The market is open for ordering.

It has been an interesting week and I wanted to share some information and thoughts with you;

90% of Americans support GMO labeling of food yet 275 House members voted to approve HR. 1599. According to GovTrack’s Bill Summary:

The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the distribution and labeling related to bioengineered foods (often referred to as genetically modified foods or GMOs).

It would require food producers to notify FDA of any bioengineered foods intended to be sold interstate and would disallow the sale any bioengineered foods not deemed safe by FDA. Although the bill +would prevent FDA from requiring the labeling of bioengineered foods +only on the grounds that the foods are bioengineered, FDA could require that alterations of nutritional properties, allergens, or other characteristics of food be listed on food labeling. Regulations would also prohibit the labeling of food as not bioengineered if it had been planted with bioengineered seeds. Dairy products from animals fed bioengineered foods and foods developed using bioengineered processing aids or enzymes could still be labelled as non-bioengineered. The bill would also prevent states from issuing their own food labeling requirements for bioengineered foods.

The bill also establishes for a certification program for those wanting to be labeled non GMO, much like the “Organic” Certification the USDA administers. More expense for the grower to ‘prove’ their product is good while Big Ag hides all the chemicals they use and gets government subsidies.

I talked with a local farmer this week that is considering getting out of the Pastured Poultry business. It is so much work, so much time and expense to process the birds, he lost 3 mobile pens in a storm, spent 3 hours rounding up birds and sheltering them before he had to load more birds to drive 6 hours through the night to a processing facility. There he unloads, spends another night waiting for the birds to be processed and loaded so that he can drive them home again. Another farmer recently lost a large turkey shelter due to a storm, no birds were lost but the time and expense to build and rebuild should be recouped. There is no insurance for these events.
When we farm, we expect problems, emergencies, sunny days and rainy days. We are willing to take the risk because good food is important to us. We love what we do and want to make it our living. Farmers should be able to charge a fair price for our products and be fairly compensated for the work done. Sadly, most small farmers go out of business due to the tremendous amount of time required to grow, harvest, process, store, market and sell their products to the few people willing to pay the fair price. One bad growing season can often mean the end due to the small margins they operate on.
If you care about your food, your health, the health of the land and the local economy, I encourage you to buy straight from your local farmer. There are many wonderful CSA’s, on line markets, farmers markets, and roadside stands that sell good food, truthfully. Visit the farm, know what you are purchasing, ask questions. In light of the passing of HR 1599, the government obviously does not care about what the people want but your local farmer does.

Blessings,
Mary Beth