Monsanto evades liability for genetically modified crops by shifting blame to farmers.

Everybody's least favorite industrial-agriculture giant is at it again! Monsanto, with protection of State and Federal agencies, are forcing farmers to sign an agreement that transfers all liability to the farmer. Monsanto's "Technology/Stewardship Agreement", includes this little section, absolving Monsanto of sin.

"GROWER’S EXCLUSIVE LIMITED REMEDY: THE EXCLUSIVE REMEDY OF THE GROWER AND THE LIMIT OF THE LIABILITY OF MONSANTO OR ANY SELLER FOR ANY AND ALL LOSSES, INJURY OR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OR HANDLING OF SEED (INCLUDING CLAIMS BASED IN CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, PRODUCT LIABILITY, STRICT LIABILITY, TORT, OR OTHERWISE) SHALL BE THE PRICE PAID BY THE GROWER FOR THE QUANTITY OF THE SEED INVOLVED OR, AT THE ELECTION OF MONSANTO OR THE SEED SELLER, THE REPLACEMENT OF THE SEED. IN NO EVENT SHALL MONSANTO OR ANY SELLER BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, 
SPECIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES." 

And should the contract be terminated; "If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to such a notice, Grower’s responsibilities and the other terms herein shall survive (such as but not limited to Grower’s obligation to use Seed for a single commercial crop) as to Seed previously purchased by the Grower"

Page 2 of Monsanto's Technology/Stewardship Agreement

What this means is that should a farmer, growing Monsanto's genetically modified crops, experience any problems, incur any damages, or be faced with losses related to those crops, the farmer is now liable. Any problems related to Monsanto's crops are now officially not Monsanto's problem.

This coming from the company that continually blocks independent analysis of their GM crop products, sues farmers who neighbor fields planted with Monsanto product when they cross pollinate non-Monsanto crops, and who actively seek out and destroy seed saving and sharing operations. These kinds of predatory practices are worse the the banking industry. This company is blatantly forcing farmers to put a noose around their necks and swing. Where is our government? Where are the agencies who supposedly protect farmers rights? All in the pockets of the corporation, and that doesn't take any far fetched assumptions.

So what is happening with Monsanto product that makes it so dangerous that the company won't try to defend its products or its growers? Recently Monsanto's products have been linked to numerous livestock problems, most notably miscarriages of pregnant livestock. Now as a farmer, when your animals lose their young, you can't go after Monsanto, and are out the money for the animals, time, labor, and the dangerous feed crop you fed your stock. Moreover when the threats of GM crops begin to be apparent in humans and their direct food chain, Monsanto will have already covered its tracks and be completely untouchable. This is a dangerous situation for our agricultural industry to be forced into.

Read the Treehugger article here, and the Monsanto Technology/Stewardship Agreement here.

Support fair and reasonable business practices, buy local, buy organic, and if you buy seeds, track down the source so you don't find yourself with Monsanto product.

How Cuba Survived Peak Oil

"The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil" was a movie I watched in a contemporary issues seminar I had back in college. This movie, is a relatively uplifting tail about the realities of Peak Oil and how the people can effect change when they act together for a common purpose. Of course their actions came out of necessity, but the people of Cuba were able to almost completely kick their dependence on oil overnight when the fall of the Soviet Union shut off their oil supply.

The movie below is subtitled in Spanish. I couldn't find a way to turn subtitles off but it should be useful for my multilingual readers.


The Power of Community. How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (sub español) from El Tránsito Necesario on Vimeo.


I think Cuba almost had it better than we do. Their change came over night, kind of an extreme slap in the face. The effects of Peak Oil on the US are going to be more subtle and drawn out. I feel like the frog, sitting in a pot of water, being brought to a slow boil. The nice part about Cuba's predicament was that their changes were facilitated by the government. Issuing rations of food, bicycles for transportation, and mandating a emphasis on urban organic agriculture. Not all these solutions would work as effectively here, but there are places around the States where these types of changes could do a lot to numb the Peak Oil fallout.

We're on the brink of a massive food crisis (go plant a garden!)

Well another cheerful reminder of how precarious our way of life has become, this time from Lester R Brown, a much respected author on the topic of imminent agricultural collapse. Feel free to cut to the full article on TreeHugger .

We have seen for the last few months consistently record breaking increases in the price of food. December's prices shattered the record previously set during the 2007-08 price surge. January, in turn, tackled the December record by 3%... I will assume that come March we will hear something similarly dreadful about February price increases. So that's why my celery is $2.89 per bundle....

