Industry News
February 7, 2009
Interview with Wes Jackson, President, Land Institute
Here's a link to an interview with one of the gardening and farming leaders in this country, Wes Jackson. Robert Jensen of the Organic Consumers Association asked him lots of questions relating to agriculture, food, soil and the economy. One of my favorite quotes from Wes is "(I)f our agriculture is not sustainable then our food supply is not sustainable, and food is an issue as close to every one of us as our own stomachs."
read the article
If every one of us can convince one person to start a little backyard garden, we will do more to help this country than the trillion dollar stimulus package.
February 5, 2009
50-Year Farm Bill - NY Times Op-Ed
Here is an article written by Wes Jackson, President of the Land Institute, and Wendell Berry, America's foremost author on agrarian living and sustainable farming practices. This was printed on January 4, 2009. They discuss the condition of this nation's soil and how a nation's solvency is related to the health of its soil. They also make the point that the government can prop up a failing paper money system but they cannot create more food out of thin air.
50-Year Farm Bill
December 9, 2008
Worcester, MA to cut down 4,500 trees
The Asian longhorned beetle has been hard at work in the Worcester area. We first mentioned this destructive bug in August and it looks like it has devastated a 63-mile area in Central Mass. Inspect your own trees and keep an eye out for dime-sized exit holes from which the beetle larvae emerge after wintering in the center of the tree.
Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff, writes that some trees have over 100 exit holes in them. There may be even more trees coming down in the future because USDA officials recommended removing a total of about 20,000 trees - both infested and at risk of infestation. For now, Worcester is starting with 4,500 and will take down some "at risk" trees and inspect them. In addition to the loss of bird habitats, fall foliage and shade is the $30+ million dollars it will cost for just the first year of beetle eradication.
Read the full article here.
December 4, 2008
petition for Michael Pollen for Secretary of Agriculture
I received an email requesting me to sign a petition for Michael Pollen for the Secretary of Agriculture. The email said, "This petition is a letter to president elect Obama, urging him to appoint Michael Pollen as the Secretary of Agriculture. The other candidates that are up for election completely undermine the above mentioned objectives and all support big agri-business and biotech industries such as Monsanto. To protect your right to know what you are buying and what you are consuming it is essential that we prevent corporate interests from taking control of our global food systems. To create a holistic and sustainable agricultural future that is not based on economic, social, and ecological exploitation, it is critical that our Secretary of Agriculture be a forward-thinking circumspect, and environmentally minded individual."
Another petition already ousted Vilsack, a proponant of genetically engineered food and industrial agriculture, from the running. Maybe this petition will get some attention. If you are interested in signing it, click here.
For more information on who Michael Pollen is, listen to a podcast here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95896389 and here: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2008/11/27/segments/116803 and for information on sustainable agriculture here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/
November 26, 2008
Howard Ulfelder, MD Healing Garden
The Howard Ulfelder, MD Healing Garden is a 6,300-square-foot garden on the 8th floor in the Yawkey Center for Outpatient Care at Massachusetts General Hospital. It features an enclosed pavilion for use in all four seasons and an exterior section with pathways, a water fountain, and seating for patients and their families.
Perhaps you know someone who is sick and could benefit from a walk through your garden and a basket of freshly picked produce. It might seem trivial to you, but to them, it could be the lift that they really need to get through the next day, week, chemo treatment. The sights, sounds and smells are so familiar to us but can be so far away to someone who is sick. Even a winter garden is interesting and there is always something to do or see. Dig up a few leftover carrots if the ground isn't frozen yet, follow the footpath of a bird or rabbit through the snow, or sprinkle bird seed around to attract some winter feathered friends.
November 12, 2008
Europe's ugly fruits and veg get a green thumbs-up - Boston.com
Apparently, the EU just threw out 100 pages of rules and regulations about selling only perfect fruits and vegetables. Before, the bumpy carrots and warped zucchinis got pitched into the compost because it was - can you believe it?! - illegal to sell them. They wanted to ensure properly sized and shaped vegetables and fruits. Now, due to the food shortages around the world, they feel it is irresponsible to limit what can be sold as food and have done away with these regulations.
This is so ridiculous I can hardly stand it. Clearly, they need to get outside in the fresh air and play more batminton and polo. To read the full article at www.boston.com, click here.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/11/12/europes_ugly_fruits_and_veg_get_a_green_thumbs_up/
November 7, 2008
GM Genocide: The real cost of genetically modified seeds
11/03/08 India - More than 1,000 farmers kill themselves every month here in the "suicide belt" in Maharashtra state. Millions of Indian farmers have been promised great profits and increased yields if they use GM seeds instead of the seeds they've used for centuries. But, crop failures and spiraling debt have left many of them with no income and nowhere to turn. An estimated 125,000 farmers have committed suicide since the onslaught of GM seed companies into rural India. Read the full article here.
October 3, 2008
Pumpkin grower stakes record hopes on 'Beast from the East' - The Boston Globe
(photo courtesy of Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff)
Steve Connolly of Sharon, MA is not having any of the problems most pumpkin growers are having this year. In fact, he's preparing to break some substantial pumpkin growing records. But he only has one to worry about. One giant pumpkin, with an estimated weight of 1,878 pounds. Steve has protected it from rain and sun and fed it a special formula of bone meal, molasses, manure and who knows what else, all with the hopes of smashing the current record weight of 1,689 pounds.
