We Did It! We took the whole Summer Off!

And it was Wonderful!

Now, we’re back and ready to go to work building, selling and promoting Home & STEM Food Growing Systems. Below is a Photo of our smallest System, the EZ-15, in Full Grow Out!

The EZ-15 Home & STEM Food Growing System

Keil Plotczyk, our Greenhouse Manager and System Designer, did a great job of taking care of our Greenhouse and the new Fishroom while we were gone. The EZ-15 above is the smallest System we sell, and it’a able to grow a whopping amount of food in just two 8 sq. ft. Grow Beds. In the Grow Bed on the right, we planted Romaine Lettuce (front), Kale (middle) and Swiss Chard (back). In the Grow Bed on the left, we planted Squash (front), Tomatoes (front) and Basil.

AUSA’s Completed Fishroom

When we took off for our Summer Break, the fish in the front Tank above were just 1 inch long Fingerlings. They are now over 5 inches long. We’ll do an in Tank, under water Video of them to share here and on our TikTok Channel soon.

AUSA Tank #3 with 15 Big Blue Tilapia

The other two Tanks have about 15 HUGE BLUE TILAPIA in each one of them. The Big Blues in the Tank above are about four years old. Tilapia live to be eight years old so these guys will be fertilizing our Greenhouse Grow Beds for another four years UNLESS WE REALLY DO RUN INTO FOOD SHORTAGES. If that unthinkable event happens, we’ll need to eat our Tilapia that we’ve been keeping as working fish. In crazy times like these, it’s always comforting to know we can grow food and food fish.

AUSA’s SIT (Seedling Incubation Table)

When you run a year around Aquaponics System, you’re always growing Seedlings so the SIT is always full of them. On the right you can see Beans, which are the tallest seedlings on the Table. In the middle are Lettuce Seedlings for our Lettuce Wall.

Now that we’re back, there’s so much to do so, I’ll sign off for now. So Happy to be sharing with our WordPress Audience again.

Black Angus Invasion

In 2016 we made one of the best decisions of our lives. We MOVED from California to Arizona where we purchased 10 acres of pristine land (strewn with volcanic rock, see 2 Posts back) that has a Well on one of America’s best aquifers, Coconino, and a perfect house with a covered porch that we turned into our new Greenhouse.

Being the City Slickers that we were, little did we know at the time that the two Road Signs separated by about 50 yards on the road that goes by our house were trying to tell us something important. The first sign read OPEN RANGE and the second one had a Cow sillouette on it.

If you put the two Signs together, you are being told that in this Rural Arizona world, Cattle Ranchers are allowed to range their cattle wherever they please, and if your property is not fenced or your gate is open, that means on your private land. It also means you need to expect to see them on your road so don’t hit one or you’ll pay for a very expensive cow without the benefit of eating the beef.

So it wasn’t long before we awoke to a yard full of cattle complete with calves and bulls all bumping up against our Garage and Greenhouse while heading for the bales of hay we had just arranged to serve as our Archery Arrow catch.

Our property was fenced but we needed to be able to control the gate, so our solution was to get an expensive electric gate closer/opener to work the gate from inside the house or on the Road. That worked great until one of those extreme Arizona Monsoon Storms hit complete with Lightning that struck the mechanism that was controlling the gate and destroyed it.

We fixed the Gate and were free of cow invasions for three years UNTIL TODAY when about 25 beautiful Black Angus took advantage of our gate still being open after an Estes Truck had just picked up one of our STEM Teaching & Food Growing Systems.

So here they are happily munching on the thick green grass that surrounds our Septic Leach Line.

And yes, we ran out with flailing brooms to try to get them to leave, but we might as well have been a couple of flies because they had no fear of us at all beyond our being a bit pesty. The danger was that pristine land I mentioned that is strewn with lava rock is under the grass covered landscape so you can’t see what you’re stepping on, and Oliver and I were lucky we didn’t break one or more of our four legs before realizing getting them off our property was a futile act.

So for the time being, we have a partial herd of happy cows exploring their new home. And we have once again been reminded when a Black Angus herd is practically in our Living Room, that we live on OPEN RANGE LAND.

Oh, and here’s the gang that just discovered the Hay Bales. Now they think they’re our pets. We surrender to being faux Black Angus Ranchers of OPC’s (Other People’s Cows), and bless their gentle Bovine hearts.

Supply Chain Disruptions Are Here!

Way too many American homes depend on a “Just In Time” food shopping plan that models the American Manufacturing System borrowed from Toyota in the late 1980’s that de-emphasized the need for storing inventory. With the advent of Super Markets and Chain Stores, which exploded onto the American landscape about 100 years ago, shopping for food soon became a weekly or even daily event focused on a short, one-week or even one-day meal plan.

Long gone are Grandma’s gardens and the Victory Gardens of the 2nd World War. When women became major participants in the American work force, gardening became a thing of the past. So did Pantries of old that used to contain all kinds of delicious wonders including home grown and canned vegetables and staples like rice, beans and potatoes. Food has long been considered easily accessible requiring a quick trip down the street to a Grocery Store.

But what if that is no longer the case? American households would have to go into a shocking reassessment of what food security means. Some believe that reassessment is staring us in the face right now; and unfortunately, it’s winter when venturing outside to plant a Survival Garden is not an option for most Americans. So what exactly is going on?

Essentially, what is happening is a confluence of complicated issues that are being exasperated by the Covid Pandemic and our Government’s reaction to it. Early in the Pandemic scare, many American workers stayed home and collected Unemployment or worked from home to avoid contact with others who might be spreading the virus. To avoid public places, on-line shopping boomed and Jeff Bezos amassed an even bigger fortune than ever before as imports of both food and supplies sky rocketed.

