100% Conglomerate Corporate Organic Produce

You know how a good thing starts, and then somebody with a head for business takes it up, and then suddenly it's a huge THING? You know, like a piece of property in the country, where a group of people called a family, usually consisting of people related to each other, grow crops and vegetable produce as well as livestock to provide themselves with food, and enough surplus to sell to others without the means, and therefore provide themselves with a living...? Remember that concept?

This is a rarity today, and not just because one of the kids grew up and went to university and came home and said, "Hey Dad, if we track all these hogs on a computer program we can maximize our farrowing potential." Twenty years ago so many farm families had to band together and incorporate just to stay in business. So, while I'm not a big fan of the corporate factory farm, I can sympathize.

Last week I got my first copy of Small Farm Canada magazine and read some very interesting articles...but no shocking surprizes.

I've always been a little sceptical of the term "Organic." I would love to believe that it means food that's been grown from real seed, not patented scientifically developed seed, and grown without the aid of chemicals, hormones, pesticides, insecticides. I also know what happens to a crop that gets taken over by weeds, or what happens to a sick critter that doesn't get a penicillin shot. I would really like to believe in Organic.

Are the veggies growing right now in my front yard organic? They're not dipped in poison. But my neighbour across the street does spray his lawn. I think my stuff is protected by the plants in front. I'm pretty sure it's still better than getting them sprayed directly.

Organic farming has been seen by many fringe type farmers as a way to survive financially and keep doing what they love for a living. The price was higher because it cost more to produce. Time is money, especially when you're out there picking bugs off the leaves. Well guess what...somewhere in the process, a bright idea was hatched to go to the organic farm with a truck, and drive the organic food to a terminal, and then ship it everywhere else, and pretty soon you've got the old California oranges sold in Florida. That kind of thing.

Funny thing is, this happened to fruit and vegetables before. The first time around. Way long ago. When there was no such thing as organic because everything was. We don't remember that.

As usual I don't have the answers. But at least this summer I'll know where my salad came from...seven steps away from my front door.




In other news:
-No Jethro didn't get the truck fixed. Not his fault; the parts didn't come in on time. But he got to drive around in the rumbly truck. (pout)
-People are really screwed up about soccer/football. I don't get it. Your team won a game, so you beat the crap outta somebody. That's no way to party!
-Blogger sucks ass. Seriously, can somebody please give Pointdexter's Mom a message for him that when he gets out of the basement, he should consider ditching the old Windows 98 that he's been running this thing on? IT'S CALLED A MAC, PEOPLE. I would say try it but I don't want Mac to become the norm because then somebody will screw it up. That always happens. You take a good thing then people get the wrong idea about it and screw it up. It happened to Jesus and organic farming.