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Breezy Hill Update
Posted 3/22/2009 9:08pm by Art Ozias.
  • Just finished watching  The Future of Food on Link TV.   It is worth watching.  A great chance to learn more  about GMO foods.  Here is the link http://www.linktv.org/programs/future.   Times for more showings are given.
 
  • Just finished another chicken day.    We have a few that were not spoken for and are in the freezer.  Let me know if you would like a great 4-6 pound fryer.
 
  • Remember we will be at the KC Food Circle Expo this next Sat  9-2pm.

  • NAIS will be an uphill struggle, since most on the sub-committee are pro NAIS 
 Group Encourages Legislators to Follow McCaskill’s Lead in Opposing NAIS Washington, D.C. – Members of R-CALF USA wish to thank publicly Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., for her correspondence to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that makes clear her opposition to the implementation of the agency’s National Animal Identification System (NAIS). Missouri is one of four states to have enacted legislation that prohibits mandatory premises registration programs. “On behalf of the hard-working men and women who earn their living raising and selling cattle in this great country, we want Senator McCaskill to know how deeply we appreciate the fact that she has listened to the concerns of independent U.S. cattle producers – her constituents, the people on the ground who know what is best for their operations,” said R-CALF USA President/Region VI Director Max Thornsberry, a Missouri veterinarian who also chairs the group’s animal health committee.  “Senator McCaskill pointed out that USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) has already spent more than $130 million of taxpayers’ money to promote NAIS, and at last week’s congressional hearing on NAIS, it was projected that additional costs would escalate to at least $200 million or more,” he continued. “We agree with the Senator that the current economic situation in the U.S. has stretched many producers to the breaking point, so it just doesn’t make any sense ‘to place such a significant and unjustified financial burden on our independent producers, particularly when we cannot value the benefit.’ “NAIS is not a solution for food safety, and we hope every Senator and every Representative will realize that the vast majority of meat recalls are due to food-borne illnesses caused by contamination at the processing level, not the producer level,” Thornsberry pointed out.  

“Senator McCaskill’s letter identifies the monumental problems that are destined to cause NAIS to be a colossal failure at the expense of the U.S. cattle industry,” he concluded. “We can only hope that the rest of our country’s legislators will realize, as Senator McCaskill has, that NAIS is an ill-conceived scheme that should not be pursued in the United States.” 

 

that's it from the hill.  Art and Debra
Breezy Hill Update
Posted 3/17/2009 10:15pm by Art Ozias.

The next time you hear about bio-fuels think about the following.

Switch grass beats corn for ethanol production but violates law of return

Staff report

WASHINGTON: The energy return of producing ethanol from switch grass is more than seven times greater than that for corn but has a hidden cost that is not being discussed.

Switch grass is a warm-season native grass that grows from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada in the USA.

An average acre of corn produces about 400 gallons of alcohol, while an acre of switch grass yields 1,150 gallons of ethanol.

The energy output/input ratio of converting corn to ethanol is about 1.2 to 1 but is 4.4 to 1 with switch grass.

Switch grass is heated to 900 degrees F for one second which liquifies the grass. This liquid can then be fermented into ethanol.

The primary advantage to switch grass is that it is a perennial and does not require annual planting.

It is also being touted as not needing nitrogen fertilizer as it can feed on naturally occurring levels of soil nitrogen.

However, this soil nitrogen is actually from the breakdown of soil organic matter placed there by previous plants’ residue.

The USA currently produces about 4.3 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol and experts believe this could grow to 12 to 14 billion gallons, which is just a fraction of the 140 billion gallons of gasoline Americans burn annually.

In contrast, experts say switch grass and crop residues could produce about 60 billion gallons or slightly under half of America’s annual consumption of gasoline.

What is being overlooked is that continuous whole plant removal will drain the soil of needed minerals and organic matter just as making hay does.

This violation of the agricultural law of return is also being ignored in the idea of hauling off corn stalks and other crop residues for ethanol production that help maintain soil organic matter.

The closest thing to a free lunch energy-wise in nature is the direct grazing of whole plants with animals as they return 95 to 98% of the minerals in the plant as manure and urine.

