more corn ethanol+fertilizer leakage=bigger dead zone

The corn ethanol craze is causing more lands to be put into production to grow corn. This is resulting in some really nasty unintended consequences, including the expansion of the already too big "Dead Zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. Read all about it in the Environmental Working Group's article "Rewarding Fertilizer Pollution With Crop Subsidies"

Our disastrous Farm Bill

A friend sent along this link to an article that does a pretty good job of explaining what is wrong with our Farm Bill, and steps that Congress could take to improve it. Steps like taking subsidies away from corn and all the bad derivatives that are making us an obese nation, and instead channeling new funding towards foods that we should be eating--fruits and veggies.

Take a look:

"Why Americans Keep Getting Fatter"

We need more farmers!

A friend (actually a couple of friends in the know!) sent me this link to an article entitled "Fifty Million Farmers".



It was written by a chap named Richard Heinberg who regularly discusses topics associated with "Peak Oil" on his website (www.richardheinberg.com).

The article is a very cogent summary of what ails our food and agricultural systems today, and how we got into this fix. It also offers some suggestions as to how we might fix the situation. Nothing less than our ability to survive depends on it.

Welcome to my blog!

Okay okay. I have been annoying folks by sending numerous links to articles that come across my computer from one source or another, in order to inform you on various subjects that I feel are important. The topics mostly center on human and environmental health, and include our current food and agriculture system, global climate change, the obesity crisis, farm-to-school programs, and such. I have been requested to set up a blog so that those who would like to connect to those articles can easily find them in one place, without having to wade through millions of emails from me in their inbox. So, I've entered the realm of today's technology, to inform you, my friends, colleagues and acquaintances, with a little 'food for thought.' I dubbed this blog "Marty's Food Chain" to reflect the ecological and food and ag perspective I intend to 'blog' about. So hope you check in occasionally so I'm not just blogging to myself!

Chow,

Marty

So to start, here's an interesting article from Grist entitled "Slow Food Fight" on Carlo Petrini's take on the famous San Francisco Ferry Market that caused quite a stir!