Agribusiness to Michelle Obama: Use more chemicals in your food.
Agribusiness to Michelle Obama: Use more chemicals in your food.
First Lady Michelle Obama received widespread praise for her decision to plant a White House garden that will provide food for the residence. Obama has been receiving help with the project from Bancroft Elementary School children, who are learning the importance of healthy living. “You can carry a message back to your school about the importance of eating healthy meals,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said yesterday. “You have a partner at the Department of Agriculture to make meals better tasting and better for you.” However, the Mid America CropLife Association (MACA) — which represents agribusinesses like Monsanto, Dow AgroSciences, and DuPont Crop Protection — are unhappy that no chemicals are being used on the food:
“Fresh foods grown conventionally are wholesome and flavorful yet more economical,” the Mid America CropLife Association (MACA) wrote the first lady last month a few days after she and fifth-graders from a local elementary school planted the White House Kitchen Garden.
“As you go about planning and planting the White House garden, we respectfully encourage you to recognize the role conventional agriculture plays in the U.S. in feeding the ever-increasing population, contributing to the U.S. economy and providing a safe and economical food supply.”
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Some people are never satisfied.
April 10th, 2009 at 10:39 amJeebus, what Was she thinking of! An organic garden without Chemicals? Natural, wholesome foods for the White House? Jeebus, food without chemicals is like a day without sunshine, and that’s just like night!
April 10th, 2009 at 10:41 amWhen, oh when, will the insanity end?
Food without chemicals? What next? Power from the sun?
April 10th, 2009 at 10:44 amI had heard earlier, that there was also a petition for the Obamas to plant an organic garden.
Either way, I’m somewhat surprised that they haven’t resurrected the idea of a “Victory Garden” to help through the hard times.
At the same time, when I first saw the garden mentioned, I had to say that I had and still have some concern that the Limbaughs of the world will see the garden as vindication of the tacky postcard with watermelons growing in the front lawn.
April 10th, 2009 at 10:45 amHey, “Big Food” and “Big Chemical”…f#ck you.
Read “Dont eat this book”…really eye opening stuff about how alot of creeps are trying to profit off putting poison down your gullet in one form or the other..
http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Eat-This-Book-Supersizing/dp/B000NO1CPA/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239374821&sr=8-1
April 10th, 2009 at 10:48 amMy mother has grown vegetables at her house for most of her life. She always finds somewhere in the yard to put in a raised bed, scatters herbs around the landscaping, has tomatoes in containers. The goal of this gardening is to provide some fresh food for the table, fresh herbs, and to enjoy the time spent in the garden. Nothing that Monsanto produces can improve the experience. The last thing she’d want to do while gardening is read the warning labels on a lot of poison.
April 10th, 2009 at 10:49 amCan you imagine the outcry if she had done the conventional way? It would have been amazing! She cannot win. I think she is doing a great job. She is a first lady to be proud of!
April 10th, 2009 at 10:49 amI just love this idea. Its about time a vegie garden was on the White lawn again. And a healthy one without the use of chemicals. YAHOO!!!!
April 10th, 2009 at 10:50 amYeah…that’s gonna happen.
Michelle Obama inspired me, and I’ll have pots and pots of veggies on my deck this summer — without the “help” of chemicals.
April 10th, 2009 at 10:53 amONLY IN AMERICA………….
April 10th, 2009 at 10:55 amWhats absurd is that for the home gardener, I have found using organic gardening is cheaper, simpler and more effective than using chemicals period. I will never use a chemical in my garden. Besides, a garden without chemicals has a fascinating amount of life in it. Last year we had a family of frogs that lived in our garden.
Gardens are an ecosystem just like the jungles and oceans, many people fail to realize this. ..
April 10th, 2009 at 10:59 amAn organic farmer just told me that the herb sage diffused in a little oil (to help it ’stick’) is the absolute best insect repellent – and it doesn’t lead to the problem we’re having with bee loss that could lead to real devistation.
April 10th, 2009 at 10:59 amConventional agriculture meaning how we’ve grown food with chemicals in the last century as opposed to how it was grown for thousands and thousands of years??
Suck it, chemical companies! My garden is organic!
And tasty!
April 10th, 2009 at 11:01 amEveryone in the progressive community should buy a share or several shares in one of these companies, then donate them to a progressive org that can then help steer the company decisions toward more earth-friendly policies.
If that fails they could then steer them right out of business and write it off.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:03 am“Wholesome” and “safe” are two words that should NOT be applied to the use of agricultural chemicals.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:05 amGuys I think the REAL scandal here is in the picture..is Michelle Obama bowing submissively to that plant? How are plants going to respect america if we bow to them like grass in the wind? Has fox news heard about this yet?
April 10th, 2009 at 11:08 amBecause nothing’s healthier for you than GMO round-up ready crops by Monsanto or crops grown under a Bhopal-type Dow-DuPont cloud.
Kudos for Michelle for going organic. I wonder where the compost pile is (besides the pile of neocon thugs on The Hill)?
