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Tuesday, June 13, 2006

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.

12 comments:

CindyDianne said...

Blogger does suck ass right now doesn't it?

Organic - it's one of those things in my Ideal, Idyllic, Far-Fetched Future.

And, by the way...I think it is interesting how people think "Organic" or "From Nature" means not harmful! It just isn't like that. It might be natural, but it can still cause harm. Just think hemlock and pyrethrins.

Okay, stepping off the soap box now.

Distant Timbers Echo said...

All I know is the Gov'ment better not take over the farming thing and make it their own, or it'll be so screwed up no one will get fed and grain will rot in the elevators like Stalin did in Russia so many years ago. At least corporations know how to handle the business of it, else they don't make money.

Regarding: "-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."

Did something happen there?

Heidi the Hick said...

Cindy- I know! I take St. John's Wort for depression instead of meds now. It's so powerful that I couldn't use it at the same time as the drugs. It can cause problems. As much as I bitch about poison being sprayed on greent things, there's plenty of natural poison out there too.

Organic poison! Yeah!

Red- I totally agree, the Government will screw it up. Just out of tradition alone they'll screw it up.

Badmonkey- That's the first time I've heard someone say, Luckily, my wife is kind of a hippie...love it! Urban dwellers can grow food too. All you need is a pot, soil, seeds, water, sunshine. So simple it's genius.

Heidi the Hick said...

Oh, Jas, yes something did happen here.

We live less than an hour away from Toronto, a city made up of every country represented in world cup soccer, kid you not. All week there have been riots in the streets. Like, emergency room piling up kind of riots. It's stupid. Like, around here we get used to the odd hockey riot but this is ridiculous. And scary. And stupid.

It's not just the pacifist talking! Common sense! Please!

Oh and Nerdboy I hope you weren't offended by the crack about getting a Mac!!!!

Reid Farmer said...

Hockey riots????? Who knew?

Heidi the Hick said...

Reid I kid you not. I'm not a hockey freak but apparently there's this Stanley Cup thing happening and I've heard that there have already been a few instances of turned over cars in Edmonton. Woo hoo! My team won! Let's flip a car! I blame Nickelback.

Kari, honey, are you okay! If we keep on with this comedy you might get some kind of Dr Pepper nasal damage. Please be careful!!!

Heidi the Hick said...

It just now occurred to me that maybe Reid was being sarcastic and is fully aware of the Canadian hockey riot phenomena. He's an aware kind of guy after all!

Notsocranky Yankee said...

My great-grandparents came from Norway and were dairy farmers in Minnesota. My grandfather, the youngest of the 13 kids, left the farm and was a college professor. Anyway....my dad thought he might be a farmer and got a degree in Agricultural Engineering. but he enjoyed Mechanical Engineering so much that he got a degree in that also so ended up scrapping the farmer plans. This is way too long a story just to say that my dad used to teach me farming stuff that I wouldn't have learned otherwise. I wonder what he would've said about the state of farming these days if he were alive?

I'm leaving tomorrow on another 7-day trip. I'll be checking in when I can but I don't always get to make comments. Have a great week!

Heidi the Hick said...

It's hard to say what the "Old guys" would say about it now. Some might be very excited about the large scale of it but others might be disturbed that we've mostly turned it over to machines!

Have a great trip!

Smartypants said...

Heidi, be careful with the St John's Wort, sweetie.

It affects the metabolism of a lot of drugs and, I don't know how to say this delicately, but there are a lot of St. John babies walking around.

It affects the metabolism of a lot of drugs....including the pill.

Heidi the Hick said...

OO Smartypants, good advice!

I'm drug free now except for the occasional "panic pill" but otherwise the strongest stuff is the St John.

It's okay anyways though. We closed up the shop after the boy was born. No more babies. Unless my incredibly vigorous husband grows a new tube...ha ha

Distant Timbers Echo said...

As a certified nerdboy, I was desperately offended by your offhanded remark about that MAC and I demand an apology and a weekend with you in a day spa somewhere in the mountains. Preferably a place where they do mudbaths and Malibu Rum.