Michelle Obama and Big Ag Prepare for Battle

[roccman]

http://candobetter.org/node/1175



In the aftermath of breaking ground on the new, 1100 square foot White House garden, Michelle Obama named chef Sam Kass to head the White House Food Initiative. And Kass isn't a fan of big agriculture and mass fertilisers.

All of this positive PR for organics feels very threatening to Big Ag. So one group, the Mid America CropLife Association, has sent an email defending chemical ag to Mrs. Obama. See the letter reprinted below.

After sending the letter, MACA forwarded it around to others, with the following message:

"Did you hear the news? The White House is planning to have an "organic" garden on the grounds to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for the Obama's and their guests. While a garden is a great idea, the thought of it being organic made Janet Braun, CropLife Ambassador Coordinator and I shudder. As a result, we sent a letter encouraging them to consider using crop protection products and to recognize the importance of agriculture to the entire U.S. economy. Read below for the entire letter.

The Letter:

Dear Mrs. Obama,

We are writing regarding the garden recently added to the White House grounds to ensure a fresh supply of fruits and vegetables to your family, guests and staff. Congratulations on recognizing the importance of agriculture in America! The U.S. has the safest and most abundant food supply in the world thanks to the 3 million people who farm or ranch in the United States.

The CropLife Ambassador Network, a program of the Mid America CropLife Association, consists of over 160 ambassadors who work and many of whom grew up in agriculture. Their mission is to provide scientifically based, accurate information to the public regarding the safety and value of American agricultural food production. Many people, especially children, don't realize the extent to which their daily lives depend on America's agricultural industry. For instance, children are unaware the jeans they put on in the morning, the three meals eaten daily, the baseball with which they play and even the biofuels that power the school bus are available because of America's farmers and ranchers.

Agriculture is the largest industry in America generating 20% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. Individuals, family partnerships or family corporations operate almost 99% of U.S. farms. Over 22 million people are employed in farm-related jobs, including production agriculture, farm inputs, processing and marketing and sales. Through research and changes in production practices, today's food producers are providing Americans with the widest variety of foods ever.

Starting in the early 1900's, technology advances have allowed farmers to continually produce more food on less land while using less human labor. Over time, Americans were able to leave the time-consuming demands of farming to pursue new interests and develop new abilities. Today, an average farmer produces enough food to feed 144 Americans who are living longer lives than many of their ancestors. Technology in agriculture has allowed for the development of much of what we know and use in our lives today. If Americans were still required to farm to support their family's basic food and fiber needs, would the U.S. have been leaders in the advancement of science, communication, education, medicine, transportation and the arts?

We live in a very different world than that of our grandparents. Americans are juggling jobs with the needs of children and aging parents. The time needed to tend a garden is not there for the majority of our citizens, certainly not a garden of sufficient productivity to supply much of a family's year-round food needs.

Much of the food considered not wholesome or tasty is the result of how it is stored or prepared rather than how it is grown. Fresh foods grown conventionally are wholesome and flavorful yet more economical. Local and conventional farming is not mutually exclusive. However, a Midwest mother whose child loves strawberries, a good source of Vitamin C, appreciates the ability to offer California strawberries in March a few months before the official Mid-west season.

Farmers and ranchers are the first environmentalists, maintaining and improving the soil and natural resources to pass onto future generations. Technology allows for farmers to meet the increasing demand for food and fiber in a sustainable manner.

Farmers use reduced tillage practices on more than 72 million acres to prevent erosion.

Farmers maintain over 1.3 million acres of grass waterways, allowing water to flow naturally from crops without eroding soil.

Contour farming keeps soil from washing away. About 26 million acres in the U.S. are managed this way.

Agricultural land provides habitat for 75% of the nation's wildlife.

Precision farming boosts crop yields and reduces waste by using satellite maps and computers to match seed, fertilizer and crop protection applications to local soil conditions.

Sophisticated Global Positioning Systems can be specifically designed for spraying pesticides. A weed detector equipped with infrared light identifies specific plants by the different rates of light they reflect and then sends a signal to a pump to spray a preset amount of herbicide onto the weed.

Biogenetics allows a particular trait to be implanted directly into the seed to protect the seed against certain pests.

Farmers are utilizing 4-wheel drive tractors with up to 300 horsepower requiring fewer passes across fields-saving energy and time.

Huge combines are speeding the time it takes to harvest crops.

With modern methods, 1 acre of land in the U.S. can produce 42,000 lbs. of strawberries, 110,000 heads of lettuce, 25,400 lbs. of potatoes, 8,900 lbs. of sweet corn, or 640 lbs of cotton lint.

As you go about planning and planting the White House garden, we respectfully encourage you to recognize the role conventional agriculture plays in the U.S in feeding the ever-increasing population, contributing to the U.S. economy and providing a safe and economical food supply. America's farmers understand crop protection technologies are supported by sound scientific research and innovation.

The CropLife Ambassador Network offers educational programs for elementary school educators at http://ambassador.maca.org covering the science behind crop protection products and their contribution to sustainable agriculture. You may find our programs America's Abundance, Farmers Stewards of the Land and War of the Weeds of particular interest. We thank you for recognizing the importance and value of America's current agricultural technologies in feeding our country and contributing to the U.S economy.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Sincerely,

Bonnie McCarvel, Executive Director
Janet Braun, Program Coordinator
Mid America CropLife Association
11327 Gravois Rd., #201
St. Louis, MO 63126"

Dear Ms. Bonnie,

Fucc Off!

Regards,

Rocc

[JurisDoctorOfDoom]

This really takes the cake. I mean really, what the fuck?

[periol]

it's too bad that particular pile of humanure can't be used for fertilizer.  

of course the organic white house garden makes them shudder.  they're destroying us and our planet, and realize they're getting closer and closer to getting called out on it.  

thanks for posting this.

