USDA Approves GMO Alfalfa Despite Scientist Warning

[gracebyfaith]

http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/02/usd ... nt-page-1/

Perhaps the wheels of government are too heavy to stop once they are set in motion, or maybe they are just a little too well greased by their friends in industry. Whatever the reason, the folks at USDA were either unwilling or unable to apply the brakes on their decision to approve Monsanto’s genetically modified “Roundup Ready” alfalfa despite the urgent warning sent out two weeks before the announcement by Dr. Don Huber, a plant pathologist and retired Purdue University professor.

Huber expressed grave concern about a newly discovered pathogen that has been found in high concentrations of other Roundup Ready crops such as soybeans and corn.
Researchers believe that this pathogen could be causing infertility in livestock and diseases in crops that could threaten the entire domestic food supply.

Ok. I have a day off. Sorry for all the post, things are really different on this site now. But, now is the time to be vigilant.

Don't give up on this site but, Contribute. It does not matter if we are wrong on the timeing of of His Coming, just knowing it is upon us is enough!

[burien1]

Don't give up on this site but, Contribute. It does not matter if we are wrong on the timeing of of His Coming, just knowing it is upon us is enough!

I hate to see people go to the trouble of posting something, and if it doesn't get the adrenaline pumping, it gets ignored.

Don't get me wrong.

Some important news gets ignored, and sometimes very stupid things can get comments. But thanks for posting, regardless.

[GodsStudent]

I don't know quite what to say about this GMO Alfalfa. I have watched the video "the world according to Monsanto" on youtube (it's about an hour long documentary), and am not the least bit shocked as there have been a lot of bad things that have taken place with this.

Monsanto is "in"
Walmart is "in"
Citibank is "in"

Just to name a few. At the end of the day, tho, what can we say? What can we do? Write a letter to our Congressman? pfhhhhh...yeah, right.

The design has been in play for a long time and different people (s) fund it to enhance their corporations, and in exchange, they get their way.

2 Peter 2 comes to mind....words to guide.

[Ready1]

FYI the farming community sees this as a tremendous positive for the simple fact that less goods and resources are devoted to herbicides which often do not work well in established crops.

Read full article

RR alfalfa’s advantages far outweigh disadvantages
Harry Cline
Feb. 28, 2011 9:19am

“Roundup Ready Alfalfa: An Emerging Technology” is the title of 8153, published in 2004. That emergence was put on hold almost four years ago when a radical group convinced a San Francisco federal judge to stop the sale of Roundup Ready alfalfa. The so called watchdog group claimed the U.S. Department of Agriculture must conduct an environmental impact statement. USDA did that, and along the way the Supreme Court overruled the San Francisco judge who halted the sale of the biotech forage seed.

The legal labyrinth took four years to maneuver, but RR alfalfa is back on the market.

Putnam and Western hay market analyst Seth Hoyt do not expect herbicide-resistant varieties to be heavily planted this spring because spring is not the ideal time to plant alfalfa in California and Arizona. Fall is better because of the heavy weed pressure associated with spring planting.

However, UC forage specialists say if growers wanted to plant alfalfa in the spring, RR alfalfa would be a good choice, since spring weeds could be more easily be eliminated with glyphosate-resistant alfalfa rather than using non-Roundup herbicides in conventional alfalfa varieties.

Seed companies are advertising their RR varieties. However, the same radical group that halted sales four years ago has notified USDA it will sue the department for approving RR alfalfa without proper consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service as required by the Endangered Species Act. One report indicated the Center for Food Safety was going to go back with its second nuisance lawsuit on the same issue to the same San Francisco federal judge who stopped RR alfalfa seed sales the first time. It is the same judge deemed to be in error by a 7-1 Supreme Court vote.

However, for now, growers can buy and plant RR alfalfa.

[bchandler]

That argument is completely false. The actual facts are that Monsonto's RR crops have all required MORE herbicides. Why? Because the weeds that do grow are RESISTANT to roundup, and are actually requiring the use of a modified version of agent orange to kill off the weeds... I know that Monsanto argues that these crops require less herbicides and pesticides, but the numbers don't lie... that reduced cost only lasts a few years for each variety they make RR. Then the costs go through the roof, as the resistant weeds and bugs require stronger and STRONGER sprays, and more frequent spraying.

