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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: Michael Kaer <michaelkaer@yahoo.ca>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Livingontheland Digest, Vol 140, Issue 2
  • Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:10:56 -0400 (EDT)

I would like to reply to all of the posts with a single comment. One word actually. Hemp. If everyone was free to grow hemp everywhere there would be no food crisis and we would also have lots of oil and great fibre for clothes, paper and rope. Hemp seed is very high in protein and it can be ground into a paste or a flour for baking. The oil can be used in lamps or heating stoves or as fuel for diesel vehicles. It can also be used to cook the food and make plastics. You can make alcohol and a form of gasoline from it as well.

 Why does the powers that be prefer you to starve rather and allow this super plant to be grown? That word is control. With control comes power and profit. If they had no control they have no power and no profit. Follow the money.
Michael J. Kaer

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Today's Topics:

1. Re: Making a killing from the food crisis
(activism98201@verizon.net)
2. Re: Making a killing from the food crisis (Diane Kann)
3. Re: Making a killing from the food crisis (Tradingpost)
4. Re: Making a killing from the food crisis (Tradingpost)
5. Re: Making a killing from the food crisis (Diane Kann)
6. Re: Making a killing from the food crisis (E. E. Mitchamore Jr)
7. Re: Making a killing from the food crisis (Tradingpost)
8. Re: Making a killing from the food crisis (Liz)
9. Martha gets on the bandwagon (Tradingpost)
10. Buyers find ways to save (Tradingpost)
11. Fwd:New Transporting Hay Regs (Norma Sutton)
12. Re: Fwd:New Transporting Hay Regs (TamesonOB)
13. Re: Fwd:New Transporting Hay Regs (Tradingpost)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:41:51 -0500 (CDT)
From:
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Making a killing from the food crisis
To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
Message-ID:
<3585390.314411209400912378.JavaMail.root@vms124.mailsrvcs.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

As tragic as this all is, I believe that it is necessary. At first glance it may appear that the big folks are winning but it's really their death that's happening too. Big AG is doomed to fail. By lobbying that it "has lost touch with its most basic goal: that of feeding people" we're playing into their hands of obtaining yet further control over our food supplies.

We shouldn't have our "representatives" in other parts of the world telling people what they should and shouldn't grow. And don't believe that the loss of exports is going to affect people's ability to feed themselves ("economic health"); dollars aren't necessary.

It's the people's job of feeding themselves. If we let this hemorrhaging take place it'll result in more local control of food by the people themselves.


-Mark Nagel
Everett, WA


=====================
From: shashi.pkumar@wipro.com

New from GRAIN
28 April 2008
http://www.grain.org/nfg/?id=565

MAKING A KILLING FROM THE FOOD CRISIS

A new report by GRAIN - http://www.grain.org/2/?id=39

The world food crisis is hurting a lot of people, but global agribusiness firms, traders and speculators are raking in huge profits.

Much of the news coverage of the world food crisis has focussed on riots in low-income countries, where workers and others cannot cope with skyrocketing costs of staple foods. But there is another side to the story: the big profits that are being made by huge food corporations and investors. Cargill, the world's biggest grain trader, achieved an 86% increase in profits from commodity trading in the first quarter of this year. Bunge, another huge food trader, had a 77% increase in profits during the last quarter of last year. ADM, the second largest grain trader in the world, registered a 67% per cent increase in profits in 2007.

Nor are retail giants taking the strain: profits at Tesco, the UK supermarket giant, rose by a record 11.8% last year. Other major retailers, such as France's Carrefour and Wal-Mart of the US, say that food sales are the main sector sustaining their profit increases. Investment funds, running away from sliding stock markets and the credit crunch, are having a heyday on the commodity markets, driving prices out of reach for food importers like Bangladesh and the Philippines.

