Comments on: Food Fight http://kitchengardens.net/2007/01/26/food-fight/ Where Food, Cooking and Politics Meet Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:25:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Walter http://kitchengardens.net/2007/01/26/food-fight/#comment-3 Walter Sat, 27 Jan 2007 14:40:22 +0000 http://kitchengardens.net/2007/01/26/food-fight/#comment-3 While I would <b>not</b> defend Smithfield Foods in the slightest, I can tell you the likely reason as to why it will be 11 and 21 years for the transition. They are faced with replacing billions of dollars worth of equipment, perhaps tens of billions of dollars worth. Most of the farmers are 'independents' who work under contract for Smithfield Foods and must pay for this themselves. They just don't have the cash to do it. The reality is they are often simply serfs to the system. Making an immediate change is not possible. Then that raises the whole question of recycling all that old metal and other materials from the smaller foot print operations. Dump all that on the market at once and you'll hurt still more people who's business is recycling by depressing prices through over supply. As little as you and I like the crating, improvements don't happen instantly. Frankly, where Smithfield Foods is going is not the ideal either. It will still be confinement operations and factory 'farming'. They will still have massive pollution problems, be using chemicals that are bad for the environment, bad you and I and bad for the pigs. What consumers need to do is stop buying from the big producers, the factories, and I don't call them farms. Instead look to your small local livestock producers that raise animals on pasture in more natural conditions. We raise pigs on pasture here at <a href="http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/" rel="nofollow">Sugar Mountain Farm</a> in Vermont and are <a href="http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/2005/11/certified-naturally-grown.html" rel="nofollow">Certified Naturally Grown</a>. We sell locally, a higher quality product and at a competitive price. There are a tremendous number of farmers like us who are your neighbors. Get to know them and buy from them. Support your local farmers, keep money in your community and <a href="http://slowfood.com/" rel="nofollow">Buy Locally</a>. Walter Jeffries Sugar Mtn farm http://SugarMtnFarm.com http://NoNAIS.org While I would not defend Smithfield Foods in the slightest, I can tell
you the likely reason as to why it will be 11 and 21 years for the transition.
They are faced with replacing billions of dollars worth of equipment, perhaps
tens of billions of dollars worth. Most of the farmers are ‘independents’ who
work under contract for Smithfield Foods and must pay for this themselves. They
just don’t have the cash to do it. The reality is they are often simply serfs to
the system. Making an immediate change is not possible.

Then that raises the whole question of recycling all that old metal and other
materials from the smaller foot print operations. Dump all that on the market
at once and you’ll hurt still more people who’s business is recycling by
depressing prices through over supply. As little as you and I like the crating,
improvements don’t happen instantly.

Frankly, where Smithfield Foods is going is not the ideal either. It will still
be confinement operations and factory ‘farming’. They will still have massive
pollution problems, be using chemicals that are bad for the environment, bad
you and I and bad for the pigs.

What consumers need to do is stop buying from the big producers, the factories,
and I don’t call them farms. Instead look to your small local livestock
producers that raise animals on pasture in more natural conditions. We raise
pigs on pasture here at Sugar Mountain
Farm in Vermont and are Certified
Naturally Grown. We sell locally, a higher quality product and at a
competitive price. There are a tremendous number of farmers like us who are
your neighbors. Get to know them and buy from them. Support your local farmers,
keep money in your community and Buy
Locally.

Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mtn farm
http://SugarMtnFarm.com
http://NoNAIS.org

]]> By: Bob C. http://kitchengardens.net/2007/01/26/food-fight/#comment-2 Bob C. Sat, 27 Jan 2007 14:01:30 +0000 http://kitchengardens.net/2007/01/26/food-fight/#comment-2 Thank you for the article. I agree, The USDA is hard at work trying to "smuggle in laws that are unconstitutional. More people need to be aware of just how much the "food chain" for human food consumption is controlled by collusion between big Agri-business and a willing and compliant Government (payoffs ?) To learn more go to NoNAIS.org, it's a great web site, for the time being still protected under "freedom of speech". Don't let another freedom fall, we don't have many left. Thank you for the article. I agree, The USDA is hard at work trying to
“smuggle in laws that are unconstitutional. More people need to be aware
of just how much the “food chain” for human food consumption is controlled
by collusion between big Agri-business and a willing and compliant Government
(payoffs ?) To learn more go to NoNAIS.org, it’s a great web site,
for the time being still protected under “freedom of speech”. Don’t let
another freedom fall, we don’t have many left.

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