CompostaBlog

If you don’t belong to the ‘grist mill’ perhaps you should at least read this article… Old Big Brother Had a Farm

I liked Mary Zanoni, executive director of Farm for Life’s bottom line…
“Zanoni sums up the views of many independent farmers: “Real food security comes from raising food yourself or buying from a local farmer you actually know. The USDA plan will only stifle local sources of production through over-regulation and unmanageable costs.”

Thanks to Susan Weiner at Farm Sanctuary for pointing us to that organization’s network of websites — this has to be one of the most comprehensive resources available on factory farming, animal rights, vegetarianism, and many other related topics. Some of the more interesting resources found were the information from FactoryFarming.com on the environmental and human health costs of factory farming, and the environmental case for vegetarianism at VegforLife.org. I’ve just scraped the surface at this point, but there’s much more information here that I’ll be coming back to read.

Susan particularly asked all to point to the organization’s campaigns on behalf of “Downed Animals,” and against the production of foie gras and veal. Farm Sanctuary has also targeted Chef Wolfgang Puck for his “huge hand in promoting both foie gras and ‘white’ veal among American consumers.”

As many of you know, I am a vegan vegetarian, but, more and more, I am recognizing that my diet, and the typcial American diet, exacts huge costs on our health and our environment, as well as on the economic well-being of other parts of the world. I have cut way back on my consumption of cheese, though, and frequently eat vegan meals — I’m really happy to see that Farm Sanctuary supports those trying to move in increments away from an animal-based diet. Let’s all read more widely here, and think more and more about transitioning to a more sustainable diet.

Photograph courtesy of Farm Sanctuary.