April 10th, 2009 at 11:10 amSo now we have to add chemical-free food to the ever-growing long list of things that right wingers are scared of?
It may be easier and quicker to list the things that right wingers are NOT afraid of.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:11 amHey Agribusiness, how ’bout we bring back DDT.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:13 amNow wouldn’t that be yummy.
Jeebus Jesus, I just sprayed tea all over my monitor! In retrospect though, I’ve Got to agree with you. Can we get the Air Force to vector in some F-22s? Mach 2 aircraft will teach those vegitiative villains to repect us!
April 10th, 2009 at 11:14 amChocolate Jesus Says:
Guys I think the REAL scandal here is in the picture..is Michelle Obama bowing submissively to that plant? How are plants going to respect america if we bow to them like grass in the wind? Has fox news heard about this yet?
April 10th, 2009 at 11:08 am
**snort**
April 10th, 2009 at 11:15 amWow — how DID all those home victory gardens during WWII ever manage without gobs of chemicals?
I suspect Monsanto, Dow, and Dupont are just trying to grab a marketing opportunity to go after the home market. Can’t you just see the marketing slogans now? — “as used for the White House Kitchen Garden”…
April 10th, 2009 at 11:19 amI’m just enjoying the idea of the First Lady in the White House kitchen explaining to the chefs and staff how they need to save certain things for the compost heap. That has to be good for a raised eyebrow or two.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:23 amI am glad Michelle Obama has planted a garden that will not use chemicals. MACA is worried, and rightly so, that this will start a movement of people either growing their own food without chemicals or demanding organic produce. That’s not a bad thing. Nutrients in soil continually sown with chemicals can be depleted, with potentially disastrous implications for our soil and planet.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:24 amAnd has any in-depth research into the connection between the chemicals used in our food and the rise of cancer, autism and other diseases?
I suggest that people read the entire letter posted on the La Vida Locavore blog before they pass judgment on this entry alone.
The actual letter to the Obamas was posted a month ago, and the MACA commends the Obamas for starting a garden at the White House. However, they also want the Obamas to stress the important role that agriculture, both organic and synthetic, plays in the daily lives of Americans. I do not think that they are pushing for the Obamas to lace their garden with chemical products, but I do feel that they are trying to lobby for recognition from the Obamas that agriculture cannot function without synthetic agriculture.
I do think that the MACA is misunderstanding the significance of the garden’s role at the White House. This is not some garden that is intended to grow 100% of the food used at the White House. The garden is the White House’s attempt to remind Americans that there are alternatives to “big agriculture” during this time of economic hardship. It is true that many Americans may not have the time nor space to grow their own vegetables, but those that do should be encouraged to do so.
Besides, don’t you think it might also serve an educational purpose, to teach children the importance of the Earth’s bounty (both uppercase and lowercase)? The First Lady is meant to be a figurehead for activism, and this is the way Michelle Obama is handling her role.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:31 amActually, scratch that. I missed the first part of that “email” sent out, specifically the part about the people “shuddering” about an organic garden without the use of chemicals. My bad.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:36 amSince MACA is kind enough to offer their gardening tips to Mrs. Obama, the least they could do is share some great veggie recipes as well. I hear she’s just dying to use the corn she’s growing to make some HFCS, so her kitchen staff can sweeten everything, just like the food manufacturers do!
April 10th, 2009 at 11:36 amHow do you keep the potato bugs from eating up your plants? That is the question that has plagued me for years, and I cant find any answers. Help? My home garden is as chemical free as I can make it. Hate the thought of all those chemicals in my food. This year the garden is going to be bigger and better without all those bad man made shlt in the soil and plants.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:37 amThe critics of Michelle Obama’s garden deal in frankenfoods and poison.
She cannot take a public, rhetorical stance against these two major supporters of her huasband’s farm policy.
But she can grow her garden.
If she recants, of she uses Round-Up resistant seed, for example, you’ll know the fix is well and truly in.
It is worth remembering here, too, that the last First Lady specified that all veggies served in the ShiteHouse under her fatuous, criminal spuse sshould be “organic”…
April 10th, 2009 at 11:42 amNot until we’re eating unprocessed crude oil will they be happy.
Soylent Green is NOT people.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:46 amIt’s a bad thing that they aren’t using strange chemicals? What are these people smoking and where can I get some?
April 10th, 2009 at 11:54 amMy family has enjoyed growing our own organic veg and herbs since we bought our house 10 years ago. There is NOTHING that beats snipping fresh herbs as needed while grilling, harvesting just enough mixed greens for your salad and the freshness, aroma and taste of vegetables that have been vine-ripened. The pleasure and sheer enjoyment of organic gardening is something that I am proud to pass on to my children (my 10 year old has her own plot in the yard to grow her strawberries and snap peas). Her unending curiousity of nature has gotten her more involved each year with the maintenance and selection of flora for our fish/frog pond and flower garden. She has even convinced me to add another water feature in our yard this year. The fish and frogs eat a surprising number of mosquitos and larvae and the running water brings in such a variety of birds and other critters looking for a drink. I’d probably go nuts between the economy, being forced to concede to a thirty hour work week to avoid layoffs, the added stress of working in NYC (and the fear of NOT working) if it weren’t for my little home oasis.