Perhaps, grazing more and growing less energy-intensive corn would yield a more sustainable reduction in petroleum energy use than using whole plants for ethanol.

© by The Stockman Grass Farmer

 

Here’s a great reason to raise your own food!!!

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/03/14/Vegetables-Arent-as-Good-for-You-as-They-Used-to-Be.aspx

More on vaccines and autism.   A must read.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/03/14/The-Malicious-Smearing-of-a-Crusading-Doctor.aspx

Here is the information on the Link TV showing of Food of the Future. http://www.linktv.org/programs/future

If you missed CBS sixty minutes this past Sunday, you missed Alice Waters.  Remember, for those that were at La Sous Terre and saw Food Fight which featured Alice prominently. Here’s the link. http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4867014n

 

That's it from the hill.  Art and Debra

Additional Info for the GMO
Posted 3/16/2009 8:09pm by Art Ozias.

I should have included the instructions for the GMO.   Here they are.

Online Instructions:

1. Click here to send your comments to the USDA electronically or go to:

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=0900006480903a8e

The result with Document ID number "APHIS-2008-0023" is the Interim Final Rule for comments on Importation, Interstate Movement, and Release into the Environment of Certain Genetically Engineered Organisms

2. Click on the “Add Comment” icon and follow the instructions on the next screen.

Tell USDA to: 1. Withdraw the proposed rule; 2. Release the EIS for public review and comment and to be used as a basis for further rule-making; and 3. Suspend all new GE crop approvals until the above has been satisfactorily completed and unless and until GE crops are proven safe.

SAMPLE LETTER (Please cut and paste)

To whom it may concern,
Docket No. APHIS-2008-0023
Regulatory Analysis and Development
PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8
4700 River Road Unit 118
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.

Re: Docket No. APHIS-2008-0023, Importation, Interstate Movement, and Release into the Environment of Certain Genetically Engineered Organisms.

I am very concerned about the risks posed by genetically engineered crops. They threaten human health, family farmers, and the environment. I urge USDA to withdraw the proposed rule, publish the Environmental Impact Statement for public review and comment, and suspend all new GE crop approvals in the interim.

After USDA releases the EIS, a comment period of at least 90 days is needed so the public has the opportunity to fully participate in a transparent process on this important issue. This will not only aid in the development of the final EIS but also in the drafting of a new proposed rule. The current proposed rule does little to close the loopholes in the regulations the rule is designed to replace and it creates more gaps than it fills.

Sincerely,
 

Breezy Hill Update
Posted 3/16/2009 7:52pm by Art Ozias.

Just when I thought I was caught up, here comes GMO and COOL.  Thanks for your support on NAIS.  Even though most of you are consumers (my customers). if NAIS were to be implemented a lot of the small producers (me) would most likely hang it up.  If we were to continue then the costs would be passed on to you.  Small producers, without the "aid" of subsides that the biggies get, must past on the added costs or go broke. 

First Gmo. Notice the date Mar 17.  That's tomorrow.

Friends,

If you care about the environment, human health and sustainable and organic farms:

It’s time to act!

Write to the USDA in these final 24 hours for the comment period to close the loopholes regulating genetically-engineered (GE) crops, also referred to as genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Tell the USDA that the loopholes regarding GE crops must be closed and to suspend approval of additional GE crops until truly independent, peer-reviewed testing can be performed.

While supporters claim this technology is safe, thorough testing was never completed before GE crops/GMOs were introduced into our food chain. Already more than 60 percent of packaged foods sold in U.S. supermarkets contain genetically-engineered food that American consumers unknowingly eat everyday.

Not only is this a great concern for consumer health, but also for family farmers who must pay exorbitant technology fees for the GE seed, and for the environment and sustainable and organic farmers whose crops can become contaminated due to GE drift.

If you care about food safety, it’s time to make your concern about GE food known! The USDA is accepting public comments on a proposed rule about GE until the close of business March 17th.

Tell the USDA that it must ensure the safety of GE technology for eaters, farmers and the environment!