These profits are no freak windfalls. Over the last 30 years, the IMF and the World Bank have pushed so-called developing countries to dismantle all forms of protection for their local farmers and to open up their markets to global agribusiness, speculators and subsidised food from rich countries. This has transformed most developing countries from being exporters of food into importers. Today about 70 per cent of developing countries are net importers of food. On top of this, finance liberalisation has made it easier for investors to take control of markets for their own private benefit.

Agricultural policy has lost touch with its most basic goal: that of feeding people. Rather than rethink their own disastrous policies, governments and think tanks are blaming production problems, the growing demand for food in China and India, and biofuels. While these have played a role, the fundamental cause of today's food crisis is neoliberal globalisation itself, which has transformed food from a source of livelihood security into a mere commodity to be gambled away, even at the cost of widespread hunger among the world's poorest people.

==============================================

GRAIN, Making a killing from hunger: We need to overturn food policy, now! "Against the grain", April 2008, http://www.grain.org/2/?id=39 and in PDF http://www.grain.org/2/?id=39&pdf

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------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:56:09 -0400
From: "Diane Kann"
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Making a killing from the food crisis
To: "Healthy soil and sustainable growing"

Message-ID:
<3863172d0804281056v799aae1fyf3dcd8e53a8a350a@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I believe we need to let supply and demand take care of itself. It has
always worked. We as individuals should not let people starve, of course,
but if we keep playing with the system, we may all anyway. If a society
needs to learn to feed itself, there are ways for groups to help them
(notice I said groups, not governments). It is NOT government's role to
feed people, let alone in other countries. I'm not being harsh; in fact,
our family assists many very cheerfully. But our government multiplies the
problems when it pays farmers to grow (or not to grow) certain crops, then
turns around and guarantees them a minimum price, then buys the product at
the government's price, uses more tax dollars to ship it overseas (and more
to distribute it)....in the end, no one is actually being helped, except for
the government itself (more money flowing through it, more control).

A better solution would be to allow private groups/individuals to help those
they see need help, allow farmers to grow what they feel will sell, allow
farmers to sell at whatever price they can (if we run into a rice shortage,
the farmers selling rice sell at a higher price, then more farmers decide to
grow more rice and the price stabilizes again....it IS supply and demand,
basic economics).

An added bonus is that our government can run on much less money and we can
use our own $$ as we see fit!

Diane K

On Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 12:41 PM, wrote:

