Archive for the ‘Community’ Category

Our Sick Farms, Our Infected Food

Saturday, April 25th, 2009

by Catherine Haug

I came across this April 2009 Scientific American article while looking for an online version of Scientific American’s April 2009 article on “Saving the Honeybee.”  This article is likely ‘preaching to the choir’ of our ESP community, but I thought I’d share it anyway.

To me, this article hints at a far better solution to the food problem than the Food Safety bills being considered by our legislature.  And that solution would be to:

  • Move away from the highly efficient, low-cost modern food production practices, and return to more labor intensive, eco- and life-friendly local production.  
  • Leave behind the oil-guzzling chemical farming and return to organic and bio-dynamic farming methods.  

In so doing, we’ll go a long way toward resolving our health and climate change crises at the same time.

But, are our leaders listening?  Are they brave enough to stand up to the powerful corporate-farm/industrial-chemical/pharmaceutical/oil lobbies?

Perhaps we need to speak with our wallets, to get their attention.

Our Sick Farms, Our Infected Food

Congress and the FDA must upend the nation’s agricultural policies to keep its food supply safe.

Agriculture has fueled the eruption of human civilization. Efficiently raised, affordable crops and livestock feed our growing population, and hunger has largely been banished from the developed world as a result. Yet there are reasons to believe that we are beginning to lose control of our great agricultural machine. The security of our food supply is at risk in ways more noxious than anyone had feared.

For more, see Our Sick Farms, Our Infected Food (Scientific American, April 2009) (Scientific American April 2009)

Local vs Organic Food: Which is Better?

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

By Catherine Haug

Two recent articles in the NY Times:  Eating Food That’s Better For You, Organic or Not, and Obamas to Plant Vegetable Garden at White House prompted me to revisit a November 2007 article I’d written for my personal website. This was actually a series of articles on Whole Healthful Foods; what follows is the one on Local vs Organic foods.

So many of us take for granted that food labeled “Organic” is the best there is, but is that really true?

(more…)

Victory Garden vs Industrial Pesticides

Saturday, April 11th, 2009

by Catherine Haug

A few weeks ago, ESP posted an article on the the Organic Garden at the White House (Victory Garden 2009).  Now that garden is under pressure from the pesticide lobbyists.

Refer to the following for opposing points of view:

I sent a message of support to Michelle Obama (see below for the text), using the White House Contact website to send my message. (more…)

Community Preparedness

Friday, April 10th, 2009

by Catherine Haug

During the fall of 2007, I was visiting my former home in Portland Oregon, when I found an inspiring piece in the local newspaper.  In fact, it was this article that started me thinking about a way to rejuvenate the community of Bigfork, and eventually led to my involvement with ESP.

We may never face the kind of emergency that happened in Vernonia Oregon, a small town between Portland and Astoria, but the idea of being prepared, on a community level, for ANY emergency appeals to me.  Wouldn’t it be nice to know which community members have certain expertise, should your need for that expertise arise? (more…)

Community Garden at St. Patrick’s (Ferndale)

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

Introduction

by Catherine Haug

St Patrick’s Episcopal Church is planning a community garden as a mission project for the Ferndale (and larger) community.  The initial plots will not be ready for planting until next year (2010), as there are many issues to be resolved first.

Please contact Catherine if you are interested in volunteering to get this project off the ground. (more…)

Cow-Share or Coop: How it Works

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

Cat's cow-share cowQuestion from Brenda: 

 

Can you tell me how the “shared” cow program works?

 

ESP Response

by Catherine Haug

(“My Cow” photo from Cat’s collection)

I belong to a raw-milk cow-share just south of Columbia Falls.  It works much like a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program.

The farmer has 4 Jersey cows, which produce cream-rich milk.  He divides them into 1-gallon-per-week shares.  I own 1 share, which means I get 1 gallon every week, for which I paid an up-front fee (one-time) of $5.  If I ever drop out of the program (or forfeit ownership), I get my initial $5 investment back.

Each week I pay $5.50 when I pick up my milk.  That money is NOT for the milk, but rather for the care and maintenance of the cow. 

It works rather like a mutual fund, where each cow is one of the “companies” owned by the mutual fund.  When you buy a fund share, you own a little bit of each company in which the fund is invested.  You make regular payments (maintenance fees) for the maintenance of your share.  The milk is a “dividend” from your investment, paid when you pay your maintenance fee.

If you fail to pay your maintenance fee, you forfeit ownership and are no longer entitled to the dividend.  

Other Options

Now, some cow share programs require actual participation by the owners, in addition to the one-time fee, but then they pay less for their weekly dividend.  Such participation might include:
  • milking duty
  • feeding duty, or 
  • cleaning-the-barn duty.

If we organized a cow-share program, say using Bill Fischer’s farm and pasture, we might require the share owners to do some of the work. A few of the original investors would put up the up-front cash for the purchase of the cow(s).  Share members would take turns with milking, feeding and clean-up duty.  

We might also buy a pasteurizer for those who are leary of raw milk, but each member getting pasteurized milk would have to spend time on pasteurization duty.

Any profit made by the enterprise (after paying back the initial purchase-price of the cows), would be shared by the members on a share basis, perhaps every 2 years.

All such rules of operation would have to be decided upon before we began the operation, and then reviewed for needed changes after 6 months; a majority of share owners would have to agree on any changes.
I hope I answered your question.  The Real Milk website has more information on setting up a cow-share program.