by Catherine Haug, May 19, 2011
Did you see Mike Jopek’s piece in this week’s Flathead Beacon: Founding Farmers (05-18-11)? If not, check it out. He writes about how the USA’s founding fathers & former presidents George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were also farmers. And about recent efforts to protect small farmers and gardeners at the state and national legislative levels. He quotes Sen. Tester:
“If you eat, you are affected by the U.S. food policy.”
Mr. Jopek makes some excellent points about health and sustainability; for example, his argument for labeling GMO foods:
“Corporate consolidation of GMO seeds removes choice in the food supply and poses real problems for family farms. But more insipid is the refusal of Washington, D.C. to require that engineered food be labeled. Labeling GMO foods allows consumers a choice whether to eat engineered salmon or drink milk from cloned cows. GMO food is also routinely sprayed with the herbicide glyphosate, a hormone disruptor.”
One important topic he does not address specifically, is the importance of a tight community in supporting our local small farmers & ranchers, and in protecting them from abuse by an out-of-control big-Ag system.
Here’s a link to his article: www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/founding_farmers/23086/