Kashi, in a move almost certainly based on a desire to drive profits and not a strong-held belief, joined the legions of companies currently making very public, splashy moves toward non-GMO ingredients. Openly disclosing this action seeks to meet the “ever-evolving needs of our consumers,” the company showed its willingness to kowtow to the rantings of food elitists.
Tellingly, the press release issued by Kashi comes quickly on the heels of an agenda-driven campaign to “out” the health food maker’s use of foods produced with biotechnology. The declaration of the cowardly cereal creator’s about-face on biotechnology use fails to site new science, or any damaging information on biotechnology, that would explain the rapid move away from ingredients that have been used by the company since its inception more than two decades ago.
Instead, the nuevo-hippie equivalent of a corporate titan, chose to play the blame game. As a member of the Whole Foods-loving, any “green” embracing set so popular among luxury SUV-driving wannabe earth mothers, Kashi obviously has only used the ingredients because the food system needs to be changed, man. It’s “big ag” growing those bad crops.
So, let’s get this straight.
Ninety-five percent of U.S. farms are family farms. Families, farming together, grow crops used in the foods sold on grocery store shelves, be they at posh luxury grocers or supersaver chains, across the country. So, those big bad families are forcing tiny, little Kashi (owned by the ginormous Kellogg conglomerate, by the way, producer of Froot Loops) to use their GMOs.
The fact that running massive advertising campaigns like Kashi’s, something family farmers could never afford, indicates the size of the food industry giant does not jive with their flow. Face it, “Big Health Food,” buying, including and selling cereal made with GMOs for as long as you have shows one of two things. Either:
A.) You actually do believe that biotechnology is safe, as studies have repeatedly shown, and that their use helps produce an abundant affordable supply of quality food. As you have no data that indicate there is any reason other than pandering to baseless accusations against the technology, you decided to institute a policy against GMO use, that will take effect sometime in the future, because the 99 percent of the global population unable to eat did not have enough cash to be Kashi consumers in the first place.
Or
B.) You have only paid lip service to the idea of providing a quality, healthy product until this point and, rather than admit that, you prefer to just say that you are changing your policy, at least in a few years. Let’s face it, if they really believed biotechnology use was wrong or dangerous, Kashi would immediately cease production of any foods that contain biotech ingredients.
For a “movement” that wraps itself in touchy-feely images painted with broad, washed out brushstrokes, Kashi and its cohorts seem to espouse an approach to business where science and concern for the truth don’t sell, so marketing and public perception reign supreme.
It is time for the American public to take a long, hard look at the truth of the situation. The executives at companies do not sleep well at night because of their clear, blemishless social consciences; they sleep well at night because they sleep on 1,000-thread-count sheets paid for with the money of consumers they seem to confuse and guilt into buying truly tasteless cereal baked in an oven of propaganda and fear-mongering.
If climate change occurs at a rate predicted by some in areas predicted by others accompanied by a rash of severe weather disasters, assuming no advancement in corn traits used maintain yield under said conditions, should come about while mandated biofuels production consumes a certain portion of said crop, assuming no advancements in the technology used in its production, price volatility might increase.
Does the above sound like a run-on sentence culminating in a premise based on a lot of supposition? It may be, but so-called experts who extract their living by sensationalizing strung-together worst-case scenarios would actually strike down the laws decreasing our dependence on foreign oil using that very same logic.
Worrying over potential situations that might occur down the line if a variety of circumstances come together to create a perfect storm is one of the fastest ways to ensure progress halts. True, policy and regulation should consider the likely consequences of implementation, but these consequences should be likely, imminent and balanced against the problems the policy addresses.
In this case, arguing against implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard because price volatility possible under a very specific vision of the future throws out the baby with the bathwater.
The RFS helps keep gas prices down for consumers, decreases dependence on foreign oil and reduces the environmental impact of transportation. It does this today. It does this well.
