Mary Slabaugh, a wonderful Amish cook, has been visited by the Ohio department of agriculture, and told that her traditional way of managing her food will no longer be permitted. As she is quoted as saying: "I can't believe they're taking my livelihood away!"
Mary, and the rest of us had better believe it.
Walmart is purchasing 'organic milk' from the Chinese at $.50 per gallon, organic milk that was so poisoned with toxins that over 250 Chinese school children got terribly ill, and yet the Amish, who have never poisoned anyone, are the subject of big brother's intervention.
We can't do ANYTHING about that, though, can we?
Taking on the Amish is a LOT easier for lazy localities than taking on corporate agriculture, and in the process they get to appear as though they're 'earning their pay.' They can vigorously enforce the letter of the law on local organic farmers and say 'I've done my job.' While these departments of state complain about having too few staff to monitor the quality of food sold in the big box retailers and corporate agricultural manufacturies, they have all the time in the world drive for hours to go and bother peaceful Amish women, families and communities.
When corporate agriculture poisons people, it does it by the thousands, across wide swaths of America. Consumers count on the Department of Agriculture to prevent those events, and have few other options for purchasing their groceries. We are all sitting ducks for the antibiotics, hormones, toxins and other contaminants in mass produced foods.
The Amish sell to a few, local, satisfied, repeat customers. If something happens with those customers, only a few would get sick. They wouldn't go back for more. The small organic farmers and roadside stands are critical to the success of the local food movement, people who want healthy, well made food.
No, Crystal Penn, from the Ohio Agriculture Department, WE ARE NOT IMPRESSED. Your job performance is just as spectacular and just as noble as taking candy from babies.
1 comment:
All the more reason to consider adopting the 100-mile diet.
The more individuals question where our food is coming from (Really? Organic milk from China? What is wrong with this picture?), the more control we have over what goes into our bodies.
Thank you for letting us know about this, Margaret. I hope the Amish cooks are able to satisfy the state that their food is safe.
Boy, would I like a piece of one of those pies right now. Mmmm-mm.
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