My worst fears that I blogged about on that pile of pet coke in Detroit…Good God. And the Koch brothers get away with murder….oh, it doesn’t look like murder because people die more slowly from emphysema, heart disease, and lung disease and God-knows-what-else….but it’s murder just the same. Just because one doesn’t see blood spurting doesn’t mean the guilty are innocent. Unconscionable.
Mud Creek farm, the organic Community Supported Agriculture sent a plea out for farm land. If any of my dear readers know someone who knows someone perhaps you can help them:
We are looking for land to farm next year!
The rumors are true. Mud Creek Farm CSA is getting kicked off the land at the end of the year. But we still want to grow vegetables for our hundreds of loyal member families!
FACTS:
For the last five years we have been on a year-to-year lease from a wonderful older gentleman in Victor, whose family now wants to sell the land. We are not in the position to purchase it. We are looking for another leasing situation in the vicinity of Victor or closer to Rochester (South-east side). We think we can do even better than the land we’re on, which is limited in space and has floodplain issues. We have some local options we’re considering, but thought we’d ask you for suggestions.CAN YOU HELP US?
We need flat, well-drained, tillable land — ideally at least fifteen acres. If you have less than fifteen acres we may be able to piece together something if your neighbors have fields too. We need access to water for irrigation.
We are limiting our search to 30 minutes drive from downtown Rochester.
We need to find a spot (ideally right next to a few acres for U-Pick) to distribute to CSA members. This requires a parking lot area for about 50 cars, access to electricity and potable water. This “people traffic” will be the hardest part to find a home for, but it is a central part of what Mud Creek Farm is about.
We are looking to start farming there immediately, so ideally the land right now is in hay, pasture, organic crops, or fallow. Corn or other crops will mean chemical sprays, so we’d have to wait a few years.Email me if you have leads: erin@mudcreekfarm. com
THANK YOU!!!
—–
Erin Bullock, Mud Creek Farm
http://www.mudcreekfarm. com
585-455-1260
(hat tip to organic consumers)
From the Texas Tribune.
University of Texas at Arlington researchers tested 100 private water wells in 2011 …
Those with dangerously high levels of arsenic — about one-third of the wells — tended to be much closer to natural gas wells than those that were not contaminated.
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The study’s authors were cautious but I think this is pretty solid. What would be better is if the wells were tested by the university BEFORE fracking began. Then it would be pretty hard to deny that fracking is the cause of the high levels of arsenic. That absolutely should be a requirement before fracking is allowed in an area–the wells should be tested by independent labs (universities are great, as long as they’re not being bankrolled by corporate interests such as Halliburton) . And they should be re-tested after fracking has commenced.
And the water usage in fracking is rarely brought up–that concerns me as much as poisoning the water. How many gallons of precious water is used for this dirty process? How much does this drain the aquifers?
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Propaganda...gotta love it. Not. Ninety-three percent of Americans want GMO labeling…why isn’t Congress doing what the American people want?? I mean, they keep stating “the American people want…” so they must be concerned with honoring our wishes….right? /just a little sarcasm there, folks
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One really has to wonder if the folks at the FDA have too much time on their hands or have completely lost their minds when you read stories like this.
I think we should all live in bubbles so there is no way that we could ever, ever, ever come in contact with salmonella or any other bad bug. /snark
I want eggs by free range chickens, but I can’t always get them. It makes sense that the nutrition is better with free range eggs–look at the variety in their diet. Clearly, the FDA is infiltrated with Big Ag corporations that want to squeeze out the organic farmer.
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Speaking of organic food–I am starting to see the fruits of my labor with the heirloom tomato, Cosmonaut Volkov. I had one the other night with mayonnaise on it…and OMG, it was delicious! It tasted like tomatoes used to taste like before the hybridized the taste out of them! Oh, wow, it was just like they tasted back in the 60s. I kid you not.
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More on the GMO war–of course, it always comes down to who is funding it. Gah, the “NO” list reads like a list of defense contractors.
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Organic food sales are increasing. People are waking up to the poison in their food. Good for them.
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Michael Pollan and Mark Hertsgaard on how sustainable farming practices can help with climate change.
…or more commonly known as the jellyfish.
It’s the animal of the month on my Ocean Conservancy calendar. It’s really quite beautiful in these photos.