Now, just when Unemployment has run out, the Government has caused a mass firing event based on thousands of workers not wanting to get the Vaccine due to religious concerns around Fetal Tissue cells used in the Vaccines or Natural Immunity based on their having already had Covid, both of which the Government is ignoring. The result is there are not enough American Workers to do the jobs necessary to get the Container Ships unloaded in a timely manner, and this is just the first shoe to drop in our “Just In Time” Supply methodology. We are about to see this catastrophic problem spread throughout all areas of Supplies and Services including Airlines (starting with Southwest), Hospitals, Police Forces, the Military, Trucking Industry, Packaging and Shipping Plants and more. 

Also, you may not realize this, but those Container Ships sitting off shore in the 10 Largest U.S. Ports, including the Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, Port of Newark and New York, Port of Savannah, Port of Houston, Port of Seattle, Port of Norfolk, Port of Tacoma, Port of Charleston and Port of Oakland are carrying a lot of food from China that is being imported into the U.S. 

As meat prices make a beeline to the moon, Americans will gravitate to eating more FISH, and guess what? The chart below (whcih was created in 2010) shows a whopping 50% of Cod in American grocery stores was imported from China along with 79% of the Tilapia among other imports that include fruits and vegetables, snack foods, spieces and tea. Remember those numbers are from 2010, and only grew larger as time passed.

If you haven’t figured out yet that Aquaponics is a Food Growing Technology that grows Food Fish along with Vegetables, and that Tilapia is the most popular and easiest fish to learn to farm in Homes or Schools, this is the Good News. You can grow your own Tilapia and guarantee food security by creating your own Aquaponics System at your Home or School. (Source:https://www.americanmanufacturing.org/blog/the-u-s-imports-a-lot-of-food-from-china-and-you-might-be-surprised-whats-on-the-list/)

And you can do it in a spare room, a garage or a greenhouse. Aquaponics is year-around food growing technology that doesn’t depend on Land, Soil or even the Sun because the new LED Grow Lights substitute for sunlight. If there was ever a time to learn Aquaponics and build or buy an Aquaponics Food Growing System, this is it. Go to our AquaponicsUSA website where we offer a wealth of information about this amazing Survival Food Growing technology.

Aren’t Coincidences Wonderful?

Here’s a really fun story to share about the location of our new Arizona Home and Greenhouse. Most people think of Arizona as dessert, but we’re not in the dessert. Actually, we left the dessert of Yucca Valley, California to come here.

We’re on a Plateau in the White Mountains of Arizona at over 6,000 ft. in elevation on a piece of land that is covered with Juniper Trees. Eight miles East of us is the beautiful little town of Show Low, Arizona, which is only a few hundred feet higher, but that few hundred feet make all the difference as Show Low is covered with Ponderosa Pine Trees. Certain species of trees require certain elevations.

Now I want to point you to the Brown Outcroppings in the picture above. Those are the Big Volcanic Boulders that are popping out of the greenery. There are a lot of these Boulders, but buried in the greenery are thousands of Little Volcanic Rocks that cover our land. It would be difficult to cultivate the land without using some heavy duty earth and rock moving machines. Right now we’re not considering venturing beyond our Greenhouse.

If you would like to get an exterior Tour of our Greenhouse Click over to our AquaponicsUSA YouTube Channel and watch our new Video after a LOOOOOONG Break with Oliver Introducing Our Arizona Greenhouse.

But here is why we named this Post “Aren’t Coincidences Wonderful?” Our land is covered with Volcanic Boulders and Rocks because 1,000 years ago, what is now the Sunset Crater in the image below was an erupting Volcano that sent the Volcanic Boulders and Rocks over to our property in a dramatic explosion of Mother Nature’s tendency to vent. Our Property is actually sitting in a Volcanic Field.

Enjoy Your Saturday,

Sustainably,

Grace

What’s Happening Today at Aquaponics USA?

‘There are 3 Seed Trays of Seedlings in the Greenhouse that need daily watering. We don’t need to water our Aquaponics Crops that are in the System because the System takes care of that, but when you’re germinating Seeds you need to water everyday.

Below are 3 Standard Seed Trays that have been growing Seedlings for about 2 weeks. We cut holes in our Humidifying Lids to allow more air flow into the Trays as it’s getting quite hot here in our Arizona Summer.

Below is what I call my Seed Tracker Sheet. As I plant the Seeds into the Seed Plugs, I fill in the Sheet with the Code Letters that tell me which Seeds are located where in the Seed Tray. For example BLC means Butter Lettuce Charles and RR means Romaine Red.

As an aside, here’s a little Cat Diversion. We can always depend on Magic for that.

Oh, and then there’s the Bee. He flew by me on the porch yesterday so now I have a clear glass jar waiting for that to happen again. My plan is to capture him and put him into the Greenhouse. I’ll let you know when that’s been accomplished. Did I just hear a Buzzing Sound?

Thank You for following us. We Write and Post to you and for you.

Sustainably,
Grace

We’re Also Doing More Blog Posts!

Our Arizona Greenhouse and our STEM Teaching & Food Growing System Orders have had us so busy we didn’t have time to talk about it. But what is the point if we don’t share what we’re doing with our Followers, so besides Videos, we’ll be sharing more Blog and Social Posts, too.

Check back to see what we’re up to now. You’re going to be amazed. The circled words in this announcement are the most important words of all starting with our “Followers”. Without you, we’re up here at 6,000 ft. in the White Mountains of Arizona without a rudder (not exactly connecting my metaphors), but you know what I mean.