Bleak future forecasts fail to factor in the constant improvements in agriculture which consistently allow farmers to grow more, under more difficult circumstances, using fewer inputs. In the last 20 years alone, ethanol yields have increased by 10 percent, thus requiring less corn to make the same amount of fuel. At the same time, corn yield have risen by 39 percent, thus requiring much less land to produce the same amount of corn. Assuming that today’s crop will not continue to improve, thus looking the same another 20 years down the line, is foolish at best and disingenuous at worst.
Furthermore, ignoring the fact that these presumptions assume the ability to predict the weather 20 years out when most news channels would thrill at an accurate forecast for the weekend, the naysayers ignore the new, dynamic corn traits farmers are planting this year. With the first drought-tolerant traits already preserving yields under tough conditions, it makes sense that the scientists developing the next generation will improve seed technology enabling growers to meet demand under a variety of scenarios.
Right now, American consumers need ethanol. Right now, it is improving our national security, our air, our rural economies and our fuel prices. Do not let prophets of doom cloak their predictions in science, thus repealing the progress toward a cleaner, safer, more energy independent America.
American ethanol works constantly to improve, as do America’s farmers. Allow them to continue their progress while the country continues to benefit. Situations change, but the only way to make progress is to take a step forward without constantly shuffling back.
Great news this week for the future of America’s farming families.
The U.S. Labor Department officially withdrew proposed rules that would have prevented many young people from working on farms and ranches.
“The Obama administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through the generations,” said the department in a press release. “Instead, the Departments of Labor and Agriculture will work with rural stakeholders — such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, the Future Farmers of America, and 4-H — to develop an educational program to reduce accidents to young workers and promote safer agricultural working practices.”
The Labor Department said it received “thousands of comments” against the proposal rule regarding youth in agriculture and made it clear that the “regulation will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration.”
The rule ideally would have included an exemption for children of farming families, but once that door was opened it would only be a matter of time before they would have been included under it as well. It could have prevented the next generation of farmers and ranchers from acquiring skills and passion for the profession and definitely would have kept urban kids from working on farms and learning from the solid worth ethic found in this industry.
This is a great victory for farmers and ranchers and truly shows the strength of American agriculture and grassroots action. Thanks to the administration for using some common sense!
Think that everyone should eat only organic foods? A new study published in Nature magazine disputes this notion as, if a move of this sort were made, many people would not eat at all.
“Crop yields from organic farming are as much as 34% lower than those from comparable conventional farming practices,” the article cites. “Organic agriculture performs particularly poorly for vegetables and some cereal crops such as wheat, which make up the lion’s share of the food consumed around the world.”
In the end, the choice of whether to select organic or conventionally grown food comes down to consumer preference. America’s farmers work hard to provide an abundant, affordable variety of safe options every year. Don’t take away the very tools helping ensure that they can continue to do so.
The first USDA crop progress report counting the corn emerged so far this year is out and the number is just one short of double digits.
That’s still almost a full one-tenth of the crop already breaking ground and soaking up the sunshine, like the plants in these photos taken at a field along I-70 in Missouri over the weekend. That’s a full 7 percent more than last year and the five year average. Pretty amazing.
Planting progress is even more amazing, with 28 percent of the crop in the ground, compared to 15% normal for this time of year. How about some of these numbers? Tennessee is leading the pack with 88% planted, twice the average. North Carolina has 79% and Kentucky is at 75%. Okay, so those are Southern states, but the Midwest is no less impressive – maybe even more so. Illinois has 59% planted, Missouri is up to half the crop in the ground and Indiana growers are getting near that halfway point with 46% done. Compare that with the averages for this time of year – Illinois 17%, Missouri 27% and Indiana just 10% – and yeah, that is amazing.
I talked with a couple of growers earlier this month, one in southwest Missouri and one in northern Indiana and both already had gotten quite a bit of corn in the ground. Kip Tom of Indiana had 45% planted as of April 12 and Kip Cullers of Missouri said he had been planting “for 12 straight days and never shut the planters off.” That was April 10 and he already had corn emerging at that time.
