Senate Bill S510, Food Control

[medicineman]

Back when I was a kid, in the 40/50s, we had a 40 acre farm in Washington state. It was a milk/dairy farm. We had inspectors that inspected our facility on a regular basis. We had to maintain a level of cleanliness and animal food designations that were pretty strict for a small dairy/farm. We grew our own veggies, had fruit trees, had hogs, chickens and a horse. I never ate so good, fresh strawberries, real cream, apples pears, plums, real Icecream and butter from the milk truck. Point being, there have always been rules when it comes to food production. The Monsanto seed thing is criminal. Farmers in India are committing suicide because they cannot afford the seed. They have subsisted on their own seed for centuries and then Monsanto comes in and Kills them. Monsanto is one of the most evil corporations on the planet. The wheat farmers in Canada have been fighting with them for years. They have secretly come in at night and spread diseases to the wheat the farmers not buying monsantos seeds are growing, killing their crops. They claim that if some pollen from one of their crops is blown to the next door neighbors non monsanto wheat field and the crop takes on the monsanto seeds, they own the crops.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=8&ved=0CE0QFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.corpwatch.org%2Farticle.php%3Fid%3D5790&ei=J4f5TOvvBJGisQPErbSoAw&usg=AFQjCNF0qrm2EoF_VUk7QUb082n7utuzkw
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=9&ved=0CFYQFjAI&url=http://www.21stcenturyradio.com/articles/03/0924229.html&ei=J4f5TOvvBJGisQPErbSoAw&usg=AFQjCNHjLH2mHDzCKMQcdJpmjf8TeYJcfw

 

[veen]

It's not the reasonable things in the bill, it's all the outrageous inanity that is the problem. And there is PLENTY.

I agree with that, there are problems and the bill is quite empty in many ways. But I think most bills have that problem, not everything is perfect because we are working within an imperfect system. I think of it as a step in the right direction and actually, is better than nothing. I mean, food safety is a huge issue in large scale production that HAD to be addresssed. Thank you for some reasonable input Viagro.

 

[NoDrama]

I agree with that, there are problems and the bill is quite empty in many ways. But I think most bills have that problem, not everything is perfect because we are working within an imperfect system. I think of it as a step in the right direction and actually, is better than nothing. I mean, food safety is a huge issue in large scale production that HAD to be addresssed. Thank you for some reasonable input Viagro.

yeah food safety is a HUGE issue, nearly 3 people died last year due to contaminated foodstuff purchased at the store. the other 1300 people who died either got cat shit in their food or got salmonella from improper preparation and its preparation of food that is hurting people. So yeah 3 people is FUCKING HUGE!!!

Twice as many people die from lightning strikes per year than do foodborne illness from the carried over from the farm. To tell you the truth I am not one bit afraid of Lightning.

 

[Dirty Harry]

Lets not forget about people who not only don't know how to prep and wash foods, but those who have iguanas, turtles, and lizards for pets. They have salmonella on them naturally and improper hygiene prior to handling foods may contaminate it and make one think it was contaminated when they bought it...but it was them that was the problem.

 

[NoDrama]

Well you didnt inform yourself about the differences between industrial farmers and REAL small scale environmentally and health concious farmers. I for one have worked on small organic farms and know for a fact its hardly possible to gross even close to 500,000. The guys buying 400,000 tractors are growing Genetically modified corn and soy for the most part- depleting our soils, water and health. Soda pop, dorito, frito lay farming vs fresh healthy non pesticide laden FOOD farming. Like I said, inform yourself on the whole issue not just numbers if you want to be taken serious.

Yeah if you have a 2 acre family garden you aren't selling your produce, your eating it. Those tiny organic farms you worked on were not for profit, they were for sustainability so of course their Gross Income did not exceed $500k, but round these parts the smallest farms have a quarter of land (640 acres) and the median sized farms have multiple quarters. Assuming the average production of wheat per acre is 47 bushels per acre and right now hard red spring wheat sells for about $7.50 per bushel that equals $352 per acre or $225,280 per quarter. The 1000+ acre farms that are the norm here are all doing over 500K in business each year at least on a single crop. Lets not even get into some of the huge bonanza farms around here that have in excess of 50,000 acres.

