Another hot Sunday and my search for something akin to FYI was in vain so this is my next best thing.

For the last couple of decades I have had a small garden to grow tomatoes, greens, carrots, radish, cucumbers…and lots of fruit trees….tangerines, satsumas, plums and figs and a few blueberry plants…..nothing to write home about but it keeps us in fresh grown food for several months….always a welcome treat.

This year because of a very mild winter the field mouse population has exploded and they in turn look to me for their food supply….my two pups do a find job of protecting the garden but they can only work so fast….I am thinking of training them to use pellet rifles.

I have a problem with all the GMO stuff….I am old so I remember what a fresh peach, tomato, plum, etc should taste like and the ‘fresh’ stuff in grocery stores does not come close.

Stop all this whining and get to the point, right?

I wish something could be done to change all that….well sports fans one Dem is trying and has been for 26 years…

Each year for the last 26 years – nearly his entire tenure in the US Congress – Earl Blumenauer has advocated for a law that would utterly transform US agriculture.

Nearly every time, though, his proposals have been shut down. Even so, he persists.

Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon, wants to see a version of US agriculture that centers people, animals and the environment, rather than the large-scale, energy-intensive commodity crop farms that currently receive billions of dollars in subsidies. In effect, he has a completely different vision for how 40% of the country’s land looks and works.

“Every year is an uphill battle. We’re up against entrenched, wealthy, strong interests,” said Blumenauer, known for his signature bowtie, circular glasses and bicycle enamel pin. He’s the spitting image of a progressive environmentalist and doesn’t shy from discussing some of agriculture’s most divisive issues.

But he remains optimistic and steadfast in his vision for the American food system. Now more than ever, he feels momentum and support surrounding the future of farming and food production. People care about where their food comes from and what kind of impact their food is having on the climate, he says.

Blumenauer’s newest plan, the Food and Farm Act, was introduced earlier this year, as an alternative to the farm bill – the package of food and agricultural policies passed every five years that is up for renewal this fall. His proposal would redirect billions of dollars away from subsidies for commodity farms towards programs that support small farmers, climate-friendly agriculture and increasing healthy food access.

The bill also prioritizes food waste management and animal welfare – areas that have been completely neglected by previous iterations of the farm bill.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/26/earl-blumenauer-agriculture-farm-bill-congress

All Dems should step away from their paymasters at Big Agri and get on board with a bill that makes sense.

It is a shame that I learned of this from a UK newspaper…apparently agribusiness has its claws in the MSM as well as Congress.

We all should be in support of this effort for it makes a lot of sense (maybe that is why it is not popular).

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

Enjoy your Sunday and as always be well and be safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”