Do your research, and I think most people will find that Monsanto is one of the most EVIL corporations on the planet.

What they did in India was tantamount to murder, conspiracy to defraud, and theft of property.

They sold the government on requiring farmers to buy GMO seed, which they had to take out mortgages to buy. The crops failed... 3 times... each time requiring a new seed loan upon promises from Monsanto that the problem was solved.

The farmers went bankrupt, many (whole families) choosing suicide when it became apparent that they were going to lose their farms to foreclosure when they could not repay their seed loans.

The foreclosed farms were then bought by who??? You got it... Monsanto... The very next crops planted on those farms... by Monsanto employees (many of whom are the dispossessed farmers) did not fail... and an awful lot of people all around the world watched this, and believe that this was a deliberate scheme by Monsanto to grab massive quantities of land in India.

[bchandler]

BTW, I have grown alfalfa... and there is absolutely no reason to create a RR version of alfalfa... It is one of the hardiest weeds you will ever grow... it out-competes EVERYTHING for space, and it overshadows EVERYTHING that tries to grow, becoming it's own living mulch. I have NEVER had to spray for weeds in an alfalfa field.

You don't even have to replant alfalfa... it will survive the winter in warmer climates, and it is one of the first plants to thrive and welcome the spring. Most of the farmers I knew who grew it just let their last grow-out go to seed, and then they disc the whole field... no need to buy seed, or replant every year... spring time rolls around and it just grows like mad!

RR alfalfa is simply not needed or necessary, except to allow Monsanto corp to claim patent infringement upon another agribusiness sector when their GMO franken crop CONTAMINATES the fields of farmers who don't want to do business with them!!!

[Ready1]

Hi bchandler,

I make my living by farming, and yes I have used Roundup since it became available before 1980. It has been the number one selling herbicide since 1980.

I know that Monsanto argues that these crops require less herbicides and pesticides, but the numbers don't lie... that reduced cost only lasts a few years for each variety they make RR.

According to my experience, we have used less herbicide to control difficult weeds since Roundup has been available. Do we only use Roundup? No, of course not. As in any good integrated pest control program we alternate herbicides so that we do NOT encounter resistance to this product; in the same way that we alternate pesticides and miticides. Before Roundup, NOTHING would control bermuda grass. Post Roundup, this pest weed is no longer an issue. Is it true that the reduced cost "only lasts a few years?" Well, no. Roundup/glyphosate is cheaper today than it has ever been, and just as effective.

Then the costs go through the roof, as the resistant weeds and bugs require stronger and STRONGER sprays, and more frequent spraying.

If resistance is encountered, it is not "STRONGER sprays, and more frequent spraying" which are needed, it is different sprays which are needed. And as with any herbicide or pesticide, they need to be applied when the target weed or pest is most vulnerable.

Is resistence possible? Of course. Anytime that a product is used repeatedly, resistance is possible...but with a good integrated program it is not inevitable.

Do your research.

I feel like I have. How about you?

[bchandler]

I think you misinterpreted some of my comments... i was not talking about the costs of roundup... and when i said stronger and Stronger... i thought that my comment about a version of agent orange made it clear that i was also talking about a different herbicide.

And yes.... just like anti-biotics, you have to rotate through a variety of them to deal with resistances.

Which to my point... means that overall spraying costs are only reduced in the short term...

Maybe the real problem here is the WAY we farm altogether... which makes very poor use of ag space due to the need for automation on the farm. I for one do not believe in these massive farms to start with. In point of fact I believe that they and especially their methods are a part of the problem.

I personally believe that we must return to a more sustainable form of farming, that works with nature and with God's ways. Not this Frankenstein of co-ops, conglomerates, and monster corporations that are destroying our world... one piece of failed farm land at a time.

[Ready1]

Maybe the real problem here is the WAY we farm altogether... which makes very poor use of ag space due to the need for automation on the farm. I for one do not believe in these massive farms to start with. In point of fact I believe that they and especially their methods are a part of the problem.