Now I'm not going to sooth your growing concern by telling you that a "Victory Garden" is going to save your soul. The solution is no longer that simple, nor was it ever, really. (But please do so anyway, it will help!)

The reality is that should the agricultural product of 2011 be anything but a great success we are likely to see civil  unrest, war, and, possibly, the collapse of many governments around the world as shortages of food drive people to action. Countries depend on conditions that are no longer reliable; over-worked aquifers, petrochemical inputs, and consistent climate. In short many countries like India, China, the entire Middle East, and, to a lesser extent, United States are already facing problems with supplying their farm lands with what they need to survive.

Water tables are dropping substatially all over the world as aquifers are being pumped at hundreds of times their recharge rates. Oil is beginning to get scarce, and prices are as volatile as ever. This means that pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizer prices are going to keep going up, straining already strapped farmers to the breaking point. Not to mention the cost of transporting, processing, and packaging those beloved processed foods is going to skyrocket. To top this trifecta off the climate is beginning to shift, leading to all sorts of dramatic events. Droughts, floods, hurricanes, extreme temperature swings, etc, have all become a reality.

So what does this mean for us now?

We have a rising demand for food, because of the increase in population. More mouths at the table means greater inequalities as portions are given out. And no amount of humanitarian aid is going to help people out this time. Technology, try as it might, is about twenty years away from being able to roll out, en mass, any sort of solution.

So its time to grow a garden, raise it sustainably, and pray our leaders can hold the rest of the world together.

Eager to start a garden this spring? Beware of seeds from Monsanto!

If you are like me you enjoy watching the crops and flowers you plant in the spring grow and develop. There is certainly nothing more satisfying than reaping that which you sow, but this day in age it can be a lot more complicated than that. As we all know many seed varieties out there are genetically modified to produce stronger, more productive plants, seemingly a great concept. However, there are many problems with this concept.

My biggest issue with this whole arrangement is that very few companies hold a monopoly on the supply of seeds, making them a very pretty, not so green, penny. Along with that these companies are into some very shady practice. For instance, the company Monsanto, one of the worlds largest seed producers is famous for suing farmers who grow crops adjacent to farms using Monsanto seeds. Their argument is that because the crops near the Monsanto plants might be fertilized by the Monsanto plant's pollen, those farmers then owe Monsanto royalties for the genetic information passed on. Utterly outrageous. Once more these seeds are often times designed so that their progeny are sterile and seeds collected from these genetically modified crops will, often times, not grow. This obviously forces farmers to continuously buy from one company. For sake of time, I won't start on how these seeds are often sold as part of a package deal of fertilizers and pesticides that are REQUIRED for these seeds to flourish.

If all this strikes you odd and maybe even enrages you slightly consider this article by Colleen Vanderlinden, titled; Keeping Monsanto Out Of Your Garden This Spring. In it she addresses which companies are owned by and sell seeds produced by companies like Monsanto and others. She also gives you some tips on knowing what to look for when buying seeds. If you want my opinion and you are from the Northeast, talk to the oldest person you know with a garden. Often times they keep their seeds for generations, and will have some genuine non-GMO heirloom varieties. If that doesn't work talk to the people at your local Farmers Market or Organic Co-Op, they will be able to point you to the varieties and companies, that work best with your local area. If all else fails start Googling, AND READ!

Thanksgiving

Nothing much to report today except for the fact that another year has gone by and it is time for Thanksgiving. As we all know the first Thanksgiving didn't actually involve turkey, they hadn't quite thought of that back in 1621. Originally a three day feast, Thanksgiving was made an official holiday by Abe Lincoln, and then later given an exact day by FDR. One sad note about why Thanksgiving was made to be on the fourth Thursday of the month of November is that part of FDR's motivation was to create a day that would encourage early holiday shopping. This was our first step towards the wanton consumer orgy that is Black Friday... I won't go off on that tangent today but I will say that it's a sad thing to think about.

However, I am still thankful for this, my second favorite, holiday. Any time that we can get together with your families and share a meal is a very special time and we should all be happy we still have the luxury of a good meal. The only thing I will try to say to you today is please eat local, buy your turkey and veggies from local farms, and remember that you are all part of a complex system that needs to be responsibly maintained. The more we do to bring days like today back home and back to our local farms makes it more and more likely that we will have these gatherings in the future.

"Thy bounty", is our bounty, cherish it.

Planning with Intent: Planning my Intentional Community

So planning for a long term intentional community might seem like a big and scary task. Something that might easily overwhelm any person who was to take on such a venture, but for as complicated as it is, to plan such a community isn't insurmountable. I have been kicking around ideas to plan, build, and make profitable a intentional community aimed towards self sustainability, agricultural education, and a farm stand/store. Below is my starting five year plan.

