A GM-Free World...Leading Geneticist Exposes the Bad Science of Biotech

A GM-Free World an interview article by Acres USA.

Acres USA is a eco-sustainable newspaper/magazine that promotes organic, sustainable, ecological farming, gardening, and health. When money was not so tight I use to get their publication and learned a lot from the articles. They have a few sample articles for free on their website and this is where I got this particular one. Here is their website: http://www.acresusa.com/magazines/magazine.htm 

 Here is a link to the pdf form of the article since I am unable to properly copy and paste the article here.

http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/Nov04_WanHo.pdf

 A little bit about the interviewee Mae-Wan Ho.

Mae-Wan Ho obtained her B.S. degree in biology in 1964 and her Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1967 from Hong Kong University. She was a postdoctoral fellow in biochemical genetics from 1968 to 1972 at the University of California in San Diego, during which time she won a competitive fellowship of the U.S. National GeneticsFoundation. She then became a senior research fellow in Queen Elizabeth College inthe United Kingdom, and after that a lecturer in genetics and a reader in biology in the London Open University. In 1999, Ho founded the London-based ISIS — the Institute of Science in Society — to promote her views and those of like-minded scientists. Dr. Ho retired in June 2000 and remains a visiting reader in biology at the Open University and a visiting biophysics professor in Catania University, Sicily. Today, she has close to 300 publications,including 47 experimental works. Dr. Ho has been one of the most influential figures of the last decade in the debate within the scientific community regarding the use of genetically modified organisms. She is a highly consulted scientific figure with many theories relating to her powerful anti-GM stance. She is also a well-known critic of neo-Darwinism and reductionist thought in biology and physics.

 The Institute of Science in Society has a website with loads of information to read on various topics. Here is the link: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/index.php. 

I found the article very interesting and she explains things about GMO's and the difference between them and conventional plant breeding techniques. The interview was conducted in 2004 but the information is still relevant today. It is too bad I did not know about her work years ago when I first got out of college. :) Enjoy the article.

Love and light

Liana

Sharing of Herbal Recipes....

 Sharing of Herbal Recipes from the Essential Herbal Magazine. A great sister duo who has shared so much with people interested in herbs all over the world. The following is their blog that I have pasted here plus the link to their blog. Tina explains why and the some of the recipes they are sharing. :) Enjoy!!

Love and Light

Liana
 
The Essential Herbal Blog: handcrafted recipes - first in a series:
 

handcrafted recipes - first in a series

 How to begin...  It is convoluted and tedious to explain, except to say that a good number of my recipes  (as well as those of my sister and our friend Becky) have been used without permission and are now being sold as a big part of an e-book.  They are many years old, and some desperately need an overhaul as time changes our knowledge.  We weren't given the option of tinkering with them, so we might be doing that now.
There are lots of things that could be done about it, but we've decided that the best thing to do is to put our recipes up on our blogs to share them with you freely.  I will post links to the blogs of the others at the bottom of all of the posts in this series.  
If you're looking for a lot of great handcrafted spa, bath, body, and medicinal recipes and instructions, I can guarantee you that our two volume compilation from the first five years, "By the Hearth" and "Under the Sun" will give you far, far more properly credited and truly original creations than you'll ever need.   
And now, today's recipe from The Essential Herbal Magazine:

Oats ‘N Honey Facial Scrub 

This is a very simple recipe and you can use some or all of the ingredients given.
Oatmeal is a must, but the rest is up to the individual. Into the food processor , throw the following dried ingredients – by the handful (I would change that now to "by the Tablespoon"):
Oatmeal
Lavender
Yarrow
Nettle
Irish moss
Rose petals
Elderflower
Soap powder (handmade cold process, of course…)
Almonds

Process until all the ingredients are a coarse mealy texture.
Package in jars and label.

To use, moisten about a teaspoon of the mix in the palm of your hand with an equal amount of honey.
Using the fingers, vigorously scrub the skin. This is a great mix for teens with oily skin. Make it a little more effective by blending several drops of lavender and tea tree essential oils into the process.


NOTE: Years later now, I would add that for mature skin the addition of yogurt (or powdered milks or yogurt) and some rose hydrosol to make the paste, and suggest a milder scrubbing.  I would also swap out some of the herbs for calendula and chamomile.