I personally believe that we must return to a more sustainable form of farming, that works with nature and with God's ways. Not this Frankenstein of co-ops, conglomerates, and monster corporations that are destroying our world... one piece of failed farm land at a time.

I understand that we disagree on a philosophical level. Some of the finest and most efficient farmers that I know are ones who farm many acres. Are they farming in a way that "makes very poor use of ag space?" Absolutely not! On the contrary, they are farming at a level where they can efficiently afford the high cost of machinery and supplies. They are also capable of maximizing the utilization of the ground that they own and farm. Are they using sustainable methods? Every farmer that I know has a deep love for the soil and the desire to produce for the good of their fellow man. And they desire the ability to pass on a creditable farming system to their own children when their stewardship has been completed. So the answer is yes, we all desire a sustainable system which is beneficial to the environment, and will produce in quantities that will both sustain our farms and our families.

On the flip side, some of the poorest use of land comes from the small farmers in our area who can neither afford the equipment or the supplies, and furthermore lack the inclination to produce efficiently. Many of them have jobs from which they derive their living and for them the farm is nothing more than a headache, and the requirement be diligent in supplying the needs of their land and their crops simply takes second place. Why? Partly because the return from their labor is greater from their day job than is the return from their farm. This also speaks to the thin margins found in farming in general.

So if you argue for a "more sustainable form of farming that works with nature and with God's ways," (I am not certain what all this entails or suggests) then I suggest that you also argue for higher prices of food commodities so that modern farming can adopt such techniques. The simple reason that I suggest this is because productivity will fall and the requirement for more acreage under cultivation will rise.

One further point to remember; just because a farm is big does not mean that it is not family operated and has been in existence for generations.

I saw an interesting California article which references the rise of ag productivity which is here.

[bchandler]

I can take a piece of land... and in 4 years get 8 times commercial yields on that land. By using the french intensive, or bio-intensive method...

No I am not arguing for higher food prices. I AM arguing for an agrarian society, where most people have enough land to produce their own food, without poisoning the food,land and water. We lose massive amounts of topsoil every year.

The bio-intensive method GROWS topsoil. 500 times faster than nature. Commercial farming destroys topsoil. Bio-Intensive farming feeds the soil and all of it's many critters and creates a synergistic ecosystem that improves the nutrient density of our food supply. Commercial farming destroys the LIFE in the soil, in favor of producing as much as possible, as quickly as possible, with little or no care for the quality of the produce beyond what it will fetch on the market.

So yes, we have a vastly different philosophy on farming. I believe that many of the bio-intensive methods can be adapted to mechanized farming. But it takes someone with a true vision to make that happen, and to design the equipment.

In a bio-intensive sustainable commercial farm... the changes would have to happen slowly... but first and foremost... the abuse of the soil has to stop, and sustainable methods of maintaining the soil without destroying it, or the life within it must be practiced... these are the first steps... the changes to farm equipment for preparing soil, planting, and harvesting would need to be next... somewhere in there the model of large single crop tracts needs to be changed to a model of companion crops that provide both cash crops, and compost nutrients, and biomass growth in and return to the soil needs to happen.

There are organic farms that are pursuing these goals... and you are correct that costs are higher... but... they are getting better... as are their yields. They are developing biologically friendly inoculants for their soils, and for their plants that live and work with nature, rather than poisoning it.

But all in all, i think it will prove to be too little too late, and the real salvation will be people learning to use bio-intensive farming methods for themselves... and telling the farmers, and the corporations just exactly where to put the high cost of their food processes.

[bchandler]

Oh, BTW, please don't think i am aiming my comments directly at you... I am convinced of your love for God and his creation. I also am thrilled to hear that you still own your generational farm. Many no longer do own their land... they have been relegated to being corporate employees upon their generational farms.

I wish you all of the best in your farming endeavors. I wish you all of God's protection from the evils of the food world such as Monsanto.

I also pray that God place in your heart, a burning desire for natural farming methods that will bring you unimaginable prosperity, yields, and quality of goods.

I hold nothing against you brother. I only believe that it is imperative for today's farmers to pull their collective heads out of commercial "farm science" and the corporations that support it... and really seriously seek ways to return to self-sustaining methods of stewarding the resources which God has given to us.