The Compound....(Yea I know its kind of intimidating but we haven't figured a name yet)

• Year 0
• Membership:
• 4-8 central starting members
• Likely to be divided between major financial contributors and major labor contributors.
• Planning will be equally shared and voted on, so a odd number of people would be best.
• Full-time, live in staff responsible for labor, building, and management.
• Part-time, non-live/seasonal live-in in staff responsible for finance, legal, PT-labor.
• Central members set goals and a overarching vision for group/project.
• Plans that set guidelines and expectations for years 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, etc.
• Combine initial investments and incorporate as a group.
• Search for a suitable land investment:
• 150-200acres
• Good water, (lake, ponds, streams, rivers, quality ground water)
• Good initial soil and slope for farming
• Reasonable timber resources for building and sustainable timber operation
• Proximity to local municipalities
• Proximity to major towns and/or cities
• Access to local grid (phone, power, network)
• Standing structures are a bonus
• Previously farmed land is a bonus
• Set final plan for farming and long term expansion of farming efforts
• Viable crops, cash crops, subsistence
• Crop rotation
• Agricultural style (organic, no-till, etc)
• Make initial contacts with Timber management company
• Early income potential
• Begin initial equipment investments
• Basic tools
• Tractor and attachments
• Portable Sawmill? (would be excellent for structure building)
• Power generation equipment (solar or small scale wind)
• Water storage
• Power tools
• Year 1
• Establish residency.
• Initially part time
• Rehab of standing structures and construction of small scale residences 
• Initial structure building prep
• Season timber for building (why we would use/need a sawmill)
• Establish structures for farm facilitation and equipment storage
• Clear/prep land for farming.
• Establish green manure/composting/soil building program at this time to effectively recycle cleared materials.
• Soil tests for pH and mineral contents to plan amendments and initial cover crops
• Cut and dry firewood for future
• Establish water and waste systems 
• water conservation and protection
• water acquisition
• if a well is needed have it dug
• water storage (cistern or catchment system)
• waste water recycling. (earthships model)
• waste recycling (composting)
• Establish subsistence farm
• provide food to residence
• provide crop effectiveness feedback
• Plan and establish initial animal husbandry
• chickens are easiest!
• plan for sheep, pigs, horses, cows, or whatever animals are desired for draft and food purposes.
• Begin contacting schools for initial internship possibilities and planning
• cheap labor
• agricultural education is positive for the community
• get kids out of the cities and off the streets for the summers
• provide skills, training, and food for good, honest labor on the farm
• Years 2-3
• Establish living quarters for full time residents and a bunkhouse for visitors.
• Living spaces would be best if shared initially via a large common farmhouse or lodge.
• Built from harvested timber for year before, and built with recycled or locally sources materials. Strawbale would be best, in my opinion.
• Expand farm to commercial scale. 
• Expand residential food garden too support a local farm stand and farmers market stand. Possibility would exist to create a CSA out of farm should that be desired at the time.
• Cut and clear more land, expand crop variety.
• Management of farm must be efficient if venture is to succeed
• Begin implementation of internship program to staff farm through the summer months
• This would also be a good time to begin looking for people to "buy in" 
• Expand animal husbandry and seek a facility to process animals locally or on site if possible.
• These years will be critical to success of venture because of initial dependence on the success of the farm and related commercial ventures. If revenue from farm is substantial enough to see a profit then profit should be reinvested into the farm in order to expand and streamline production. Larger farm=larger return.
• Begin development of processed foods such as syrup, honey, cheeses, preserves, pickled vegetable etc as an expansion of agricultural market.
• Years 4-5
• If things with farm are on an even keel this would be time to begin planning of other investments on site. 
• Suggestions include: meeting spaces, artists retreats, artistic facilities and work spaces, bed and breakfast, restaurant etc.
• These must be viable businesses that stand alone from farm financially. Financial interdependence could be a dangerous web should one venture or another fail.
• Lodge and surrounding full time residences should be complete along with workshop spaces, equipment sheds, water storage and processing, bunk houses, part time residences etc. These should have power and facilities independent of one-another.
• Development of a CSA group to better facilitate farm growth.

So this is where my ideas begin to stretch and get foggy. However, this is just because I have been more preoccupied with the details of the initial buildup that I haven't developed a solid plan that extends further than five years. So here is where I want your input and suggestions. What can be developed further? What can be added? What should be changed? What risks do you see? What could potentially make for a more sound idea? Anything you wish to contribute would be appreciated! Thank you!