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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Fwd: Please act today. BioDemocracy Under Attackin Missouri!

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  • From: Brigette Leach <avalonfarmshomegrown AT earthlink.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Fwd: Please act today. BioDemocracy Under Attackin Missouri!
  • Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:21:02 -0500

Just so you know, this information is more than a little misrepresented in this article. I doubt if the only issue is GE seeds.The bigger issue here is the ability of small units of government to intact any number of very restrictive ordinances, which could just as easily ban a sustainable practice if someone takes issue with it. Here's an example: a local man was using an automatic "cannon" to keep birds out of his fruit bearing trees and shrubs. The local township wanted to intact an ordinance prohibiting him from using it. Here's another example: when we wanted to construct our greenhouses, the twp. supervisor's witchy wife made a big stink about it and wanted greenhouse structures to be banned under our zoning ordinance. There are always two edges to the sword. People can get screwy ideas about many things.

And besides, every one of you on this list can become members of your local Farm Bureau. And by being a member you can participate in the policy development process. The policy process starts in your county, moves to the state level, and then on to the American Farm Bureau. If you don't belong and actively participate, you are missing an opportunity to influence policies. But then I am well aware that it is easier to sit back and write derogatory comments than to make the effort to convince people of your point of view in the confines of a meeting. As an active farm bureau member at the local, state, and national level, I can say that Monsanto has never asked me to do a single solitary thing for them. I don't recall that in several dozen hours of drafting and discussing policies that Monsanto has ever even come up. The more likely story is that some one tried to enact local ordinances that would prevent someone from building something, or following a particular practice. I know for a fact that Michigan Farm Bureau policies are available online and the American Farm Bureau's are also online. If you want to know what the polices are, go in and read them yourselves, and not rely on someone who might manipulate the information to serve their own purpose. Lack of accurate information makes us all vulnerable to manipulation. And I mean all.

I had the opportunity to sit in on a panel discussion Tuesday evening of last week at Michigan State University, all by highly placed departmental representatives from the department of ag and natural resources. While the discussion was mostly about what Michigan agriculture would look like twenty years from now, one of the professors from the Horticulture department made comment that the organic and conventional agricultural communities needed to have " respectful dialog with each other", and I agree. Conventional producers are not likely to be as critical of organic producers who just go about their business and conduct themselves as professionals, but there are a lot of really flaky and really belligerent "organic" guys around here. To them organic mostly means letting everything go and their places look like the devil. That makes us all look bad! Instead of paying attention to having well run organic operations, they spend their time telling everyone else what they're doing wrong. Are the conventional guys telling you that you can't use sustainable practices? Many growers follow certified organic practices not because it is their personal philosophy, but because it is another way to market what they are growing to consumers who want to buy it. So does that make them bad guys? Isn't more certified organic heading in the right direction? No wonder consumers think all of us in agriculture are a bit schizophrenic, we don't want to use chemicals so when an alternative is developed, we don't want that either.

Brigette Leach
Avalon Farms Homegrown




Marty Kraft wrote:

Missouri
On Feb 17, 2006, at 1:49 PM, logrock wrote:

"In the last year, 14 U.S. states, prodded by Monsanto and the
Farm Bureau, have made it illegal for local communities to ban GE
crops. Another 5 states have preemption bills introduced in their
state legislatures."
Does anyone know which states they are referring to? I haven't
come up with any valid hits in my searches...
-----Original Message-----
*From:*market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org]*On Behalf
Of*Marty Kraft
*Sent:* Friday, February 17, 2006 2:16 PM
*To:* Marty Kraft
*Cc:* Market Farming
*Subject:*[Market-farming] Fwd: Please act today. BioDemocracy
Under Attackin Missouri!

Thought some of you might be interested in this.

Marty Kraft

Begin forwarded message:


*From:*Organic Consumers Association <listadmin AT ORGANICCONSUMERS.ORG>
*Date:*February 17, 2006 12:50:08 PM CST
*To:*martyk AT ALLSPECIES.ORG
*Subject: Please act today. BioDemocracy Under Attack in Missouri!*

Dear Marty

BioDemocracy Under Attack in Missouri! Please act today.

The Organic Consumers Association and allies have learned that a
“Monsanto” bill has been introduced in the Missouri legislature.
This “preemption” bill would strip away the power of counties,
cities and towns in Missouri to regulate genetically engineered
(GE) seeds and takes away Missouri’s ability to enact anything
more stringent than existing Federal regulations. Current Federal
plant, seed, and food regulations, as you know, are notoriously
weak and designed with the “Biotech Bullies” best interests in mind.

This latest attack in Missouri is part of a larger assault by
Monsanto and the Farm Bureau on local BioDemocracy. In the last
year, 14 U.S. states, prodded by Monsanto and the Farm Bureau,
have made it illegal for local communities to ban GE crops.
Another 5 states have preemption bills introduced in their state
legislatures. The time is now to turn back the tide of the Biotech
Bullies and promote BioDemocracy!

Click here to send a letter to the Missouri Senate Agriculture,
Conservation, Parks & Natural Resources Committee.

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2560


We believe this is the most crucial moment in the ten-year history
of the pro-organic, anti-GE foods movement. Please make an online
donation today to help us stop Monsanto and the Farm Bureau from
suppressing our democratic rights.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/donations.htm

Sincerely,

Organic Consumers Association

To change your subscription:
http://organicconsumers.org/update.htm
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