If you want to learn more about concerns regarding genetically engineered food, watch The Future of Food tonight and this week on DIRECTV Channel 375 and DISH Network Channel 9410. Visit LinkTV for schedule. http://www.linktv.org/programs/future

Please send in your comments now! 

 

Now COOL.  That's Country of Origin Labeling.

 

R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America

 

“Fighting for the U.S. Cattle Producer”

 

For Immediate Release                                                                               Contact: Shae Dodson, Communications Coordinator

March 16, 2009                                                                                       Phone:  406-672-8969; e-mail: sdodson@r-calfusa.com

 

USTR Should Defend COOL

Says Coalition of Ag, Consumer Groups

 

Washington, D.C. – R-CALF USA joined a dozen other organizations to file formal comments that request the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to urgently defend the mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law that is to be fully implemented today.

 

In December 2008, both Mexico and Canada filed complaints against the U.S. COOL law, claiming it violates World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations.

 

“We expect USTR to protect U.S. consumers by successfully defending COOL against any and all challenges,” said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard. “It is unbelievably arrogant that Canada and Mexico believe they should be allowed to override the will of U.S. consumers – consumers who deserve the right to know where the food comes from that they feed their families.

 

“This WTO case is a kitchen-table issue that will affect every American, and we expect the Obama Administration to demonstrate the President’s pledge to ‘aggressively defend our rights’ before WTO dispute panels,” he continued.

 

“This challenge, by two of our closest trading partners, undermines key trade policy objectives of the Obama Administration,” Bullard pointed out. “Defending these rules would reaffirm the President’s long-standing commitment to COOL.

 

The following organizations make up this particular COOL coalition, most of which have supported COOL for at least a decade: R-CALF USA; the Coalition for a Prosperous America; the Consumer Federation of America; Food & Water Watch; the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy; Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement; the Missouri Rural Crisis Center; the National Family Farm Coalition; the National Farmers Union; the Organization for Competitive Markets; Public Citizen; Rural Advancement Foundation International—USA; and, the Western Organization of Resource Councils.

 

COOL originally became law in the 2002 Farm Bill, but opponents – including the huge multinational meatpackers who held significant influence  over the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the Bush Administration – were successful in preventing implementation of the law. In the 2008 Farm Bill, COOL was passed yet again, but these same packers have managed to take advantage of loopholes in the law to avoid Congress’ intent for the law to benefit consumers and U.S. livestock producers.

 

Earlier this year, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sent a formal letter to the industry to request that retailers and packers change their behavior in order to meet the congressional intent of the legislation.

 

“We appreciate the Secretary’s efforts and we continue to ask USDA to make a priority the needs and desires of its constituency – U.S. citizens – and to not cater to the whims of foreign governments and multinational corporations, as has been the pattern for the last eight years,” Bullard concluded.

 

Note: To view/download a copy of the coalition’s comments to USTR and/or USTR’s Federal Register Notice dated Feb. 17, 2009, please visit the “Country of Origin Labeling” link at www.r-calfusa.com.

That's it from the Hill.  I hope things slow down.  Remember, Mar 28 is KC Food Circle EXPO.  Go to www.kcfoodcircle.org.  for directions.    Art and Debra.

 

Breezy Hill Update
Posted 3/15/2009 8:27pm by Art Ozias.

News Flash!!  Chicken day will be Mar 22 NOT Mar 21.  Pick up will be between 3-4 pm.

 

 

Grassfed dairy products needed for truly effective cancer prevention

Staff report

LOGAN, Utah: CLA researcher, Dr. Tilak Dhiman, published a paper that said grassfed meats alone probably provided insufficient CLA to effectively prevent cancer.

However, he said grassfed meats eaten in conjunction with 100% grassfed dairy products could be very effective.

In an exclusive interview with this publication, Dhiman said the whole problem is that the CLA is found in the fat of the animal and that many grassfed animals are currently sold very lean.

Dhiman said his lab does CLA analysis for many grassfed beef producers all over the country so he has a good feel for the state of the industry.

“Our goal should be to get our grassfed animals as marbled as those from the feedlots,” he said.

“The health benefits of grass feeding are in the fat, not the lean.”

Many grassfed producers currently advertise how much leaner their meat is than grain fed and then tout the CLA advantages of grass feeding.