Stay tuned.  We'll be here all week!
Becky's Blog - Birdworms

Organize and Declare “Food Sovereignty,” Like Sedgwick, Maine

 Here is a really great article about one town in Maine working toward  forming local community bonds and taking back control over their choices of foods to buy and consume.  A quote from the article, "Sedgwick citizens possess the right to produce, process, sell, purchase, and consume local foods of their choosing. These would include raw milk and other dairy products and locally slaughtered meats, among other items."

Here’s a Way to Eliminate the Regulators and Lawyers, and Build Community At the Same Time: Organize and Declare “Food Sovereignty,” Like Sedgwick, Maine.
 
Link to Chelsea green publishing: 
 http://chelseagreen.com/blogs/davidgumpert/2011/03/08/heres-a-way-to-eliminate-the-regulators-and-lawyers-and-build-community-at-the-same-time-organize-and-declare-food-sovereignty-like-sedgwick-maine/

 Posted on Tuesday, March 8th, 2011 at 1:45 pm by David E. Gumpert

Maybe the citizens of tiny Sedgwick on the Maine coast were listening to the calls of Dave Milano, Ken Conrad, and others for more trust and community, and less rigid one-size-fits-all food regulation.

On Friday evening, they became perhaps the first locale in the country to pass a “Food Sovereignty” law. It’s the proposed ordinance I first described last fall, when I introduced the “Five Musketeers”, a group of farmers and consumers intent on pushing back against overly aggressive agriculture regulators. The regulators were interfering with farmers who, for example, took chickens to a neighbor for slaughtering, or who sold raw milk directly to consumers.

The proposed ordinance was one of 78 being considered at the Sedgwick town meeting, that New England institution that has stood the test of time, allowing all of a town’s citizens to vote yea or nay on proposals to spend their tax money and, in this case, enact potentially far-reaching laws with national implications. They’ve been holding these meetings in the Sedgwick town hall (pictured above) since 1794. At Friday’s meeting, about 120 citizens raised their hands in unanimous approval of the ordinance.

Citing America’s Declaration of Independence and the Maine Constitution, the ordinance proposed that “Sedgwick citizens possess the right to produce, process, sell, purchase, and consume local foods of their choosing.” These would include raw milk and other dairy products and locally slaughtered meats, among other items.

This isn’t just a declaration of preference. The proposed warrant added, “It shall be unlawful for any law or regulation adopted by the state or federal government to interfere with the rights recognized by this Ordinance.” In other words, no state licensing requirements prohibiting certain farms from selling dairy products or producing their own chickens for sale to other citizens in the town.

What about potential legal liability and state or federal inspections? It’s all up to the seller and buyer to negotiate. “Patrons purchasing food for home consumption may enter into private agreements with those producers or processors of local foods to waive any liability for the consumption of that food. Producers or processors of local foods shall be exempt from licensure and inspection requirements for that food as long as those agreements are in effect.” Imagine that–buyer and seller can agree to cut out the lawyers. That’s almost un-American, isn’t it?

This from a press release put out after the vote by supporters:

“Local farmer Bob St.Peter noted the importance of this ordinance for beginning farmers and cottage producers. ‘This ordinance creates favorable conditions for beginning farmers and cottage-scale food processors to try out new products, and to make the most of each season’s bounty,’ said St.Peter. ‘My family is already working on some ideas we can do from home to help pay the bills and get our farm going.’

“Mia Strong, Sedgwick resident and local farm patron, was overwhelmed by the support of her town. ‘Tears of joy welled in my eyes as my town voted to adopt this ordinance,’ said Strong. ‘I am so proud of my community. They made a stand for local food and our fundamental rights as citizens to choose that food.’”

The ordinance comes up for a vote in three other Maine towns upcoming–Penobscott, Brooksville, and Blue Hill.

(Thanks to Deborah Evans, a Sedgwick area farmer, for providing information for this post, and the photo above.)

Read the original post on The Complete Patient.
 Link: http://thecompletepatient.com/article/2011/march/7/heres-way-eliminate-regulators-and-lawyers-and-build-community-same-time

 Enjoy!!

Love and Light

Liana

GMO Organisms: What is and What is Not..