Aside from adding a big F@CK YOU TO THE CHEMICAL AGRO CROWD, that’s my two cents.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:57 am.
The Chem/agro business recognises the threat and impact that organic gardening can have upon it’s national food distribution and supply.
.
April 10th, 2009 at 12:53 pm[...]we respectfully encourage you to recognize the role conventional agriculture plays in the U.S
Maybe it’s me, but I detect a bit of an Orwellian spin here.
So the use of chemicals is conventional agriculture?
I thought it was the other way around -after all, during most of human history, humans have grown their food without the use of modern-day chemicals. Silly me.
April 10th, 2009 at 12:58 pmGregor Samsa Says:
So the use of chemicals is conventional agriculture?
I thought it was the other way around -after all, during most of human history, humans have grown their food without the use of modern-day chemicals. Silly me.
April 10th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
______________
Yeah, isn’t that an interesting bit of double-speak? Organics are considered “exotic” and “unconventional,” but dumping a ton of pesticide on a corn crop specifically bio-engineered to not be killed by that pesticide is “conventional.”
April 10th, 2009 at 1:33 pmre Gregor Samsa
That is the new terminology. If you are a traditional producer, people wonder what is wrong with you and the Chairman of the House Ag Committee refers to you as a hippie farmer.
April 10th, 2009 at 1:37 pmMs. Obama is polite enough to tell these bozos to shove it and be just fine….
Gotta have a lobbyist in every closet…Maybe if they go out there and lend her a hand WITHOUT their poison they might learn something!! Na…that’s to easy..
Have Issa introduce another piece of legislation barring her from growing a garden on the premises….yea, that’s the ticket…Hacks everywhere…
April 10th, 2009 at 1:45 pmVomit.
They can’t stand to leave anything pure and good alone, can they? Gotta find a way to destroy it with industry and Corporate America.
Rapacious, egregious GREED.
April 10th, 2009 at 3:43 pm*
For those of you that grow more than you need please consider the barter economy. Freeganing food is lots of fun and beneficial to all parties. So anyone looking for an excess of kale?
April 10th, 2009 at 3:43 pmHere’s a handy page – when I googled Potato Bug, though, one of the pages was a Wikipedia that says there are three different bugs called the potato bug. Is it this one? One of the others is the Jerusalem cricket and there’s another one I can’t remember…
April 10th, 2009 at 4:44 pmhttp://www.essortment.com/all/potatobuggarde_rjdx.htm
I used to have a 50 by 100 plot and I just hand picked my potato bugs
April 10th, 2009 at 4:48 pmWe all need to go one step further and practice the design sciences of permaculture. Coppice Swale the WH lawn for bio char and create sustainable soils. Malaysian fresh water prawns in an Aquaponics system run on a solar pump. Compost. Permaculture is all integrated in a pattern. Start designing your food forest now. Want to know more? http://www.ecosutra.com
April 10th, 2009 at 4:53 pmWhen did genetically modified, chemical fortified gardening and agriculture become the “norm”. No nature is the norm. Plants genetically evolve to accommodate their environments and are genetically mutated to suit agribusiness. Mutations are not the norm and chemically saturated plant live is not the norm. These practices create genetic abnormalities, mutations in consumers and, frankly, less tasty produce.
Word speak doesn’t change the facts. Mutations and chemicals, feeding livestock livestock parts and all of the rest is disgusting and certainly not Mother Nature’s “norm.
April 10th, 2009 at 6:21 pmThe Bush Administration threatened to withhold seed and grains to African countries suffering from famine unless they accepted genetically modified seeds from American companies. Granted, I’m not all up to speed on this, but the countries concerns were that the genetically modified grains would pollinate their indigenous strains and prevent the indigenous strains from accommodating to future changes in weather and other conditions and thereby leave local populations in the future. Don’t know how this problem resolved itself, but it’s another flaming example of putting his financially needy corporate friends before the needs of world hunger and an immediate and long term solution to it. Science be screwed, if starving Africans really want American grain, they’ll take it now, out of expediency, they’ll corrupt African crops and next year, it will be a non-issue. Sick.
April 10th, 2009 at 6:31 pmI have a garden every year. Like my father b4 me and his b4 him. I use no chemicals. but I do understand why large farms must.
Encourage all you know to grow something!
April 11th, 2009 at 9:23 pmMonsanto is Evil
April 11th, 2009 at 10:56 pmMaybe the right wingers have been taking in too many chemicals. Everyon should watch the DVD “The Future of Food”, very informative. Should be able to get it from the library or through a health food store. It is a must see.
April 13th, 2009 at 3:07 pm