[JurisDoctorOfDoom]

Big Ag better not press this too hard, it's the sort of thing that could set people off . . . Obama apparently told the bank CEOs, "I'm the only thing standing between you guys and the pitchforks" at the meeting he had with them a few days ago. Maybe he needs to tell the Ag Overlords the same thing.

[Six Gun Jim]

The ag overlords have set themselves up to be indispensible and they have the law on their side. These companies are monopolizing life at every level, the fact we have not already pitchforked them is a serious mistake. Every year we wait the genetics of crop life is altered farther as is a chunk of the natural environment. Anytime you want to roll heavy with the forks stop by in a van, I want to go and I've got lots of friends. -James 

[Pegasus]

Reading that made me feel dirty all over. 

[kwally]

Good grief! I guess that e-coli from farm runoff can be tasty if I get the right recipe.

[Six Gun Jim]

Much of the food considered not wholesome or tasty is the result of how it is stored or prepared rather than how it is grown.

Good grief! I guess that e-coli from farm runoff can be tasty if I get the right recipe.

That's right! And mad cow beef is also excellent if smoked slowly, just ask them they'll tell ya'. 

[Madnsassy]

http://www.gcpf.org/website/pages/stakeholder_and_network_intro.aspx?edit=0


CropLife network and key stakeholder groups

As an ambassador for the plant science industry, CropLife International works and collaborates with a wide range of stakeholders.  Our key stakeholder groups are:

Business organisations
Inter-governmental organisations
Society organisations

Business organisations

Our leading research- and development-driven companies

    *
      BASF
    *
      Bayer CropScience
    *
      Dow AgroSciences
    *
      Dupont
    *
      FMC
    *
      Monsanto
    *
      Sumitomo
    *
      Syngenta

Our regional associations

    *
      CropLife Africa Middle East
    *
      CropLife America
    *
      CropLife Asia
    *
      CropLife Latin America
    *
      European Crop Protection Association (ECPA)
    *
      Japan Crop Protection Association (JCPA)

In total, the CropLife network has associations in 91 countries.  Information about the national associations can be found via the regional association sites above.

CropLife Canada and the Israel Crop Protection Association are associate members of the federation.

Our sister organisations
(organisations working in the same or similar field, with which we cooperate closely on many issues)

-  Biotechnology organisations

    *
      BIO
    *
      EuropaBio
    *
      AfricaBio
    *
      CIB Brazil
    *
      All India Crop Biotechnology Association (AICBA)

 - Seed Associations

    *
      International Seed Federation
       

Intergovernmental organisations

    *
      Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
    *
      Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
    *
      World Health Organization (WHO)
    *
      World Trade Organization (WTO)
    *
      World Bank
    *
      World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
    *
      United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)


Society organisations

    *
       World Wildlife Fund 
    *
       Friends of the Earth International
    *
       Oxfam International
    *
       Pesticide Action Network

[kwally]

*
       Friends of the Earth International

Indeed!

[DimLightbulb]

Did she enclose a free sample of DDT for Mrs. Obama to use on her growing veggies ?

[Six Gun Jim]

http://www.gcpf.org/website/pages/stakeholder_and_network_intro.aspx?edit=0


CropLife network and key stakeholder groups

As an ambassador for the plant science industry, CropLife International works and collaborates with a wide range of stakeholders.  Our key stakeholder groups are:

Business organisations
Inter-governmental organisations
Society organisations



Excellent post, I'm sending this to a friend. Thanks! -James 

Business organisations

Our leading research- and development-driven companies

    *
      BASF
    *
      Bayer CropScience
    *
      Dow AgroSciences
    *
      Dupont
    *
      FMC
    *
      Monsanto
    *
      Sumitomo
    *
      Syngenta

Our regional associations

    *
      CropLife Africa Middle East
    *
      CropLife America
    *
      CropLife Asia
    *
      CropLife Latin America
    *
      European Crop Protection Association (ECPA)
    *
      Japan Crop Protection Association (JCPA)

In total, the CropLife network has associations in 91 countries.  Information about the national associations can be found via the regional association sites above.

CropLife Canada and the Israel Crop Protection Association are associate members of the federation.

Our sister organisations
(organisations working in the same or similar field, with which we cooperate closely on many issues)

-  Biotechnology organisations

    *
      BIO
    *
      EuropaBio
    *
      AfricaBio
    *
      CIB Brazil
    *
      All India Crop Biotechnology Association (AICBA)

 - Seed Associations

    *
      International Seed Federation
       

Intergovernmental organisations

    *
      Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
    *
      Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
    *
      World Health Organization (WHO)
    *
      World Trade Organization (WTO)
    *
      World Bank
    *
      World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
    *
      United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)


Society organisations

    *
       World Wildlife Fund 
    *
       Friends of the Earth International
    *
       Oxfam International
    *
       Pesticide Action Network

Excellent post, I'm sending this to a friend. Thanks! -James 

[cygnus]

Has anyone "Snoped" this yet?  It may be 100% true, but it sounds a bit to me like a put-on.  I'll see what I can find out about it.

[pamela]

This came up in another thread in the gardening section.
I wouldn't be surprised if Big Ag sent the email but it is always good to check.

[shaleoh2]

Wow, this place might be stressful,
but it is the greatest place ever
for knowledge --- well, the
Real Knowledge that is.

but wow sometimes you need to bury the manure,

find a bucket of cold water and toss

throw sand on the fire in the gasoline

        

grow some garlic and rhubarb

pick around the e-coli's

g'geezus all ready 

at least we be tryin to see the light in the tunnel
the truths as they will prevail

and the slide down the peak is a starting down the slope