It is a constant thing I hear or read from people that certain plants and animals have been genetically modified when in fact they have not. So, I looked around for several sources that state or maybe even list the possibilities that an organism is in fact a GMO. There is a particular article I will copy and paste since it has no blog share on it's page. The link is: http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/what-is-gmo/

As far as whether they are truthful or not is entirely unknown but they list all the GMOs I am aware of and a few others. They are backed by several other consumer and farmer driven sites that mention the same ones, etc. I will list all the links to the sites to navigate below the article.

What is GMO?

Agricultural Crops That Have a Risk of Being GMO

GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” 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.
For consumers, it can be difficult to stay up-to-date on food ingredients that are at-risk of being genetically modified, as the list of at-risk agricultural ingredients is frequently changing. As part of the Non-GMO Project’s commitment to informed consumer choice, we work diligently to maintain an accurate list of risk ingredients.
Agricultural products are segmented into two groups: (1) those that are high-risk of being GMO because they are currently in commercial production, and (2) those that have a monitored risk because suspected or known incidents of contamination have occurred and/or the crops have genetically modified relatives in commercial production with which cross-pollination (and consequently contamination) is possible. For more information on the Non-GMO Project’s testing and verification of risk ingredients and processed foods, please see the Non-GMO Project Standard.

High-Risk Crops (in commercial production; ingredients derived from these must be tested every time prior to use in Non-GMO Project Verified products (as of December 2011):

• Alfalfa (first planting 2011)
• Canola (approx. 90% of U.S. crop)
• Corn (approx. 88% of U.S. crop in 2011)
• Cotton (approx. 90% of U.S. crop in 2011)
• Papaya (most of Hawaiian crop; approximately 988 acres)
• Soy (approx. 94% of U.S. crop in 2011)
• Sugar Beets (approx. 95% of U.S. crop in 2010)
• Zucchini and Yellow Summer Squash (approx. 25,000 acres)

ALSO high-risk: animal products (milk, meat, eggs, honey, etc.) because of contamination in feed.
Monitored Crops (those for which suspected or known incidents of contamination have occurred, and those crops which have genetically modified relatives in commercial production with which cross-pollination is possible; we test regularly to assess risk, and move to “High-Risk” category for ongoing testing if we see contamination):

• Beta vulgaris (e.g., chard, table beets)
• Brassica napa (e.g., rutabaga, Siberian kale)
• Brassica rapa (e.g., bok choy, mizuna, Chinese cabbage, turnip, rapini, tatsoi)
• Curcubita (acorn squash, delicata squash, patty pan)
• Flax
• Rice

Common Ingredients Derived from GMO Risk Crops
Amino Acids, Aspartame, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbate, Vitamin C, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Ethanol, Flavorings (“natural” and “artificial”), High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Lactic Acid, Maltodextrins, Molasses, Monosodium Glutamate, Sucrose, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), Xanthan Gum, Vitamins, Yeast Products.
You may also be wondering about…

• Tomatoes: In 1994, genetically modified Flavr Savr tomatoes became the first commercially produced GMOs. They were brought out of production just a few years later, in 1997, due to problems with flavor and ability to hold up in shipping. There are no genetically engineered tomatoes in commercial production, and tomatoes are considered “low-risk” by the Non-GMO Project Standard.
• Potatoes: Genetically modified NewLeaf potatoes were introduced by Monsanto in 1996. Due to consumer rejection  several fast-food chains and chip makers, the product was never successful and was discontinued in the spring of 2001. There are no genetically engineered potatoes in commercial production, and potatoes are considered “low-risk” by the Non-GMO Project Standard.
• Wheat: There is not currently, nor has there ever been, any genetically engineered wheat on the market. Of all “low-risk” crops, this is the one most commonly (and incorrectly) assumed to be GMO. It is a key commodity crop, and the biotech industry is pushing hard to bring GMO varieties to market. The Non-GMO Project closely watches all development on this front.
• Salmon: A company called AquaBounty is currently petitioning the FDA to approve its genetically engineered variety of salmon, which has met with fierce consumer resistance. Find out more here.
  
• Pigs: A genetically engineered variety of pig, called Enviropig was developed by scientists at the University of Guelph, with research starting in 1995 and government approval sought beginning in 2009. In 2012 the University announced an end to the Enviropig program, and the pigs themselves were euthanized in June 2012.