Thank You for Following Us. We’ll be sharing our newest Seedlings later this week. Newly germinated Seedlings are like little Plant Children, adorable and in need of daily care. They can’t wait to show themselves off.

Sustainably,

Grace

FOOD REVOLUTION Part 4 (Final in this Series)

 

July 2014, Newsletter #7 Table of Contents A Note from Our Editor The Tireless Allied Forces including Organic Consumers Association Food Democracy Now Institute for Responsible Technology Food Tank Slow Food USA FARM TO SCHOOL Natural News We Added Him to our Revolutionaries List, Mr. Michael Potter Another Revolutionary, Aaron Woolf Our Last Revolutionary, Anthony Gucciardi Monsanto has the US Government Wrapped The (Almost) Monsanto Protection Act Where Does Aquaponics Fit? Our Editor, Grace Sylke  Our Grace created the “MONSANTO, We’ve Got You Covered”Slam Sign you’ll see in this Newsletter. Please feel free to spread it around. You can Pin It, Facebook it, Twitter it. Make one of your own. The more Slam Signs the Better. This is the last Newsletter of the Four Month Series called FOOD REVOLUTION. It contains Links to all of them. Together, they are quite a story. ThankYou for following them. Quick Links: AquaponicsUSA.com AquaponicsWorld.net Aquaponics USA TV Aquaponics USA Blog April Newsletter Part 1 May Newsletter Part 2 June Newsletter Part 3 Organic Consumers Association Food Democracy Now Institute For Responsible Technology Food Tank Slow Food USA FARM TO SCHOOL Natural News Natural Society It isn’t USDA, it’s Aquaganic! The infamous “NationalList” The FOOD REVOLUTION Final Part 4: More Allies More About #1 Adversary, Monsanto More Revolutionaries Where Aquaponics Fits In See Our April Newsletter for Part 1: History See Our May Newsletter for Part 2: What is it? Why is it? Who Are The Revolutionaries? See Our June Newsletter for Part 3: The Battlegrounds, The Adversaries, The Allies     Dear Subscriber: This is a Revolution you’re participating in whether you know it or not. Some of us are participating in it consciously and some of us are unconscious participants. Every time you purchase a food item, you’ve helped the Revolutionaries or you’ve helped the Adversaries.  These Newsletters are about becoming more conscious. We’ve gotten more conscious just writing them. Yes, it takes time and effort to make sure you’re on the side of the Revolutionaries; but this War maybe the most important War we’ve ever engaged in on planet Earth because it’s a War for the very existence of pure, healthy, wholesome NATURAL food not food created by the Biotechs who actually think they can engineer food better than Mother Nature. Please make a commitment to join the FOOD REVOLUTION and bring back our right to eat real food.   Who Are The Tireless Allied Forces?   These are the Organizations in the trenches. They are actively engaged in the fight. Some are broadly focused. Others are more narrowly focused; but they are all fighting for our right to eat real food. They are often grassroots organizations and sometimes one-man bands. They’re fighting with education, scientific research and community organization tactics.    Find out about them. Join their causes. Support them. They are our Warriors in the fight backing up the Revolutionaries on the Food Battlefield, which is the entire planet Earth.   We’ve only listed 7 of these Organizations; but there are many more. Do your homework. Find the others and join them. This is how YOU can get involved.    #1. Organic Consumers Association   Organic Consumers Association is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. The OCA deals with crucial issues of food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children’s health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability and other key topics. They are one of the only organizations in the US focused exclusively on promoting the views and interests of the nation’s estimated 50 million organic and socially responsible consumers. This organization works in several arena’s including the movement demanding labeling of GMO’s. It was formed in 1998 in the wake of the mass backlash by organic consumers against the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s controversial proposed national regulations for organic food. (More on that later). The OCA represents over 850,000 members, subscribers and volunteers, including several thousand businesses in the natural foods and organic marketplace. (Taken from their “About” Page) #2. FOOD DEMOCRACY NOW! “Food Democracy Now! is a grassroots community dedicated to building a sustainable food system that protects our natural environment, sustains farmers and nourishes families. “Our food system is fundamentally broken. A few companies dominate the market, prioritizing profits over people and our planet. Government policies put the interests of corporate agribusiness over the livelihoods of farm families. Farm workers toil in unsafe conditions for minimal wages. School children lack access to healthy foods–as do millions of Americans living in poverty. From rising childhood and adult obesity to issues of food safety, air and water pollution, worker’s rights and global warming, our current food system is leading our nation to an unsustainable future.” Food Democracy Now, lead by Dave Murphy and Lisa Stokke is an over “650,000 strong organization of American Farmers and citizens dedicated to reforming policies relating to food, agriculture and the environment. Murphy has been called ‘the most crucial and politically savvy actor in the on-going efforts to help move American agriculture into the 21st century’ as a result of his ‘Sustainable Dozen’ campaign, which resulted in four candidates being placed in high level positions at the USDA and his efforts to reform food and agriculture under the Obama administration.” (Taken verbatim from their “About” Page with minor changes) #3. IRT Their “About” Page says the following: The Institute for Responsible Technology is a world leader in educating policy makers and the public about genetically modified (GM) foods and crops. They investigate and report their risks and impact on health, environment, the economy, and agriculture, as well as the problems associated with current research, regulation, corporate practices, and reporting. Founded in 2003 by international bestselling author and GMO expert Jeffrey Smith, IRT has worked in nearly 40 countries on 6 continents, and is credited with improving government policies and influencing consumer-buying habits. IRT’s work comes from a dedicated team of subject experts, consultants and staff who generously donate their time and experience. In addition, IRT employs media experts, social network campaigners, writers, graphic designers, communications specialists, fundraisers, outreach professionals and support staff, who operate both at our headquarters in Iowa, and from virtual offices in the US. IRT’s Campaign for Healthier Eating in America mobilizes citizens, organizations, businesses, healthcare professionals, and the media, to achieve the tipping