is there room for profit in commercial agriculture?

American food supply –Are we safe and is it efficient?

       I was reading a NPR –National Public Radio article regarding the loss of millions of pounds of fish annually that is thrown overboard because it wasn’t the species desired and was caught up in the nets. It seems as if no one part of the United States fishery is any less to blame and some are more than others. Also our government oversight has to be held accountable as more efficient methods of harvesting fish are available but we lack the oversight abilities to force the fisheries to comply.

      Now we also have fish farms spread all across the United States that may operate out of swimming pools in barns, to netted sections of bays, to desert salt ponds that I have heard about where they  grow shrimp and catfish as well tilapia in controlled environments .  Now there is talk of introducing a GMO salmon to make up for the lack of native salmon in our natural streams. As opposed to the natural fishing, these units of raising fish and shrimp are highly efficient and are taking hold and increasing tonnage annually as they take over a larger share of the offshore market of commercially available fish. But the problem with this, is when you concentrate numbers of any species in a small space you can expect disease and contamination of the water they depend on to live and breathe through , causing a whole host of new problems.  Are we going to be able to provide quality healthy fish and maintain ecofriendly populations to the extent that we can see our oceans fishery populations return to our pre industrial expectations? I doubt it as the damage is already done to some fishes such as the natural salmon as well their habitat is constantly threatened by our ever expanding population.

       The meat industry meaning pork chicken and beef that makes up a majority of the meat industry is  no better than the fish industry , although we have reduced the waste to the point our meat packers have found a way to include everything but the burp and the hair of a cow in your hot dog.  As well the heads and feet of chickens are all that is wasted in processing animals today. Blood is cooked and fed back to animals in the form of dry feed in dog food and also in cattle feed or chicken feed. And it wasn’t till we had the mad cow disease that we were eating in a secondary fashion, animals brains fed to the cattle we eat, as profit decides what an acceptable practice in the meat industry is. Pork is no different as very little is wasted in that business as evidenced by the pickled pigs feet often seen behind bars across the country. In a sense if we grow it then we should by all means try to utilize it 100 percent.

     To a degree, I agree with that but me myself would prefer certain practices be abolished as being potentially harmful to humans, in particular feeding nerve tissue to cattle as feed where a disease could be transmitted to humans from undercooked consumption. The meat industry over the years has become more efficient at harvesting a greater percentage of the animals but still issues remain as to how healthy it is for our ecosystem to sustain long term use of say cattle for instance. Cattle are ruminants and although in principle same as a horse still produce carbon dioxide in significant amounts and when considered as a protein source are costing our environment dearly in terms of increasing the CO2 levels well beyond the normal limits if the species was to survive on its own . This contributes to greenhouse warming as well when combined with other food sources add additional impact on our environment. These are all factors we could easily reduce. And how we can reduce, I will get to later in my discussion.

     So we have a greenhouse warming occurring because of what we eat, and then there is the quality of what we eat. If we only added quality beef pork or chicken cuts in our food sources are we any better off?  No, not really as it is up to the farmer to raise the animals in a healthy environment. With the growth hormones and the GMO corn and wheat and soybeans comprising 90 percent of our food supply , we are no better off and are only feeding dollars to research more ways of screwing the consumer by supporting corporate farming as that is where most of the profit goes.  Corporate farming is what dictates to the farmer what practices are acceptable to raise the livestock. It is always the bottom line that predicts our eating resources and not quality . We have to change this.

      How do we change a system that is dependent on the consumer to buy their product because without it we won’t eat at all, and so they are dependent on the consumer, likewise at the same time. We need to slowly shift away from corporate farming for the most part. We need to return to our roots and keep our meat and produce local. We cannot subsidize a holistic approach to agriculture to keep prices in check on a national basis without supporting commercial agriculture. If you can’t grow it where you live then you need to move. The amount of fuel alone wasted trucking meat from Maine to California is ridiculous. Are we gaining anything taking substandard foods around the world to have it processed and brought back to our table? It may fill our stomach but it mostly fills other people’s pockets.

