The morning after the presidential election, I had a brilliant thought to start a discussion on SAFE about who should be nominated Obama's Secretary of Agriculture, perhaps our biggest chance to affect farm policy until the next Farm Bill. John Ikerd and Mark Ritchie popped into my head. Then reality set in and my mind drifted back to school work and nothing came of it Well, some folks had the gumption to keep going and bring their ideas to reality. Now there's two versions of a petition to name and Ag Secretary who will promote a sustainability agenda, one from Food Democracy Now and another from Organic Consumers Association. It can't hurt to sign both. Additionally there's a bunch of commentary out there encouraging nomination of Michael Pollan, but the two petitions stick to nominees who are policy or economics wonks and could address those issues nationally.
Cross-posted at The Light Tree
Update from our quail slaughtering, butchering, and cooking workshop
On Sunday, November 2nd, JM, a friend of SAFE who owns a small farm in Berkeley led SAFE members and friends in a quail preparing workshop. I milk goats as part of an apprenticeship program, and so J obliged to help us organize a workshop, eventually coming to the idea of a slaughter to better connect us to our meat. We chose quail because they are small and therefore they're easier and faster to slaughter, prepare, and cook than, say, chickens. It was also much more convenient for J to get them and keep them on his limited space until the workshop, and allowed us to have more people participate.
While there is a spectrum of beliefs in SAFE concerning the eating of meat and the morality of that decision, there is a general belief that if a person wants to eat meat, they should know that an animal must die to produce it and be willing to participate in that death. The bloodless, skinless, Styrofoam backed and cellophane wrapped meat in a grocery store reduces an animal’s sacrifice to a neat chunk of protein, robbing the eater of a connection to the animal and the land (or feedlot) on which it was raised. This disconnect encourages wastefulness and unhealthy overconsumption of meat. Diverse agroecosystems, which have reintroduced animals in balance with crops are the best models for young farmers to emulate, but managing these systems requires a knowledge of animal husbandry. Furthermore, in a future of scarcity, if we are to continue to eat meat, perhaps at least some of it should be raised and slaughtered as locally as possibly - in our own back yards. People grappling with these issues have a desire to learn the techniques of humanely killing and cleaning and animal, then decide if they have the temperament to slaughter, or even eat meat, ever again. For these reasons and more, we coordinated this workshop.
Some of my friends told me that it was one of their favorite workshops that we've done. I too, enjoyed the experience of this event. There was a very respectful and intimate atmosphere and a strong current of discussion about some of the tradition behind raising and killing animals. Before the slaughter, J discussed his views on sustainable meat eating, and throughout the event he kept an open space for checking in emotionally. Everyone present offered help and support to one another. We had a vast range of experience present, but each person came away with some new ideas and perspectives on meat eating, not to mention a full belly. I also came away with a very valuable personal lesson. I’ve been a vegetarian for over ten years. You might find it strange then, that I helped organize an animal slaughter. Being a part of SAFE and learning about different perspectives of food activism has made me a supporter of responsible meat eating and has caused me to question my long standing vegetarianis. I went to this workshop not intending to participate but curious about the process, thinking if I did start eating meat again I would want to be highly involved in its production. I left knowing that I am not currently capable of killing an animal. One day I hope to own or work on a farm. I realize that death is a huge part of farm life and even having animals for eggs or dairy requires culling of some. The day will come when I will have to confront my decisions again. But for now, being a college student and living in an apartment in Berkeley, I feel secure that I took the time to witness a slaughter, appreciated it, and realized it’s not for me. For now that seems like a good enough reason to stay vegetarian, and I feel much more at ease holding onto that choice that I made ten years ago.
