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Post by tomatoaddict on May 8, 2008 20:38:27 GMT -5
I too was extremely irritated that our government wasted days of the taxpayers money to interrogate a baseball player on his possible steroid use. I don't care what side of the fence you are on in politics, they are all just useless narcissists. I don't believe either party gives a diddley squat about the American people.
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oldgaredneck
gardener
Bring back the rotary phone so we don't have to press "1" for English
Posts: 138
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Post by oldgaredneck on May 8, 2008 23:37:57 GMT -5
Finally got around to getting off my dead behind and read this post. I could NOT agree more! America, as a whole, has indeed "gone to Hell in a handbasket", and has been heading in that direction for more years than I care to remember. As far as baseball and other sports figures, (and I am NOT a big sports fan anyway) - whatever happened to playing the game just for the sheer enjoyment of it? Who's the idiot that decided "Let's pay them all millions of dollars" so they can blow it on steroids, crack, prostitutes, ad infinitum.... If ANYbody deserves to be paid more, it's the dedicated men and women who are doing their best to defend what's left of this country!!!! (Exiting soapbox now, before I have a damn stroke)
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Post by 12540dumont on May 25, 2011 19:25:19 GMT -5
Getting on Soapbox
Today I received a call from the Agricultural Inspector to inspect my non-certified organic farm.
In mid June he wants to come to my farm and inspect my record keeping, for the last 3 years: to wit where I bought my seeds and plants, how much my harvest was, how much money I've made, and what I applied to the fields.
I very carefully explained to him that it doesn't work like that. 1. Gee, I spread compost, was that Tuesday of this week or Tuesday of last week? WTF does it matter? Who cares but me and the plants?
2. June...the *!* busiest time of the year. If the government wants to look at records, can they do it in January when it's raining/snowing/freezing?
3. My seeds come from all over the world. For example, Dan/Grunt sent me some beans, so did Cortona from Italy. Gee were they organic, certified and registered....do I care? When I bought my Mara Des Bois Strawberries, they only came from one producer. 3 years later are they organic? I have had fallout from Fukushima pass over California and you want to know about when I spread the horse manure?
4. I very politely told him that I run a CSA. 20 families get a box. Let's see, I harvested 2 quarts of dry beans for a seed increase. Last week everyone got a handful of peas, a sack of lettuce, 3 onions & a green garlic (not from China) a bouquet of Swiss Chard, a sack of greens, a jar of strawberry jam, a cottage cheese container of fresh strawberries, and no, no one received the partridge in a pear tree. This goes on week after week. I don't weigh the produce. I stand in the field and say gee what do I have 20 of? Or 10 of? I have 40 hens, which one isn't laying? Now there's a question worth knowing the answer to.
5. I have an inspector 3 miles away, who on the same day could certify for the farmer's market, but no, they are sending me a college boy from a big town. (Who can't do my market inspection at the same time). This guy gets paid $45 an hour to do this.
I was very very polite. I told him this was a waste of his time and would surely annoy the farmer.
For crying out loud isn't there something MORE important that our government could do with their time and money than hassling small farmers? For God Sake, last year a huge farmer near me was dumping toxic waste from his plant into a salmonid stream, but he's NOT registered organic, so he doesn't get an inspection.
I have a headache.
I'm going to get a drink and get off my soapbox.
What the Hell is wrong with this country?
Dismounting from soapbox.
Holly
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Post by Darth Slater on May 25, 2011 20:27:59 GMT -5
Perhaps you should have given them monsantos address and told them to come back when they were done.
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Post by grunt on May 25, 2011 20:28:56 GMT -5
Welcome to the Bureaucratization of America! This is how they get to the point that South American countries have been stalled at for the past century. In one of them (Bolivia or Peru = my memory won't break the stalemate) it takes three years of standing in line to get paperwork to stand in line to get paperwork, until you finally get a business licence = the result is that over 75% of the countries economy is blackmarket = unregistered businesses that are at the mercy of the cops who now they don't have a legitimate licence.
The idea is to make it so difficult to do business, that you can't get ahead = the status quo is maintained, and the fatcats don't have to worry about anyone catching up to them.
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Post by mjc on May 25, 2011 20:55:36 GMT -5
Did you support that 'Food Safety Bill'?
This is just a teaser of what to expect when that POS gets fully rolled out.
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Post by mnjrutherford on May 25, 2011 20:57:25 GMT -5
I would be completely honest and provide him with nothing since there isn't anything. Then, when he leaves present him with an invoice (a copy of which should be mailed to your fed & state reps) billing him for your time as a... well... when this happens to me I bill as a "housewife" and I charge $350 per hour 3 hour minimum. Housewives are legalized slaves. We have a defined value according to Data Resources Inc., a company that tracks average pay for standard jobs in most (maybe all) metropolitan areas. However, we receive no remuneration. Not a problem for me, I am a willing and happy slave. However, should someone else require my time, I must represent my owners best interests (hubby & kids) and insure that they are reimbursed for the loss of my services. A real eyebrow lifter I assure you. Particularly when you inform them that the family has an attorney on retainer who will happily pursue the matter if payment is not made.