The guys buying $400k tractors do not grow corn, its not a very good crop for this climate, they mostly grow Wheat, Sugar Beets, Soy and lentils. Wheat is big because it can even grow in the winter under the snow, and then they run another spring crop through. Its the only plant they can do 2 crops of due to the short growing season here.

You might want to inform yourself so you can be taken seriously, provide facts not hot air.


prove to me that doing extra paperwork makes food safer and you will have my apologies.

 

[veen]

Yeah if you have a 2 acre family garden you aren't selling your produce, your eating it. Those tiny organic farms you worked on were not for profit, they were for sustainability so of course their Gross Income did not exceed $500k, but round these parts the smallest farms have a quarter of land (640 acres) and the median sized farms have multiple quarters. Assuming the average production of wheat per acre is 47 bushels per acre and right now hard red spring wheat sells for about $7.50 per bushel that equals $352 per acre or $225,280 per quarter. The 1000+ acre farms that are the norm here are all doing over 500K in business each year at least on a single crop. Lets not even get into some of the huge bonanza farms around here that have in excess of 50,000 acres.

The guys buying $400k tractors do not grow corn, its not a very good crop for this climate, they mostly grow Wheat, Sugar Beets, Soy and lentils. Wheat is big because it can even grow in the winter under the snow, and then they run another spring crop through. Its the only plant they can do 2 crops of due to the short growing season here.

You might want to inform yourself so you can be taken seriously, provide facts not hot air.


prove to me that doing extra paperwork makes food safer and you will have my apologies.

Umm... they were for profit, you are arrogant to the point that no matter what I say or claim you will distort or ignore certain parts.
And I definately am not denying this hurts the corporate farmers, not at all.
Soy and Sugar beets are actually the highest percentage of planted GM crops, only 45% of all corn grown in the US is GM. So thanks for pointing out that your state contributes so much to the unhealthy conditions of our environment as well as in humans. Do you need to go read about GM crops? Do you know about them? Do you know where all that grain and bean goes? Right into the most unhealthy foods out there.
Paperwork does not directly make food safer, thats foolish. It is the enforcement that comes from the paper, I live in a state where MILLIONS of eggs were distributed with salmonella. This was due to INDUSTRIAL LARGE SCALE CONDITIONS. Now if I am debating with an industrial ag supporter then I think this is pointless. But to those who read this, please dont let fear mongering take away from the positives in this bill.

 

[NoDrama]

Wheat grown here is multiple times bigger than all the beets and soy together by a very very wide margin, so you can thank my state for growing a majority of NON GMO FOOD. Your welcome, even though I don't grow it.

You haven't even read the bill. All you hear is that its going to make things safer and thats all you need to hear to be all supportive of it. It won't make a single thing safer because what it is trying to control isn't harmful to begin with. Show me a carrot out of a garden sold at a farmers market that has killed.

If you don't think I know what a GMO is you might want to actually start reading some of the threads around here. As is you haven't or you wouldn't have firmly inserted your foot into your mouth like you just did.

 

[veen]

You haven't even read the bill. All you hear is that its going to make things safer and thats all you need to hear to be all supportive of it. It won't make a single thing safer because what it is trying to control isn't harmful to begin with.

If you don't think I know what a GMO is you might want to actually start reading some of the threads around here. As is you haven't or you wouldn't have firmly inserted your foot into your mouth like you just did.

I dont know you nor your posts which is why I asked if you knew what they were. I have read the bill, and like I said, it is not perfect. I think the biggest win in this bill as long as it goes through with tester ammendment, is the noted difference of food safety and quality between small scale and industrial. It is also a win that the government can require producers of tainted food to recall there items. Before they were friggin toothless and the producers only had to do a voluntary recall, thats a joke. The government is there to protect the people from corporations, like it or not, we hired them and pay them so they should do there job.
Not make a single thing safer? Thats as foolish as saying paper enforces laws! Even if the number of foodborne illnesses is low, the number of people sick is huge. I personally dont want to be made sick due to some careless production farmer who makes his money in government subsidies paid from taxpayers money. But then again, I dont know what farming you support.