Commercial farm science creates a cycle of dependency upon the corporations that drive that science. Their end goal is to enslave you to using their products in order to fulfill their fiduciary responsibility to their corporate share holders. The truth is... that the self-sufficient, self-sustaining farmer... that doesn't need all of their stuff... is a threat to their existence.

[Ready1]

I can take a piece of land... and in 4 years get 8 times commercial yields on that land. By using the french intensive, or bio-intensive method...

...then you certainly should!


I perceive that we will not agree on several fronts:

I do not believe:

1) That the food industry is evil.
2)That "natural farming" (whatever that means) will provide unimaginable prosperity, yields, and quality of goods.
3) That farmers today do not "seriously seek ways to return to self-sustaining methods of stewarding the resources which God has given to us."
4)That with regard to current companies who supply agricultural chemicals and supplies "Their end goal is to enslave you to using their products"
5) That those who currently produce food, are guilty of poisoning the food,land and water.

I do know that:

1) Bio-Intensive farming feeds the soil and all of it's many critters and creates a synergistic ecosystem that improves the nutrient density of our food supply is currently being incorporated in many of of commercial farming operations.
2) "There are organic farms that are pursuing these goals... and you are correct that costs are higher... but... they are getting better... as are their yields." This is true, they are getting better...but the disparity is massive.
3) Commercial farming is also pursuing these goals.

[bchandler]

Food, Inc.
The Future of Food
King Corn
Deconstructing Supper
What's on Your Plate?
Broken Limbs
Food Matters

All of the above documentaries are available for instant play on netflix... for anyone who is interested and cares to learn about the industrial, conglomerate, corporate complex that determines what we eat, and how it is grown, and what it does to us, and how people are fighting back.

Yea as in any documentary, there are some political ideologies that we might disagree with... but separate the ideology from the facts... and i think most people will be appalled by what they learn, and at least be driven to pay the extra for better food... and maybe even find the incentive to grow some of their own.

[bchandler]

...then you certainly should!

I have... and i am currently in year 3 on my new garden... which should yield about 3-4 times commercial yields.

The soil i currently have is heavy clay... and it has taken a lot more time, and biomass crops to get it into good shape. Much more than other places i have lived. Biomass, sand, acidifying compounds (my soil is incredibly alkaline), compost. I have used alfalfa and rye to add lots of biomass to the soil as quickly as possible. Rye is an incredible plant... they put incredible amounts of biomass into soil very fast. The alfalfa I mow and re-incorporate into the soil without ever letting it go to seed... which causes it to fix lots of nitrogen in the soil... i also use clover for that purpose.

With properly prepared soil... rye will put root systems down all the way down to the bottom of a 2 foot deep bed... changing soil structure pretty quickly.
anyways.. for those willing to learn, and able to separate facts from hype... i think you will find those documentaries fun.

[Ready1]

I have... and i am currently in year 3 on my new garden...

That is a "scosh bit different" than trying it on 100 ac. Try it on the 100 then we can talk again. (Then we'll have you try it on 300 ac.)

[bchandler]

That is the whole point... transferring what we know works amazingly well on the homestead farm, to the commercial farm. It can be done... but it requires a lot of vision and drive from the farmers... they are taking risks with their lively-hood and inheritance after all.

[daffodyllady]

I personally believe that we must return to a more sustainable form of farming, that works with nature and with God's ways. Not this Frankenstein of co-ops, conglomerates, and monster corporations that are destroying our world... one piece of failed farm land at a time.

As I do also. And I rejoice exceedingly in the promise of Micah 4:1-4

1 In the last days the mountain of the Lord's house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. Peoples will stream to it,
2 and many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about His ways so we may walk in His paths." For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will settle disputes among many peoples and provide arbitration for strong nations that are far away. They will beat their swords into plows, and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war.
4 But each man will sit under his grapevine and under his fig tree with no one to frighten [him]. For the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has promised [this].

Sounds like a perfect homestead system to me!

