Good Food is Everybody's Business
Yes, US farmers do indeed apply a wide variety of farming methods, however the idea that they can “coexist through cooperation” is a stretch. “Coexistence” puts an undue burden on organic farmers trying to protect the integrity of their crops.
Candidates for Seattle’s mayoral election, Ed Murray and Mike McGinn, responded to questions by the Puget Sound food policy, planning, and advocacy community. Seattle is just part of the Regional Food Policy Council, so the city and our mayor do not drive policy decisions, but strive to influence them. At GoodFood World, we’ve reviewed the candidates’ answers and we have a few comments of our own.
We’ve been slowly moving away from any processed foods in our household, and crackers have been a holdout. I never could seem to get something that was crisp enough and with enough flavor. These are yummy, crispy, and soooo easy to make with real ingredients!
In a region that once supported 480 dairy farms and a rural agricultural landscape, now fragmented by 40 years of residential development, Nash Huber has pieced together 450 acres of rich farmland, almost all of it leased. Through the use of land trusts, restrictive zoning, conservation easements, and leasehold agreements, it has been protected from future development.
Around 100 years ago there were hundreds of varieties of vegetable and fruit seed available to the farmer and home gardener. By 1983 those varieties had been reduced by more than a factor of 10. Seed breeders like Frank Morton who focus on “open-pollinated” varieties specialize in varieties that breed true, unlike the many hybrid varieties offered by giant seed companies – and protected by a web of intellectual property rights methods.
We want our kids to have good food. We expect kids to prefer good food if we get it into school cafeterias, however IF the school is surrounded by fast food joints and IF the good food culture is so remote, there is no connection. There needs to be a direct connection between the health of the community and the health of the school kids – the two go together. This video shows how it’s done.
Farmer and rancher Gabe Brown, a 2012 NRDC Growing Green Award winner, is the owner of Brown’s Ranch in Bismarck, North Dakota. For over 15 years, Gabe has merged back-to-basics agrarian practices with innovative science-based sustainable farming techniques on his 5,400 acre diversified family ranch.
Daryl Lasilla, grain farmer, grows buckwheat, barley, spelt, and lentils in just outside of Great Falls, in north central Montana. Soft-spoken and dedicated to organic production, Daryl has befuddled his neighbors growing conventional grain; especially when his organic spelt tops 4 1/2 feet high!
