Bristol County Daily News

The Town of Tewksbury, Mass is trying to change local oversight allowing them to regulate the agriculture in their community. The question, “Is this Pandora’s box?” Because Home Rule petitions almost always pass the Agriculture community believes this will set precedence. H.R. 3818 as written would put this farm and others like it out of business. The town has acknowledged there is no wrong doing and they are following “best practices” but still proceeded with the petition. Will H.R. 3818 change farming forever or will the reality of local food save us all?

Labels: Buy Local, government, Green living

There is a movement under foot. One that brings wonder to my mind. It comes in the form of Youtube, books and the gym. I received a call from my sister the other day asking about the beef we raise and if it is "all natural". I will tell you she is a "health freak" I mean that in the best of ways. For years has lived on nuts, berries and granola. When I have offered her meat she gages! I respect her commitment to personal health. Her husbands exercise program is off the charts. You would think his perfect six pack had to be painted on! So to call and ask me about buying a large quantity of beef was cause for pause to say the least. I asked why the interest? Why the sudden change? Her answer was "Paleo". I said Paleo? What is that? What she describe was our everyday diet minus the bread and dairy. The hunter gathers of 2million years ago did not have processed foods, gardens, cows to milk. They ate what they hunted or found growing in nature. HMMMM??? I just can't see you guys with bow and arrow out in the woods (living in the suburbs. LOL) getting dinner. Let alone if you did catch something bleeding it, skinning it, cutting it apart and serving it for dinner! Well, she replied, as close to that as one can get these days. I would have offered to take them hunting just because it would have been the million dollar winner on America's Funniest Home Videos!!!! But alas the season is over. Being that I had picked on her enough I moved on. I told her about our grass fed, pasture raised beef, pigs, chickens and around Thanksgiving Turkeys. That she was welcome to get any veggies she needs from our garden and if she had something special that I could grow for her to let me know as planting is going on now. All I ask is that she tell her Paleo friends where they could find the good stuff.

The next day I received a email with this video www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCFZoqmKf5M this video alone has received over 33000 views! and this is only one of two videos this person has put up on youtube. There are books, seminars, forums and chat rooms all devoted to Paleo. The truth is as farmers (of course not dairy or grains) should seek out these markets and offer our goods as the match is perfect.

Try some of these forums and links:

• http://www.cavemanforum.com/
  
  http://www.thepaleodiet.com/
  
  http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/stone_age_diet.html
  
  

Labels: Buy Local, Green living, Paleo

If this was your last meal what would you order?

Fillet Mignon? Salmon, oysters? Eggplant Parmesan (my favorite).
What if the fillet was tough and dry with no salad, no fresh greens or potato. Would it still be your favorite meal?

Like the cycle of a tree and the way it cleans the air the National Arbor Day Foundation(1) has been asking us for years to plant a tree but we never do. Even though if we had no trees we would cease to exist. Which brings me to land stewardship. The Wikipedia definition of Stewardship “Every person has a responsibility to look after the planet both for themselves and for the future generations. Acting irresponsibly could cause damage such as pollution, the destruction of cultural heritage, etc." (2)

If people can’t even plant a tree or stop using Styrofoam(3) cups how can we possible convince them of the importance of land stewardship. That without land, plants, trees, fresh clean water we will cease to exist. It’s the mentality of “someone else will take care of it“ that is self defeating. As if there is a magic elf that comes along and cleans the water, cares for the plants and freshens the air in some way. Land stewardship comes in many forms from the family farmer(4), the land preservation trusts to the boy who raises money for the Audubon Society to save the natural habitat of birds and the old women who picks up trash on her daily walk. They all have the same goal to preserve the earth for future generations.

Stop and think for just one moment what your summer vacation would be like with no trees, no birds, no rolling fields or beautiful mountains, streams to fish or lakes to swim in. If so many people enjoy the use of our natural surroundings than why is the care, STEWARDSHIP, task taken up by so few. These few are given the smallest of resources, the least recognition and the least of rewards for our society but the burden is great.



(1)http://www.arborday.org/
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewardship
(3)http://www.emagazine.com/view/?2933
(4)http://farmfresh.org/

Labels: Buy Local, Green living

Fear can feed us the wrong food. Look what is happening in Egypt! The government slaughtered over 300,000 pigs just to be sure the swine flu was not being spread. The pig farmers are now at a loss as to how to support their families and resume their livelihoods. (full story: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_EGYPT_SWINE_FLU?SITE=NCWIN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT )

Swine Flu or sometimes called North American Flu is a combination of four viruses. One endemic to humans, two endemic to swine and one endemic to avian.