I hate to harp about stuff like this. However, it bothers me that people do not do their research and then misinform others for reasons to which I do not understand or know the reasoning behind. So please look-up, research, compare with other sites, etc. If a high incidence of sites say the same thing it is likely it is the truth, especially if they are positive entities helping to educate people on how to make educated choices in our lives to promote optimum health and happiness.

Here is a list of Sites that keep track of GMOs:
http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/our-failing-food-system/genetic-engineering/environmental-effects-of.html
http://www.nongmoproject.org/
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/about/
http://www.organicconsumers.org/gelink.cfm
http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods/how-to-avoid-gmos
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/

*steps of soapbox*

Love and Light

Liana

Farms, Gardens, and Healthy Soils...

My moo girls.

 
I am still working on putting together my first nutrition blog. Takes time to make sure I check and recheck my knowledge and sources sometimes there are updates from when I first learned certain things. So I am digressing again, but this is also tied into human and animal health. Hang in there I will get one up soon.

As I work on my info gathering and writing I am also thinking about gardens and how I can plant small plots of grains on a part of my farm that needs some tender loving care due to previous owner mistreatment. I have let it 'set' to rejuvenate for a few years also since that is what Mother Earth had asked me to do at the time. Since then we have endured droughts and the land is either very sandy or very swampy in most areas and I hate to destroy the trees (mainly oaks) for more fertile ground. The skunks and badgers have made it a mine field so to speak. In a nutshell it is kind of a mess and sometimes I look at it and wonder where to begin first.

Healthy soil needs microbes, worms, bugs, etc to help unlock and even create nutrients. I leave all the indigenous plant life including bad weeds to help 'fix' what is out of balance. When I can, I cut down those weeds so the nutrients they have pulled up from the lower soil layers can be released at the top layer by the plant matter I just cut and made more readily available at the surface. Weeds good for doing this kind of work are nettles, dandelions, and thistles. The nettles and dandelions are really nutrition and tasteless and great to add to cooking. I some every year. Weeds are usually high in nutrients that are low in the soil when you go to test it. You may ask how can this be? Because they have huge long tap roots that can run very deep into the soil and pull up nutrients that are there but not readily available to other plants or in the soil according to soil tests. It is part of their job too. Learn about weeds and even other plants they can tell you a lot about your soils.

 I have let the forbes and grasses go to seed and reseed areas that were so terribly sparse on this parcel of land. It still needs some help  though and I need to fix all the holes and turned over sod in some areas. I know I need to bite this off in small chunks. Mostly because I don't have the cash nor the machinery power to do a lot or in huge sections. There are lots of plants that can help put humus, etc back into the soil. Buckwheat, clovers, alfalfa, birds foot trefoil, peas, etc to name a few. I am working on a list and then see what is available in my area. Corn is not an option because it is what they call a 'heavy feeder' and needs the extra fertilizer to keep it productive and after harvest the stalks do not break down easily like a green manure type plants do.

I am looking into Emmer wheat it suppose to be the old original wheat from 1000s of years ago and can grow on just about all types of soils and in all types of conditions. Some of the reasons it has fallen out of favor is it does not have the gluten content of our selected wheat varieties out now, but are not as 'hardy' as Emmer. It is not a 'high' yielding crop, but in poor conditions does much better than the 'newer' types. It is hard to find and when I have found it it is expense. It is said to possibly a good wheat to use if you are 'gluten' intolerant.

Spraying for weeds and pests really effects the microbes in the soil; so does using chemical fertilizers which contain salt. Salt does damage after years of build up. So I don't advocate using any chemical fertilizers and have noticed more worms on my farm than ever in the years before. Maybe I should start a worm farm. :) Weeds and pests are indications of imbalances in the soil and that is part of their job is to correct those imbalances and cover up the exposed soil while doing so until other grasses and forbes can fill in eventually.

I use kelp meal in my gardens and for my animals mineral, but find it is expensive at about $80/ 50 lbs (the last I bought some) to use anywhere else on the farm in big quantities. Kelp has all the elements for sustaining life in it and I find it helps a lot during drought and light frosts to keep the plants from being adversely affected. It has to do with what is called a Brix count, which basically is the 'sugar' content in the plants cells that promotes its health and ability to with stand fluctuations in its environment. Of course severe droughts and hard frosts most annual type plants are done, but it helps the other year around ones survive and thrive better. It is cut really fine so making a tea and spraying it can clog up sprayer lines. I need to work on the filter process more.

