Writing about organic and sustainable farming can be awful gloom and doom-y sometimes. But not today. In my last post, you may recall (or maybe not), I was lamenting the likely appointment of former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to the position of Secretary of Agriculture. Vilsack has been an ardent supporter of Monsanto Corporation, genetically modified crops and corn-based biofuel production. He has also been nicknamed “The Satan of Seedsavers.”
I am very proud to write that his nomination has officially been withdrawn. WOO HOO!!! Vilsack, apparently, did not comment on why he was sacked but sources at the Obama transition headquarters reported “a flood of calls and emails” from organic consumers opposing Vilsack’s nomination.
This is great news but it can’t stop there. Although signing petitions and writing emails is great and all, we can do more. A lot more. And the very cool thing is that creating real change may be easier and more enjoyable than you think. It’s really pretty simple. Corporations such as Monsanto and the “farming” practices they support are fueled by one thing – money. If we, the consumer, stop giving them money then they will cease 
to exist.
VOTE WITH YOUR FORK.
Instead of loading up on mega-farmed meat and produce shipped in from God-knows-where to Safeway, why not shop at a local store for local meat and produce from local farms and dairies?
Or, better yet, go straight to the source. These days nearly every city and town has at least one Farmer’s Market where you can not only get the best and freshest stuff but you can actually interact with the nice ladies and gentlemen who planted and harvested those fine artichokes and peas.
Or try Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). In a CSA program the consumer signs up for weekly boxes of local veggies, meat and dairy to be delivered or picked up at a set location. It’s extremely easy – check out www.localharvest.org to find CSAs in your area.
Just think – along with signing those petitions you can make a HUGE statement and help make the world a better, happier, healthier place simply by eating better, happier and healthier food. How cool is that?!?
And when you’re roasting that fine local lamb with the potatoes from the organic guy just outside of town I would highly recommend sipping on a fine wine made from organically grown, sustainably farmed grapes.
The 2004 Michel-Schlumberger cabernet sauvignon leaps to mind…
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I couldn’t agree with you more!! I read a book about a year ago that a friend gave me, and since then, nearly all the food that is in our house is Organic. I was outraged by the treatment of Animals and the junk that they are fed, which later goes into us & produce crops are just as bad.
Thank you for the above links, Shopping organic is easy here, however when we are in our house in upstate New York, it becomes a little more difficult. But I’m doing my homework so I have a nice long list of markets to go to.
(and I prefer your Syrah with my local lamb)
Excellent, Maggie! Sadly, we’ll still have to keep a close eye on what is labeled “organic” in the future. For example, there’s a push right now by fish farmers to put “organic salmon” on the market. These particular fish, they argue, are technically “organic” since they are fed an organic diet but, of course, the envirnonmental horrors of fish farming go against everything that the organic certification is supposed to represent. Crazy world, isn’t it?
tony
Check out Taku River Reds if you want organic salmon. They can’t call it organic since it’s not farmed (crazy, right?), but they can call it ’superior’ and that’s exactly what it is compared to any fish that is raised on a farm! Nice work Kirk and Heather.
They (who is “they”, anyway?) say that the very best fish a consumer can buy for both health and sustainability are sardines and wild Alaska salmon. Works with me…
tony
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