"Monsanto and industrial agriculture's darkening shadow over our food" [View All]

[JohnyCanuck]

The following excerpt of a wonderful article by Gene Logsdon must be put in the context of the USDA current and aggressive efforts to drive Amish farmers out of business. In Wisconsin, Emmanuel Miller, an Amish farmer is being sued by the state agriculture department there for refusing to register his property, for religious reasons, under Premises ID, part of NAIS. Meanwhile the state will not answer profound concerns about NAIS and what it is really about: www.opednews.com/articles/NAIS-bogus-Avian-Flu-epid-by-Linn-Cohen-Cole-090113-29.html and www.opednews.com/articles/The-SCAM-behind-NAIS--Ou-by-Derry-Brownfield-081130-795.html ).

The Amish face demands to wire their barns though they don't use electricity, the Mennonite www.counterpunch.org/cohen04262008.html and Amish are being raided in Pennsylvania by the Department of Agriculture for selling raw milk though now even urban customers seek out the wholesome product they have sold safely in their communities for hundreds of years. www.opednews.com/articles/Raw-Milk-Dairying-A-Contin-by-Kimberly-Hartke-090112-790.html And I heard (unconfirmed as yet) from a farmer in Wisconsin that this year, it will be illegal to purchase animals from farms (during a time when people are losing jobs and food distribution may be threatened).

Add to all that the criminalization of farmer's normal seed cleaning equipment now deemed a source of seed contamination by the FDA, influenced by Monsanto. www.opednews.com/articles/Raids-on-Seeds-life-itsel-by-Linn-Cohen-Cole-081215-45.html So, Amish farmers - or any of our farmers - cannot sell seeds considered food in themselves - raw seeds like flax, poppy, sesame, etc.; sprouting seeds like wheat, alfalfa, broccoli, amaranth, all kinds of greens and beans, etc.; seeds pressed into oil like corn, soy, canola, sunflower, etc. Oh, they "can" use seed cleaning equipment but only if it is the industrial equipment approved by the FDA and financially far out of reach for farmers.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Monsanto-and-industrial-ag-by-Linn-Cohen-Cole-090114-530.html