I try to reuse my animal manures but find with the cow manure if I can feed in areas it needs it the worse works best and let Mother Nature turn it into usable soil for me. I do spread my chicken compost around, but alas is also not enough to do large areas. Making compost tea aids in there some but my spray tank is only 25 gallons and does not go far. You have to remember to aerate it to keep the microbes happy while it is fermenting.

I would love to run my chickens I raise around those areas to help add to the soil, but I fear the chicken eating wildlife would get them quicker than they do now right in my yard. By the way my cattle love my lawn grass and wait at the fence for their share when I bag it up. haha

So I am back at looking into cover crops and doing really small plots like 20x20 and maybe only 2-4 plots each year. Make it manageable and affordable while helping out mother earth at the same time.I know I might need to inter plant other helpful plants like a grain and a legume to get the most benefit. I have composted several green manure type grasses and leaves, etc with great results in my soil texture, fertility, and overall health of the plants I grow in those areas. I know that using cover crops will help it is just doing it on a larger scale than my garden is the obstacle I have at this point.I will post here what I decide to do and how it all works out in the end.

Love and Light

Liana

Super Weeds..Monsanto's Doing....

I buy Organic Valley products and Jim has Facebook so we get their posts. This one came up and thought I needed to share. Here is the link to this article: http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2013/02/report-spread-monsantos-superweeds-speeds-12-0

It seems like Monsanto is getting more publicity again, maybe more people will wake up and quit supporting them by not buying products with their GMO crap in it. That would be a glorious day! 

 Weeds are not so bad they just point out how badly we humans do not know how to care for our earth. Plus many are edible and have lots of nutrients in them necessary for good health of all organisms. They are also an indication how Mother Earth knows best on how to fix problems caused by animals, weather, and mostly us humans.

Nearly Half of All US Farms Now Have Superweeds

—By Tom Philpott

| Wed Feb. 6, 2013 3:06 AM PST

Roger Smith/Flickr 

Last year's drought took a big bite out of the two most prodigious US crops, corn and soy. But it apparently didn't slow down the spread of weeds that have developed resistance to Monsanto's herbicide Roundup (glyphosate), used on crops engineered by Monsanto to resist it. More than 70 percent of all the the corn, soy, and cotton grown in the US is now genetically modified to withstand glyphosate.

Back in 2011, such weeds were already spreading fast. "Monsanto's 'Superweeds' Gallop Through Midwest," declared the headline of a post I wrote then. What's the word you use when an already-galloping horse speeds up? Because that's what's happening. Let's try this: "Monsanto's 'Superweeds' Stampede Through Midwest."
That pretty much describes the situation last year, according to a new report from the agribusiness research consultancy Stratus. Since the 2010 growing season, the group has been polling "thousands of US farmers" across 31 states about herbicide resistance. Here's what they found in the 2012 season:

Superweeds: First they gallop, then they roar. Graph: Stratus

 • Nearly half (49 percent) of all US farmers surveyed said they have glyphosate-resistant weeds on their farm in 2012, up from 34 percent of farmers in 2011.
• Resistance is still worst in the South. For example, 92 percent of growers in Georgia said they have glyphosate-resistant weeds.
• But the mid-South and Midwest states are catching up. From 2011 to 2012 the acres with resistance almost doubled in Nebraska, Iowa, and Indiana.
• It's spreading at a faster pace each year: Total resistant acres increased by 25 percent in 2011 and 51 percent in 2012.
• And the problem is getting more complicated. More and more farms have at least two resistant species on their farm. In 2010 that was just 12 percent of farms, but two short years later 27 percent had more than one.

So where do farmers go from here? Well, Monsanto and its peers would like them to try out "next generation" herbicide-resistant seeds—that is, crops engineered to resist not just Roundup, but also other, more toxic herbicides, like 2,4-D and Dicamba. Trouble is, such an escalation in the chemical war on weeds will likely only lead to more prolific, and more super, superweeds, along with a sharp increase in herbicide use. That's the message of a peer-reviewed 2011 paper by a team of Penn State University researchers led by David A. Mortensen. (I discussed their paper in a post last year.)