“You can’t have both,” he said.

He said some very lean grassfed animals could actually have less CLA than feedlot finished ones.

He said animal studies suggest that the minimum effective dose of CLA needed to prevent cancer is 0.05% of the diet.

He said a 600 gram diet of traditional grain fed whole milk, cheese, beef and poultry would produce a CLA percentage of the diet of approximately 127 mg/day, which amounts to .021% of the diet or less than half that needed for cancer prevention.

However, a similar diet of 100% grassfed meat and dairy products could produce a CLA intake of about 441 mg/day or 0.074% of the diet, which is well above the minimum intake that has shown to be effective in reducing the incidence of cancer in animal models.

Poultry has little to no potential for increasing CLA in the diet.

“The greatest potential for increasing the CLA intake of humans is to consume high-CLA containing, whole fat, dairy products,” he said. He said animal models are always used in deadly disease research because it would be highly unethical to induce practices thought to create disease with humans.

© by The Stockman Grass Farmer

We have the water turned on and have plants started in our raised beds.  Sure is nice to get started and not have to deal with still wet garden soil.

That's it from the Hill.  Art and Debra.

That's is from the Breezy Hill.  Art and Debra

 

NAIS Alert
Posted 3/13/2009 10:25pm by Art Ozias.

Here is an alert to help stop NAIS.  If you appreciate our beef, milk and eggs please help stop NAIS.  It is necessary to act NOW.  It is being debated in conference now and we need to act before Mar 20.  http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/t/5985/content.jsp?content_KEY=5457

Thanks Art and Debra.

Breezy Hill Update
Posted 3/13/2009 9:39pm by Art Ozias.

Mar 21 will be the next chicken day.  There will not be another for about a month.  If you buy 5 or more they are $2.50 per pound.  If less than five $2.75.  Ten or more $2.25.  Let me know soon.

 

Here is some great legislature we need to support.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/02/26/Will-Ron-Paul-End-the-Ban-on-Raw-Milk.aspx

Know anything about nanosilver?   http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/t/741/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26775

  

Here is the latest Organic Consumers Newsletter.  You may want to subscribe.  Has an interesting article on GMO cotton.  Those of you attending the Monday night videos will appreciate.

 
 
In This Issue
OCA Campaign Success Story of the Week: OCA's New Study Finds Greatly Reduced Carcinogens in Personal Care Products
Alert Update of the Week: OCA & Grassroots Pressure on Obama and Vilsack Show Results
More Good News: Campaigning of OCA & Allies Shifts USDA and Helps Hilda Solis Get Confirmed
Nutrition News of the Week: Taking a Bite Out of Childhood Obesity
Alert of the Week: Sign the Health Revolution Petition
Sustainability News of the Week: OCA at Power Shift '09, Artists for the Climate
Related Web Videos of the Week: Wendell Berry speaks about Climate Change
Web Forum Posting of the Week: We only have the next 10 days to stop MANDATORY NAIS
Genetic Engineering News of the Week: Study Shows Monsanto's GE Cotton is Killing the Soil
Headlines and Articles of the Week
 
 
Hello Art,
Welcome to another exciting issue of Organic Bytes! With more than a quarter million readers, you are in good company.
 
OCA Campaign Success Story of the Week:
OCA's New Study Finds Greatly Reduced Carcinogens in Personal Care Products
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) released a new follow-up study today that assesses hazardous levels of the unlabeled carcinogen contaminant 1,4-dioxane in leading conventional as well as  "natural" and "organic" brands of personal care and household cleaning products. The results indicate significant improvement for 23 products from sixteen major brands that OCA had previously exposed last year as containing potentially dangerous levels of 1,4-dioxane. In other words, thanks to ongoing pressure from the OCA and its allies, some of the best selling personal care products on the market have been reformulated to be safer for human health and the environment.

Of course, our work is never done: the study also found a number of conventional products that had alarmingly high levels of the carcinogen. The study was commissioned by the OCA and was overseen by environmental health consumer advocate David Steinman (author of The Safe Shopper's Bible). The independent third-party laboratory, Bodycote Testing Group, known for rigorous testing and chain-of-custody protocols, performed all testing.

