Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Brings a new perspective DDM. Can't blame a man for protecting his livelihood....

There is already a glut of powdered milk which the processors don't want to dump onto the market so they are just storing it. There's no need to give it to charities because they don't need the write-offs for last year or this year. That is corporate mentalality in a nutshell. It's all about money and nothing else matters- not the environment, not starving people, nothing.
The sh#t will hit the fan soon over corporate bonuses when ordinary people are losing their businesses, homes and jobs- American Middle Class won't take much more and I can see for myself that it's already happening in other countries. The French president is very nervous about the civil unrest in his country- can't say that I blame him, his country has a history of beheading those they disapprove of.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/davos/7862679.stm

Human nature follows a consistent pattern so I've also been monitoring the suicides and this new trend is really scary- the father or both parents wipe out their entire families so they won't have to suffer through the crisis. I have even heard of this in Middle Eastern countries- where a single mother killed herself and all of her children; that was during the food crisis.
latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/01/a-man-who-had-r.html
www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/us/29family.html?ref=us

The link I gave to you previously is not an acurate picture of what is actually happening in the dairy industry; the story has been very sanitized. This is the original article that I read in my local paper and since I found it, I posted it here. Dumping milk is not a rare occurance as stated in the previous link. As I said before, this is agland/dairyland, U.S.A. and the valley voice pulls no punches when they report- they say it like it really is.

http://www.valleyvoicenewspaper.com/vva ... 152009.htm

This newspaper is just a small throwaway to our community but it is filled with everything agricultural on all levels- local to international.

The food crisis has not gone away, merely drowned out by the economic crisis. This article is a good premise on how fragile our food staples really are.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 122826.htm

Another article of interest- this time it's E-coli. Cattle fed distiller's grain (processed Ethanol waste) have an increased prevalence of E. coli 0157 in their hindgut. The prevalence of 0157 was about twice as high in cattle fed distiller's grain compared with those cattle that were on a diet lacking the ethanol byproduct.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 091851.htm

I have noticed that our super markets are stocking much less produce on the shelf. So much so that they often run out. This may just be another way to make more profit by wasting less though. Has anyone else noticed this?

I manage to avoid the green and veg isle

This is only slightly related to food and food production but I thought it would be of interest. This is the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: JANUARY 2009.

It shows that agricultural unemployment has doubled from this time last year (see Table A-11). But this white paper is so much more- it contains both the U-3 unemployment report, which is what is normally quoted in the news all the time (AKA the official unemployment rate) and the U-6 unemployment report, which also includes part-time workers who actually want full time and those who have given up looking for work (see Table A-12). It is a much more accurate picture of unemployment and it shows what employment sectors have been hardest hit. It is a sobering paper. Just goes to show how news can be squewed to sway public opinion. During the Great Depression, unemployment was 25% (not sure which table they used for that) but either way we are well on our way.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf

I just found out that, before leaving office, Bush signed an excutive order making NAIS mandatory. I'm tracking that information down as it will directly impact me now as I own a horse.

Already an NAIS trial case has already started in Wisconsin.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Today- ... 7-815.html

In July 14, 2008 Attorneys for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund filed suit in the U.S. District Court - District of Columbia - to stop the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) from implementing the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), a plan to electronically track every livestock animal in the country. The suit asked the court to issue an injunction to stop the implementation of NAIS at either the state or federal levels by any state or federal agency. This is also still on trial.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Today- ... 7-815.html

FDA proposes approval process for genetically engineered animals
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/19 ... -genetic19

Okay, this is just getting wierd!!!!!!

US greenlights human/rice hybrid
We're all fine young cannibals now
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/06/rice_humans/


http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GM ... /index.cfm
With genetic engineering, scientists can breach species barriers set up by nature. For example, they have spliced fish genes into tomatoes. The results are plants (or animals) with traits that would be virtually impossible to obtain with natural processes, such as crossbreeding or grafting.
What combinations have been tried?
Spider genes were inserted into goat DNA, in hopes that the goat milk would contain spider web protein for use in bulletproof vests.
Cow genes turned pigskins into cowhides.
Jellyfish genes lit up pigs’ noses in the dark.
Artic fish genes gave tomatoes and strawberries tolerance to frost.
Potatoes that glowed in the dark when they needed watering.
Human genes were inserted into corn to produce spermicide.

Current field trials include:
Corn engineered with human genes (Dow)
Sugarcane engineered with human genes (Hawaii Agriculture Research Center)
Corn engineered with jellyfish genes (Stanford University)
Tobacco engineered with lettuce genes (University of Hawaii)
Rice engineered with human genes (Applied Phytologics)
Corn engineered with hepatitis virus genes (Prodigene)

I haven't found the Bush excutive order but I did find this and it makes NAIS mandatory for certain vacinations.
http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/ ... 080922.pdf

It was quickly recended.
http://a4cgr.wordpress.com/2008/12/30/g ... directive/

Unless Obama gets rid of NAIS completely, the USDA will continue it's sleasy tactics such as what they have already done, by forcing 4-H youth programs and states to comply or withhold funds.

[quote="Angie"]Okay, this is just getting wierd!!!!!!{/quote]
Sure is......

Spot on. Paraquay looks more and more inviting.... except for having Bush and his cronies as neighbours.

I suspect in time disease will also begin crossing between plants and animals as they continue to manipulate plants so that they can be patented and profited from. Greed..

A real Pandora's box. Who knows what will happen. If GM to date had truly proven helpful I could understand hopes of benefit.... but I agree ... all about greed.