GMOs Are Destroying Heirloom Seeds and Our Food Security

Aaron Dykes

A report from Baker Creek Heirloom Rare Seed's catalog explains how the genetic engineering of crops is having real life consequences for business, as well as food security.

Just from the perspective of a medium sized business, Baker Creek and its partners in the seed industry have lost literally hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result of GMO corn contamination.



Baker Creek began testing their Heirloom corn varieties for GMO contamination, and found that more than 50% of their more than a dozen varieties were contaminated. Those varieties, most of which were hand passed down through countless generations, have now been lost – forever, unless a clean source is found and recovered.

Terrorist Felons For Selling Organic Food! The Story of Rawesome Foods

We Are Change

Luke Rudkowski meets James Stewart, founder of the private food co-operative Rawesome who was raided in 2010 and ultimately shut down in 2011 in Venice, CA for selling and trading raw dairy products that the FDA did not approve of. James also discusses the abuse he suffered while in jail after being arrested with multiple conspiracy charges for selling raw food.


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Food Forward: New PBS Series Explores 'Food Rebel' Innovation

Heather Callaghan

The food freedom bug has turned heads at PBS. Food Forward TV is an upcoming series that basically showcases people striving to dramatically transform the way we eat in the United States. "Food rebels" and outliers, so to speak.

Across 50 cities, it showcases farmers, chefs, scientists, fishermen and ranchers with ways that deviate from the "conventional" large agricultural and food system. Some of their methods emulate traditional farming - which only seem unique to newer generations - but most are new, innovative solutions to feed the world.

Will the world pay attention?

Food Forward TV comes to PBS in September - watch the preview below.

The featured pioneers are safely upping nutrition for humans, animals and the soil and eliminating losses through exorbitant waste by utilizing the ecology of the whole farm instead of large-scale compartmentalization. You may recognize some faces - one of them is Mark McAfee of Organic Pastures Dairy who has taken on the FDA for its aggression toward small, fresh milk farmers and its adamant ban on interstate sales.

The makers of the program wish to emphasize that they not affiliated in any way with a Los Angeles outreach of the same name. See more footage of the PBS series HERE. 

Heather Callaghan is a natural health blogger and food freedom activist. You can see her work at NaturalBlaze.com and ActivistPost.com. Like at Facebook. 

Recent posts by Heather Callaghan:

• Glyphosate Detected in Deformed Piglets
• McDonald's Stands By Meat Supplier Amid Shanghai Food Scandal
• Horrible Whodunit: Vandals Destroy Tens of Thousands of Bees

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Family Homestead Raided by SWAT Team for "Weeds"

Bob Tuskin

Arlington, Texas -- A family with a passion for gardening and conscious living was raided by the Arlington SWAT team early Friday morning. All 8 adults present in the house were initially handcuffed at the gunpoint of heavily armed SWAT officers, including the mother of a 22 month old and a two week old baby who was separated from her children during the raid.


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For more info visit http://intothegardenofeden.com/index.php?

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What This Judge Did, Happens Every Day...

DeviantArt w/ added Star

Heather Callaghan

Ooops, sorry if I offended anyone ... is basically the response Judge Amy Salerno of Franklin County, Ohio gave after getting called out for scolding the jury for their verdict. She then went further by threatening them that she would keep having a trial until the right verdict came in.

She is a rare one that got pulled out into the limelight. But judges everywhere use the jury as their personal Magic 8 ball, shaking it till they get the response they want - a response which almost always is one that throws the defendant in prison. [Turn volume up.]



Why even have a jury at all anymore...

Top 5 GMO Myths Debunked

Heather Callaghan

What do you say to your friends and family who want to know why you are passionate about growing your own, buying local organic, and refusing genetically modified ingredients?

What do you say to the increasing amount of pro-GMO activists who call anti-GMOers dumb, heartless, and lacking real information?

Author Chris Kanthan of San Francisco has covered the five most common myths surrounding the propagation of GMO foods. This interesting video brings up some arguments we never thought of: read more about the points below, and don't be another brick in the wall!



