food safety - Pitchstone Waters (Page 4)

Texas Approves Feral Hog Hunting by Hot Air Balloon

Soon we will have tried every goofy way to control wild pig populations while ignoring the common sense solution: Gather and sell free range pigs into the commercial food chain, like back in the day. NOTE: This post initially appeared on SAExpressNews.com on May 25, 2017. Texas lawmakers have

Bio-Diversity

The Dirty Little Secrets Behind Earthworms

Earthworms are disappearing from our farm and range lands. Two articles on this topic appear below. #1: New York Times attributes this to plowing, but #2: Science shows glyphosate (Roundup) use associated with GMO’s and brush control is worse. NOTE: This post initially appeared on WSJ.com on June

Animal Development

Foodies Can Order Meats From a Single Animal

Consumer demand for wholesome food is the driving force behind sustainable food production. NOTE: This post initially appeared on WSJ.com on October 5, 2016 Throwback to getting your sirloin ground at the butcher shop emerges with ‘single origin’ cuts In grocery store cases stuffed with exotic grass-fed and organic

"Invasion Biology"

Millions of Bees Dead After South Carolina Sprays for Zika Mosquitoes

No pesticide – any chemical used to kill plant or animal ‘pests’ – is selective. This story should give pause to those who think the ‘feral hog apocalypse’ and routine use of range poison is a good idea. NOTE: This post initially appeared on WashingtonPost.com on September 1, 2016 On Sunday

"Invasion Biology"

Cancer Worries Over a Common Weedkiller

California has recently acknowledged what the medical community has known for years: Glyphosate (Roundup) causes cancer. It is implicated in other diseases like alzheimers, gluten intolerance, diabetes, infertility and more. Glyphosate residuals are found in most everything we drink, eat and wear. Efforts to move away from glyphosate dependance in

Bio-Diversity

Pesticide Maker Tries to Kill Risk Study

Like the tobacco companies before them, for decades now the agrochemical companies have worked the system to avoid consequences from the health hazards of their products. According to the left, Big Government stands between the public and Big Businesses including the agrochemical giants. According to the President, a smaller EPA

"Invasion Biology"

On The Iberico Trail

In Spain, free-ranging pigs which forage for themselves and fatten on seasonal acorns produce hams that can bring $2,000 apiece. In Texas, free-ranging pigs which forage for themselves and fatten on seasonal acorns are considered unfit to eat. Why the difference? Anticompetetive regulations which favor Big Pork, and bureaucratic

Conservation

This Farm Is Trying To Change The Future Of Organic Pork

It is possible to create a humane, self-sustaining, and profitable hog farming system and to make organic pork more widely available. NOTE: post initially appeared on RodalesOrganicLife.com on December 12, 2016 The Rodale Institute’s hog facility has one goal: Show farmers everywhere how to create a humane, self-sustaining,

"Invasion Biology"

Kaput Maker Pulls Feral Hog Poison Out of Texas

Those who oppose the idea of drenching Texas ranges with the rat poison Warfarin, are either “lawyers, misinformed or radical environmentalists”. Kaput has been withdrawn by its manufacturer, who in doing so reiterated all these false health claims about free range pigs. There has been no epiphany within Big Wildlife,

Bio-Diversity

Unsealed Documents Raise Questions on Monsanto Weed Killer

Big Tobacco and its cronies manipulated public opinion for decades after they knew that smoking causes cancer. Monsanto is doing the same with respect to glyphosate (Roundup). NOTE: article initially appeared on NYTimes.com on March 14, 2017 A lawsuit contends that the main ingredient in Roundup, the world’s

"Invasion Biology"

Wild Boar Trappers Fear Hog Poison’s Effect on EU Wild Meat Market

The feral pig ‘problem’ is a regulatory issue. The one bright spot is that the Europeans – whose food safety standards far exceed our own – love our free range pork. The brilliant idea to use Warfarin to control pigs will destroy that market, and produce unknown and unintended consequences to other

Bio-Diversity

Antibiotic Use on Farms Helps Fuel Antibiotic-Resistant Diseases

Feral pigs, according to our wildlife and food quality experts, are unfit to eat because they carry diseases. But do they? Over the last 30 years, the two largest processors of wild pigs in Texas have slaughtered and tested tens of thousands of animals. They have never found a diseased

Bio-Diversity

If Monsanto Loses Its Name, What Will Opponents Oppose?