point of consumer rejection of GM foods. (Taken verbatim from their “About” Page with minor changes) #4. Food Tank Danielle Nierenberg is the President of Food Tank, a Food Think Tank focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. They spotlight environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways of alleviating hunger, obesity, and poverty and create networks of people, organizations, and content to push for food system change. Food Tank is for the 7 billion people who have to eat every day. They offer solutions and environmentally sustainable ways of alleviating hunger, obesity, and poverty by creating a network of connections and information for all of us to consume and share. Food Tank is for farmers and producers, policy makers and government leaders, researchers and scientists, academics and journalists, and the funding and donor communities to collaborate on providing sustainable solutions for our most pressing environmental and social problems. Food Tank highlights hope and success in agriculture. They feature innovative ideas that are already working on the ground, in cities, in kitchens, in fields and in laboratories. These innovations need more attention, more research, and ultimately more funding to be replicated and scaled-up. And that is where they need you. We all need to work together to find solutions that nourish ourselves and protect the planet. (Taken verbatim from their “About” Page with minor changes) #5. Slow Food USA Slow Food USA is part of the global Slow Food network of over 150,000 members in more than 150 countries. Through a vast volunteer network of local chapters, youth and food communities, they link the pleasures of the table with a commitment to protect the community, culture, knowledge and environment that make this pleasure possible. Their mission as an international grassroots membership organization is good, clean and fair food for all. They believe food should be tasty, seasonal, local, fresh and wholesome; and that  our food should nourish a healthful lifestyle and be produced in ways that preserve biodiversity, sustain the environment and ensure animal welfare – without harming human health. They also believe that our food should be affordable by all, while respecting the dignity of labor from field to fork. Slow Food USA has 170 local chapters and 40 campus chapters that coordinate local activities, projects and events. Working together with members and supporters across the nation, they preserve and share local foods and food cultures. They defend and advocate policies that promote holistic alternatives to the industrial system. Through tastings, workshops and social opportunities, they explore and celebrate the Slow life. Conviviality is central to their mission. They are a global community, connecting people to the land and to each other through local projects, educational events, and shared meals. They become catalysts for change by sharing the joy of Slow Food and prioritizing wholesome living over convenience. (Taken verbatim from their “About” Page with minor changes) #6. FARM TO SCHOOL Farm to school enriches the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and preschools. Students gain access to healthy, local foods as well as education opportunities such as school gardens, cooking lessons and farm field trips. Farm to school empowers children and their families to make informed food choices while strengthening the local economy and contributing to vibrant communities. Farm to school implementation differs by location but always includes one or more of the following: Procurement: Local foods are purchased, promoted and served in the cafeteria or as a snack or taste-test; Education: Students participate in education activities related to agriculture, food, health or nutrition; and School gardens: Students engage in hands-on learning through gardening. (Taken verbatim from their “About” Page with minor changes) #7. Natural News Natural News is a science-based natural health advocacy organization led by activist-turned-scientist, Mike Adams, the Health Ranger. The key mission of Natural News is to empower consumers with factual information about the synthetic chemicals, heavy metals, hormone disruptors and other chemicals found in foods, medicines, personal care products, children’s toys and other items. Natural News covers holistic health, nutritional therapies, consciousness and spirituality, permaculture, organics, animal rights, environmental health, food and superfoods, and performance nutrition. The site strongly criticizes drugs-and-surgery medicine, vaccines, corporate corruption, animal testing, the use of humans for medical experiments, the chemical contamination of foods, heavy metals in consumer products, factory farming and government corruption. Natural News also warns its readers about science gone bad and frequently cites examples of science resulting in catastrophies that it calls “crimes” against humanity. Examples of such subjects cited by Natural News include: Agent Orange Thalidomide Nuclear weapons GMOs and “genetic pollution” Aspartame and chemical sweeteners Chemotherapy The presence of hidden cancer viruses in polio vaccines The continued use of mercury in vaccines and dental amalgams The long history of pharmaceutical experiments on human beings, including the Tuskegee syphilis experiments conducted on African Americans in the USA. (Taken verbatim from their “About” Page with minor changes) We Had To Add Him To Our REVOLUTIONARIES LIST! To see the others on that List, click on our May Newsletter above. Meet one of our Heros, Michael J. Potter, owner of Eden Foods; and he couldn’t have a better suited last name because he’s the good guy fighting some real dark forces in this battle for Real Food. He isn’t in the trenches. He goes right into the middle of the NOSB Boardroom, which is the National Organic Standards Board where what is determined to be USDA Organic and what is not is decided. Sadly, what most of us don’t know is that the NOSB has been co-opted by the Big Food Companies like Coca Cola, Kellogg, Cargill Chemical and General Mills as these companies have bought up most of the nation’s once family owned organic food companies, kept their labels and now parade them out into the marketplace as the original thing. If you want to know more about this deception, go to our June Food Revolution Newsletter above. Because BIG FOOD has become BIG ORGANIC, they populate the NOSB and make the decisions about what new additives can be labeled Organic. So in late May of 2012, Mr. Potter went to the NOSB Meeting where some important decisions about additives were taking place; and he voiced his objection to adding “Carrageenan” to what is called the “National List”. This infamous List is the list of all the non-organic ingredients that have been allowed in foods that are labeled USDA Organic; and as these Big Food companies started stacking the Board, the list of nonorganic materials approved for organic foods increased from 77 items in 2002 to 250 nonorganic substances in 2012. Take a look at this ungodly “National List” for yourself and don’t blink because it’s growing right before our eyes. After Mr. Potter, our Hero, voiced his concern that Carrageenan has been linked to malignancies and other stomach problems, using research conducted by Dr. Tobacman, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, he was thanked for his input; and the NOSB Board then voted to keep Carrageenan on the National List. Here’s what Mr. Potter had to say about that: “‘The board is stacked,’ Mr. Potter says. ‘Either they don’t have a clue, or their interest in making money is more important than their interest in maintaining the integrity of organics.’ Which either/or do you think it is? “He calls the certified-organic label a fraud and refuses to put it on Eden’s products.” Quote taken from article in The New York Times, July 7, 2012 entitled “Has ‘Organic’ Been Oversized?“ Over here at Aquaponics World we’ve also turned our backs on the co-opted USDA Organic Certification Label and created our own Certification. We call it “Aquaganic”. You can read all about it on our Aquaponics World website, Aquaganic Page. Sorry to have popped any idealistic bubbles around heads that thought USDA Organic Certification meant the food you’re buying has no unhealthy additives. If you want to make sure you’re getting real food, buy Mr. Potter’s Eden Foods. They don’t carry that misleading label. Another REVOLUTIONARY,  Aaron Woolf Aaron Woolf is the producer/director of the hit documentary, King Corn. Other work has appeared on the Sundance and Discovery Channels and on numerous networks abroad including France’s ARTE, Italy’s RAI and Australia’s SBS. His films have won Rockie, Logie, and Peabody Awards. Woolf graduated from Middlebury College and earned a masters in film at the University of Iowa.  In the mid-1990s, Woolf turned to non-fiction storytelling, and trained his lens on individual stories that he felt touched on global trends. Woolf’s film, King Corn, followed Ian Cheney and his best friend, Curt Ellis, on a yearlong odyssey to understand where their food comes from… by growing it. In what The Washington Post calls “Required viewing for anyone planning to visit a supermarket, fast-food joint, or their own refrigerator,” the city-slickers learn to drive a combine, cash in on government subsidies, and homebrew high-fructose corn syrup. The film’s Peabody-winning findings, shared with theatergoers in 60 cities and in a PBS national broadcast, change the way audiences eat. Watch the Trailer. It’s a Real Eye Opener. And remember about 85% of the Corn grown in the US is Genetically Modified. EGAD! King Corn Our last REVOLUTIONARY,  Anthony Gucciardi, founder of  Natural Society Anthony Gucciardi became a natural health advocate after coming down with late-stage Lyme Disease and having traditional remedies that included the injections of powerful steroids lead to a rapid deterioration of his health. Anthony created his own lifestyle regimen and overcame not only the Lyme Disease but the physical challenges left from the prolonged use of steroidal drugs. After a short period of enhanced nutrition and the alteration of other lifestyle factors, Anthony had alleviated himself of virtually all pain and symptoms from which he had been suffering. It was at this point he crafted the concept that, even beyond health, it’s always essential to seek information for yourself and produce your own research. To help people follow this advice, he along with his partner, Mike Barrett, created Natural Society, which is now the third or fourth (depending on which stats you examine) largest natural health website in the world with millions of viewers per month. Many of their posts are food focused. More Bad News About The Biggest Adversary To Real Food On The Planet, MONSANTO! Josh Sager published an incisive article one month before the November 2012 US Presidential Elections that carefully documents how Monsanto has cornered and co-opted the US political system. The title of the article was “Monsanto Controls both the White House and the US Congress”. Read it and weep. Or read our quoted synopsis below and then weep. In essence, the article points out that no matter who is elected, Monsanto will be worshipped and Americans will continue to be the Guinea Pigs for these mad Biotechs. Case in point, “throughout his first term, President Obama has presided over the passage of several Monsanto-friendly legislative initiatives and has appointed numerous people associated with Monsanto to high-level positions.” “By giving several billion dollars to agro-businesses, one of which is Monsanto, the ‘Southern Africa FY 2010 Implementation Plan’ promoted the expansion of these businesses into the provision of food for Africa. This expansion is aimed at increasing food supplies in Africa, but it will have the unintended consequence of promoting Monsanto’s takeover of the African food markets. Put plainly, Monsanto will crowd local African farmers out of the market and will make a profit that would be more beneficial in the hands of local African farmers and in the local African economy. “On the issue of GMO labeling, Obama is rhetorically supportive of mandating GMO products to be labeled, but his administration has been largely silent on the issue. During the creation of the 2012 Farm Bill, there was a fight over mandating that genetically modified foods be labeled. Despite Obama’s supposed support for such labeling, his administration was essentially silent on the issue during this fight and, as a result, no mandate was passed; and 2014 brings more corruption and collusion between the Senate, the President and Monsanto. (See next Article). “In totality, legislation passed under the Obama administration has been beneficial to large agro-businesses, one of which is Monsanto. Very little has been done to increase regulation on GMO producers and several laws have been passed that directly benefit such corporations. “Due to the vested interest that Monsanto has in controlling regulation that affects its business, it has both donated to politicians and promoted the appointment of people who work for them to positions within the American government. As of yet, Monsanto has been successful in keeping its regulatory burdens low and getting its representatives into positions within the US government. The infiltration of regulatory agencies by corporate actors that is referred to here is called the “regulatory revolving door”. Individuals who work for industry go to work for the government, make public regulations, and then return to the private sector after leaving the public service. “While there are numerous points of overlap between Monsanto and the United States Government under the Obama administration, the three most important connections are that of Michael Taylor, Roger Beachy, and Islam Siddiqui. All three of these Monsanto affiliates were appointed to high level positions within the government by the Obama administration. “During his first term, President Obama appointed two Justices, one