Normally at this time of year, less than half of the states have any corn emerged, but this year right now only five have no little sprouts to report. Illinois and Missouri are over 20% emerged and Indiana has 10% up.
While 16 of the 18 major corn producing states are running ahead of normal in planting, there are a couple of notable exceptions – one of them being Iowa. Only 9% of the Iowa corn crop is in the ground, compared to 16% average. But they are ahead of last year when it was only 3%. The only other state running behind is Minnesota, just a percentage point behind normal, but that’s 11% more than last year at this time when none was planted.
Never can tell what kind of weather surprises may be in store later this year, but it’s nice to see the season get off to such a great start! A good start is half the race won.
Today, the Associated Press demonstrated why common sense is no longer common and often does not make a significant amount of so-called sense. In a story written to promote a Eurocentric anti-modern meat agenda, the media source rambles on about the evils of administering antibiotics to sick cattle, pigs and chickens. Fear-mongering at its finest, the author uses sparse quotes from agenda-driven groups, unaccredited consumers and specialty producers who would personally benefit from a ban, to supplement the single, credible quote from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration which states clearly, when taken on its own, that indiscriminant antibiotic use is not favorable.
The questions ignored are myriad. Do antibiotics have a role to play in animal agriculture? How are they actually used on a normal American farm? Why do the current regulations remain in place?
The author, through crafty copy, attempts to sway the reader from asking these basic, simple questions through a subtext appealing to the idea that all readers with common sense would make the same assumptions he does. If using antibiotics can be bad, it cannot ever be beneficial. If the interest groups and niche marketers seem like good, conscientious people, then the family farmers who day in and out produce safe, nutritious, affordable food choices in abundance for the country must be the party at fault. The more modern technology, here in the form of medication, used to produce that food, the higher the chance that it will not be as wholesome as what our forefathers and mothers ate.
How can the average person find information, both facts and firsthand accounts, from knowledgeable sources willing to explain what they say? In the case of food questions, CommonGround volunteers across the country share true accounts of how they grow and raise food on their own farms. Plus, their stories are supported by credible, complete information from actual experts.
If you want to know more about antibiotics than the mainstream media is able to provide, take a moment to meet Teresa Brandenberg, a cattle rancher from Kansas. A young mother who cares deeply for both her family and her cattle, Teresa understands the government regulations for antibiotic use, the reasoning behind those rules and how it affects families, both hers and yours.
Maybe, it could more accurately be said that common sense still plays an important role in the life of most Americans. With so many urban and suburbanites far removed from the farm, asking questions about what feeds their families both natural and responsible. Talking to the people who live that story makes a lot of sense.
Listening to over-hyped, sensationalized accounts of farming written by Washington media? Maybe that is what doesn’t make sense after all.
This Earth Day, a lot of people will gather in parks and at events across the country to both celebrate our amazing planet and look for ways to protect it.
In St. Louis, just a few miles down the main east-west corridor from the National Corn Growers Association’s headquarters, concerned citizens and eco-enthusiasts alike will converge upon Forest Park, weather permitting, in droves to discuss a wide array of enviro-issues. In previous years, conversations tended to hold up food-related movements, such as those toward organics or locavore lifestyles, as models of how the eco-conscious should live.
This year, instead of dismissing these celebrations as agenda-driven vehicles for anti-ag activities, farmers and those who support them need to join the conversation. Attending events, participating in open forums and telling the story of modern American farming, growers can bring an informed, balanced voice in support of their industry to the conversation.
In many ways, be it through the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance or CommonGround, farmers have already learned about the importance of telling their story. Many have even practiced doing so. Earth Day marks a distinct opportunity to take a moment out of the field and actively cultivate public understanding and dialogue.
A new website featuring award-winning videos produced by the South Dakota Corn Growers Association and Utilization Council, www.trueenvironmentalists.com, reveals why farmers should value Earth Day in striking clarity. Using the example of their home state, the videos focus on how taking care of the land, air and water while increasing productivity provides hope. Hope that farmers will be able to help sustain a rapidly growing, hungry world. Watching the population counter tick up rapidly, thinking about the need to produce more food in the next 40 years than was produced in the last 10,000 years combined, it becomes obvious that we need to share the message of hope.