What do you think of these top five GMO myths below? Do you have any more to add to the list?

Utopian 'Harvest Your Own' Groceries Coming Up

Heather Callaghan

Places like Wal-mart brag that they eliminate the middle man; but they haven't seen the likes of The Farmery.

What if your food was grown at your store - and it's not even picked yet until you come by to cut the plants. You're not a shopper, you're a harvester. Better yet, what if Farmeries come to urban neighborhoods - both high and low end?

Meet the Willy Wonka of agriculture...

 
Farmery Vimeo from Gary Breece on Vimeo.

Founder Ben Greene (for real?) wanted to "tighten the gap" more than any retailer and farmer with an all-in-one 'stop, shop and grow.' A greenhouse shop made from shipping containers where shoppers can talk to the people who grew and learn like they never have before. Be assured of the absolute highest quality and fresh factor available. The plants are grown with 50/50 aquaponics/hydroponics technology.

New Round of Persecution Aimed At Heritage Pig Farmer

David Michael

More Suspense and Twists: Heritage Pig Farmer “Criminal” vs. State of Michigan DNR and Their Demand for $700,000 and Destruction of 70 Animals - State Increases Opposition

Citizens Want Sheriff to Protect Family of Ten While State DNR is Still Demanding $700,000 and Destruction of Pigs

650 donors this week totally $37,000 making it #1 most popular and fastest growing campaign on the leading Pledgie crowdfunder– from lots of bloggers and Facebookers.

Start with Part 1 for full story http://wp.me/pZzqp-1Vl

*****

Our investigative report posted last week focused on Mark and Jill Baker, owners of Baker’s Green Acres and their lawsuit against the state of Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR). MDNR issued on Order under its Invasive Species Order (ISO) which forces small, heritage pig farmers to destroy their pigs because of the way they look—a little different than “approved types”. Pigs that have erect ears or floppy ears, straight tails or curly tails, and other attributes (such as being black) may be shot and killed on a farm and the carcasses burned on site. This resulted in a demand for $700,000 from Mark and his family of ten. The demand occurred after MDNR monitored and pursued Mark after speaking at a public hearing with state representatives at the capitol in Lansing.

Farmer Hershberger Attorneys Seek Full Vindication with Appeal

Heather Callaghan

All’s well that ends well, right? Perhaps it’s just not over yet. Were you in any way a part of the riveting saga of raw dairy farmer and private food club coordinator Vernon Hershberger? If you read anything about it you may have been amazed at the long battle the state of Wisconsin waged against him, threatening to put him in jail for three years, destroying his property, maligning his intentions, and obfuscating the facts to blind the jury responsible for vindicating him on three counts of licensing accusations, but guilty on the last count of breaking the holding order issued after a raid in June 2010. 

The jury was upset to find out more afterward; for instance, that the holding order was based on the licensing issues for which they acquitted Vernon. Any prosecutor documents they were allowed to see were heavily redacted. They befriended Vernon and some joined his food club which now has 100 new members, and petitioned Judge Guy Reynolds for lenient punishment. Towards the end, Hershberger still faced a maximum penalty of $10,000 dollars in fines and possible probation. The final punishment was around $1500 paid by a couple of supporters. All seemed well; closure, relief.

Mark Baker Asks Americans for Help

Brad Jordan

Michigan levies $700,000 in fines against a small farmer and veteran for raising healthy hogs

After serving his country for 20 years in the military and ten years as a farmer, Mark Baker is “at the end of his rope” and is asking Americans for help.

Baker’s Green Acres is an idyllic, bio-diverse, sustainable farm in Marion, Michigan. Baker, his wife and his six children raise pastured poultry, grass-fed beef, goats and dairy, and a heritage breed of hogs called Mangalitsa.

In December of 2011, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources informed Baker that his hogs were an “invasive species of wild boar” that needed to be exterminated in order to protect wildlife and other farms.

The agency said he had until April of 2012 to destroy all of his pigs or else it would destroy them for him. Baker refused and filed a lawsuit asking for relief.