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Post by steev on May 25, 2011 21:12:00 GMT -5
I, too, just noticed this thread. Yee-ha! Reminds me of making manure tea, stirring the shit. Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass about Congress, the biggest whore-house in the world. I am greatly dissappointed in the Executive branch, which needs more Martin Luther King, and less Rodney King (Can't we all just get along?), As for the Judiciary, the right-wing tools on the Supreme Court have no respect for precedent, the Constitution, the citizenry, or common sense. If a corporation is a person, let's execute Massey Energy for the murder of some 4 dozen employees since 2000 by their chronic refusal to follow the laws regarding safety in their mines!
All things considered, I am most angered by the American people's wussiness in bitching, but not taking it to the streets. What will it take to get people taking this bullshit seriously? Another Kent State? Another Stonewall Riot? Another Watts?
What has happened to personal responsibility? Gone the same way civic responsibility has disappeared. Wasn't there a time when an offocial who authorized torture would have felt shame to have it known? George Washington forbade the torture of British prisoners because we were supposed to be better than that, even though it was SOP among the British. We executed Japanese officers who used torture in WWII; was that wrong? Was that a less scary time than today?
We are so accustomed to unresponsive incompetence, it seems to be a greater crime to be publicly potty-mouth than to be willfully ignorant of the injustice being done by the military-industrial complex, and any globalized corporation. Fuck corporate personhood; it's time to execute some of those corporate persons and throw their political whores into the streets.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on May 25, 2011 22:10:10 GMT -5
Today I received a call from the Agricultural Inspector to inspect my non-certified organic farm. I never ever use the term "organic" to describe my vegetables. That word is poison to me. If anyone asks if my stuff is "organic" I reply "NO WAY!" That is the most dangerous word a farmer could utter.
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Post by castanea on May 25, 2011 23:32:39 GMT -5
Getting on Soapbox Today I received a call from the Agricultural Inspector to inspect my non-certified organic farm. In mid June he wants to come to my farm and inspect my record keeping, for the last 3 years: to wit where I bought my seeds and plants, how much my harvest was, how much money I've made, and what I applied to the fields. I very carefully explained to him that it doesn't work like that. 1. Gee, I spread compost, was that Tuesday of this week or Tuesday of last week? WTF does it matter? Who cares but me and the plants? 2. June...the *!* busiest time of the year. If the government wants to look at records, can they do it in January when it's raining/snowing/freezing? 3. My seeds come from all over the world. For example, Dan/Grunt sent me some beans, so did Cortona from Italy. Gee were they organic, certified and registered....do I care? When I bought my Mara Des Bois Strawberries, they only came from one producer. 3 years later are they organic? I have had fallout from Fukushima pass over California and you want to know about when I spread the horse manure? 4. I very politely told him that I run a CSA. 20 families get a box. Let's see, I harvested 2 quarts of dry beans for a seed increase. Last week everyone got a handful of peas, a sack of lettuce, 3 onions & a green garlic (not from China) a bouquet of Swiss Chard, a sack of greens, a jar of strawberry jam, a cottage cheese container of fresh strawberries, and no, no one received the partridge in a pear tree. This goes on week after week. I don't weigh the produce. I stand in the field and say gee what do I have 20 of? Or 10 of? I have 40 hens, which one isn't laying? Now there's a question worth knowing the answer to. 5. I have an inspector 3 miles away, who on the same day could certify for the farmer's market, but no, they are sending me a college boy from a big town. (Who can't do my market inspection at the same time). This guy gets paid $45 an hour to do this. I was very very polite. I told him this was a waste of his time and would surely annoy the farmer. For crying out loud isn't there something MORE important that our government could do with their time and money than hassling small farmers? For God Sake, last year a huge farmer near me was dumping toxic waste from his plant into a salmonid stream, but he's NOT registered organic, so he doesn't get an inspection. I have a headache. I'm going to get a drink and get off my soapbox. What the Hell is wrong with this country? Dismounting from soapbox. Holly Why did they want to inspect your farm?
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Post by seedywen on May 26, 2011 10:09:30 GMT -5
Several friends of mine, went for organic 'certification' a few years back for their market gardens. We all farm in the same neighbourhood, in similiar soil and climate conditions using the same gardening practices for our mixed farms. Basically they had high expectations of the process and also undergoing certification would garner high prices for their products and a larger market share in the local growing community.
Both friends started out very enthusiastic and determined to undergo the certification process, which took three years: annual inspections, annual fees(about $1000 to start)and mounds of annual paperwork. At the time, they started I could pretty much sell all my products without certification or even advertising but was interested in their experiences. Figured could learn a thing or two, without going through the process, myself.
