CLEANSING THE ANSWER TO BETTER HEALTH BUT ONLY PART OF THE ANSWER

Cleansing should be partnered with a diet of healthy whole foods. But where do we get our food? Do you know?

FOUR CONGLOMERATES PROVIDE AMERICA’S FOOD FROM FIELD TO PLATE

America is loosing it’s farms. Chicken, beef, hog, and dairy production is increasingly centered on large CAFOs (Contained Animal Feeding Operations).  Animals from these CAFOs are crammed into small spaces (hogs in some CAFOs literally cannot turn around. they stand all day in their own waste.)

The Bush administration approved mergers creating monopolies of dairy and animal producers. The result gives us only four companies, Cargill, ADM, Monsanto, and Dairy Farmers of America, that control food production from field to plate.

With this “bigger is better’ philosophy fewer than 2% of farms account for over 50% of all farm sales.   Conglomerates produce and market seed sold to all farmers.  The same conglomerates produce and market feed, bedding, and equipment for hog, chicken, and beef farmers. These same also own feed lot and packing houses that bring animals to the market.

MONOPOLITHIC OWNERSHIP OF FOOD SUPPLY DANGEROUS FOR AMERICA

Not only is this not cost effective for either farmer or consumer, a small number of producers is not safe for America. Our food supply is more vulnerable to disease, and climate disruptions such as floods, and drought.

The health of some Americans is being affected right now, since some mammoth factory farms spread toxic waste directly onto fields near homes and towns in the midwest. Southern Michigan is an example.  This waste can contain hormones, urine, feces, parasites, blood and body fluids, possible antibiotic resistant pathogens, and sometimes even chopped body parts. It’s spread over open fields where it seeps into ground water, runs off into streams, and attracts flies. 

Waste, spread directly onto frozen ground in winter, runs off into water sources.  (notice trees along a stream in background of the picture from www.nocafos.org.)

spreading manure from CAFO onto open field

Waste in some cases is dried and srayed into the air near homes and towns. Dried waste particles settle on lawns, swing sets, picnic tables, pets, farm animals, and homes.  Here’s pivot spraying dried CAFO waste in south central Michigan, www.nocafos.org/.  Check the website for more information. Click the back arrow on your browser to return to this page.

pivot spraying dried manure

 

 

 

 

ATTORNEY GENERAL TO MEET WITH FARMERS NEXT YEAR!

Last week, in a shocking development reported by National Public Radio, (listen: http://tinyurl.com/lpr2jl Click back arrow of browser to return to this page.)  the antitrust division of the Attorney General’s office met with a nonprofit group of farmers and academics, led by Mississippi rancher Fred Stokes, to talk about “gigantification”of American agriculture.

Beginning next year. 2010, the Attorney General’s office will hold town meetings with farmers across the country. These joint hearings between departments of Agriculture and Justice will uncover the extent of harm because of lack of antitrust enforcement of the former administration. These meetings are unprecedented and are a very encouraging sign.

We’ve talked before about factory farms on this Blog.  (see:  http://cleanse-for-better-health.com/blog/factory-farm-staph-infection/)

We need to be aware of what’s happening to our food.  Factory farms are not a “natural” development. They  are engineered for efficiency and profit.  They are cost-effective for the owner and producer. Factory systems keep their costs down.

Factory Farms do not exist to provide healthy food to the consumer. Their purpose does not include keeping family farm in business.  They are not an agency for diversity so they go directly against Nature. Nature hates a monoculture and will break a monoculture down given time.

Keep this in mind as you shop for groceries this week.

Factory Farms or Family Farms. 

You get to choose with your dollar.

 

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