Category Archives: Education
[Video] GMO Labeling Protest in Yelm
GMO labeling is now more on the minds of Yelm residents after the public demonstration held at the corner of 1st Street and Yelm Ave on Saturday, May 25th. The basis for this is Washington State Initiative i-522. The Initiative concerns labeling of genetically-engineered foods. This measure would require most raw agricultural commodities, processed foods, and seeds and seed stocks, if produced using genetic engineering as defined, to be labeled as genetically engineered when offered for retail sale. The issue for most people is that we have the right to know what’s in our food and how it is created. … Continue reading…
Ag Gag Bills – A Threat to Food Safety
An “Ag Gag” bill is a piece of legislation designed to keep agriculture industry whistleblowers from documenting questionable operating practices on farms and ag factories in the US. So far several states have passed this type of legislation making it illegal for an employee to document, with photos or videos, abusive animal handling practices. And, not surprisingly, many of these bills are heavily supported by agri-business interests. A recent article on the Common Dreams website had this to say: “Ag gag” bills seek to prevent the documentation and exposure of safety violations and atrocities in animal industries by criminalizing them … Continue reading…
Artifical Sweeteners in Milk? FDA to decide
As if the American food supply doesn’t have enough sweeteners in it already, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) seek to change the definition of “milk” so that chemical sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose can be used as optional ingredients not listed on the product label. That’s according to a recent article on the Yahoo! Health website. http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/artificial-sweeteners-milk Why would the milk industry want to make naturally sweet milk sweeter? Milk consumption has been falling and they want to make it tastier. Never mind the side effects to health, just focus on the … Continue reading…
Zilmax – Another new drug to ingest when you eat
The war on drugs is obviously being won by the pharmaceutical companies as they introduce more and more drugs into the market place. And more and more are clandestine drugs, undercover drugs. The big “food” companies like Tyson and Cargill are pretty smart in their marketing. They appeal to the bottom line of the “food” producers who are looking to maximize their return on investment. An example in the beef industry is this new drug called Zilmax. Once banned under the name Zilpaterol as an asthma drug, Merck just changed the name and Presto! it’s no longer banned.
Veterans Learn Farming in Swords to Plowshares Program
It is February 2013 and the US has been producing badly wounded veterans, physically, mentally and spiritually, almost consistently since 2002. Active duty soldiers are committing suicide at the rate of one per day. The numbers for veterans is even higher! How do we, as a society that have sent these warriors into harm’s way, help them when they finally get out? The Swords to Plowshares program is one of them. There are a number of groups and organizations around the US who have found that simply bringing the veterans into a garden or a farm to reconnect with the … Continue reading…