Doing a check of the internet, I don’t see where it is endangered, although one site mentions that jellyfish are getting caught up in fishing nets, so the potential is there.
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In other marine news, a small whale was left stranded for thirty minutes while trainers stood on the sidelines. Another whale tried to help, but could not. You can hear people screaming at the trainers to do something. (Warning: it’s tough to watch)
Their excuse was that there was lightening in the area….so, you know, it’s okay to leave this animal that you took from the wild (or bred in captivity) stranded so it might possibly die from dehydration or lightening strike…?
This is why we have no business imprisoning these animals.
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…has a few links up:
ALEC anniversary being celebrated in Chicago. A few folks thought they’d drop by….
MOVIE SCREENING: On Wednesday, August 7, at 6 p.m. Common Cause, the Center for Media and Democracy, and others will host a screening of the Bill Moyers documentary the “United States of ALEC” followed by a panel discussion. The screening will be held at the University Center, 525 South State Street in Chicago.
RALLY: At noon on Thursday, August 8, a coalition of groups, spearheaded by the Chicago Federation of Labor, is calling on people to gather outside the ALEC conference at the Palmer House Hotel, located at 17 East Monroe Street for a march and rally. You can tell them you are coming here.
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Public Television pulls funding for documentary on the Kochs…because the Kochs are million dollar contributors. Selling their soul doesn’t come cheap, you know…
The Rochester, New York CSA has put up a promo video on youtube:
I could have given them a couple of tips on a better sound quality and when asking someone to speak, make sure they’re comfortable in front of a camera.
All in all, though, I thought this was a pretty good piece on explaining about community supported agriculture. It would be great to have them close enough that one could bike over to either put in their hours of work, or on market day to bring groceries home. I like the idea of rickshaws, as was previously posted about. There are three-wheeled bikes out there with a big basket but they’re cumbersome to ride–slow as molasses. I don’t know if the rickshaws would be any different? Hmmm…
Here’s another video I thought was interesting–some folks use worms in containers instead of having compost piles. So I presume this is what this guy is doing although he doesn’t really come out and say it:
I like these two guys below. Folksy. They do a better job of explaining what they’re doing and why:
When they talk of cured horse manure, I’m assuming that they’re waiting a year before using it. I think a year minimum is the standard that they like to let manure cure, so any bad organisms have met their demise by this time.
Wake-Up Call has a blog up on a new paper by scientists against genetically modified organisms (GMO’s).
From the paper:
For example, the claim that conventional plant breeders have been “genetically modifying” cropsfor centuries by selective breeding and that GM crops are no different is incorrect (see 1.1). The term“genetic modification” is recognised in common usage and in national and international laws to referto the use of recombinant DNA techniques to transfer genetic material between organisms in a waythat would not take place naturally, bringing about alterations in genetic makeup and properties.~~~~~~~~~
These unexpected changes are especially dangerous because they are irreversible.~~~~~~~~~~
The Guardian has this up on the U.S. bombing of the Great Barrier Reef. <sigh> What in the world were we doing there in the first place? It would seem to me that common sense should have been used to avoid the area. Running low on fuel? Seriously? Whose fault was that? Don’t they monitor their fuel gauges during these exercises?
I mean, really, who thought this would be a great place to even carry bombs, let alone do war exercises with them? The aussie asks “have we gone mad?” Yes, yes we have.
The decline in the environment was already happening, according to this.
So….this latest catastrophe will already add to a burdened environment that is struggling to maintain itself.
Give ourselves a pat on the back. Good goin’ /snark
Dave Neiwert has this up on the documentary “Blackfish” that exposes the truth behind captive whales.
Back in the 70s, the TV Show “The Partridge Family” had an episode called “Whale Song” with a recording of a whale. I was flipping through the channels recently, and saw it again. I don’t know why, but the whale’s song makes me cry. It’s on youtube, (partridge family whale song) but I don’t think it’s official, so can’t post it here. Unfortunately, it’s at a Sea World type park, and it’s not advocating letting the whales go free. Or better yet–not capturing them to begin with.
My blog here on the orangutan Fu Manchu whom left no doubt he wanted to be free…and not only himself, but his cage mates, as well. How can anyone argue against something so blatantly obvious?
Eagle 
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