Learn more
 
Alert Update of the Week:
OCA & Grassroots Pressure on Obama and Vilsack Show Results
Thanks to your hard work and ongoing pressure, the Obama Administration and Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack are apparently responding to OCA and our allies' calls for major reform in the food and farm sector, including:
  • President Obama's budget plan includes a $1 billion a year increase in funding for U.S. child nutrition programs including school lunches. Learn more
  • Secretary Vilsack has called for government support for farmers using alternative energy, such as wind and solar, as well as those converting to organic farming practices. Vilsack also has called for cuts in taxpayer subsidy payments to large farms. Learn more
  • Vilsack has pledged the USDA's support in ending racial discrimination in the farm sector, specifically condemning past discrimination in limiting credit opportunities for African-American farmers. Learn more
  • The USDA's National Organic Program has cracked down on companies spiking organic fertilizer with prohibited synthetic additives. Learn more
  • President Obama has guaranteed at least $500 million for the Green Jobs Act in the stimulus package. Learn more
What's next? Keep the pressure on! Congress, President Obama and Secretary Vilsack need to hear from you on key issues.
 
More Good News:
Campaigning of OCA & Allies Shifts USDA and Helps Hilda Solis Get Confirmed

On February 23, 2009, the Obama administration heard the voice of organic consumers and named Kathleen Merrigan deputy agriculture secretary. As one of OCA's favored nominees for the position, Merrigan has a solid background in sustainable and organic agriculture. She was the administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service at the USDA when the division crafted the organic guidelines. Since then, she's been a board member of the Organic Center and a professor at Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. She's been an avid organic booster, spreading the word about the superiority of organic foods.

Thank you to the nearly 100,000 organic consumers, including 50,000 new OCA participants who joined OCA's Vilsack campaign, which is putting pressure on the Secretary of Agriculture to make positive changes at the USDA with actions like the appointment of Merrigan.

We'd also like to thank the thousands of you who took part in another OCA alert and supported Hilda Solis for Labor Secretary. We're pleased to announce she was confirmed on February 24, 2009. Secretary Solis, the department's first Latino chief, is a longtime ally of farm workers, a champion of workers' rights and green jobs, and an experienced leader who has fought to restore balance to our economy. OCA expects Solis to bolster protections for farm workers and other laborers in the food sector.

Learn more
 
It's Working!
Your OCA Support is Bringing Positive Change

The Organic Consumers Association is one of the few nonprofit organizations that provides you with success stories, nearly every week, showing you how your financial donations are directly bringing about positive change. These success stories are due to the involvement and donations of our supporters. In order to continue bringing positive change in the realms of health, social justice, and sustainability, we need your contributions. If you are unable to donate, please help spread the word about OCA to friends, family and colleagues.  Please donate today!

Donate Here
 
Nutrition News of the Week:
Taking a Bite Out of Childhood Obesity
Child-friendly, healthy and truly delicious food can be served in school lunchrooms: that's what OCA's DC Intern, Chantal Clement, learned at "Take a Bite out of Childhood Obesity", a briefing on the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act sponsored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.  Thanks to junk food diets, the estimated lifetime risk for kids born in or after 2000 to contract Type 2 Diabetes (a disease doctors generally treated patients aged 30 or more for) is 32.8% for men and 38.5% for women. Due to widespread dietary unhealthiness, boys will lose 11.6 years from our current life expectancy rates and girls will lose 14.3 years.The Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act is an opportunity to get these healthy, cost-effective foods to every school child through the school meals.