Advertise on MotherJones.com

And such novel seeds won't be available in the 2013 growing season anyway. None have made it through the US Department of Agriculture's registration process. The USDA was widely expected to award final approval on Dow's 2,4-D/Roundup-resistant corn during the Christmas break, but didn't. The agency hasn't stated the reason it hasn't decided on the product, known as Enlist, but the nondecision effectively delays its introduction until 2014 at the earliest, as Dow acknowledged last month. Reuters reporter Carey Gillam noted that the USDA' delay comes amid "opposition from farmers, consumers and public health officials" to the new product, and that these opponents have "bombarded Dow and US regulators with an array of concerns" about it.

So industrial-scale corn and soy farmers will likely have to muddle along, responding in the same way that they have been for years, which is by upping their herbicide use in hopes of controlling the rogue weeds, as Washington State University's Charles Benbrook showed in a recent paper (my post on it here). That means significant economic losses for farmers—according to Penn State's Mortensen, grappling with glyphosate resistance was already costing farmers nearly $1 billion per year in 2011. It will also likely mean a jump in toxic herbicides entering streams, messing with frogs and polluting people's drinking water.
For a good idea of what's in store, check out this piece in the trade mag Corn & Soy Digest on "Managing Herbicide-Resistant weeds." Here's the key bit—note that "burndown" means a complete flattening of all vegetation in a field with a broad-spectrum herbicide such as paraquat, an infamously toxic weed killer that's been banned in 32 countries, including those of the European Union:

For those with a known resistance problem, it’s not uncommon to see them use a fall burndown plus a residual herbicide, a spring burndown before planting, another at planting including another residual herbicide, and two or more in-season herbicide applications. “If you can catch the resistant weeds early enough, paraquat does a good job of controlling them. But once Palmer amaranth [a common glyphosate-tolerant weed] gets 6 ft. tall, you can't put on enough paraquat to kill it," [one weed-control expert] says.

But of course there's another way. In a 2012 study I'll never tire of citing, Iowa State University researchers found that if farmers simply diversified their crop rotations, which typically consist of corn one year and soy the next, year after year, to include a "small grain" crop (e.g. oats) as well as offseason cover crops, weeds (including Roundup-resistant ones) can be suppressed with dramatically less fertilizer use—a factor of between 6 and 10 less. And much less herbicide means much less poison entering streams—"potential aquatic toxicity was 200 times less in the longer rotations" than in the regular corn-soy regime, the study authors note. So, despite what the seed giants and the conventional weed specialists insist, there are other ways to respond to the accelerating scourge of "superweeds" than throwing more—and ever-more toxic—chemicals at them.
 
Let's finally put them out of business. Support heritage plants with organizations such as www.seedsavers.org, organic and sustainable farmers, buy local,  push for labeling of GMO foods, actually refuse to allow them in our food system period and our daily lives. Demand that our representatives (Congress, Senate, President, government officials of any status) represent us and not the big corps like Monsanto, pharmaceutical, companies, big banks, etc.

Love and Light

Liana

Impact of Monsanto's Tactics Against US Farmers

 I have to digress slightly from working on my nutrition blogs, but this is just too important to let go by. I received an email from the Center For Food Safety. 

About them: The Center for Food Safety (CFS) is a non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy membership organization established in 1997 for the purpose of challenging harmful food production technologies and promoting sustainable alternatives. CFS combines multiple tools and strategies in pursuing its goals, including litigation and legal petitions for rule making, legal support for various sustainable agriculture and food safety constituencies, as well as public education, grassroots organizing and media outreach. Their website is: www.centerforfoodsafety.org

What they do:
Center for Food Safety uses multifaceted strategies, including legal actions, submission of policy comments and public education, to accomplish its goals of curtailing industrial agricultural production methods that harm human health and the environment, and promoting sustainable alternatives.

Here is the information I received in the email.  This does not only happen to US farmers but also farmers in Canada, India, South America just to name a few. You can help support their work by joining not monetary obligation, but you can donate if you are able to. They send out email updates on important issues and ways to help.  


New CFS Report Exposes Devastating Impact of Monsanto Practices on U.S. Farmers
Today, one week before the Supreme Court hears arguments in Bowman v. Monsanto Co., the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and Save our Seeds (SOS) launched our new report, Seed Giants vs. U.S. Farmers.