I must admit I am a biology and anatomy lover and so snapping pictures kept me busy for most of the event. Here are some of my favorite shots. Please do not view the slideshow if you may be sensitive to images of animal slaughter. If you are interested in the process, note the captions of the slideshow, which guide you through the steps. (Photos by J.C., B.B., and M.R.; editorial assistance by Mat)
While there is a spectrum of beliefs in SAFE concerning the eating of meat and the morality of that decision, there is a general belief that if a person wants to eat meat, they should know that an animal must die to produce it and be willing to participate in that death. The bloodless, skinless, Styrofoam backed and cellophane wrapped meat in a grocery store reduces an animal’s sacrifice to a neat chunk of protein, robbing the eater of a connection to the animal and the land (or feedlot) on which it was raised. This disconnect encourages wastefulness and unhealthy overconsumption of meat. Diverse agroecosystems, which have reintroduced animals in balance with crops are the best models for young farmers to emulate, but managing these systems requires a knowledge of animal husbandry. Furthermore, in a future of scarcity, if we are to continue to eat meat, perhaps at least some of it should be raised and slaughtered as locally as possibly - in our own back yards. People grappling with these issues have a desire to learn the techniques of humanely killing and cleaning and animal, then decide if they have the temperament to slaughter, or even eat meat, ever again. For these reasons and more, we coordinated this workshop.
Some of my friends told me that it was one of their favorite workshops that we've done. I too, enjoyed the experience of this event. There was a very respectful and intimate atmosphere and a strong current of discussion about some of the tradition behind raising and killing animals. Before the slaughter, J discussed his views on sustainable meat eating, and throughout the event he kept an open space for checking in emotionally. Everyone present offered help and support to one another. We had a vast range of experience present, but each person came away with some new ideas and perspectives on meat eating, not to mention a full belly. I also came away with a very valuable personal lesson. I’ve been a vegetarian for over ten years. You might find it strange then, that I helped organize an animal slaughter. Being a part of SAFE and learning about different perspectives of food activism has made me a supporter of responsible meat eating and has caused me to question my long standing vegetarianis. I went to this workshop not intending to participate but curious about the process, thinking if I did start eating meat again I would want to be highly involved in its production. I left knowing that I am not currently capable of killing an animal. One day I hope to own or work on a farm. I realize that death is a huge part of farm life and even having animals for eggs or dairy requires culling of some. The day will come when I will have to confront my decisions again. But for now, being a college student and living in an apartment in Berkeley, I feel secure that I took the time to witness a slaughter, appreciated it, and realized it’s not for me. For now that seems like a good enough reason to stay vegetarian, and I feel much more at ease holding onto that choice that I made ten years ago.
I must admit I am a biology and anatomy lover and so snapping pictures kept me busy for most of the event. Here are some of my favorite shots. Please do not view the slideshow if you may be sensitive to images of animal slaughter. If you are interested in the process, note the captions of the slideshow, which guide you through the steps. (Photos by J.C., B.B., and M.R.; editorial assistance by Mat)
obama's food politics
I thought this might be an encouraging read during such bleak times.
From our friends at the ethicurean:
for the rest of the article...
I am just happy to know that our President-elect possesses the word organic in his vocabulary!
From our friends at the ethicurean:
So what might we expect from an Obama administration when it comes to food policy? Maybe quite a bit. In his plan for rural America, he lays out a number of policy positions that are a departure from the status quo. Obama:
* Supports subsidies as a safety net, but calls for a $250,000 payment limitation and closing of loopholes, so that the program supports family farmers, not corporate agribusiness.
* Supports regulation of CAFOs (factory livestock operations).
* Wants to enforce anti-trust laws that so that smaller farmers can compete against large-scale meatpackers.
* Wants to cap the size of agricultural businesses that can receive government funds for environmental cleanup so that taxpayers don’t subsidize cleanup for large, polluting corporations.
* Supports Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for meat, a critical issue as we learn how widespread melamine contamination of animal feed is in countries like China.
* Wants to increase support for organic agriculture and local food systems by helping farmers with organic certification/compliance costs.
* Wants to provide incentives to encourage and support new farmers, land conservation, renewable energy on the farm, and microenterprise for farmers and other rural Americans.
* Calls for greater food safety surveillance and communications.
* Plans to encourage local foods in schools.
* Supports providing farmers with incentives that will prevent agricultural runoff.
for the rest of the article...
I am just happy to know that our President-elect possesses the word organic in his vocabulary!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Subscribe to events feed
Posts