Learn more
 
Alert of the Week:
Sign the Health Revolution Petition
The Organic Consumers Association is co-sponsoring a health care reform petition, put together by our friends at Natural News, with a goal of generating 100,000 signatures for submission to elected officials in Washington DC. The broad scope of this petition reminds the President and Congress that the nation's health is dependent on prevention as well as curing disease:
  • Safeguarding our food supply: Banning genetically engineered foods and known toxic ingredients such as aspartame and MSG.
  • Investing in disease prevention: Teaching the public about nutrition and exercise with Public Service Announcements.
  • Cleaning up the environment: Investigating the impact of fluoridation and pharmaceuticals in the public water supply.
  • Protecting our children : Restricting junk food advertising and encouraging the use of fresh and unprocessed foods in schools.
Learn more and take action
 
Sustainability News of the Week:
OCA at Power Shift '09, Artists for the Climate and the Capitol Climate Action
Worldwide, industrial food production is responsible for 30% or more of the fossil fuel use and the greenhouse gas pollution that's driving climate change. The Organic Consumers Association has joined the climate movement to bring the CO2 levels down below the dangerous tipping point of 350 ppm (we're at 387 ppm right now). We support the movement's goals to stop new coal plants, to shut down or phase out the pre-existing 600 U.S. coal plants, to create 5-10 million new green jobs in wind and solar sector, and to begin a deep retrofitting of the nation's 130 million buildings to drastically cut (by 80--90%) energy consumption. In addition, we're educating climate activists about the potential organic agriculture has to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by drastically cutting fossil fuel use and sequestering greenhouse gases in the soil. As the Rodale Institute has shown, transitioning the world's agricultural lands to organic would allow the soil to absorb 40% of current greenhouse gas emissions.

On February 28, OCA's DC intern Chantal Clement spoke at Power Shift '09, a gathering of 12,000 young climate activists, on a panel about the film Food Inc. On March 1, OCA's political director Alexis Baden-Mayer caught up with Wendell Berry at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network's Artists for the Climate, and on March 2, she joined Berry and a few thousand others at the Capitol Climate Action to shut down the coal plant that powers the U.S. Capitol.

Learn more
 
Related Web Videos of the Week:


Wendell Berry speaks about Climate Change at Artists for the Climate conference in DC.

Watch
 
Web Forum Posting of the Week:
We only have the next 10 days to stop MANDATORY NAIS.
The following was posted in the OCA web forum by Cyn:
"Whether you're a small farmer, rancher, a person that owns just one  animal, or just an average consumer, we are all gong to suffer for  this. If you think food prices are high now, just wait when the NAIS becomes mandatory. You can forget about buying healthy, free range, or organic meat, milk  and eggs because it will become price prohibitive. Most likely you  wont be able to get it at all, because the cost of NAIS for small  farms and ranches will put them out of business...The U.S. House  Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry will hold a  hearing on NAIS on March 11. Bills to put NAIS into law, HR875 and  companion Senate S814, are being pushed through Congress, as well as an Appropriations Bill with funding for NAIS. This hearing is critical to blocking mandatory NAIS..."

Read more and post your own thoughts in OCA's web forum
 
Genetic Engineering News of the Week:
Study Shows Monsanto's GE Cotton is Killing the Soil
A new study analyzing fields planted with Monsanto's genetically modified (GM) cotton indicates the crops are causing the soil to slowly die. The study found that over a three year period soil micro-organisms, which are necessary for building healthy and nutrient rich soil, decreased dramatically in the Monsanto cotton fields. According to the Institute for Science in Society, "At this rate, in a decade of planting with GM cotton, or any GM crop with Bt genes in it, could lead to total destruction of soil organisms, leaving dead soil unable to produce food." Learn more

You can make a difference. Join the Organic Consumers Association and contact your Congresspersons today and urge them to:

1) Require mandatory labeling of all GE plants and animals
2) Place a moratorium on new genetically engineered plants or animals, and
3) Protect non-GE and organic farmers by assigning liability for injury caused by genetically engineered organisms.

Take action
 
Headlines and Articles of the Week:
1) Scientists Agree That Organic Farming Delivers Healthier Soil and More Nutritious Food:
Scientists gathered last week for the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, analyzed research from the last decade, and determined, once again, that the path to healthy soil and healthy food is organic farming.

2) How to Survive the Coming Century: Living or Dying in a World Warmed Just Four Degrees

3) Support Ron Paul's Bill to End the Ban on Raw Milk:
The consumption of raw milk is legal in every U.S. state, but its sale is currently illegal in about half of them. U.S. Congressman Ron Paul has introduced HR 778, a bill "to authorize the interstate traffic of unpasteurized milk and milk products that are packaged for direct human consumption."