[DneprCowboy]

You cannot just let alfalfa just go to seed and expect it to replant itself. There is such a thing as autotoxicity with alfalfa. Living alfalfa emits a chemical into the soil that prevents new alfalfa plants from growing. You must plow up the old alfalfa and plant different crops for at least one year before you plant alfalfa again. Weeds definitely do grow in alfalfa fields. Alfalfa is not very resistant to most good herbicides, it is very hard to kill the weeds and not kill the alfalfa too. Alfalfas' ability to last for years and years also adds to the weed problem because you don't need to tear the field up to plant crops once or twice a year. In fact, you can't disc or plow the field to kill the weeds without killing the alfalfa.

GMO crops are pretty scary stuff, but if you want to compete you have to plant it.

I have absolutely no love for monsanto but I will probably be planting RR alfalfa if we ever come out of our drought here in Eastern NM.

the Cowboy

[bchandler]

lol... i have never had a problem with alfalfa re-seeding itself.... I WISH i could have gotten rid of all the alfalfa in some fields...

Anyway... i suppose if you want to submit to the demands of the corporations you can... Or you can find a better way... The better ways are available... and many farmers who pursue those ways do much better than average... because they get premium prices for their produce.

Either way you go... you have to live with your decisions and their consequences. You can be part of the solution, or part of the problem...

I choose to be part of the solution, and buy organic whole foods, and grow my own.
I choose NOT to buy processed foods and put any of my money into the pockets of the world food controllers.

[bchandler]

as for weeds growing in it... i didn't say they didn't... i did say that alfalfa competes very well and will crowd out most other things because they become their own living mulch. I have walked fields dealing with weeds... by hand... i never needed to do more than that... but i wasn't planting hundreds of acres.

[DneprCowboy]

Alfalfa will not re seed itself. While it is true that alfalfa refuses to completely die out ( I have some fields with alfalfa that is over 10 years old), it is almost impossible to keep a field productive for over 7 years. A good healthy alfalfa field is fairly resistant to weed invasion, but to keep it that way you have to disc and burn the edges alot. You rarely have to spray a whole field of alfalfa with pesticides, only the edges and where the wind blows the weed seeds in. The problem is pesticide drift. And with autotoxicity, you can't merely replow and reseed the areas that have been killed by the drift.

Watch out that you're not getting scammed by the "organic" label. Many farms are using chemicals and putting the organic label on anyway.

Growing it yourself is really the only way to go. I only use heirloom seeds myself on my personal gardens. The scariest thing about GMO is the sterility issues.

I find foreign produce to be far scarier at this point than GMO. Green onion fields irragated with sewage and such are a very common practice in other countries.

If everyone around me uses GMO, my 52 acres of organic heirloom is not going to make any difference whatsoever. My biggest concern for the food supply of this country is all the big farmers are in debt and also dependent on Govt. subsidies and crop insurance. One big economic crash and our food production will drop dramatically.


the Cowboy

[bchandler]

That terminator gene is a scary thing indeed. They say it can't propagate, but now we are hearing about pathogens in GMO crops that cause low birth rates, spontaneous abortions, and sterility? I mean seriously... isn't this just exactly what the NWO, WHO, and the people who built the Georgia guide stones have been after all along?

Do you really believe that this is an accident?

Do we really believe that this has nothing to do with the CCD in honey bee hives?

This is just another reason to "grow your own" food. As is the deliberate mislabeling of Organic foods, and drift of GMO foods. The only way to 100% ensure the quality of your produce is to grow your own. The only way ensure minimal contamination of your heirloom crops with GMO pollens is to build greenhouses around your beds, and to route your honey bees through your greenhouses before they can get outside.

Lastly, I went and read up on alfalfa autotoxicity. It does not say that overseeding or allowing a crop to re-seed doesn't work. In fact it does indicate that that in the second year after overseeding increased yields are seen. The demonstration plot is a stand that was planted 2 weeks after the old stand was disked under... 2 weeks! Where as I was talking about fields regrowing after winter killing, and/or being disked and left to winter for 3-4 months.

Conclusion, it may well be that my stand of alfalfa was thinner than it could have been... but i don't believe it was... i suspect that it is more likely that the overlap in yearly reseeding accounted for the yields being acceptable and made up for the 2 year lag in plant propagation. It appears that many young seedling plants simply die out when they are too close to an established plant, while other seeds seem to take longer to germinate. But plant density did increase overall from 1.5-3 plants per sq. ft. by the second year, effectively doubling plant density over 2 years.