       The first step in securing a better food source is to buy it local. The second step is to support our local farmers as they struggle to make ends meet. At times I believe they should be subsidized to keep prices low and to encourage more to come in to the business providing on smaller acreages, fish farming and other cottage industries like beekeeping etc., that would provide the variety of products in a sustainable way we need to feed ourselves daily while reducing our dependence on hydrocarbons and increasing the global warming of our planet that we need to sustain ourselves. The more we produce locally the better off we are. This will result in spot shortages of food products as we eliminate the middle man. To this I say maybe we don’t need to live in those areas deemed inhospitable to even produce enough to eat. Let them pay to play. If you desire to live in the desert you are straining everyone’s resources, if you cannot provide enough to eat for yourself, or your family.

      We as a people need to rethink our own position as a species here on earth and learn to live within our means. Within our means is to avoid those things detrimental to the long term existence of man, Including our population. Who doesn’t love a baby or two but when you have a thousand of them screaming for something to eat which one will you save. This is the dilemma we face if the agricultural system was to break tomorrow. If suddenly our oil wells dried up and farmers could no longer get their GMO corn to market or we couldn’t milk the cows because we didn’t have coal for our power plants because we lacked the fuel to get it there. Panic and death would quickly become the norm as vigilante groups all preaching about Armageddon would suddenly roam the countryside and set about taking what they want to feed just their screaming baby.

      If we were buying locally we could avoid this. our farmer would already have be able to adjust and learn to produce even in adversity, enough to feed the masses locally, if we encourage them now to take up the load and avoid being specialized to the extreme we are now. We also need seed banks on a local basis where we share heritage seeds that could sustain us locally if we needed it. If you have extra seed then take the seed to the bank much like we do money to preserve it for future generations or need. We each need to have our own garden and reduce our dependence on transportation of feedstuffs we depend on a daily basis. Support those farmers locally who provide meats and grains we use daily, and encourage entrepreneurs to get into businesses that would provide those items we use like cereals for breakfast. Our Amish population is to be admired in our area as an example of self-reliance and being able to provide on a local basis all the items they need to sustain themselves. They do it well and live a healthy life. You don’t have to believe in their philosophy or religious doctrine to live like them, just admire and adopt those items you feel would be good for the society on a widespread basis.

     By reducing our dependence on corporate farming we will take out of their hands the ability to dictate how we eat and avoid the Solyent Green scenario. Where humans are ground up and fed to other humans. Also I hate to say this as it is controversial, but something the Chinese have already figured out and we as a world population need to as a way to cut healthcare costs and reduce our need to cover the earth with food plots to feed the masses, and decrease our CO2 levels, we have to look at birth control on all the people as a whole in this world and use whatever means is available to achieve a zero growth situation. Common sense is only coming to play as need to reduce our numbers and especially in those locations where food has to be trucked in to sustain life. Left to their own devices these same people would die if we did nothing, so why is it necessary for them to populate the earth when they can’t feed themselves. The same could be said for the rest of us. If you are dependent on someone else to raise all your food that you and your family eats, then why should you be allowed to raise more than 2 kids regardless of your religious affiliation. Even the bible says God helps those that help themselves . Before you sit back and throw stones at the messenger think about your response and how you are affecting the world as a whole and not just your individual belief. We are all in this together. I am not advocating going out and knocking every third male in the head, and doing him in. I am saying lets plan on a pregnancy and provide for your children much better than we have before.

     We still have an ability to change things and that besides taxes is something we can all believe in, and that is change. Things have changed a lot since I was a kid growing up on the farm, my attitude has changed in regards to a lot of things, and we as a people can affect change on a national basis if we just take time to consider where we are headed as a people, a race, or a species, regardless of our beliefs. Do I think the food we eat is safe? Hell no. But I eat it along with you and until we do something else this is what we have good or bad. Don’t take my word for ti. Thousands are screaming the same message, you just have to listen to what they say and change your lifestyle in a way that is better for you. Plant a garden thank a farmer , and live a little better knowing you are trying to make a difference as a human in this world.