Those cute little fluffy chicks grow to be the most curious birds. Once the turkeys are on pasture, they get the whole run of the pasture during day. They know their care givers. They always gobble when the boys are in eyesight. One afternoon all twelve of us went out to sit amongst the turkeys and just watch them interact with each other. They pecked our buckles, buttons, laces, ring, and anything that was of interest. The best part was when they surrounded one of the dogs. It scared the dog and she ran then the turkeys ran after her and the dog ran some more and more turkeys joined in and ran after her. This finally came to an end when the dog ran to Brian and me for a safe spot. Once they put that dog in 'her place' they circled another one of the dogs until that one ran with his tail between his legs to us. The Fall/Winter CSA season is up and running. We got a late start due to the drought. But....it has been a green bean kind of season here. We have grown the best green beans yet this year (and so many of them) until the recent frost finished them. Carrots have had to be replanted three too many times. A big part of the lettuce bolted because of the heat. Plant, plant, plant more seedlings. As we work hard planting and worrying someone comes to unknowingly brighten our day. This time it was one of our CSA members, that moved here recently from California, that brightened the day when she said that her CSA box helps her to not miss home so much. Or when another CSA member says she looks forward to getting her fresh box of veggies every week and it's the highlight of the week. Those customer smiles and comments go a long way in motivation for us.
1 comments:
Will the USDA's latest bad proposal affect you?
National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement Comments: Due July 28
Action Alert
Corporate agribusiness wants to tell the rest of us how to farm, and shut anyone out of the market who does not follow their one-size-fits-all “food safety” standards for leafy green vegetables. The USDA is supporting their plan, which, if accepted, will allow a committee of industry representatives, lobbyists and other officials to write a set of so-called food safety standards for the entire leafy green farming community—this could competitively injure smaller, local and organic producers.
If passed, leafy green handlers/marketers who sign on to this agreement will require every grower they buy from to follow a uniform set of standards, which will be written with large-scale, monoculture, chemical-intensive farming methods in mind. Farmers do not sign on to the agreement – their buyers (brokers, distributors and supermarket chains) do. Sustainable organic and local growers who take different approaches to food safety will likely be shut out of the market when buyers refuse their buy their crops. Read Full Article »
http://www.cornucopia.org/2011/06/action-alert-big-agusda-could-run-organic-leafy-green-growers-out-of-business/#more-4132
I'm beside myself. I'm part of a group of people who has helped the Center for Food Safety take the USDA or Monsanto to court because the USDA did not do an environmental impact statement and does not care whether or not it runs small family organic farmers out of business.
Taking money from my food allowance, I've helped support the Center for Food Safety fight back. I'm dependent upon small family farmers who grow organic agriculture.
I cannot grow my own food, as I cannot get to the ground and have to hold the wall in order to dig with a total hip and total knee replacement and now a tear in my rotator cuff muscle. Growing my own food, which I did when I was first married back in 1970, is now out of the question. But, small family farmers and now local farmers grow our food.
Therefore, I'm worried that the USDA and corporate agribusiness' proposed Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement will hurt you and other local farmers.
Read more at the Cornucopia Institute:
http://www.cornucopia.org/2011/06/action-alert-big-agusda-could-run-organic-leafy-green-growers-out-of-business/#more-4132
And put your comments into the record by tomorrow, July 28, 2011. To submit your comment electronically, follow the link: http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=AMS-FV-09-0029-0150
There is no time to submit comments by snail mail. The deadline is tomorrow!
"Bunny" Snow
Lafayette, Louisiana, 70503
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