Well… I think it’s crazy but… objective Science would argue otherwise. I came across this article on the Bits and Bytes webpage – which I highly recommend you check out – it is a clearing house for food security related literature/media and loaded with all sorts of great material.
http://bitsandbytes.ca/resources/YouAreWhatYourAnimalsEat.pdf
The gist of the study was to test the effects of finishing (feeding) cattle using a ration of, get this: chewing gum that is till in the wrapper. To be clear, this means feeding: a) chewing gum to cows and b) aluminum wrappers to cows. (more…)
Posted in Other on 03. Mar, 2010
Social media or “new media” is revolutionizing the way by which knowledge – both ‘scientific’ and ‘lay’ – is communicated. Indeed, social media represents a powerful set of constantly evolving tools for engaging society in scientific discourse. These tools have two main strengths that are relevant to scientific communication. This blog post is based on a poster presented at the 2010 PrioNet conference in Ottawa Ontario. Click here to download it or read on. (more…)
Bernard Smith Chatting with Some Visitors at Full of Life Farms
I believe that, as much as possible, the crops grown and animals raised on a farm should be thought of as food not commodity. So, naturally, I’m interested in how we move towards having more farmers/ranchers transition into direct relationships with eaters where food is grown and moved into the hands of eaters without being commoditized.
(more…)
Check out the newest F2F video short created with and for the Friends of Family Farmers in Oregon.
I’ve been in Oregon for almost nine months now and have learned a great deal about direct farm marketing and local food in this part of the continent. Along the way, I have found myself in the company of some good folks here at an organization called the
friends of family farmers.
Specifically, I have connected with Michael Moss and Megan Fehrman who are responsible for facilitating the
Agriculture Reclamation Act (ARA). The purpose of the ARA is to organize and mobilize family farmers in Oregon to have a greater say in the future of agricultural policy in the state of Oregon. Powerful agribusinesses
(more…)
I stumbled across a link to the United States Department of Agriculture’s YouTube site the other day. To my surprise, they had a channel dedicated to a new initiative launched earlier this year entitled “know your farmer, know your food”. Click for YouTube channel.
Ostensibly, the initiative aims to connect local consumers with local producers to create new economic opportunities for communities. The campaign includes a short video of the secretary of agriculture encouraging consumers to get to know their farmer and promoting the importance of local food.
I don’t have a sense of the authenticity of this campaign. Is there real action behind these words? (more…)
