Comments on: The Farms and Food Debate

By: Freddy Pourier

Freddy Pourier — Sat, 01 May 2010 15:36:17 +0000

it is still better to adhere on organic farming because the fruits and vegetables does not contain those harmful chemicals.~*”

By: Friday News Roundup 3/5/10 | The Farmland Report

Friday News Roundup 3/5/10 | The Farmland Report — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:20:00 +0000

[...] The Western Farm Press highlighted an editorial by Los Angeles Times food editor Russ Parsons that called for a “more constructive give-and-take” between farmers and developers. Our own Dennis Nuxoll penned a response to Parson’ article last month in the Farmland Report- read it here. [...]

By: Jane

Jane — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:06:44 +0000

Excellent reply, Joan. I’m with you – sustainable farm practices, organic food, no GMO’s, and humanely raised animals!

By: kimberly

kimberly — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:00:51 +0000

We are having our produce coming from Mexico here in Arizona. When I lived in Northern Cali, the produce was “awesome”! Came back to Az and the produce is less quality and after the salmonella scare? Americans want food grown in AMERICA, but all of the corporations ( that AMERICANS made whom they are) betrayed them and sent their jobs out for slavery workers, and non-regulated pesticides/poisons and pollutions. It is “Poisonous Garbage” the food they sale us less quality for MORE money, as is ALL of the products they send to us from their slavery, child slaves, abuse, poisonous, pollutant factorys/farms.

By: Loras

Loras — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:16:49 +0000

Joan and Lisa said it: Go Quality, Go Local.

Vegetables eaten on the East Coast need to be produced in NY and surrounding states, not trucked-in from the San Joaquin Valley. Do it this way and two issues — California’s water supply and jobs producing healthy food –are remedied.

Educate [to end] ‘all-you-can-eat’ restaurants/buffets.

By: VernB

VernB — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:04:28 +0000

I absolutely agree with Joan. I will not support any farm bill that erodes sustainable and organic farming, in fact I will fight against it.

It has already been proved beyond question that organic/sustainable methods produce more nutrient rich and safer foods. Chemical farming depletes the soil as well as distributes insecticides throughout the food chain.

As for GMO foods, there is NOBODY who can say what effect these products will have had in another 20 years or so. They already show damaging effect to researchers other than those bought or paid for by the GMO manufacturers.

By: Jim Steitz

Jim Steitz — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:09:23 +0000

This may be too naively sanguine a take on agriculture policy. The fact is that the big commodity buyers and food processors share none of the values that the writer articulates, and that most Americans share. They have a fundamentally amoral set of policy needs that care nothing for their impact human or ecological health. ADM, Cargill, Kraft, General Mills, Coca-Cola, and so forth are the legalized moral equivalent of drug dealers – it is not their concern what impact their products have; only that Americans are encouraged, even compelled via chemical addiction, to purchase the maximum amount. Their business model requires the individuals who work in these companies to willfully treat the outside world as a kind of game-platform virtual reality, without true moral standing. These companies must be confronted in the most stark, plain terms available, not benignly ignored while we carve out unoffensive, unobtrusive boutique sectors for farmers’ markets and grass-fed beef.

By: Chester Taylor

Chester Taylor — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 03:23:31 +0000

The whole system is groaning under the toxic load. The nitrogen, the cides and genetic contamina have poluted soil, water. air, animals and indead all life is perishing. The larger creatures are in pain.
In view of this, in view peak oil, and climate warming, it is time to begin giving serious thought to outlawing agriculture as we know it. It is being done and farmers need to be prepared -to be thinking about the consequences of doing it or not doing it.

Mechanically undisturbed soils are the only soils that are maintained and improved. We are applying herbicides to our woodlands and grasslands this is a practice that must be stopped.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:16:14 +0000

I agree with Joan. My preferred order of getting produce – 1) my backyard, grown organically, 2)seasonal, locally grown organics, 3)seasonal, locally grown not organic, 4) organic from far off, 5) the occasional thing we just can’t grow in MI, or in season in MI. As with energy policies, or economics (I think we learned this lesson the VERY hard way in the Detroit area!), we just can’t put all our eggs in one basket anymore. It just isn’t safe. And, as with energy and economics, diverse, SAFE and SUSTAINABLE seem to me to be the words/concepts we should focus on.

By: Jared Pimentel

Jared Pimentel — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:14:39 +0000

Would the government consider subsidizing farmers in ways that reduce the risks they see with converting to organic farming (like the cost of feed, for example)? That way consumers could pay a fair price to the farmers, for providing an ETHICALLY PRODUCED product, NOT one that is CONTAMINATING OUR HOME and poisoning our people.

No matter you religion or moral doctrine, how can we think it is OK to permit the use of these lethal chemicals?

I know our country was not founded on socialism, but just as we have ok’d MediCare and MedicAid, I am sure many would support a form of socialism that helps our domestic farmers, our earth, and our lives.