Local Farming Initiatives As A National Priority

Google co-founder and Alphabet Inc. CEO Larry Page noted, “If you ask an economist what's driven economic growth, it's been major advances in things that mattered - the mechanization of farming, mass manufacturing, things like that. The problem is, our society is not organized around doing that.”

If local farming initiatives were a national priority we could re-organize our country around things that really matter - such as food security and good paying jobs. We can accomplish this by developing small to mid-sized independently owned farms within or close to the cities and suburbs.

For years now, economists have been predicting an economic collapse. The only thing people think about when economies collapse is... food. Collapse or no collapse, wouldn't people fare much better with local farms nearby? Thriving local farms would help make the "crash" much less severe - or maybe even help prevent it in the first place.

Back in the day, the local farms and related industries were the life blood of the communities. The Agricultural industry provided food and jobs for many people. It also provided real independence and prosperity.

There was an abundance of work for farmhands, mechanics, butchers, bakers, truck drivers and grocery store clerks just to name a few. The local farms helped keep the economic power where it belonged - at the local level. America was strong on the local level.

However, when we entered the Industrial Age we allowed others to take over the responsibility of growing and raising our food for us. Now, much of our food is produced by a handful of multinational globalist, bio-tech, agrochemical corporations. Most people would agree the quality of food hasn't gotten any better - it's gotten worse:

~ News Flash ~

By CBS NEWS February 11, 2010,

Chemicals in Food Can Make You Fat

It used to be that diets meant cutting down on the fat and calories, more exercise, more fish in the diet, more fruits and vegetables. That was a healthy diet 50 years ago.

Has human anatomy changed? No, but food has changed a lot. Foods that were healthy 50 years ago may not necessarily be healthy in 2010...

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The following is an example of a kamikaze agricultural practice in North Carolina. It's hard to believe our lawmakers would allow this.

America: A Turd World Country

~ News Flash ~

United States Is Turning Into a Factory Farm for China, With Devastating Environmental Consequences.  From Mercola.com December 06, 2016

...Foreign corporations are also circumventing American farmers altogether by purchasing farm land in the U.S. In 2011, Chinese companies owned $81 million worth of American farmland.

By the end of 2012, Chinese ownership had skyrocketed by 1,000 percent, to $900 million. They’re also buying up food producers.

In 2013, pork processor Smithfield was bought by Shaunghui, the largest meat processing company in China. At $7.1 billion — 30 percent above its estimated market value — it was the largest-ever Chinese buyout of an American company.

Also included in the deal was $480 million worth of American farmland. With this buyout, the Chinese now own 1 out of every 4 pigs raised in the U.S.  

(Here's a visual map of Smithfield hog farms in North Carolina. Each red dot represents a hog farm.)

Map of Smithfield hog farms in NC

Smithfield Food Ranks No. 1 Toxic Polluter Among Agribusinesses

Smithfield Foods, now owned by a Chinese company, produces and releases vast amounts of waste into our environment.

According to the 2016 report, “Corporate Agribusiness and the Fouling of America’s Waterways” by Environment North Carolina, Smithfield discharged 3.6 million tons of toxic pollutants from its hog slaughtering plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina, in 2014.

That waste ultimately ends up in the state’s waterways. Smithfield, the largest pork producer in the world (with a total of 2,700 hog CAFOs in 12 states), ranks third in terms of the animal manure produced by hog CAFOs in the U.S., and No. 1 in terms of the toxic pollution released into water supplies.

When other sources of pollution related to Smithfield are taken into account, the company was responsible for the release of 7.4 million pounds of toxic pollution — more than U.S. Steel Corp or Exxon Mobil. The vast majority of this toxic water pollution is nitrates, which have been linked to: Birth defects, Bladder and thyroid cancer, Blue baby syndrome, Autoimmune diseases and Reproductive problems.

So, Smithfield/Shaunghui pigs are raised and slaughtered here in the US. Then, the meat is packaged and sent over to China, leaving behind the carcasses and mountains and mountains of toxic dung. What are we to do with 7.4 million pounds of toxic poop? We can't just let it sit around - it will get nasty.

The smart thing to do would be to ship the pigs off to the Shaunghui corporation in China. Let them raise their own pigs and deal with their toxic waste. After all, we Americans hold up our end of the deal. We spend our hard-earned money buying up boatloads of trinkets and other merchandise from China. What do we get in return? They are buying up our valuable land so their pigs can defecate all over it.

You can almost hear the communist China party leaders laughing & bragging about how they end up with the fresh meat while the Americans are stuck with their swine dung. Monsanto and DowAgro Sciences are no doubt trying to figure out how to turn all this fecal matter into food for us.

