornfield to the feedlot to the processor to the warehouse to the chain food restaurant are going away. Its only been this way in America for about 30 years. Its a fad, a trend that's going away. Let's help it along.