Giant pumpkin growing has turned into a big obsession over the last 10 years. There are clubs and contests and prize money all over the country.
Read more at
For information on how to grow your own giant pumpkin, consult Don Langevin's book, "How to Grow World-Class Giant Pumpkins", available from Amazon for $29.35. Sounds like good, clean fun and hours of entertainment over the summer for the cost of a book and a few seeds.
September 26, 2008
Alice Waters Takes Kids Beyond Chicken Nuggets - NY Times
Here's a link to an interview with Alice Waters, one of my heroes, and the California chef who created the "edible schoolyard" in Berkeley, CA. She promotes healthy eating for kids by introducing them to the seasons, nature and gardening. Ms. Waters says, "My solution is not to try to feed children in the same way that fast food nation does -- which is to figure out a gimmick to get them to eat something. It's to bring them into a whole relationship with food that's connected to nature and our culture." Click here to read this interview.
September 18, 2008
PUMPKINS: A crop so waterlogged, it's scary - Boston Globe
(photo via Christine Peterson for The Boston Globe)
We were not imagining it - this has been a very wet year. GardenSnob has noticed it primarily with tomatoes but pumpkin growers are also having a bad year. There has been so much rain that pollination rates are lower because bees don't fly in the rain. Then, fruits become so waterlogged, they fall off the vine early and rot. Read more about New England pumpkin farmers in this article by Michael Levenson for the Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/09/18/a_crop_so_waterlogged_its_scary/?page=1
If you're looking for a pie pumpkin, we had good luck with the Long Pie pumpkin this year which is available at Fedco Seeds, a quirky co-op seed catalog. This heirloom pumpkin is shaped like a large zucchini and hails from Maine. When it is still dark green but sporting a circle of orange on its side, the pumpkin is ready to be picked. After a few weeks in storage, it turns a vivid orange and keeps well into the winter. It also has a voice that sounds a bit like James Brown, but it only speaks out in the field so you'd have to visit next year to hear that. :)
August 24, 2008
Sunday Night Movie: Cows eating M&Ms and Potato Chips
Watch this video, made by The Wall Street Journal, to learn how cattle feedlots are coping with higher corn costs. Yet another dumb idea from industrial "pharmers".
August 14, 2008
Monsanto selling off rBGH business
Finally, this evil empire gets a kick in the butt. The Organic Consumer Organization reports:
"Monsanto announced on August 6 it will "divest" or sell off its controversial genetically engineered animal drug, recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH). Monsanto's divestment of rBGH is a direct result of 14 years of determined opposition by organic consumer, public interest, and family farmer groups. Since its founding, the Organic Consumers Association has campaigned against this cruel and dangerous drug, pointing out to organic and health-minded consumers that rBGH-tainted dairy products pose unacceptable dangers to humans from increased antibiotic residues and elevated levels of a potent cancer tumor promoter called IGF-1. OCA's "Millions Against Monsanto" campaign has generated over a quarter million emails and petition signatures on the topic of rBGH, helping make rBGH one of the most controversial food products in the world."
To learn more, go to the Organic Consumers website and watch an informative movie about rBGH by Jeffrey M. Smith (author of Seeds of Deception and other books).
August 11, 2008
Maine Library Offers Garden Books AND Tools
By Associated Press
Updated: 8/4/2008
TURNER, Maine
Borrowers at the Turner Public Library can choose from a large selection of gardening books -- and more than a dozen hand tools to carry out their chosen projects.
Spades and pruners, a cultivating fork, a root cutter and a bulb planter are among the tools that patrons can check out, just as they would a book. Library Director Vicki Varney said the tools are available to help both new gardeners and others who might not have the right tool for the job.
Offering garden tools was the brainchild of library trustee Pat Dickinson, who read about a similar project elsewhere. Jeff Timberlake of Northland True Value Hardware donated the tools. The tools are normally loaned for one week but can be renewed, just like a book.
Information from: Sun-Journal, http://www.sunjournal.com
July 21, 2008
U. S. Winter Wheat Impaired
According to The Mildweed, USDA says that the 2008 winter wheat crop is impaired, compared to 20-year historic data. 
(photo via www.freefoto.com) Because of severe drought and flooding, only 45% of this year's crop is rated good or excellent. Because an increasing number of countries are prohibiting exports or imposing tariffs on food exports, the world cannot afford a bad U.S. wheat crop this year. You might have noticed that GardenSnob is a little obsessed with wheat and other food supplies. We have been called "horders", paranoid, even murderers (um, think pigs) and I suppose it's true. However, everyone has seen those haunting bread line pictures from the depression (and from yesterday in other parts of the world) 
and it would be foolish not to consider this a real possibility, given the current state of affairs. We at GardenSnob are paranoid horders and would much prefer to be dining on potatoes au gratin from our stash in the basement instead of waiting in a line for some dry bread made from genetically altered wheat. More realistically, we would like to slurp on a juicy tomato from our own backyard rather than spend a few days in the hospital pumped up on antibiotics after contracting salmonella from a tomato from who knows where. To that end, we say stock your pantry, put your 2-week emergency kit together, and get to know your local farmers.
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