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Less than a hundred years ago, there were no supermarkets; and many families grew their own food, milked their own cows and butchered their own beef, rabbits and chickens. They made sure their vegetables were in the ground in early Spring, weather permitting, and harvested in Fall to make way for the late season crops. The excess food was canned and stored; and anything that could be preserved in cold cellars and basements was stowed away for the winter.
We were food self sufficient and everyone ate organic food. All of the milk was whole and unpasteurized because that’s how it came right out of the cow; and the vegetables came right out of the soil–fresh, nutritious and free of pesticides and petrochemicals. The words GMO’s, Bovine Growth Hormones and Irradiated were unheard of and obesity and diabetes were rare, little known ailments.
What happened? This Newsletter gives a brief account from a historical perspective of what spawned the ongoing FOOD REVOLUTION.
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The Industrial Revolution spawned an Agricultural Revolution!
Spanning a mere 100 years from 1800 to 1900, the Industrial Revolution turned primarily agrarian, rural societies into industrialized urban ones. Industrialization marked a shift to powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production. It wasn’t long before the U.S. and other countries challenged themselves to make agriculture more efficient and the principles, strategies and technologies of industrialization were applied to farming. Since then three and one half million family farms in the U.S. have vanished while large corporate farms have replaced them. The goal of these Big Agra Farms–to be the supermarket for the world.
In 1923, the International Harvester Farmall tractor replaced the first draft horse with a machine. The rest is history. Since then, there have been many work and time saving machines designed and used in modern farming. As more machinery came onto the farm, more family farmers gave up the way of life that was becoming a costly business investment in order to remain competitive. They moved their families to the cities to pursue other occupations and join the growing numbers of people who purchased their food from the stores and supermarkets that were springing up everywhere.
After World War II, the use of synthetic fertilizers containing the essential plant growth ingredients of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus (NPK) increased considerably allowing farmers to grow more, faster. With this vast increase of crops, there came the need for a way to eradicate the increasing pest problem; and the first synthetic pesticide was discovered by a Swiss chemist named Paul Muller. This miracle solution to the farmers pest problems was non other than DDT, a toxic stew that was banned in the US in 1972 ten years after the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s infamous book, “Silent Spring”, in which she pointed out the collateral damage of DDT to birds, mammals, including humans, and the environment. But that didn’t stop the discovery and use of new, so-called “safer pesticides”, known as POPs, which stands for Persistant Organic (meaning carbon based) Pollutants known for their ability to persist in the environment, being capable of long-range transport, bioaccumulation in human and animal tissue and biomagnification in the food chain.
Unless we understand the past, we’re destined to repeat it. We’ve been repeating it and outdoing ourselves with even more toxic pesticide brews that are necessary to keep vast fields of single crop species alive. Our modern day animal husbandry methods have become criminally insensitive to the basic rights of these beloved animals that live to feed us.
The FOOD REVOLUTION is about stopping that madness, valuing small, local family farms, lessoning the miles food travels from farm to plate, improving the conditions under which food animals are raised, appreciating real food, growing our own food again, returning to the age-old method of food preservation called canning and, in short, taking several steps backwards into our agrarian past to reclaim our right to wholesome, healthy, nutritious food and our right to be the loving caretakers of the land and the animals that give their lives for our sustenance.
In Part 2, you’ll meet an activist farmer who has that very attitude about his animals and his farm, Joel Salatin.
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Big Agra and Big Chemi Companies got into the FOOD Business and are taking industrialization to the extreme! Below are three books that tell that sad tale.
Back in the decade between 1962 and 1972, it took only one book, “Silent Spring” and ten years to get DDT banned in the U.S. It’s taking many times as many books and a little longer these days as one of the world’s heros and a leading activists against Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s), Jeffrey Smith, wrote his first book, “Seeds of Deception” in 2003. It was followed by his second book on the same subject entitled “Genetic Roulette” in 2007 as was F. William Engdahl’s book, “Seeds of Destruction”. Many other books on the GMO subject are out in the market.
So we’re now 11 years out since Jeffrey Smith published his first book, “Seeds of Deception”, and in late April of 2014, Vermont put itself on the map as the first state in the U.S. to pass a GMO mandatory labeling bill so their residents will know if GMO products are in their food. Both Maine and Connecticut passed GMO labeling bills before Vermont, but their bills take effect only if neighboring states also pass similar bills. Vermont is the forerunner of what is about to become a mass rejection of GMO’s in the U.S. Finally, as we’re behind the curve compared to many other countries. More on that in Part 2.
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But wait. We’ve gotten ahead of ourselves.
What are GMO’s and where did they come from?