The report investigates how the current seed patent regime has led to a radical shift to consolidation and control of global seed supply and how these patents have abetted corporations, such as Monsanto, to sue U.S. farmers for alleged seed patent infringement.

Seed Giants vs. U.S. Farmers also examines broader socio-economic consequences of the present patent system including links to loss of seed innovation, rising seed prices, reduction of independent scientific inquiry, and environmental issues.

Among the report’s discoveries are several alarming statistics:

• As of January 2013, Monsanto, alleging seed patent infringement, had filed 144 lawsuits involving 410 farmers and 56 small farm businesses in at least 27 different states.
• Today, three corporations control 53 percent of the global commercial seed market
• Seed consolidation has led to market control resulting in dramatic increases in the price of seeds. From 1995-2011, the average cost to plant one acre of soybeans has risen 325 percent; for cotton prices spiked 516 percent and corn seed prices are up by 259 percent.

Additionally, Seed Giants vs. U.S. Farmers reports a precipitous drop in seed diversity that has been cultivated for millennia. As the report notes:  86% of corn, 88% of cotton, and 93% of soybeans farmed in the U.S. are now genetically-engineered (GE) varieties, making the option of farming non-GE crops increasingly difficult.

While agrichemical corporations also claim that their patented seeds are leading to environmental improvements, the report notes that upward of 26 percent more chemicals per acre were used on GE crops than on non-GE crops, according to USDA data.

At the launch of the report via teleconference today, experts from the Center for Food Safety and Save our Seeds were joined by Mr. Vernon Hugh Bowman, the 75-year-old Indiana soybean farmer who, next week, will come up against Monsanto in the Supreme Court Case.  When asked about the numerous comparisons being drawn between his case and the story of David and Goliath, Mr. Bowman responded, “I really don’t consider it as David and Goliath. I don’t think of it in those terms. I think of it in terms of right and wrong.”

In December of 2012, the Center for Food Safety and Save Our Seeds submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court on behalf of Mr. Bowman, which supports the right of farmers to re-plant saved seed. Arguments in the case are scheduled for February 19th.

Download the report here: http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Seed-Giants_final.pdf 




 Love and Light

Liana


 

Health, Nutrition, and Whole Foods...

I have been putting together lately information to share on health and nutrition using whole foods, herbs, and supplements as needed to maintain and improve overall health. There is a lot of books, websites, and information in general out there to learn from. The process of just trying to sort through it all and 'know' what is right for an individuals genetic and ethnic make-up in accordance with your environment can be a daunting task. I just go with instinctively 'feels' right to me. I will try to brings things together hopefully in a easy and quick to read format. I will post links and names of books I reference for your further research enjoyment.

This has been an on going process for about 10-12 years now. Longer if I take into account my experience with typical store bar soaps, shampoos, etc about 20 years ago. When things don't seem to improve or work as everyone says they should. I don't know about anyone else but I start to question things. Maybe it's the scientist in me, just plain curiosity, or both. It starts me on a path of learning and discovery to say the least.

In the next few blogs I will try to cover areas of interest for example, eye health and what herbs, vitamins, amino acids, and minerals aid in that. What foods contain those specific nutrients. I think it helps to know what foods a person can also incorporate into one's diet to help maintain or boost optimum health. I will post some recipes I use and have created on my own in my learning process. It is amazing what can be done to improve health and overall well being.  I will cover the different human systems like bones and teeth, skin, digestive, etc and some specifics on nutrition.

I know first and foremost eliminating processed foods basically anything in cans, bags, and boxes that is not labeled at least organic or natural. In the end just check labels so they are not adding things like corn syrup, preservatives, food coloring, sulfites, sulfates, nitrates, nitrites, etc. Any food item that contain white flour, white sugar, corn syrup, some cooking oils, soy products, meat that is raised in factory farm type conditions, etc should be eliminated. I really strictly shop the organic and fresh fruit and vegetable section of the super market for things I don't grow myself. Other things I check online and try to buy directly from the farmers as much as possible.

Since the government got involved in the organic standards there is a lot of things that are sliding by that should not be. Also buy from companies that have a reputation of up holding the organic and sustainable standards not all of them do. I know people say what is left to eat. Lots really you just have to learn how to pull all the right stuff together and not support those who don't really care about our health and the earth's  just their bottom line profits. I will post website links to places I shop online also.