4) Nation's Food System Nearly Broke:
"Any time a country neglects its family farm base and allows it to become financially bankrupt, the entire economy of that country will soon collapse. It may take generations to rebuild the farm economy and that of the country..."

5) Washington State Turnaround on Organic Milk Policy Has Far-Reaching Implications:
"Washington State announced plans last week to deny mothers the choice to purchase organic milk for their infants and young children with federal WIC Nutrition Program funds. This policy confuses consumers and will set a precedent for other state agencies..."


Let OCA sift through the media smog and bring you the top new and analysis of the day. The OCA website has 10 or more news articles posted each day, and a library of over 40,000 articles covering issues including health, justice, food and farming, politics, and the environment. Bookmark OrganicConsumers.org
 
Organic Geek News of the Week:
Do You Twitter?


The OCA is now on Twitter! We will be posting from our news feed, as well as new campaigns, alerts, and anything else we think you'll like! Get OCA news anywhere and everywhere you go.
 
Sign up: http://twitter.com/organicconsumer
 
Get Involved With OCA In MO

*Learn more about OCA related action alerts and other news in MO here.

*Join MO discussion groups in our forum.

*Post events in MO on our community calendar.
 
Message From OCA Sponsor:
Consumer Tip of the Week:
How to Afford Organic During a Recession



Eden Foods Offers OCA Customers 15% Discount

 

Please forward this publication to family and friends, place it on web sites, print it, duplicate it and post it freely. Knowledge is power!

ORGANIC BYTES is written and edited by Craig Minowa and Ronnie Cummins
and is a publication of:
ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION

 
  • More info on vaccines and GARDASIL

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/03/05/Vaccine-Studies-Under-the-Influence-of-Pharma.aspx

 

 

I don't know what else the Ozias' are good at, but you make one damn
good beef!  I've stopped eating my dinner....just to tell you that.

Thank you!

Jamie, Andrea, and Isabella

 

that's it from the Hill.  Art and Debra

Breezy Hill Update
Posted 3/7/2009 7:17pm by Art Ozias.
 Friends, Help stop a former Monsanto executive from working in the White House! Currently America is in the middle of a record food safety crisis and it could get a whole lot worse. There's a possibility that former Monsanto executive Michael Taylor and irradiation proponent Dr. Michael Osterholm will be named to top food safety spots in the new Administration.  We need your help to defend America's food supply. Write Secretary Vilsack ( AgSec@usda.gov ) and tell him to stand strong on food safety. Ask Secretary Vilsack to say no to Taylor and Osterholm.  1. Michael Taylor, a former Monsanto executive, whose career literally fits the definition of the revolving door between government, lobbying and corporate interests. Before serving on the Obama ag transition team, Taylor made a name for himself rotating in and out of law firms, Monsanto, the USDA and FDA. While at the FDA he helped write the rules to allow rBGH into the American food system and our children’s milk.Now we’ve learned that Taylor may be in line to run an office in the White House on food safety! 2.  On Monday, Secretary Vilsack is set to announce the appointment of Dr. Michael Osterholm, a food safety expert, to lead the Food Safety agency at the USDA. According to Food & Water Watch, Osterholm has been “a zealot in promoting th[e] controversial technology (of irradiation) as the panacea to contaminated food.”Irradiation allows food processors to nuke disease from contaminated food at the end of the production line, while ignoring the root problems that create unsafe food. For Osterholm, the recent peanut butter fiasco apparently was just another example of how irradiation could save the day. "Clearly it's a problem where the raw peanut butter or paste is consumed and not cooked," Osterholm said.

About the magnitude of America’s most recent food safety crisis, Osterholm said, "The recall has reached a level that is far beyond what's necessary."

Try telling that to the relatives of the nine people who died and to the over 600 sick individuals across the country.

"This was like peeling an onion," Osterholm continued. "It demonstrates the magnitude of processed food in this country."

