AcresUSA - The Voice for Eco-Agriculture

The holiday season that is upon us is defined, in part, by the celebration of food. Let's pause, for a moment, to think of where our food comes from. As Americans have moved off the land and into the industrial and information cultures, we have turned to others to grow our food for us. In the early stages of this transformation, small, family farms surrounded our cities and provided us with locally grown food. Through the decades, this has changed to large-scale, mechanized farming by multi-national corporations. We are all familiar with the problems that have evolved from this. Eroded and overworked topsoil. Harmful pesticides in our water and food supply. The latest development may well prove to be the most destructive.

Scientists have figured out how to alter the genetic makeup of plants. The consequences of this development are being debated around the world. Genetically engineered (GE) food is such a concern to the people of Europe that they will not let us import our grain crops onto their continent. Our hormone and antibiotic filled beef has seen similar troubles in that market. There is a group of people that are responding to these concerns and providing answers to these and other problems. They voice their concerns and their studies, research, and findings in a monthly newspaper called AcresUSA.

Calling itself 'A Voice For Eco-Agriculture', AcresUSA is a must read for those interested in the future of our food supply and the ecology of farming. Their regular columns include the Natural Vet and Eco-Gardener. Eco-Update keeps you informed of agricultural news from around the world. The column Transitions supplies you with Certified Organic News happenings within the industry. If you make your living from farming or ranching the 'hands on' advice is indispensable.

Did you know, for example, that researchers have been able to breed the bacterium Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) into corn. Bt is a naturally occurring bacteria that is used by organic gardeners to control soft body insects such as caterpillars. Breeding this into corn allows the corn to produce its own insecticide. While this sounds like a good idea, it may have major consequences for the Monarch butterfly that feeds on the milkweeds that grow alongside the corn crops. Researchers at Monsanto have developed a seed technology that has been dubbed 'Terminator Technology'. The ability of the seed to germinate in its second generation has effectively been 'turned off'. Farmers will no longer be able save seed from this year's crop to plant next years crop. They will have to buy their seed each year from Monsanto. In these and other GE crops, there is much concern that these alterations will 'drift' or move into other, unintended plant populations the consequences of which are unknown. The ability of these companies to privatize and manipulate the food that feeds the world, for their profit, has major implications for the safety and availability of the food that you put on your table. Common sense tells us that it is not healthy to let four or five companies control the world food supply. If we, as consumers, remain uninformed and silent about these changes, that is what will happen.

The saving grace in this situation will be the survival of the small, family farms. And this is the goal of AcresUSA. With a little research you can learn how you can lend your support to these small farmers. To learn more, or to subscribe, call 1-800-355-5313. Or find them on the web at www.acresusa.com.