• The question is, how did these four viruses mutate to become the “Swine Flu” and what are we doing to prevent its spread?
  Other species such as pigs also get influenza which can be passed on to a human by direct contact. But it is rarely passed from human to human without direct contact with the pig. In the case of Swine Flu the viruses have mutated and combined with human flu virus. This is now being passed just like every other flu virus. Coughing, sneezing etc. http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=99575
• 
  If they have an anti-viral shot why can’t we all just get one to prevent the illness?
  Antiviral medicine Tamiflu and Relenza are not a vaccine. They will not prevent you from getting Swine Flu. Those with strong immune systems may not even require medication if they contract Swine Flu. The CDC is working towards a vaccine but the process is very time consuming. http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/04/27/glaxo-roche-start-to-map-swine-flu-game-plans/
  
  If I got a flu shot this year am I protected?
  No. Unfortunately the flu shot does not protect against Swine flu as the strain is different.

Here are some statistics about deaths in the world to put things in perspective!

• According to the CDC 36,000 Americans die on average per YEAR from complications of Flu. Most are the elderly or very young
  
• According to bread.org 16,000 children die every DAY from starvation. About 15 million a year.
  http://www.bread.org/learn/hunger-basics/hunger-facts-international.html
  
• In 2006, according to the CDC, 13,470 people in the United States died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes.
  http://www.cdc.gov/MotorVehicleSafety/Impaired_Driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html
• To date 403 Americans have become ill from Swine Flu (North American Flu) and ONE has died.
  http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/04/27/us/20090427-flu-update-graphic.html

Knowing that one person has died sounds so small but if that one person was my child one is too many. It is important to protect ourselves from getting sick. At the same time not becoming overwhelmed by all the media attention. We do not know what the full impact of swine flu. It has only just begun in North America, keeping in mind that flu season here is ending. The place we need to watch is the Southern hemisphere where flu season is just beginning.

Labels: Green living, swine flu

When I first moved to the country I had visions of running through the fields dancing and laughing. But now I am to afraid to dance in the field. I look at the fields and I think Lyme disease. Everyday, not just in the summer, everyday I make sure that I check for ticks. We live with these small creatures so I have come to terms with it. I use a sticky lint roller on clothes when we come in and arms and legs if they are bare. I treat our dogs year round for fleas and ticks. I launder all the clothing at the end of the day to be sure there are no ticks left behind.

Then I read an article in Organic Gardening that 90 percent of ticks survived the laundry cycle. I was shocked! But if laundry is put in the dryer on high heat for 60 minutes it puts and end to the ticks http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071006083356.htm

I think what do I do now??? I hang dry all my laundry as I believe I have an obligation to reduce my carbon foot print. I do three loads of laundry every day and to run the dryer would cost about $30 a month on top of my increased carbon foot print.

The effects of lyme disease are awful. Check out http://www.lyme.org/ but at the same time using large amounts of pesticides and increasing my carbon foot print is awful too. Permethrin which is used to kill ticks is good or bad depending on where you get your information. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin or http://www.safe2use.com/poisons-pesticides/pesticides/permethrin/cox-report/cox.htm
There is no cure for Lyme Disease only prevention and maintenance.

• Check out these links for more information.
  Where did it all start? http://www.lyme.org/otherdis/ld_history.html
  What are we doing about lyme disease. http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/Lymedisease.html
  How did it get so wide spread. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/ld_transmission.htm
  Will global warming increase its spread? http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090426182944.htm

Labels: Green living

Spending less is like earning more. Using less is being Green!

Ahhh to be Green!!! I have always wanted to be off the grid. Not that I want to live like a caveman but to not use all that energy. To not burn all that fuel. The question has always been how. How do I keep from using so much energy and still be able to care for my family in a modern way. I have found a few things that have actually saved me money and still allows me to live a normal life with out taking up too much time and energy.

First I have learned how to read my meter! I know this sounds like something any mild mannered idiot could do but I will tell you with all those spinning wheels and numbers it took a few tries but I am there now. (see http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090419/LIFE/904190313) So I started by unplugging everything I could. Yes that means the computer, TV, stereo, digital clocks, the coffee maker with the LCD clock. I was unable to unplug certain things and realize I would not be able to do this on a regular basis and so I found my absolute baseline.

I starting plugging certain appliances back in beginning with the almighty TV. Certain items use energy even when they are turned off as they are really in a sleep mode. So when we are leaving the house for the day I take a moment and disconnect all of the appliances. I switched from digital alarm clocks to wind up. Which I found on www.freecycle.com. I never used them for the radio anyway and I don’t look at that clock all day long and it is costing me every second it is plugged in. Even my home computer is unplugged during the days I am not home. Which it seems is only four appliances to unplug but they were costing me about $1.00 a day. (do the math it adds up fast) I notice bleeps of large consumption and times of slow use and I isolated what is happening. So that it could be monitored.

I do about 3 loads of laundry everyday. I know it sounds like a lot but living on a farm the children get dirty and I don’t mean messy I mean DIRTY. Now that spring is here and I have erected a clothes line which I hang all the clothes on. It is not always easy but with every load I do I tell myself I have just earned $1.00. Five days a week three loads a day that can really add up. I checked my electric bill it was down $30 last month just from the electric dryer not being used. Now that I have implemented these additional items I have noticed a large drop in my electric bill from $125 per month to just under $85.

Not sure how much it will be by the end of the year but I am thinking PAID VACATION!!!!!

Labels: Green living