A recent study out of France showing huge tumors growing on rats fed GMO corn for their lifetime, which in the case of the females, is a much shorter one, caused both Russia and France to ban GMO corn. Corn grown in the U.S. is almost exclusively GMO corn; and almost every manufactured snack food is loaded with high fructose CORN syrup. Snack foods are delivery methods for GMO’s.
According to the Non GMO project, a consumer advocate group working to expose the dangers of GMOs, they “are plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE). This experimental technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding. We even have lambs that glow in the dark because they have genes taken from jellyfish.
Virtually all commercial GMOs are engineered to withstand direct application of herbicide and/or to produce an insecticide. Despite biotech industry promises, none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit. Meanwhile, a growing body of evidence connects GMOs with health problems, environmental damage and violation of farmers’ and consumers’ rights.”
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Who is MONSANTO?
The illustration above by the famous artist, Dees, is just one of many examples of the growing movement against the Monsanto Corporation, which is largely responsible for putting GMO’s into our delicate food chain.
Monsanto was established in 1901 and it’s first product was saccharin. By 1955, Monsanto branched out into the petroleum business and acquired Lion Oil. With this acquisition, it was introduced to the fertilizer business. From there it moved into the agricultural chemical business with one of its leading products, a weed killer called Round Up, which is known worldwide.
In the 1960’s and 1970’s, Monsanto gained the esteemed reputation of being a leading producer of Agent Orange, which contained the toxic chemical called dioxin. They produced this chemical for the U.S. Military in Vietnam. By the end of that war, “72 million liters of Agent Orange were sprayed on over one million Vietnam civilians and over 100,000 U.S. troops. Within ten years of the end of the war, 9,170 veterans had filed claims for disabilities believed to be caused by Agent Orange.”
And now, as a result no doubt of their sterling reputation, Monsanto’s goal is to produce GMO food for the world. This company realized that they could create GMO seeds that grew plants that were resistant to their weed killer, Round Up. Farmers could buy these GMO seeds and use copious amounts of Round Up to kill their weeds without affecting their plants. Round Up is a Glyphosate. A Glyphosate is a poison, which is extremely deadly for most plants and quite toxic for people especially over time. It not only can get in the human bloodstream; but it can cross the blood barrier and reach our unborn children. Current Roundup Ready crops include soy, corn, canola, alfalfa, cotton, and sorghum, with wheat under development. We could write a book on Monsanto and are only giving you a bird’s eye view of how and why they got into the GMO food and seed business, which, by the way is motivating them to buy as many seed companies as they possibly can. It’s an attempt to control our FOOD worldwide.
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We all have Monsanto to thank for the FOOD REVOLUTION that is taking place worldwide.
THANK YOU,
Mother Theresa once said, “I will never attend an anti-war rally; if you have a peace rally, invite me”. Likewise, we are actually suggesting here that we all quit fighting against Monsanto and start thanking that company for being the progenitor of the FOOD REVOLUTION. By the way, this is a peaceful REVOLUTION that we fight with our wallets.
What’s the reasoning behind this theory? We had all become quite complacent about pesticides, herbicides and irradiated food. We certainly weren’t demanding to have those foods labeled or identified because we all know that every fresh vegetable that isn’t labeled organic has been sprayed with pesticides; and we’ve been consuming them for years now. The irradiated subject is much more mysterious; and we explain it in some detail below.
If Monsanto hadn’t been hell bent on putting out GMO’s in great abundance worldwide and keeping us from knowing which foods contain them, we’d still be complacently buying all kinds of toxic and unhealthy foods manufactured by the large food producing corporations. The advent of GMO’s caused us all to take a good look at the entire corporate takeover of our food production and the annihilation of the once prolific family farm. This corporate food production oligarchy dominated by a few giant corporations pays much less attention to the well being of the produce and animals that they raise and the humans they feed than to their profit and loss statements. The obesity epidemic measured by the size of our bottoms means nothing to these mega giants that are much more concerned about the well being and size of their bottom lines.
To get the details about “Irradiated Foods” scroll down to the next orange article block.
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What’s Coming in Part 2?
We actually thought this was going to be one Newsletter but are now realizing that it’s at least two Newsletters.
What’s coming in Part 2 is the real Nitty Gritty of the FOOD REVOLUTION. Who are the major players? What are they doing and why? What books to read and much more.
So stay tuned. In the meantime, read your labels, do your best to stay away from GMO’s, stay healthy and don’t miss the FREE 2014 FOOD REVOLUTION SUMMIT. Get the details below.
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Don’t miss the Free 2014 FOOD REVOLUTION SUMMIT. You can learn all about how to participate by clicking here so hurry because it starts tomorrow on April 26th.