By the way, want to find out what's in the twisted up food they're now feeding you? Too bad, because the agrochemical bio-tech globalist Food Master corporations don't want you to know what you're eating. Seriously.

To keep us in the dark, Big AG (agriculture) & the Food Masters had Congress pass the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015. This Act requires food packages to declare, through a QR code, a symbol, 800# or plain text whether a food contains genetically engineered ingredients. In other words, if you really need to know what's in the food container you'll probably need to get out a QR reader to find out.

Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 A.K.A. The DARK Act

The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, is also referred to as the DARK Act (Deny Americans the Right to Know) by many of its critics. It was signed into law by President Obama in 2016.

Years ago the agrochemical, bio-tech food industry started monkeying around with the genetics of our food. Next thing you know these genetically modified "Frankenfoods" started appearing on our store shelves. However, eating genetically modified food for many Americans is unacceptable. So the states began passing laws requiring food companies to list the ingredients on the packaging.

Big AG & the globalist ninja Food Masters have no intentions of submitting to the states requests. They got the "money starved" lawmakers in Washington DC to pass The DARK Act The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015. The bill prevents states from issuing their own food labeling requirements for bioengineered foods.

These multinational corporations apparently have all the money needed to lobby our representatives in Washington DC to get what they want regardless of the health & safety concerns of the people. Hey wait, aren't our representatives supposed to be representing us taxpayers instead of Big AG & the Food Masters?

This deceptive title, "The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015" is typical of their dirty tricks. It's just like the "Patriot Act of 2001." These bills do the exact opposite of what they claim to do. It's as if they are mocking us with these titles. What is "Safe and Accurate" about making it almost impossible to find out whats in our food?

The Hill reporter Elise Higley 07/17/15 states: "This legislation [Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015] is not only a major threat to family farmers and the rights of local communities to protect our agricultural economies, but it would also overturn the ability of states to require labeling of GE foods and undermine consumers’ right to know what is in their food."

Professor Laura Murphy, director of the Environmental & Natural Resources Law Clinic at Vermont Law School, observed this about the new law: “As if this weren’t bad enough, the federal law has a confusing definition of ‘bioengineering’ that gives USDA the authority to determine how much of a product needs to be bioengineered before a label is required, and prevents even the food companies from certain types of disclosure.” 

Whoa, what?! ...and prevents even the food companies from certain types of disclosure.” Gee, what could go wrong with this?

Ingredients label on can reads None of Your Business

This DARK Act reveals a condescending, arrogant and hostile attitude these multinational “food” producing agrochemical corporations have toward the American people. It also reveals the sway they have over our elected officials.

It's hard to imagine that America - a country founded on freedom and liberty would allow multinational corporations to take away the people's right to know what they are eating. Hiding important information like this is the worst form of censorship.

This is just another example as to why we need to grow and raise our own foods again, locally. The above examples shows the negligence corruption on the part of our politicians who allow this to go on. We can't rely on politicians and multinational corporations to feed us any longer.

By the way, what is going on? We see they are loading America down with tons of communist China's toxic dung. They are also hell-bent on getting their genetically modified foods into us. But Wait! There's More...

“Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people.”

This quote is attributed to a confidant of President Nixon back in the 1970s. It supports the conspiracy? theory that losing control over our food supply was no accident. Coincidently, since around the 1970's our local farms have all but disappeared. Our food production has been taken over by a few multinational bio-tech, agrochemical corporations.

Speaking of control... 1970 also brought about the Controlled Substance Act. The Controlled Substance Act classifies cannabis and hemp as Schedule 1 drugs. This prevents these billion/trillion dollar industries from returning to the free markets - controlled by the people, not governments.

Did you know...

One acre of hemp seeds can produce 300 gallons of hemp seed oil. At $30.00 per gallon x 300 gallons = $9,000. This oil can be used for food and as a clean burning fuel. One acre of hemp can produce 6,000 lbs of hemp flour at $2.00 per pound. One acre of hemp can produce 31 tons of hemp stalk. https://www.slideshare.net/DavidHaroldMoore/hemp-farming

However, these prices pale in comparison to medical grade cannabis which can fetch upwards of $4,000 per pound. $4,000 per pound not per acre. For more on cannabis as medicine check out Simpson: Cannabis THC Oil Kills Cancer Not CBD

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Between Smithfield's shit fields and the DARK Act - it's hard to imagine that we have a Secretary of Agriculture looking out for the best interests of the American people. But, we do have one. Even though he's on his way out, his name is Secretary Tom Vilsac. Sec Vilsac acknowledges the shift in our food production away from the local people. But, he hasnt done anything to fix it.