of whom was Elena Kagan, the former Solicitor General of the United States. During her time as the Solicitor General, Kagan filed a brief in support of Monsanto.” Unfortunately, things would NOT have been different if Romney had won the 2012 election. “In 1977, Bain Capital-the company that Romney ran, and in which he made most of his money-was starting out as a corporate consulting firm; Monsanto was among the first major clients of Bain. The multi-million dollar relationship between Bain Capital and Monsanto lasted from 1977 to 1985 and had significant effects on both corporations. Bain Capital, and its officers, made large amounts of money through its relationship with Monsanto and gained a significant client with which to base its consulting practice upon. Monsanto was given business advice by Bain and the corporation’s recent successes in GMO produce are traceable back to the suggestions that Romney made to Monsanto administrators.” (This is one long quote taken from the above designated article by Josh Sager and reprinted in the Global Research website, on May 24, 2014) It’s obvious our Government is NOT going to aide us in this FOOD REVOLUTION. In fact, our Government is on the side of the Genetic Engineers and against the people. If you thought the news above was bad, wait until you hear about what almost happened called The MONSANTO   PROTECTION ACT. Actually, it did happen; but only for a brief moment in time. Also from the Global Research News website, May 25, 2013 (we’re beginning to like Global Research News) an article entitled “Monsanto Protection Act Signed By Obama, GMO Bill ‘Written By Monsanto’ Signed Into Law“. It’s another Read it and weep moment that makes it clear our Government has got Monsanto covered while Monsanto makes sure the people of America are Covered. Here’s the essence of what the Monsanto Protection Act tried to do but failed when Senators, Barbara Mikulski and Jeff Merkley successfully led a charge to get it off the books in September of 2013 only a few months after it passed. But for a few short months this is what Congress passed (some unknowingly because it was hidden in the Spending Bill, HR 933) and this is what the President signed. “The Monsanto Protection Act, essentially both written by and benefiting Monsanto Corporation, was signed into law by United States President Barack Obama. The infamous Monsanto Corporation would have benefited greatly and directly from the bill, as it essentially gives companies that deal with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically engineered (GE) seeds immunity to the federal courts, among other things. “The bill stated that even if future research shows that GMOs or GE seeds cause significant health problems, cancer, etc, anything, that the federal courts no longer have any power to stop their spread, use, or sales.” Are YOU KIDDING ME! “The bill was apparently written by freshman Sen. Roy Blunt, in collusion with Monsanto, with them helping to craft the exact language of the document.” Sen. Roy Blunt, of  Missouri where Monsanto is headquartered, again a last name that fits the deed because this Bill was killing our Constitutional rights to justice with a Blunt Instrument, is a Republican. And, of course, “The Center for Responsive Politics notes that Sen. Blunt received $64,250 from non other than Monsanto to go towards his campaign committee between 2008 and 2012. The Money Monocle website adds that Blunt has been the largest Republican Party recipient of Monsanto funding as of late.” Kudos to Senators Mikulski and Merkley who along with hundreds of thousands of Petitions and Marches with thousands of participants from the Real Food Allied Organizations like the ones listed above, were able to kill the Monsanto Protection Act. The FOOD REVOLUTIONARIES won that battle; but the War wages on. However, there’s more good news because now we know exactly what Monsanto wants. They want immunity. Isn’t that interesting. If they really believe their Franken Food is good for us, why would they need immunity? So Where Does Aquaponics Fit Into The FOOD REVOLUTION? This is a picture of what’s growing in our Aquaponics USA/AquaponicsWorld Food Forever™ Farm Greenhouse right now. Actually, all the green sucker leaves at the top have been trimmed off since this picture was taken. That’s one of the secrets of growing tomatoes. You have to keep them trimmed. Not one petro-chemical, not one pesticide and not one trace of Genetically Modified Organisms are involved in growing these tomatoes or any of the leafy greens in our Vertical Duffy Duct Systems that take up most of this Greenhouse. There’s talk about the iPhone that goes something like this: Steve Jobs brought an item into the marketplace that no one knew they wanted until it arrived. Aquaponics food growing technology is kind of like that. Millions of people still don’t know it exists and have never heard the word, “Aquaponics” before. But as soon as they are introduced to it, they want it. They want it because Aquaponics is capable of producing the most wholesome, healthy, natural food on the market today without using harsh petro-chemicals, pesticides and GMO technology.  And it’s about to take the marketplace by storm. It’s a key player in the FOOD REVOLUTION. If we can eat locally grown food that is fertilized naturally from the dissolved solids of living fish, why would we want to eat food that’s been irradiated, or sprayed with pesticides and petro-chemicals and labeled USDA Organic while it’s full of additives from the infamous “National List” that has been co-opted by the Big Food Companies? The truth is WE WOULDN’T. And WE WON’T. Aquaponically grown food is a NEW CHOICE, A BETTER CHOICE and once we educate the public about that new choice and get enough Aquaponic Products out there, the FOOD REVOLUTION will be won by the good guys because there is no contest. Aquaponics is our ace in the hole. It’s the antithesis to GMO’s; and it won’t be long before it kicks Monsanto and friends right out of the marketplace. Help us win this FOOD REVOLUTION. Spread the word about Aquaponics, purchase Aquaponic Products whenever you can, request them at your favorite Food Store. The future is ours. WE’VE GOT THIS! Thank You from the bottom of our hearts for following our Newsletters and our Blog. We’re guessing by now you get that we’re on a mission. This 4-Part Series on the FOOD REVOLUTION has gone way beyond our original concept. This Final Newsletter contains All 4 Parts if you missed one as they all work together to make a complete story. Just go back to the top or click on our Quick Links Section. Now, we’re going back to working like crazy to get our Aquaponically grown Products into the marketplace; and you’ll be the first to know when they arrive. Ironically, it’s looking like Missouri will be that place; and it’s ironic because that’s right where Monsanto is Headquartered. Life works in strange ways. We’ll tell you more about that project in the August Newsletter and Blog Post. Sustainably, Aquaponics USA/Aquaponics World