Now this would not be a cost effective way if you are buying your seed... but allowing it to seed itself... i suspect that your overall seed density would be well above the 52 seeds per sq. ft. in the study.

[InNeedofaSavior]

It's been a loooooong time since I've been to the site, so forgive me if this has already been discussed.. But if you haven't seen "The Future of Food", I HIGHLY reccommend it. It's on netflix and I believe you can watch it somewhere online for free, but it gives in-depth detail of this and why it is so horrifying.. It could very well lead to mass starvation and already has in poor countries that the USA gave loans to buy this seed from us, and when the seed was not able to be saved and replanted, these people could not afford repayment and are now starving! There is so much more to it.. It is very eye-opening!!

[Ready1]

That is the whole point... transferring what we know works amazingly well on the homestead farm, to the commercial farm. It can be done... but it requires a lot of vision and drive from the farmers... they are taking risks with their lively-hood and inheritance after all.

Modern farmers have a lot of vision and drive! If it works that great, I will guarantee you that it is also mainstream...for the simple reason that mainstream farming produces in the simplest, most cost effective, and efficient way possible. If your way is either inefficient or not cost effective, it will not be used. That is why I say "Show your system in a comercial setting." The reason for this is that the high cost of land and the high cost of production requires the efficient and cost effective systems that are now in place. In our area, mainstream farming has adopted many of the "green" practices which have not been available in commercial arena in the past but are now available in cost effective forms.

Examples:

Composting: Now available in commercial quantities in California from Recology and others.
Pheremones: Mating disruption scents which mask the smell of the female moth now available and in widespread use for: Walnuts & Apples: Coddling Moth (the most destructive Lepidoptera for these crops), Almonds and Peaches: Oriental Fruit Moth (OFM), Peach Twig Borer (PTB) and Navel Orange Worm (NOW).

The use of these products means that hundreds of thousands of acres have few if any "pesticides" sprayed upon them.

The trouble is that farming has adopted these methods without fanfare or the knowledge of the public. Which leaves the public thinking that the methods which farming currently uses are the ways of the past and which are harmful to people and the environment. Not True. But it is very, very difficult to change perception with fact.

Even though I farm, and have for over 35 years, you have a difficult time accepting the truths that I tell you because you know that they are "not true" and that I am "brainwashed".

[bchandler]

I hardly think you are brainwashed. It is difficult to see some problems when you are a cog in the machines though.

The truth is that we have all been programmed from our childhood to believe that OUR way was best. That industrialization and commercialization were best. That efficiency in mass production was best.

What we have found is that industrialization, drove us away from the land, and commercialization has created a massively brittle infrastructure, and efficiency (actually all 3) has resulted in wide scale displacement of people.

I am well aware that some farmers are actually returning to composting, Many cities around the country are actually composting their parks and recreations, and tree waste, as well as incorporating sewage sludge into thermophilic composting programs. In my own city I can go down and purchase compost with or without the composted human waste.

Farmers buy it from the city by the truckloads for the surrounding farms. So yes... some changes are beginning. But these same farmers are still planting GMO crops that are engineered to produce their own internal pesticides, fungicides etc...

It used to be that you could wash this stuff off of your foods. But now it is being incorporated into every cell of the plant... and it can't be removed.

Now we have scientists sounding alarms about GMO food causing abortion, infertility, and necrosis in bee hives, immune system compromise? As usual, the USDA and FDA are not listening, because the people approving the products have taken jobs within these organizations coming from the very companies that are seeking product approvals.

The revolving door between the private and public sectors in this industry is criminal. People are hired away from the public sector so that they can be replaced by a private sector person from the desired company, and when they accomplish their task, they return to their private sector jobs with massive promotions and re-hiring bonuses. Not to mention the political payola that occurs in the form of campaign contributions... which are converted to private use funds when a politician retires.

The level of corruption within the system is staggering, and shameful.