I don't advocate a completely vegan or high meat diet. Just 2 of us for instance eat like a pound of hamburger in about 3-4 days depending on what all I add to it. Like when I make soups, stews, Italian type dishes, etc. A whole breast of chicken (2 halves) we eat in 2 days one person normally might eat that in one day. It is really dependent on what I am making at the time. All this might last longer if I make oriental type dishes with lots of vegetables and greens. I raise my own beef, chicken, and eggs. All my animals are raised on a largely forage based diet with the exception of younger animals and winter time I feed some grains and seeds to help maintain body temperature.

I use sea salt, kelp, seaweed, lots of herbs wild (aka weeds) and garden types, onions, garlic, and spices to add flavor to my creations. I do use some soy but it is organic and fermented in the traditional old ways. I buy soy sauce and miso at this point. I am looking into natto in the future. I also make yogurt, kefir, sometimes cream cheese, sour cream, and some cheeses that are easy to make at home. I buy organic otherwise. We buy local honey. We don't eat lots of fish it is hard to find the good stuff and expensive. What I do buy is wild caught not 'farmed'. We eat very little pork just because it is hard to find them raised on forages and outside so they can enjoy just being a pig and then not pumped full of nitrates and nitrites to preserve the hams and bacon.

 Do look around for local farmer's markets and get to know those who are there. Ask questions about how they raise their 'food stuffs' and how they process it. This will tell you a lot about the people and if you would like to be a customer. You might get sticker shock though. Please do not let that deter you start off slow at first if needed it all works out in the end and your body will thank you for it in the long run.

Here is a list of websites I buy  from in bulk or odds n ends I need in my daily cooking.
http://www.fungi.com/
http://www.naturalimport.com/our_mission
http://www.naturalwaymills.com/
http://www.oasisdate.com/
http://mama-ganache.com/
http://www.purcellmountainfarms.com/index.htm
http://www.happyherbalist.com/
http://www.nuts.com/
http://www.organicvalley.coop/ ( Look for a store near you)


Love and light

Liana

Genetic Roulette: GMO's Unhealthy and Unsafe For All

Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives Website link: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/posts/blog/



This is a really good movie to watch if you are not already in the "know". If you are it still is good to watch and pass on to others. I have experienced and seen what is talked about and it continues to make me sick to think about it. In the end it is all about money and getting rid of 'their' hazardous waste, while making a huge profit off of  humanity in general, nature, and Gaia. This has not been going on just in the past 20 to 60 years. Big corporations have been making big profits off of their 'by-products since the early 1800s and the industrial revolution while making the rest of the earth and her inhabitants sick.

 Genetics has it's place in breeding programs of animals and plants while selecting based on performance and desirable traits that work within the environment those organisms live. Mother nature helps us there if we pay attention and teaches us at the same time. Where people abuse genetics is in the gene splicing. Taking a section of DNA cutting it out of one organism to be placed in another. That is what GMO plants and animals are.

The blame sits upon not only the big biotech and pharmaceutical corporations; but also the people in our government who allow this to go on because of being 'paid off'. It's time to fire and kick out those who do not look out for "we the people" and Earth's best interests when it comes to health, food, etc.

They don't just stop with the two most Genetically modified crops corn and soy. They keep going with BGH in milk, GMO salmon, canola, cotton, and the list goes on. I seen Monsanto has been trying off and on to GMO wheat and get it introduced or should I say pushed on the general public since 2004. Wheat is the most widely and versatile grain grown overall the world. If they succeed then that would be mass population reduction. GMO grains do not stay 'contained' within the environment they are grown they cross pollinate by wind like in corn and seeds get distributed by birds, animals, and by other means. Monsanto knows this and uses it to their advantage to destroy the farmers that produce organic and heritage plants and seed.

It is high time to put them out of business. Grow your own food if you can, buy locally, buy sustainable and organic, buy whole foods not processed, and get to know your farmer. Who are they, how do they raise the crops and animals you eat. Do they have respect not only for others but nature, the animals, plants, soil, and Gaia. We are all one and we all depend on each for our lively hood, survival, and good health. Start supporting the most important beings on this earth including her.

Here is a group you can follow to keep up on GMOs, etc. Website: http://www.organicconsumers.org/gelink.cfm If you know of other organizations around the world please let me know in the comments section. Thanks!!



Love and Light

Liana