Jurors Still Angry About Hershberger Trial; Food Club Gets 100 New Members

Unlikely friends? Vernon, wife, jurors

Heather Callaghan

If you've been paying attention to the details of Vernon Hershberger's trial, the bigger picture is completely insane. The final result was a less punitive fine of $1,000 and $513 in court costs that a supporter covered on Vernon's sentencing day. He was found not guilty on three criminal charges relating to lack of licensing to distribute fresh foods, and guilty on the last count of breaking a food holding order. The jury members, however, are feeling jilted.

Listen to their own words:

 

Hat's off to author David Gumpert for always being there when a farmer like Vernon is on the stand - and we can always count on him to pick up all the interesting nuances that often get overlooked in news stories.

He follows up on the trial by documenting the reactions of the jurors now that the State aggression has come to an end - hopefully forever in Vernon's case. But it's not over for them, not a chance. They feel lied to and railroaded into potentially jailing and fining a peaceful farmer. The State slight of hand actually succeeded in drawing more attention to food freedom and the benefits of nutritionally dense foods.

The jury has now caught on to the crazy cover-up tactics listed below...

Jurors at Raw Milk Trial Befriend Hershberger; Feel Misled and Haunted by Case

Unlikely friends? Vernon, wife, jurors

Heather Callaghan

If you've been paying attention to the details of Vernon Hershberger's trial, the bigger picture is completely insane. The final result was a less punitive fine of $1,000 and $513 in court costs that a supporter covered on Vernon's sentencing day. He was found not guilty on three criminal charges relating to lack of licensing to distribute fresh foods, and guilty on the last count of breaking a food holding order. The jury members, however, are feeling jilted.

Hat's off to author David Gumpert for always being there when a farmer like Vernon is on the stand - and we can always count on him to pick up all the interesting nuances that often get overlooked in news stories.

He follows up on the trial by documenting the reactions of the jurors now that the State aggression has come to an end - hopefully forever in Vernon's case. But it's not over for them, not a chance. They feel lied to and railroaded into potentially jailing and fining a peaceful farmer. The State slight of hand actually succeeded in drawing more attention to food freedom and the benefits of nutritionally dense foods.

The jury has now caught on to the crazy cover-up tactics listed below...

Vernon Hershberger Sentence and Fines Are Decided

Heather Callaghan

Vernon Hershberger and Family

Vernon Hershberger's recent verdict was mostly victorious on the three counts held against him for distributing fresh food to members without licensing. A jury found him guilty on the last count for breaking a holding order which held the maximum punishment. For the last three years, he's had a threat of 2 years prison and $10,000 in fines looming over until that fateful fifth night of trial.

Vernon said after the verdict:

Praise the Lord! Now I can feed my community again.

Just days after, Wisconsin's Department of Justice went after him and pressured the judge to jail him immediately. "This case was about one person believing that he was above the law. That was the underlying theme," said Department of Justice attorney Eric Defort. At the sentencing yesterday, the State (prosecutor) was pushing for $3,000 in fines, a year of probation and payment for probation supervision costs. 

Food History in the Making

Catherine J. Frompovich

One of the more poignant lines former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Tip O’Neill is famous for having uttered, “All politics is local,” certainly applies to what happened in the little, but mighty, State of Connecticut over the weekend of June 1 and 2, 2013.

Connecticut House Bill 6527, An Act Concerning Genetically Engineered Foods, was passed by both chambers of that state legislative body and becomes the first GMO labeling law in the United States. Congratulations, kudos, hurrah, and all other accolades go to GMO Free Connecticut Coalition members for their dogged determination and stick-to-itiveness in defeating the GMO behemoth Monsanto and their anti-GMO-labeling cartel friends.

It seems that Connecticut Yankee resolve and grit enabled a “David slaying Goliath-like” event to take place, when only last November, free-thinking California became shell shocked by Monsanto and GMO friends mega-million-dollar advertising fear campaign to defeat Prop 37. What a shame for California, the state where much of America’s fresh produce is grown. 