John and his son, Ocean, Robbins weren’t the first ones to coin the term FOOD REVOLUTION; but they’re running with it. Actually, a vivacious young chef from Great Britain brought the concept of a FOOD REVOLUTION to the U.S. with his fantastic TV Series called “Jamie Oliver’s FOOD REVOLUTION”. We’ll talk more about that in Part 2.
John and Ocean Robbins, of the famous Baskin and Robbins Ice Cream Brand, have turned away from their family legacy and fortune to become advocates of healthy eating and real food. This is the second FOOD REVOLUTION SUMMIT they’ve produced.
It’s FREE and offers Worldwide access. So don’t miss it. Once it streams, you can purchase the entire Summit on CD’s and share it with friends and family.
See you at the FOOD REVOLUTION SUMMIT April 26-May 4, 2014. |
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What is Irradiated Food?
If you haven’t heard of this industrialized method for messing with nature’s bounty, don’t feel bad. You’re among good company. We even had to look it up to get a grasp on it. Here’s Wikipedia’s definition:
“Food irradiation is the process of exposing foodstuffs to a source of energy capable of stripping electrons from individual atoms in the targeted material known as ionizing radiation. The radiation can be emitted by a radioactive substance or generated by high-energy accelerators including X-ray converters. Irradiated food does not become radioactive”; but, folks, it’s far from normal.
“Irradiation damages food by breaking up molecules and creating free radicals. The free radicals kill some bacteria, but they also bounce around in the food, damage vitamins and enzymes, and combine with existing chemicals (like pesticides) in the food to form new chemicals, called unique radiolytic products (URPs). Some of these URPs are known toxins (benzene, formaldehyde, lipid peroxides) and some are unique to irradiated foods. Scientists have not studied the long-term effect of these new chemicals in our diet. Therefore, we cannot assume they are safe.” But the ugly truth is they are being assumed to be safe and are prolific in our supermarkets. From Organic Consumers article entitled “What’s Wrong With Food Irradiation?So why and when is our food being irradiated? Again from Wikipedia, “This treatment is used to preserve food, reduce the risk of food borne illness, prevent the spread of invasive pests, delay or eliminate sprouting or ripening, increase juice yield and improve re-hydration. It is permitted by over 50 countries, with 500,000 metric tons of foodstuffs annually processed worldwide.”
In the U.S., fresh tropical fruit from Hawaii, Florida, Mexico, some Asian countries, India and Pakistan, dehydrated spices, spinach and ground meat products are all irradiated before they hit your grocery store shelves. In fact, Mexico has become the largest exporter of irradiated produce to the U.S. Varieties of produce include Mangos, Sweet citrus, Manzano Peppers, Starfruit and Guava.” Beware, if it’s produce coming from Mexico, it’s been irradiated.
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Watch the Video Interview by Jeffrey Smith of the heroes who pushed through the mandatory labeling bill in Vermont.
When it’s finally over; and all of the states in the U.S. have passed mandatory GMO labeling bills, there will be lots of heroes who gave their time and energy to get this done. But for now, two of them are being honored in this Video.
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| Vermont becomes first state to pass GMO Labeling Laws |
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Jeffrey Smith teaches about the dangers of GMO’s in Las Vegas on April 29th!
Don’t miss this event. It’s an Eye-Opener. Jeffrey Smith will be at his best with the Vermont WIN beneath his wings.
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We so appreciate your following our Newsletters. We’ll be sharing more about what’s happening in our Food Forever™ Micro Farm Greenhouse and Growroom in our June Newsletter.
Watch for Part 2 of the FOOD REVOLUTION in our May Newsletter.
Sustainably,
Aquaponics USA
Aquaponics World, LLC
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The Revolution is here. Are YOU IN?
And our world is now dealing with a shortage of food, water and fish. You can read all about these shortages on our AquaponicsWorld.net website. Just click on The Food Independence Project pdf. on our Home Page. It’s a real eye-opener. Also be sure to look at some of the TED Talks and Videos about these important issues.
Aquaponics food growing technology is a recirculating aquaculture system, also known as RAS so it saves 90% of the water used in tillage farming. Water doesn’t get lost in the ground. It just keeps recirculating through the system over and over and over. There is some water loss due to plant uptake and evaporation; but it’s minimal compared to traditional soil farming.
Where we’ve added a new component to our system, the Dilution Solution Tank.
This is our Water Enhancement Technology that we call WET. It’s a Mineralization Tower that greatly reduces the amount of suspended solids while putting out dissolved solids.
Aquaponics USA is fast becoming the Go To Place for Schools to purchase their Aquaponics Learning Lab Systems that we call Food Forever™ Growing Systems.
We don’t want to give away the surprise so we’re keeping real Mum about it. It’s going to be unlike any other book written on the subject of Aquaponics.
The Revolution is here. Are YOU IN?
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