It's almost as if Sec Vilsac thinks it's a good thing. In fact, you can almost imagine him holding up his champagne glass as he exclaims to his Big AG friends: “In the past 40 years, the United States lost more than a million farmers and ranchers. Many of our farmers are aging. Today, only nine percent of family farm income comes from farming, and more and more of our farmers are looking elsewhere for their primary source of income.”

"'Cheers!' for a job well done, Sec Vilsac." exclaim the Big AG Food Masters. "Less American farmers and ranchers is what we want. Keep up the good work, Vilsac!"

Hey, wait a second... Shouldn't the US Secretary of Agriculture be worried about this negative trend of losing more than one million American farmers? Isn't Sec Vilsac worried about all those jobs?

What about America's food security?

The global Food Masters genetically modified pharmaceuticalized foods have become inedible for many people. For instance, what have they done to the meat? Why does it smell so bad and taste so foul? One can only imagine what Big AG does to those animals to get the meat to taste so rotten. Now, to get clean, untainted meat we need to drive further and pay more for it.

Did you know many healthcare professionals blame GMO's for the recent spike in respiratory issues? Protein in GM Bt maize may be a respiratory allergen, new study finds. No surprise; Monsanto denies.

This may explain why Monsanto is banned in 64 countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denounced the use of genetically modified crops. Putin said Russia would stay GM-free. In fact, a draft bill submitted to the Russian parliament likens GMO production and distribution (of biotech seeds) to terrorism. "Terrorism..?!"

The bill introduced to the Russian parliament would treat producers of bio-tech crops from companies such as Monsanto, DowAgro Sciences, and Syngenta as criminals - with fines comparable to terrorism.

Speaking of criminals, we've blogged about the negative impact Dow Chemical Company has had on the state of Michigan. It's titled: Is it Michigan's Crony Capitalists or Crony Socialists?

The world’s ‘leading exporter’ of non-GMO foods... Russia

December 4, 2015 by Anthony Gucciardi, reporter for Natural Society

In an address to the Russian Parliament, Putin proudly outlined his plan to make Russia the world’s ‘leading exporter’ of non-GMO foods that are based on ‘ecologically clean’ production.

Perhaps even more importantly, Putin also went on to harshly criticize food production in the United States, declaring that Western food producers are no longer offering high quality, healthy, and ecologically clean food.

What was that Mr Putin said? Western food producers are no longer offering high quality, healthy, and ecologically clean food?! What a surprise, mainstream media has overlooked this news story. "Ah... it's just food," they muse amongst themselves.

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What are the impacts of GMOs on the environment?

...use of toxic herbicides like Roundup has increased 16 times since GMOs were introduced. GM crops are also responsible for the emergence of herbicide resistant “super weeds” and “super bugs,” which can only be killed with more toxic poisons like 2,4-D (a major ingredient in Agent Orange). Agent Orange?!

GMOs are a direct extension of chemical agriculture and are developed and sold by the world’s biggest chemical companies. The long-term impacts of GMOs are unknown, and once released into the environment, these novel organisms cannot be recalled.

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The actions of these multinational chemical corporations appear to be anti-people, anti-farmers even anti-God. They can't seem to leave God's creation/nature alone. It's as if they are possessed with goofing-up everything & anything that is designed in nature. They believe they are coming up with something "better" than what nature/God designed? Such hubris. They must think they are godlike. Russians refer to them as terrorists. US politicians? They protect them with The DARK Act and...

Multinational Monsanto now suing American farmers

The www.nongmoproject: GMO Facts

How do GMOs affect farmers?

Because GMOs are novel (tainted, twisted up, monkeyed around with, sorcery, etc...) life forms, biotechnology companies have been able to obtain patents with which to restrict their use. As a result, the companies that make GMOs now have the power to sue farmers whose fields are contaminated with GMOs, even when it is the result of inevitable drift from neighboring fields. GMOs therefore pose a serious threat to farmer sovereignty and to the national food security of any country where they are grown.

Let that sink in - Here are American farmers who don't want to plant GMO crops in their fields. Unfortunately, some GMO seeds inevitably drift over into the field and contaminate the field with GM seeds. Multinational Monsanto comes along and sues the farmer for having their patented GMO seeds in their fields!

Sec Vilsac offers up another toast,“…and sometimes people don’t realize that 90% of the persistent poverty counties are located in rural America.” "Bravo, Sec Vilsac. Job well done!" exclaim the globalists. Hey, maybe we could just sell this "unwanted rural land to the Chinese... After all, what could be better - a field full of genetically modified twisted up corn or a field filled with mountains and mountains of toxic dung?