 

[Balzac89]

[video=youtube;sHYPF4Z5qVM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHYPF4Z5qVM[/video]

 

[Balzac89]

[video=youtube;9Nk_b0VYbic]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Nk_b0VYbic&feature=related[/video]

This is the real deal. lol

 

[NoDrama]

This bill will KILL more farms and farmers. You think farming is a real lucrative career? it isn't, believe me, these people just barely scrape by most of the time. You think all the additional man hours of work per week doing paperwork and the capitol it takes to implement some of these controls will surely bankrupt some of the smaller operations? The big corporations have the resources to handle these things, its not going to affect them much at all. Your food won't be any safer, safety is just the wool pulled over the eyes.

how long do you suppose it will take for a farmer who grosses 400K per year now go over that 500K per year just due to inflation? How much food inflation is happening right now? 2% , 5% , 12%, 20% or more?

I live in a state where MILLIONS of eggs were distributed with salmonella.

Did ALL of the eggs have Salmonella? Or did just some , but they pulled all just to be sure? And how did the salmonella get there to begin with?

 

[Balzac89]

Thats all relative to crop prices. Only large industry can afford to produce corn for so cheap.

 

[Balzac89]

Theres alot of people that need to be fed in the world. Small farms aren't going to be able to supply it all. It is just economics and when all these farms close and we can't produce enough food, so prices will increase. Then small businesses would be able to make enough to survive.

Russia had one of the worst droughts this year, they loss a large part of their crop and I believe China was having the same problems. They had to import more food so prices are rising currently.

 

[Balzac89]

I'm still Repin LOC!

 

[Viagro]

Theres alot of people that need to be fed in the world. Small farms aren't going to be able to supply it all. It is just economics and when all these farms close and we can't produce enough food, so prices will increase. Then small businesses would be able to make enough to survive.

Russia had one of the worst droughts this year, they loss a large part of their crop and I believe China was having the same problems. They had to import more food so prices are rising currently.

Large commercial farming produces virtually nutritionless food. It leads to the burgeoning health problems we see today in America. People in eastern Europe almost all have supplemental gardens, and even in cafes the food is much more nutritious than in the US. Victory gardens kept America going during WWII, we need more of that and less dependence on same day delivery grocery stores. Katrina-like situations can happen in a matter of days if shipping is interrupted. More independence is key.

 

[Balzac89]

VICTORY GARDENS lol

 

[NoDrama]

That would explain the huge jump in wheat and rice prices, but why is the price of all commodities going up as well? Iron, Gold, Silver, Copper, Aluminum, Lithium, Cobalt, platinum. Surely the weather cannot affect those.

 

[drip bucket]

[ walmart has veg. and fruit seeds real cheep. im stocking up big time!QUOTE=NoDrama;4930593]This will be voted on by the Senate after Turkey Day, It has already passed cloture. The Dept Of Homeland Security will now be in charge of ALL food and farms/home gardens. You will be allowed to eat what you grow but you will not be allowed to give or sell anything you grow. No more farmers markets unless you have applied for license and payed the fees and taxes. A terrible bill if there ever was one.

Links:
http://www.naturalnews.com/030462_Food_Safety_bill_FDA.html

http://laughterandliberty.com/senate-bill-s510-explained-sort-of/

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-510



[video=youtube;gOups0dfdwM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOups0dfdwM[/video][/QUOTE]

 

[Balzac89]

I see what your saying though. IT makes sense, i'm just saying its the evolution of our capitalist system.

 

[Viagro]

Thats all relative to crop prices. Only large industry can afford to produce corn for so cheap.

Yeah, Monsanto GMO Roundup ready corn, which alters dna in the human gut...which then generates pesticide in the intestines.