The Wall Street Journal remains in the hip pocket of the agrochemical giants. In the story below, the supposedly conservative news organization makes fun of those who worry about the poisons being poured on our farmland, because thanks to genetic modification, many of our crops are immune to the poisons

Conservation

Curbs Are Sought for Livestock Antibiotics

More on the damage being done to public health by the confinement livestock industry. NOTE: This post initially appeared on WSJ.com on October 4, 2016 U.S. food regulators need to take further steps to curb antibiotics use in livestock to maintain the drugs’ ability to defend human health,

food safety

Doubts About the Promised Bounty of Genetically Modified Crops

The New York Times says it has has “discovered” that the poisons routinely used to produce GMO crops are a danger to human health and soil fertility. The extent to which the mainstream press has averted its eyes from the obvious facts is a direct reflection of the degree to

Bio-Diversity

Wall Street Journal and Monsanto Claim that GMOs Are a Necessity—for Farmers and the Environment

The Wall Street Journal publishes Monsanto’s claim that the World Health Organization has given GMOs a clean bill of health. But, is this true? Most GMOs have been modified to withstand pesticides, especially glyphosate-based Roundup. All corn, soy, cotton and many other crops are treated with glyphosate up to

Conservation

Behind the Monsanto Deal, Doubts About the GMO Revolution

When the agrochemical companies acquired the seed companies, something prohibited by antitrust law, their promise was that if the rules were relaxed, drought-resistant cereals and insect-resistant fruit would result from the capital and research strength of the acquiring agrochemical giants. This was bait and switch: GMO research has turned out

"Invasion Biology"

Are GMOs Really That Bad?

Since humans began raising food by farming and keeping livestock, we have bred for better plants and animals. This is not and never has been the problem with GMOs; attempts to portray GMO opponents as nuts fighting better plants are a red herring. In classic bait-and switch, the agro-giants promised

Bio-Diversity

Bayer Proposes to Acquire Monsanto

American food production is increasingly dominated by a few trans-national conglomerates which have no commitment to any country, let alone to the welfare of the American people. “Conservatism” has somehow come to support the evolution of competitive markets into uncompetitive markets in which every industry is dominated by a few

bees

EPA Says Pesticide Harms Bees

Bees are common in the deserts of the Southwest, where wild plants need them and wildlife needs the plants they pollinate. Harm done to bees is just one reason why range poisons are so dangerous to wildlife and habitats. NOTE: Post originally appeared on SAExpressNews.com on January 6, 2016

food safety

Organic vs. Non-GMO Labels. Who’s Winning?

The organic qualifications are easily gamed and often doubtful. Many genuine small organic producers are blocked by red tape. GMO safety is meaningless without a discussion of the safety of chemicals, like glyphosate (Roundup) with which most GMOs are inseparable. NOTE: post initially appeared on WSJ.com on December 8,

Animal Development

How Safe is Your Ground Beef?

Consumer Report’s research concludes that beef from feedlot-raised cattle was more likely to have bacteria overall, as well as bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, than beef from sustainably-raised cattle. NOTE: post originally appeared on ConsumerReports.org September 4, 2015 If you don’t know how the ground beef

food safety

FDA Panel Seeks Tougher Antibiotic Labels

Fluoroquinolones are antibiotics which are widely used in feeding of confined livestock, especially poultry. Much of these antibiotics survive processing and remain in our food. NOTE: Post Originally Appeared on WSJ.com on November 5, 2015 Mounting evidence of previously unknown, and sometimes permanent, side effects prompted review. SILVER SPRING,

"Invasion Biology"

Monsanto Weighs Potential Deals

Unlike companies that grow organically, most corporate giants form through mergers and acquisitions. They are burdened with the costs of debt and amortization of doubtful and unproductive assets called “goodwill.” While insiders profit, customers and the public are left to suffer from monopoly prices, lack of innovation and the cannibalization