Take the time to share the incredible hope that farmers have for our growing world. Activists who would falsely accuse farmers of destroying the earth while promoting practices that would starve a constantly increasing segment of the population have already spun their yarn standing under the Earth Day banner for years. Let’s take part in a day that celebrates the earth, air and soil central to the very core of every farmer.
Sunday is the 42nd official “Earth Day” celebration for environmentalists, but for agriculturalists it is just another day at work.
While the environmentalists are rallying in Washington and listening to Cheap Trick and Dave Mason, the agriculturalists will be working to feed the planet with modern farming techniques that decrease soil erosion and runoff and produce more food with less land.
While “people of all nationalities and backgrounds will voice their appreciation for the planet and demand its protection” on Earth Day, farmers and ranchers will be conserving land and water resources to feed them.
No other profession is so utterly dependent on the earth for its livelihood and no other profession has done so much to preserve and protect it, while still working to feed its growing population.
So, if you wonder why farmers and ranchers won’t be rallying in Washington this Sunday, it’s because they are out in the fields doing what they do best on Earth Day – being good stewards of the land and water and feeding the world.
A new poll from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) shows strong support by Americans for renewable fuels.
The poll, conducted by American Viewpoint, also validates some of the most important ethanol industry legislative priorities – including maintaining the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), commercializing E15, providing incentives for the development of cellulosic ethanol, limiting tax incentives for the oil industry, and requiring automobile manufacturers to build cars that will run on fuel sources other than oil.
Here’s some of the specifics:
- 61% percent of those polled said they supported the RFS
- 58% of respondents said they were very likely or somewhat likely to buy fuel containing 15% ethanol
- 65% percent said they supported incentives to help expand cellulosic ethanol production
- 69% said they opposed tax subsidies and other incentives for petroleum companies
- 75% favor requiring automobile manufacturers to build cars that will run on fuel sources other than oil
Some will say that since the poll was commissioned by the ethanol industry that the results are to be expected, but the questions were carefully worded by the polling company American Viewpoint in such a way as to not be leaning towards a certain outcome. The poll was conducted via telephone March 27-29, 2012 with a sample size of 1,000 and a margin of error of +/- 3.1%. By any standards, it is a well-conducted, statistically significant poll.
The RFA will be taking the poll results to Capitol Hill this week to show lawmakers that the desire to make America less dependent on oil is shared by a majority of the American people – not just corn growers and the ethanol industry.
The newest advocate video for agriculture features a young African-American woman in an urban setting encouraging everyone involved in the industry to “Stand Up” and fight for farmers.
Among those that Jasmine calls on to “Stand Up” are geneticists, agricultural engineers, food scientists, nutritionists, meat scientists, microbiologists, agronomists, educators and researchers. The TAMU student advocates say they are striving to teach everyone how to care for animals, the land and the importance of producing safe, nutritious food for the world.
“For too long we’ve let others tell our story, and they haven’t told it very truthfully. It’s time for us, as students and advocates of agriculture, to step up and let the world know what great people farmers and ranchers are!”
The video already has nearly 14,000 views on YouTube since last week and has been shared all over the social media networks. Watch it, share it, and Stand Up for agriculture!
Great news this week for the future of America’s farming families.
The first 
Planting progress is even more amazing, with 28 percent of the crop in the ground, compared to 15% normal for this time of year. How about some of these numbers? Tennessee is leading the pack with 88% planted, twice the average. North Carolina has 79% and Kentucky is at 75%. Okay, so those are Southern states, but the Midwest is no less impressive – maybe even more so. Illinois has 59% planted, Missouri is up to half the crop in the ground and Indiana growers are getting near that halfway point with 46% done. Compare that with the averages for this time of year – Illinois 17%, Missouri 27% and Indiana just 10% – and yeah, that is amazing.
Sunday is the 42nd 
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