Well, at least he got that much right… The problem, Osterholm doesn't take constructive criticism of his favorite technology lightly. In 1999 he wrote an editorial calling food safety advocates who questioned the safety of irradiation terrorists. This doesn't sound like the type of leader that the USDA needs right now. If you think this is bad news, let the Administration know about it! Join Food Democracy Now! in calling for true reformers to be placed in positions at the USDA, FDA and beyond. We need a food safety system with some teeth - one that is independent of corporate interests. Write Secretary Vilsack and ask him to reconsider these decisions.

If you’d like to see Food Democracy Now! grassroots work continue, please consider donating as little as $10 or $25. We need all your support to be able to create the change that is needed at the USDA.

Thanks again for helping make this a success, it's time to join together to create Sustainable Change. Best, Dave
Please cut and paste the below email and send it to Secretary Vilsack at the following address.

AgSec@usda.gov

Dear Secretary Vilsack,

I ask that you take the lead in helping America protect the safety of its food supply by appointing a real reformer at the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) position and advising President Obama not to name Michael Taylor to any position in the administration.

Please appoint someone other than Michael Osterholm, who has proven to be too biased in favor of a single technology that has been ineffective in stopping food safety outbreaks and is something that most American consumers don’t want.

I took the President at his word when he said he would close the revolving door in this new administration and I know that you want to lead a new era at the USDA.

Please appoint true reformers to positions within the USDA to help you transform America’s food and farm system for the 21st century.

Thanks for your consideration.

Sincerely,

 I sent the email and included a few words against Michael Taylor.  It probably helps to personalize your response.

 

Update from Breezy Hill
Posted 2/27/2009 1:41pm by Art Ozias.
  • This next Monday at La Sous Terre we will be showing the King Corn movie. Start time is 7 pm. 

 

  • Dear Friends of FOOD FIGHT,

    There are exciting events coming up for the film.

    • We are screening theatrically in Portland at the Hollywood Theatre, Feb 28th & 29th.

    • We may also extend that to a second weekend, March 5th - 7th.


    We are screening at the following film festivals:

    • Feb 26th - 28th Omaha Film Festival

    • March 6th - 8th DC Independant Film Festival (I will be there for a Q&A)

    • Also, the same weekend at the Sebastopol Film Festival

    • March 12th San Luis Obispo Int’l Film Festival (I will be there)

    • April 1st - 5th Florida Film Festival in Orlando (I will be there)

    If can’t make any of these screenings, then join us at La Sous Terre !!!There is a screening at La Sous Terre on Mar 9 at 7 pm

    We are also looking at two dates for theatrical screenings with Tom Philpott (one of the stars of the film and a great food writer at Grist.org) in North Carolina. Those will be early in April.

    Our biggest news is that we will screen at Seattle on March 27th -28th at the Greenfest with Alice Waters attending, as she unveils a major social action initiative (that we also have covered in the film). It is possible that we will be doing other events with Alice Waters across the country, and I will update you all about that as logistics are confirmed. It is likely that we will also be screening at the Greenfest dates in Denver May 2nd and Chicago, May 16th.
    There is also big news in the works about future theatrical dates, and since those are being negotiated as we speak, I will update you all about them in the next e-mail.

    One other thing that is very important to us: as we screen the film across the country we are trying to create more than just a movie in a theater. We are really trying to raise the food consciousness of the American consumer and help the many other organizations that are part of this movement. Many of you are the “choir” of this movement, and to make a movement happen we will have to multiply our numbers significantly. That is what I am hoping to do with our screening events, and I will be calling on you to help as we come to your cities.     Many thanks, and much more to come.

    Chris Taylor / Director
    FOOD FIGHT and the FOOD FIGHT REVOLUTION

 



that's it from the Hill.  Art and Debra

 

Breezy Hill Update
Posted 2/23/2009 9:04pm by Art Ozias.
  • Just returned from our Monday night video.  It was another one on GMO.  Well, if you don’t know what that acronym means you should have been there.  It was very informative.  Next Monday it is King Corn.  See ya there.  We start at 7pm.
 
  • If you want fryers this weekend I need to know by Thursday.  Same deal. 4-5 pounds and $2.75 per pound.  Several of you have already placed your orders.  Pick up will be the same.  Sometime in the afternoon.  I’ll send an email to those who ordered on Thursday
   

 

that's it from the hill.  Art and Debra