The farmer is caught in the middle of this disastrous system and policies. Most farmers are not bad people... they simply don't have the resources to fight the system. They want to... but... profit margins are so tight, and in some cases negative without government subsidies, that the farmers don't have the power to insist on doing what they know is right, rather than what is expedient for the giant food conglomerates that control both sides of the food business on either side of the farmer... squeezing the farmer in the middle, leaving them (generally) one or two bad seasons from bankruptcy, and essentially putting them in a position of not being able to resist the things they know are wrong.

If you are one of the people who has been able to remain less effected by these massive international food conglomerates... bully for you! But I suspect you have your own stories about being forced to do things you didn't want to do because of economic market pressures that were engineered by these massive internationals.

I know that you are not brainwashed, or at least not completely... we all have some deprogramming to do... but I do think that we have a tendency, as humans, to select the truths we like, and discard those that are troublesome for us.

For example... i am sure that the vast majority of us are not putting up our very own wind, and solar generating systems, and converting to electric cars... even though we all know that every time we turn on the lights, or run our cars, we are polluting our atmosphere. I am almost certain that all of us continue to use the toilet... depositing our human wastes directly into our potable water, sending them to a treatment facility, knowing full well that eventually it will be discharged into our waterways... treated yes, most of the time, to try to reduce the environmental impact... Just as i am sure most of us still send the majority of our trash to landfills rather than recycling, composting, and/or using vermiculure to convert every scrap of recyclable material into something useful.

In some way shape or form, we are all just cogs in the machine... until we refuse to participate in a system that we know is broken. Often times... when a cog stops turning in a machine... it gets torn to pieces... but thank God for those people willing to take the chance to bring us the truth, and to say, "NO, I will not be a willing participant in this. I will exercise better stewardship than those who came before."

I think it behooves us all to examine ourselves and try to find ways to do better, and to attempt to find a way to become as self-sufficient, and to become a blessing rather than a burden to our place upon the earth, as possible. I think our responsibility as Christians is to bless other people... true enough... but I also see nowhere in scripture where God ever rescinded his command to man to convert the entirety of the earth into a garden of Eden. That was Adam's mandate, he and his progeny were supposed to grow and expand that garden, and subdue the wild earth, bringing peace, and order and fruitfulness, everywhere they went. Our love was supposed to be for ALL of God's creation... not just humanity. Our stewardship was unto every living thing... not just humans and their salvation. Jesus great commission added to our responsibilities upon the earth. It never relieved us of the other responsibilities.

As I stated before ready1, I have no doubt at all of your love for God, his people, or his creation. I wish i could have saved our family farm... but the cost was beyond me, and the remainder of the inheritors simply wanted to sell out. I wish you nothing but the best that God has for you. I also wish upon you God's own clarity and wisdom in how you choose to run your family farm. God bless you and keep you.

[Ready1]

As I stated before ready1, I have no doubt at all of your love for God, his people, or his creation. I wish i could have saved our family farm... but the cost was beyond me, and the remainder of the inheritors simply wanted to sell out. I wish you nothing but the best that God has for you. I also wish upon you God's own clarity and wisdom in how you choose to run your family farm. God bless you and keep you.

Thank you!

[bchandler]

BTW, just so you know... My farming experience is no where near yours...

My family farm was a dairy, and in some fields we grew feed stock. Barley, Oats, Alfalfa, etc... and only then upon occasion. Most of the fields were leased as pasture to other dairymen, because my grandmother couldn't keep the farm on her own.

The other farming I did... was mostly as a kid with my Dad, on a homestead farm, on a Youth ministry ranch for kids coming out of drug culture and abusive homes. We grew everything we needed to feed all of the people living and working at the ranch. Except grain... we got plenty of wonderful bread donated to us from the local oro-wheat bakery.

We raised our own hogs, chickens, rabbits, beef cattle and dairy cattle. It was a Christian commune, some worked on the farm, others worked in town to help us buy the things we needed that we couldn't grow and trade for.

It was an amazing experience to be blessed growing up this way. I learned a lot about the differences between mono-culture farming and companion planting farming. having witnessed the difference between the two, I must admit that I have always wanted to return to my childhood and multi-culture organic farming. I have never been happier doing anything else.