 

Our Aquaponics USA Fish and Veggie Road Show!

We just did our first Fish & Veggie Road Show and what an experience that was. Getting our act together to go on the road was a way bigger job than we ever imagined it would be; but the result was impressive. We think we may be the first and only Aquaponics business that is doing shows and now we know why. It’s a lot of hard work. As a multi-media artist, I (Grace) did Arts & Craft Shows for many years selling a hand-crafted jewelry line, photography and even a line of resort wear. So I know what it’s like doing road shows; but I’ve never done a road show that was this challenging. Our set up took us one full day and a night; and our tear down took a full eight hours. EGAD! And “Yes”, we need to make it easier. But the experience was great. We introduced Aquaponics USA’s Food Forever™ Growing Systems to lots of amazed and curious Californians. Below are three photos of the 3 vehicles it took to get our set up to the Los Angeles Design Center. If we keep doing Shows, we’re going to need a big Truck because packing and unpacking these three vehicles was very time consuming.

It’s amazing how many people in California still haven’t even heard the word, Aquaponics; but our aim is to change that; and we started changing that this past weekend, October 12-14, 2012, at the first annual KNOWPHEST in Los Angeles. The KNOWPHEST was billed as the place to go to learn what you didn’t know you didn’t know; and Aquaponics USA fit perfectly into that unusual theme because most of the people who saw our Exhibit had never even heard the word, “Aquaponics”, before they entered our space. The KNOWPHEST featured an eclectic group of Exhibitors and Lecturers including the famous artist couple Alex Grey and Allyson Grey. Alex showed his mural-sized original works from the famed Chapel of Sacred Mirrors. These paintings were awe inspiring as I had only seen them in photos. You may recognize the image below entitled “Praying” as it has been featured in lots of venues.

And we prayed a lot as we traveled up the Interstate 10 to Los Angeles from the High Desert above Palm Springs. Mostly we were praying that our live fish and plants would make the trip and stay that way, alive, as this was our first experience of moving fish and plants in vehicles.

Among the various Exhibitors at the KNOWPHEST who were selling everything from  jewelry to portable saunas, Aquaponics USA was a real phenomenon; and we were thanked and congratulated over and over for being there and introducing the people of Los Angeles to the concept of sustainable food growing systems that can be set up in a backyard, garage, basement or school room. And, of course the stars of our Show were the fish. Below is a photo of our baby Tilapia happily swimming around in their fish tank that is part of our new Plug In & Grow Indoor System, the FFGS-C5. In the second photo below, you see a complete shot of this Compact Indoor Food Forever™ Growing System that comes with a Grow Light, Grow Bed, Fish Tank with heater and miniature automatic fish feeder. The third photo in this series is our Modular FFGS-20  Food Forever™ Growing System that housed our adult Tilapia.

It’s one thing to preach to the choir, which is the same as staying home and waiting for people to become aware of the importance of Aquaponics in whatever way that happens and then Googling the word and discovering us on Page 1. It’s an entirely different thing to go out to Shows and awaken people to the existence of Aquaponics and then educate them on the spot about how important it is to their food security and health. That’s what’s happening in these Shows; and that’s what makes it so exciting. So many people expressed their gratitude about being awakened to this life and environment sustaining way to grow food. They were really excited to discover Aquaponics and we were excited to have an Exhibit that could serve in this way. It was such a win/win experience that it made all the hard work worth while. Below are a series of shots of our Exhibit at the KNOWPHEST starting with our “Welcome” Sign. The second photo is of our new Certification Trademark. We’re creating a way to Certify vegetables and fish that are grown aquaponically; and we’re calling it “Aquaganic”.

We even had a Literature Table with five informative double-sided flyers besides our Brochure. One of the flyers entitled “Why Aquaponics? Why Now? has a full back page explanation of what Aquaponics is and why it’s so important in the 21st Century. On the small table behind the literature table is our flat-screen TV where we continuously ran DVD’s of our YouTube Videos.

This Show wanted to attract the Los Angeles Night Scene so we were open quite late at night . Here is a shot of our Exhibit at night.

We had to make a 2 1/2 hour drive to get to the KNOWPHEST (while keeping our fish well aerated using an inverter and in-tank aerators), which were in the back of the Honda Pilot.

Before going on to our next Show, we want to extend a special “Thank You” to Caleb Bartlett and Allen Sovory II, promoters of the KNOWPHEST, for inviting and encouraging us to do this Show. Without your encouragement and the KNOWPHEST venue, we never would have put this Exhibit together and discovered how fun and exciting it is to be the clarion callers for Aquaponics USA out there on the streets and in the Convention Halls of America. Thank You, guys, for putting on a great Show and being so accommodating and helpful.

Our next adventure to Mesa, AZ will be a little more challenging as we’ll be traveling for over six hours while keeping our fish and our plants alive. This Show is happening at the Mesa, AZ Convention Center on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26 & 27. It’s called the Self Reliance Expo and is a first year Show in that location and one of a series being promoted under this title in various locations across the Nation. If you’re in Arizona, tell your friends to come out and see a phenomenon whose time has come–an Aquaponics USA Road Show.