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So, here we are. American farmers are being sued by large hostile multinational biotech companies. Monsanto filed 144 patent-infringement lawsuits against farmers between 1997 and April 2010, and won judgments against farmers it said made use of its seed without paying required royalties.

Many U.S. farmers have said their fields were inadvertently contaminated with Monsanto’s biotech seeds without their knowledge.

Huge multinational corporation Monsanto suing American farmers and no outrage from Sec Vilsac?

Here's one last kamikaze agricultural practice Sec Vilsac may want to toast:

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Another Agricultural Disaster That Could Have Been Prevented

These condensed inhumane food factories that house thousands of birds...

Thousands of caged hens. Courtesy Farming UK

...and other animals should be divided up and spread out into hundreds of smaller managable local farms throughout the country.

~ News Flash ~

Millions of North Carolina chickens die in Hurricane Matthew floods: state

Reuters Wednesday Oct 12, 2016

Millions of factory farm hens drowned in the wake of Hurricane Matthew Courtesy: EcoWatch

Flooding from Hurricane Matthew has killed up to 5 million poultry birds in North Carolina, most of them chickens, the state's top environmental official said on Wednesday, hurting a major contributor to its economy.

North Carolina officials have wanted to avoid a repeat of Hurricane Floyd, which overwhelmed hog farms and pits in 1999, contaminating waterways with animal carcasses and waste. 

If these condensed inhumane farm factories were spread out and cared for by real people and not multinational corporations, we wouldn’t have lost up to 5 million birds.

This tragedy of losing this many egg laying hens is even more devastating for people who know how affectionate hens can be. Just like puppies, they will run right up to people they know hoping to be held.

The HenPower project has seen dozens of elderly enthusiasts get involved in the day-to-day care of the poultry. Courtesy: DailyMail

Why do we continue to put up with this assault on our food, our animals and our planet? Most people believe local farmers growing and raising food for themselves, their families and their local community will take much better care of it than multinational companies ever would.

Rebuilding rural America one farm at a time

The one thing needed to get our fresh food, food security, jobs and local economic power back are the local independently owned farms. Reviving local farms throughout America could help revive rural America. What is preventing us from growing our own Monsanto-free crops and raising our own livestock? Do we really need Kellogg to make our corn flakes for us? Lately, Kellogg seems unAmerican.

Organizing and developing independently owned small to mid-sized farms in and around the communities would drive economic growth and prosperity. The mechanization of farming has made farming easier and more convenient. Let's take advantage of this. By making this a national priority, we could re-organize and integrate these farms in a way that best suits each individual community and region.

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Are you a prospective farmer who could use some help getting started with your farm? Especially hemp farmers. We'd like to help you get started by putting you in contact with people who have expressed an interest in helping. Contact us at [email protected]

Or if you can offer advice, seeds, equipment or funding please, contact us at hempforfood.org

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Migrant workers may be displaced through this re-organization. How hard would it be to help these foreign workers develop local independent farms in their own homelands? With their own strong agricultural economies - they wouldn't need to come way up here to a foreign land for work. They could grow their own food and prosperity at home.

Bringing agriculture into the cities

Agriculture is 24/7 labor intensive world. Fortunately, with farms situated close to the people/or people close to the farms, an abundance of both full and part-time workers would be available to take care of business.

In 2015, 42.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households, including 29.1 million adults and 13.1 million children. How many of these people who live in food insecure households would be willing to move to a farm they, or their spouse could work at? Probably millions of people would want to. After all, who wants to be dependent to the whims of an unpredictable Uncle Sam?

With local farms incorporated into the fabric of our society we wouldn't need to worry about the global, agrochemical, bio-tech Food Masters telling us about a sudden food shortage or a disruption in service.

Sunny day on the farm. Courtesy Clip Art Kid

Being in control of our food once again would have many benefits: fresh food, food security, good paying jobs and local economic control. It would be worth the time and effort to re-organize and rebuild America around things that really matter - such as food security.

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This is a lot of information. If you feel something is inaccurate or needs clarification please let us know so we can correct it.

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As mentioned earlier, if you are you a prospective farmer who could use some help getting started, we'd like to help. Especially hemp farmers! Hemp farming is making a comeback. We'll try to put you in contact with knowledgable people who have expressed an interest in helping. Send us an email at [email protected]

Or if you can offer advice, seeds, equipment or funding please, contact us at hempforfood.org