I’m a Farm Wife… and I hate GMOs.

modern homesteading, one step at a time.

I’m a Farm Wife. And I Hate GMOs.

I’m a farm wife – of a grain farmer. A GMO grain farmer. There’s been a lot of heated debates about GMOs lately, as there should be, and it seems like I hear the same things repeated over and over in our agricultural community. If you’re against GMOs, you’re against farmers. If you’re against GMOs, you must be some yuppie woman from the city who drops her children off at their charter school, hits up her organic market, and goes back to her 7^th floor flat to practice her internet activism against GMOs. If you are that mom, no offense, and the movement can certainly use you, provided that you really do your research and don’t quote things from NaturalNews without first making sure they are entirely unbiased and true. 🙂

You’d be hard pressed to find someone who loves agriculture…

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Wanted: Young people with novel ideas for food research. Offering: big-money prize

Portland’s First Non-Profit Grocery Store

Give Our Time

“Goodness is the only investment that never fails.”

— Henry David Thoreau

Doing good means breaking new ground.

Village Market is breaking new ground in the New Columbia neighborhood of north Portland. They’re trying and succeeding to bring fresh produce, low prices, and healthy foods into a neighborhood in which a third of it’s residents depend on public transportation. All the while doing it as a non-profit.

Ed, our tour guide and co-founder of Village Market, is as impassioned about this grocery store as he is about his tomatoes. He took the time to explain to our Teamworks volunteer team the history of the store, the goals, the business model, and the people it serves.

They are building a full grocery store and deli from scratch, housing it in a cramped space the size of a 7-11, and giving the neighbors of this revitalized neighborhood something to be proud of – healthy…

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Bees + Seeds Festival

This Saturday, October 12th, come help celebrate World Food Day and Non-GMO month at the Bees + Seeds Festival  in Holladay Park, Portland Oregon.   Learn about the importance of seed diversity, pollinators, and our local food system through classes, kids’ activities, speakers, and music.  See you there!

Awareness Raising

peeking into molly’s organic farm by carol l. malnor and trina l. hunner

Jama's Alphabet Soup

Miao! Who’s that peeking through the cauliflower leaves?

Meet Molly, a homeless orange tabby who wanders into a small community farm one Spring day and instantly captures everyone’s hearts.

Based on a true story, Molly’s Organic Farm (Dawn Publications, 2012), introduces young readers to the seasonal workings of an organic farm through Molly’s eyes. Curious and mischievous, she explores this wondrous world of giant cornstalks and row upon row of leafy vegetables, watching, hunting, and playing among the busy birds, bugs and critters who live there, some beneficial to the plants, others harmful.

The basic principles of organic farming and the marvelous interplay of nature are seamlessly interwoven with Molly’s activities, all gorgeously brought to life with Trina Hunner’s stunning illustrations. We learn about composting, companion planting, crop rotation, beneficial bugs and animal helpers, the importance of buying locally and the wonderful sense of community that’s established among those who…

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After the march–now what?

It was a fabulous march here in Portland, Oregon, well attended by about 6,ooo people.  Millions more marched all over the country and world raising awareness of the greed and destruction that Monsanto is forcing upon the world.  It was encouraging to see how many of us are truly concerned and ready to act.

But now after the march, what can we do?  Here are two things that can make a huge impact on taking back our food system:

1) avoid buying processed food.  70% of food in grocery stores contain GMOs.  Buy sustainably grown local food if possible.  Buy organic.  Or grow your own.  If none of those are possible, avoid food that is processed by buying more single ingredient foods like fresh fruits and vegetables and beans and rice, etc.

2) share your knowledge with everyone you know…and don’t know!  Knowledge is power, and the tide will turn as more and more people demand real food.  Just recently, the fast food restaurant, Chipotle, has offered up its ingredient list and is trying to swap out GMO ingredients like soy oil with non-GMO ingredients.     

If we let the food industry know that we won’t buy genetically modified food, they will be forced to change.  And if there is no market for GMOs, Monsanto’s grip will be broken.

Let’s act now to reclaim our food system.  We can do it!

March Against Monsanto, May 25th; find a march near you

Do you know that most conventionally grown processed food we buy in the grocery store contains genetically modified ingredients?

If you don’t know, it’s because the biotech giant, Monsanto, isn’t required to label their GMOs.  And not only are they not required to label their GMOs, but they are apparently above the law when it comes to being able to sell their products with no testing and absolutely no oversight in the US.  In Europe and many other countries, GMOs are banned or limited.

Do you know that genetically modified organisms have not been tested for side effects?  We are the guinea pigs in this huge experiment that only enriches the company that produced Agent Orange, the herbicide Round Up, DDTs, PCBs, as well as GMOs.  Many studies show possible human and environmental side effects from genetically modified organisms.

If you don’t know, it’s because the FDA is protecting Monsanto, not the American people so there is no testing required before or after Monsanto rolls out their products.

Do you know that Monsanto is able to dictate its own laws to cement its monopoly of the food supply? Monsanto Rider Bill, GMO Labeling Bill Voted Down in Senate

If you don’t know, it’s because scores of our elected officials are former Monsanto employees including officials in the FDA and the Supreme Court.

Monsanto is taking over our food supply and poisoning our world purely for their own profit.  Let’s let our voices be heard!  The March Against Monsanto is being held across the country and across the world.  Find a march near you.  Let’s make sure our children and all the generations to come have access to untainted and diverse food.

Join me here to march in Portland, Oregon.  See you there!

Posted at Small Footprint Fridays

Celebrating Earth Day; being mindful of our connection to our planet.

Today is a good day to reflect on the beauty and abundance of our beautiful planet and how it sustains us in every way.  With our busy lives, we sometimes forget that we are not separate from the earth, that we are part of a whole interconnected system that includes plants, animals, soil, air, water, all of life.  Our current food system, with its incessant drive for profit, has made it easy and convenient for us to buy food that has a very heavy footprint on this intricate natural system.  This understanding of being connected to our natural environment isn’t new to us, but if we continue to buy our food purely by habit, without considering our choices, we will continue down the path of non-sustainability.   

With the small shift of becoming more mindful of how we eat and what we buy to nourish our bodies, we begin to reconnect to this marvelous system that is sustaining all life on earth.  Each step we take will make a difference, from choosing sustainably grown food to reducing food waste and packaging.  Our intention to become more aware of what we eat will spur our exploration back to the interconnectedness of all life. 

Happy Earth Day to all!

   

    

Tell Your Senator to Vote No on Monsanto’s Bill: Thank You, Tell-a-Friend – Food & Water Watch

Let’s let our voices be heard to protect our rights, our local farmers, and the integrity of our food system. Please sign and share.

Tell Your Senator to Vote No on Monsanto’s Bill: Thank You, Tell-a-Friend – Food & Water Watch.