> As tragic as this all is, I believe that it is necessary. At first glance
> it may appear that the big folks are winning but it's really their death
> that's happening too. Big AG is doomed to fail. By lobbying that it "has
> lost touch with its most basic goal: that of feeding people" we're playing
> into their hands of obtaining yet further control over our food supplies.
>
> We shouldn't have our "representatives" in other parts of the world
> telling people what they should and shouldn't grow. And don't believe that
> the loss of exports is going to affect people's ability to feed themselves
> ("economic health"); dollars aren't necessary.
>
> It's the people's job of feeding themselves. If we let this hemorrhaging
> take place it'll result in more local control of food by the people
> themselves.
>
>
> -Mark Nagel
> Everett, WA
>
>
> =====================
> From: shashi.pkumar@wipro.com
>
> New from GRAIN
> 28 April 2008
> http://www.grain.org/nfg/?id=565
>
> MAKING A KILLING FROM THE FOOD CRISIS
>
> A new report by GRAIN - http://www.grain.org/2/?id=39
>
> The world food crisis is hurting a lot of people, but global agribusiness
> firms, traders and speculators are raking in huge profits.
>
> Much of the news coverage of the world food crisis has focussed on riots
> in low-income countries, where workers and others cannot cope with
> skyrocketing costs of staple foods. But there is another side to the story:
> the big profits that are being made by huge food corporations and investors.
> Cargill, the world's biggest grain trader, achieved an 86% increase in
> profits from commodity trading in the first quarter of this year. Bunge,
> another huge food trader, had a 77% increase in profits during the last
> quarter of last year. ADM, the second largest grain trader in the world,
> registered a 67% per cent increase in profits in 2007.
>
> Nor are retail giants taking the strain: profits at Tesco, the UK
> supermarket giant, rose by a record 11.8% last year. Other major retailers,
> such as France's Carrefour and Wal-Mart of the US, say that food sales are
> the main sector sustaining their profit increases. Investment funds, running
> away from sliding stock markets and the credit crunch, are having a heyday
> on the commodity markets, driving prices out of reach for food importers
> like Bangladesh and the Philippines.
>
> These profits are no freak windfalls. Over the last 30 years, the IMF and
> the World Bank have pushed so-called developing countries to dismantle all
> forms of protection for their local farmers and to open up their markets to
> global agribusiness, speculators and subsidised food from rich countries.
> This has transformed most developing countries from being exporters of food
> into importers. Today about 70 per cent of developing countries are net
> importers of food. On top of this, finance liberalisation has made it easier
> for investors to take control of markets for their own private benefit.
>
> Agricultural policy has lost touch with its most basic goal: that of
> feeding people. Rather than rethink their own disastrous policies,
> governments and think tanks are blaming production problems, the growing
> demand for food in China and India, and biofuels. While these have played a
> role, the fundamental cause of today's food crisis is neoliberal
> globalisation itself, which has transformed food from a source of livelihood
> security into a mere commodity to be gambled away, even at the cost of
> widespread hunger among the world's poorest people.
>
> ==============================================
>
> GRAIN, Making a killing from hunger: We need to overturn food policy, now!
> "Against the grain", April 2008, http://www.grain.org/2/?id=39 and in PDF
> http://www.grain.org/2/?id=39&pdf
>
> Please do not print this email unless it is absolutely necessary.
>
> The information contained in this electronic message and any attachments
> to this message are intended for the exclusive use of the addressee(s) and
> may contain proprietary, confidential or privileged information. If you are
> not the intended recipient, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy
> this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately and destroy all copies of
> this message and any attachments.
>
> WARNING: Computer viruses can be transmitted via email. The recipient
> should check this email and any attachments for the presence of viruses. The
> company accepts no liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted
> by this email.
>
> www.wipro.com
> _______________________________________________
> Livingontheland mailing list
> Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland
>
> _______________________________________________
> Livingontheland mailing list
> Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland
>
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------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:11:46 -0600
From: "Tradingpost"
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Making a killing from the food crisis
To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
Message-ID: <200804281211460890.0E315E65@mail.lobo.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


In many countries, local farms have been swallowed up by corporate giants for export to Europe, China, and U.S. In fact, the U.S. is now a net importer of food. Local farm workers are turned into wage slaves that can't afford to buy what they produce. This was planned by the IMF and World Bank. In other places local farms are turned into ethanol crops for gas guzzling nations. This pattern of the strong exploiting the weak has gone on since ancient empires and economic colonialism is now in full swing. Globalization of food, manufactures, and other commodities is not free trade; it's criminal abuse of power. There are some in power who want wars and famines to decimate the poorer populations and call them "useless eaters" (Kissinger), and tell us that if you control oil you control nations, but if you control the food you control the people. They know what they're doing. Big AG - cartels like ADM, Monsanto, Cargill etc. has consolidated control over world food supplies, seed,
shipping, fertilizer and agricultural chemicals, and farm land. They won't disappear and won't give up control no matter the cost. I don't know the end result, but it won't be pretty, and the rich nations won't be blameless. We can do our part as individuals and communities to be part of the solution instead of contributing to the problem. That's what we do where we're able to. I do need my coffee tho I know the middlemen are making big money and the coffee plantation workers are in dire poverty. It's been said that how and what we eat is a highly political act. Growing our own and buying local is highly political. Being more self sufficient and not being whipsawed by the economic news, we're less vulnerable to things beyond our control.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 4/28/2008 at 11:41 AM activism98201@verizon.net wrote:

>As tragic as this all is, I believe that it is necessary. At first
>glance it may appear that the big folks are winning but it's really their
>death that's happening too. Big AG is doomed to fail. By lobbying that
>it "has lost touch with its most basic goal: that of feeding people" we're
>playing into their hands of obtaining yet further control over our food
>supplies.
>
>We shouldn't have our "representatives" in other parts of the world
>telling people what they should and shouldn't grow. And don't believe
>that the loss of exports is going to affect people's ability to feed
>themselves ("economic health"); dollars aren't necessary.
>
>It's the people's job of feeding themselves. If we let this hemorrhaging
>take place it'll result in more local control of food by the people
>themselves.
>
>
>-Mark Nagel
>Everett, WA
>
>
>=====================
>From: shashi.pkumar@wipro.com
>
>New from GRAIN
>28 April 2008
>http://www.grain.org/nfg/?id=565
>MAKING A KILLING FROM THE FOOD CRISIS

snip




------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:26:02 -0600
From: "Tradingpost"
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Making a killing from the food crisis
To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
Message-ID: <200804281226020000.0E3E6AAA@mail.lobo.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"


Without getting into politics too much, let me add that the free market you describe is something that has never been and never will be. Empires have robbed and pillaged subject peoples since time immemorial, and all empires fall. Government and corporate power is abused everywhere. I want a better world too but - funny thing - the world doesn't listen to me. Instead of running around trying to put out fires everywhere, I just try to improve my little corner and find a right livelihood with honest labor and sustainable food that doesn't poison people or waste what natural resources we have left. Best I can do.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes.
--Henry David Thoreau

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 4/28/2008 at 1:56 PM Diane Kann wrote:

>I believe we need to let supply and demand take care of itself. It has
>always worked. We as individuals should not let people starve, of course,
>but if we keep playing with the system, we may all anyway. If a society
>needs to learn to feed itself, there are ways for groups to help them
>(notice I said groups, not governments). It is NOT government's role to
>feed people, let alone in other countries. I'm not being harsh; in fact,
>our family assists many very cheerfully. But our government multiplies the
>problems when it pays farmers to grow (or not to grow) certain crops, then
>turns around and guarantees them a minimum price, then buys the product at
>the government's price, uses more tax dollars to ship it overseas (and more
>to distribute it)....in the end, no one is actually being helped, except
>for
>the government itself (more money flowing through it, more control).
>
>A better solution would be to allow private groups/individuals to help
>those
>they see need help, allow farmers to grow what they feel will sell, allow
>farmers to sell at whatever price they can (if we run into a rice shortage,
>the farmers selling rice sell at a higher price, then more farmers decide
>to
>grow more rice and the price stabilizes again....it IS supply and demand,
>basic economics).
>
>An added bonus is that our government can run on much less money and we can
>use our own $$ as we see fit!
>
>Diane K
>
>On Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 12:41 PM, wrote:
>
>> As tragic as this all is, I believe that it is necessary. At first
>glance
>> it may appear that the big folks are winning but it's really their death
>> that's happening too. Big AG is doomed to fail. By lobbying that it
>"has
>> lost touch with its most basic goal: that of feeding people" we're
>playing
>> into their hands of obtaining yet further control over our food supplies.
>>
>> We shouldn't have our "representatives" in other parts of the world
>> telling people what they should and shouldn't grow. And don't believe
>that
>> the loss of exports is going to affect people's ability to feed
>themselves
>> ("economic health"); dollars aren't necessary.
>>
>> It's the people's job of feeding themselves. If we let this hemorrhaging
>> take place it'll result in more local control of food by the people
>> themselves.
>>
>>
>> -Mark Nagel
>> Everett, WA
>>
snip




------------------------------

Message: 5
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:59:48 -0400
From: "Diane Kann"
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Making a killing from the food crisis
To: "Healthy soil and sustainable growing"

=== message truncated ===


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  • Re: [Livingontheland] Livingontheland Digest, Vol 140, Issue 2, Michael Kaer, 04/30/2008

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