Eight years later, the friend with the largest farm, say $400,000 gross a year, has dropped her certification. The continued time and money being certified cost her, became a mute point, because basically she can sell every thing, meat, eggs, veg, fruit she grows.
However, the main reason for relating these experiences here, was to describe some of the regular paperwork involved. My friend(who dropped her certification) HAD to record the time of planting, harvesting of each vegetable variety and identify the location of the rows by plotting on a grid map of her property. This was supposedly, so that any consumer complaints or alledged health issues relating to the consumption of her products would be traceable.
The biggy for me, personally, that I couldn't(wouldn't) comply with, was the strict stipulation that no fresh manure of any kind coming anywhere near the food crops. In other words, no free ranging on farm animals anywhere near food crops during growing season. As I farm only three acres, there's no way, I could ever keep, my calves, dairy goats, rabbits, ducks, and chickens entirely separate without severely curtainly their freedom of movement and access to fresh grass, weeds, browse etc. as a significant part of their diet and a cost-saving to our family economy. Not to mention, the slug, sow bug etc. daily patrols morning and early evening by the duck/chicken foraging brigade.
There are of course, countless other more impassioned points of view/philosphy but as a practical pig, these are some of mine.
And the other friend? Still has certification, for her garlic, eggs and beef. However she and her husband both work full-time off farm, plus they've built a new deluxe house with two suites which are currently rented to construction workers, earning top dollar.
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Post by mnjrutherford on May 26, 2011 13:44:29 GMT -5
Part of the hassle involved with the certification process is to "protect" the public. Sometimes this is good, sometimes it's bad. When you get a lawsuit happy idiot buying produce, they may well be stupid enough (or in need of money enough) to not bother to wash the produce. Yea, I have had people ask me if my produce needs to be washed. I tell them, "ALWAYS wash your veggies. They are covered either with chemicals or with bug pee and poop. I ALWAYS wash EVERYthing before putting it in my mouth."
Additionally, there are people that I won't sell products to. They fall into my "DANGER - DO NOT FEED" category.
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Post by 12540dumont on May 26, 2011 14:28:16 GMT -5
Basically, they want to inspect my paperwork.
Gee, the don't even want to look at the farm.
They want to see if I've kept track of every input. What can I say, every time I plant a new row I put down compost.
They want to know where I buy my seeds from. Did I source organic? Now let me know if any of you out there have been able to find Chapman tomato seeds in organic. What about Norcino Beans? Well I was lucky to find these at all, let alone organic.
They want to know how much I harvested. Enough for April to November
I barely have time to record the things that are really important to me. The GDD's, which seeds did poorly, what varieties to eliminate, what ones to experiment further with, which variety tasted the best and survived the weather/gophers/bugs/benign neglect.
They want to look at my records for the last 3 years. What bothers me most about this is I am a very very small farmer. As whatever I do only impacts my 20 CSA customers, why should the government waste the taxpayers money to investigate me? Why don't they go look at Dole or one of the other megaloptic "organic" farms?
I haven't done anything in violation of the organic laws. But most of the paperwork is in my head. With the exception of the seed lists.
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Post by steev on May 26, 2011 15:58:46 GMT -5
I think your problem is having fallen into a system that is really geared to agribusiness, not to farmers and gardeners. The big organic producers now are often multi-state, if not multi-national. They don't even free-range their employees, and the animals are all confined to the neighboring CAFO, stoked with antibiotics and pooping drug-resistant bacteria. There are probably regulations prohibiting wind-spread bacteria from these shit factories, but who's able to enforce such things?
Further, conventional agribusiness hates competition, regardless of their pious BS about "free markets" ( why does that make me think they shouldn't want subsidies? ). It's in their short-term interest to make it as hard as possible for anyone to demonstrate that their practices are undesireable, unhealthy, unsustainable, or unprofitable.
California won't even recognize my spread as a farm; makes no difference how productive or profitable it ever gets; it's only twenty acres, not the minimum 100 acres, so I get taxed at residential rates, not agricultural rates.
As you've noticed, it costs you much the same to be certified as if you were a multi-million dollar, multi-national agribusiness corporation. Your problem is that you plant a row of whatever, instead of an acre or ten. Stop complaining and buy yourself a Congressman; it's a free market, isn't it?
On a less angry note, do your customers know you well enough to trust you, rather than a government certification? You may be able to drop that expense and hassle and do just as well without it. Even if you lose some customers, the savings in certification costs, aggravation, and unneeded paperwork might more than make up the difference. Money is only money, but tranquility and contentment are LIFE. Peace be with you, and joy make light you labor!
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Post by grunt on May 26, 2011 17:56:32 GMT -5
Drop the organic designation, and just tell your customers that the only toxic item that every gets on your property is the bad gas from the government.
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