20 Places to Find Local Food and Family Farms Near You

Heather Callaghan

As demand for local and raw goods continue to rise, more people are asking - where do I find local organic? Where do I find raw milk and join a herd share? Where are the farmers markets, co-ops and stands?

Search engines are actually terrible at locating these underground hubs, which makes it so frustrating to try and opt out of corporate chains, save money, and build your family's health. If you've ever gotten a bunch of 'Yelp' listings for weight loss pills while searching, you know what I'm talking about. I've helped a few people find a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) but I found it by accident. So where are they all hiding?

As it turns out, many of the farmers and markets you're looking for have teamed up with certain websites to be mapped. Use this easy list to find yours today. They won't all be on the same map, but you will be sure to find markets and family farms in your area that were previously invisible.

Adventures in Grocery Shopping: When Food Isn’t Food

Here are just a few examples in the (ever-growing) ‘Food Not Fit to Eat’ category.
Aaron Dykes and Melissa Melton

In what is sure to be a continuing series,TruthstreamMedia.com documented just a few stand out items while browsing through the grocery store. There were lots of healthy, organic choices, as well as lots of other … stuff.

Let’s face it! It’s a target rich environment: food just isn’t food anymore. That is, the stuff being marketed to us all under an endless array of recognizable brand names and beneficial-sounding buzz terms. We could probably choose an item at random, and at least 9 out of 10 times, for every nutritional advantage to any given item on the shelf, there is a lurking danger that could cause damage or negative side effects.

Hidden ingredients are the norm, and until we educate ourselves and become disciplined enough to avoid all the things we shouldn’t be eating, it’s going to be nearly impossible to get/stay healthy. And it’s worth it to not only be alive but to also feel alive while you are.

So until the next round of ‘Adventures in Grocery Shopping’ consider these examples, think twice about what you plan to eat and READ ALL LABELS before putting anything in your cart.

Monsanto Wins Fight to Take Away State Food Labeling Rights

YouTube

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) fought hard to give his state and others the right to label GMO foods, but faced nonsensical opposition from Monsanto-bought Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). Did reason win?


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Hershberger Verdict In After Judge Orders Jury NOT to Vote With Conscience

Heather Callaghan

Into the wee hours of last night, after about 16 hours of deliberating, the Baraboo, Wisconsin court decided not to wait until Tuesday for a verdict.

Four criminal misdemeanor charges are aimed at Vernon Hershberger for providing fresh food to his community through a contractual agreement with members. Paraphrased by Derrick J Freeman the "crimes" include:

1. distributing milk from his “Grazin’ Acres” dairy farm without a milk producer’s license,
2. operating a retail food establishment without a state license,
3. operating a dairy plant without a state license, and
4. violating a “hold order” placed on his dairy products after the state raided his farm.

Prosecution (State) tried to drive home the twisted view that Vernon's family and barn was a "retail operation," instead of the membership agreement where the members (who are owners) thereof put in a lot of the hard work there, like a co-op. Also, there have never been complaints. The 2010 armed raid was initiated by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).

Hershberger Trial: List of Things You Can't Say and Wear Gets Bigger

Heather Callaghan

Hopefully, you already know what's going down in Baraboo, Wisconsin. It's one of the biggest, precedent-setting food freedom cases in history that's got even conventional dairy industries watching. Raw milk is the smallest part of this trial - Vernon is fighting for you and he didn't have to. A large, mostly eclectic group has been gathering since Monday and a verdict is expected Friday.

The judge, Guy Reynolds, is essentially directing the jury how to vote and what they are allowed to hear....The whole case hinges on these words that are banned.

Vernon Hershberger is facing over two years prison time and $10,000 in fines for four criminal misdemeanor charges aimed at him for providing fresh food to his community through members in agreement. Some background here. Prosecution from the State is having a hard time proving that Vernon is running a "retail establishment". He's not, unless you consider horse boarding, co-ops and Craigslist storefronts with retail transactions requiring business licenses to use. Government would love to eradicate "herd share" type agreements and so it's no surprise that there is NO discussion of herd share memberships allowed in the courtroom - see how they are keeping the jury in the dark below.

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