Our world is so deceived. We think we need all of this STUFF to be successful and happy. When all we really need is the knowledge that:

We have food enough until the next harvest
We have water enough until the next rain fall
We have adequate shelter from the storm
We have enough fiber to make our clothing
We have friends and family to share it with
We have enough extra to help others in need
We can teach others to live as we do (including our faith)

This is all true success in life looks like. Everything else is a distraction from really living! We waste our lives chasing fantasies we will never catch, instead of chasing true wealth and peace.

[gracebyfaith]

Monsanto

Spanish and Portuguese: habitational name from Monsanto (‘sacred mountain’) in Beira or one of the other places so named.

Sacred mountains are mountains sacred to certain religions. They are sacred and religious objects, usually with many myths and legends. For many, the most symbolic aspect of a mountain is the peak because it is believed that the higher a mountain is, the closer it is to heaven or any other celestial body. Almost all religions have some sacred mountains - either holy themselves (like Mount Olympus in Greek mythology) or related to famous events (like Mount Sinai in Judaism and descendant religions). In some cases the sacred mountain is purely mythical, like the Hara Berezaiti in Zoroastrianism. Volcanos were also considered as sacred mountains, such as Mount Etna in Italy, which was believed to be the home of Vulcan the Roman god of fire

Ancient myths and practices

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain peak in Greece. It was once regarded as the “home of the Greek Gods/The Twelve Olympians of the Hellenistic World". It was also considered the site of the War of the Titans (Titanomachy) where Zeus and his siblings defeated the Titans.

Mount Othrys is a mountain in Central Greece, which is believed to be the home of the Titans during the ten-year war with the Gods of Mount Olympus.

Mount Ida, also known as Mountain of the Goddess, refers to two specific mountains: one in the Greek island of Crete and the other in Turkey (formerly known as Asia Minor).

Mount Ida is the highest mountain on the island of Crete is the sacred mountain of the Titaness Rhea, also known as the mother of the Greek Gods. It is also believed to be the cave where Greek God Zeus was born and raised.

The other Mt. Ida is located in Northwestern Turkey alongside the ruins of Troy (in reference to the Hellenistic Period). The mountain was dedicated to Cybele, the Phyrgian (modern day Turkey) version of Earth Mother. Cybele was the goddess of caverns and mountains. Some refer to her as the “Great Mother” or “Mother of the Mountain”. The mythic Trojan War is said to have taken place at Mount Ida and that the Gods gathered upon the mountaintop to observe the epic fight. Mount Ida in Turkey is also represented in many of the stories of Greek author Homer such as Iliad and Odyssey.

Mount Athos, located in Greece, is also referred to as the Holy Mountain. It has great historical connections with religion and classical mythology. In religion it is believed that after the Ascension of the Lord, the Virgin Mary landed on the island and came upon a pagan temple. It was there that the pagan practitioners converted from paganism to Christianity. The Virgin Mary then blessed the land and claimed it her own.

In Classic mythology, Mount Athos is named after the Thracian giant who battled Poseidon, God of the Sea, during the clash of the titans and Gods. It is also said that Greek historian was given the task of creating a canal through the mountain after the failed journey of Persian leader, Xerxes. Overtime, Alexander the Great has become associated with the mountain for his worldly powers. The myth states that Roman architect Dinocrates had wanted to carve Alexander the Great's figure onto the top of the mountain in tribute to him.

The ancient Inca displayed a connection with death and their mountains. It is well known by scholars that the Inca sensed a deep reservoir of spirituality along the mountain range. Situating their villages in the mountains, they felt these places acted as portal to the gods. Ritual child sacrifices called Capachochas were conducted annually, where the most precious gift that could be given (innocent, blemishless, perfect human life) would be sacrificed to the gods. Tremendous effort would be taken as the sacrificial victims would be paraded alive throughout the cities, with multiple festivals and feasts taking place. The final destination would be the tops of some of the highest mountains near their villages, leaving these sacrifices to freeze in the snow. These would take place during great times of distress, during times of famine, violent periods of war, and even during times of political shift. This connection with the mountain as a sacred space is paramount. There would be no other place that would be sufficient or acceptable enough for the gods to accept these gifts. It is neither a surprise nor a coincidence that their honored dead were placed on the highest peaks of the mountains to express the shared connection between the sacred mountain, the gods, and the dead.