See you at the Self Reliance Expo in Mesa, AZ and thank you for following our blog and visiting our virtual first Road Show. We’re so pleased to be able to share this adventure with you.

Aquaponics USA “Chef’s Special Living Lettuce” FOR SALE!

In our last post, we showed you all the lettuce we were growing in our Greenhouse. Here’s another view of how much lettuce we’re talking about.

Grace is holding up a Cooler full of lettuce; and this is the first Cooler full. So far we’ve delivered two of these Coolers full of lettuce all packaged up real fancy to none other than the best Health Food Store in the high desert. That’s right–Sue’s Health Food Store. Sue’s Health Foods has been selling healthy food since 1984 and is dedicated to their customer’s good health while offering service with heart. They’ve just started a facebook page where they’ll be posting all kinds of fun and exciting adventures around health.

If you’re lucky enough to live in the high desert above Palm Springs in Morongo, Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree or 29 Palms go on over to Sue’s Health Foods Store and pick up a head of delicious Living Counter Romaine, Butter Lettuce or Red Romaine. They’re in her Cooler next to the Bunny Love Organic Carrots.

As far as we know, Aquaponics USA is the only company offering Living Red Romaine Lettuce and Counter Romaine Lettuce. There’s even one head of Living Red Oak Lettuce in that cooler for all you Red Oak Lettuce lovers. There are several companies offering Living Butter Lettuce. Our Living Butter Lettuce is so beautiful it could be a Bridal Bouquet in a Greenie June Wedding. So what’s “Living Lettuce”? Living Lettuce is lettuce that is still attached to the roots, which means it’s about as fresh as it gets.

When we introduced Sue to the concept of Aquaponics, she was really taken by it. Seems Aquaponics affects people that way. They either get it or they don’t. When they get it, it makes a real impression. There are a lot of people “getting” Aquaponics these days. Once Sue tasted our Lettuce, the deal was sealed. Even bolting lettuce grown aquaponically (we call it “Aquaganic™”) still tastes good. But because she practices what she preaches and is really concerned with her customer’s health, she made a site visit to check out our growing environment and, of course, see the live fish that make it all possible.

Below is a picture of Sue standing behind the Grow Bed we featured in our last post, the one full of Red Romaine Lettuce. This is the lettuce you saw in the Cooler above and the lettuce we packaged up to send to her Health Foods Store.

Now, you’ll recognize her when you see her in the store, which is often so say “Hi” and tell her how photogenic she is. And remember to hurry down to her store to pick up your head of Aquaponics USA Chef’s Special Living Lettuce.

Because we’re not high volume growers (far from it), our brand will not always be available at Sue’s Health Food Store, so get it while you can. You can’t miss our patriotic packaging and our Logo with the Chef and Live Tilapia on it.  Tell them we sent you.

See you at Sue’s Health Foods Store.

What’s Happening in the Aquaponics USA Greenhouse

It’s been a while since we’ve shared pictures and stories of what’s happening in our Greenhouse; and right about now, things are really starting to pop.  The picture below shows Grow Bed #4 full of Red Romaine Lettuce. In the background, you can see some basil drying and a blurred image of our packaging Logo.

Below are close ups of a couple of those heads of beautiful Red Romaine. They are really delicious and ready to harvest. They are sitting next to our Automatic Fish Feeders that feed our Tilapia four times a day.

Besides Red Romaine, we’re also growing another kind of Romaine Lettuce called Counter Romaine. It’s pictured in the photo below. Counter Romaine has been adapted especially for Greenhouse growing and is heat tolerant. Since we’re in the desert, we can always use heat tolerant veggies, so we thought we’d try it. It’s doing really well and tastes delicious. Even the stems are sweet. On the left side of the photo is some Butter Lettuce mixed in with the Counter Romaine. Our Butter Lettuce is also doing really well and growing like weeds in our Food Forever™ Growing Systems.

Besides Lettuce, we’re also growing some corn; and you can see it in the back of Grow Bed #5 in the above picture. We didn’t intend to grow corn in our Greenhouse as we felt it would be too tall. But while we were waiting for our protective screening to be put around our outdoor garden, which is next to our Greenhouse, we temporarily placed the corn seedlings into this Grow Bed so they would survive. They’ve survived alright and are now growing up to the roof. I’ll show you more pictures of the corn in a future post. We’re curious as to how well it will do; and will probably just leave it in the Grow Bed even though our protective screening is almost up.

If you’re familiar with the high desert, you know there are a lot of critters here, which add to the charm of our magical desert world. When we first moved here (and before we were adopted by two feral cats), we befriended and fed the wild ones. The picture below is one of many that we’ve taken of the wild ones including grey squirrels, antelope squirrels and cotton tails. 

But once we got the cats and then started gardening, the wild ones became a bit of a nuisance, especially the grey squirrels. They pretty much destroyed our outdoor garden last year. Hence the new protective fence.

In Grow Bed #2 below, we have that famous group of Pepper Plants that just keep putting out Peppers season after season. They have pretty much over taken that Grow Bed.

Except, as you can see below, some Basil managed to squeeze it’s way into that bed this spring.

Last season’s eggplant came back to life and is putting out lovely fruit. Speaking of Eggplant, I think I’ll make Eggplant Parmesan tonight.

In that case, I need to wind up this post and get picking and cooking. Thanks for visiting. We really appreciate your support. My next post is going to tell you where you can go to purchase our delicious aquaponically grown Lettuce that we call “Aquaganic™”. If you’re lucky enough to live in one of the little high desert towns above Palm Springs, CA. you’ll recognize this store right away. We can only supply one store, so we chose the best. Bet you can’t guess which one it is?

Until then, Get Growing!