Open Thread - Thurs 1 Sep 2022: Small Farmers and Regulations

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 5:03am

Small Farmers and Regulations:

Last week, Lookout, in their Weekly Watch, posted a link to an article about the government going after small farmers. This has been a problem I've personally been exposed to.

I think it's like the IRS; it's easier to go after the small fruit for tax audits, like the middle class or lower income brackets, rather than the big guys who are definitely breaking the tax rules and know it. Another factor is that government rule and regulation making only really seems to consider the big guys and never looks at what is needed for the smaller business/farm. Making rules and regs for the big guys is important, it can result in good and important rules to control the big businesses, to help stop them poisoning us, to help with animal welfare, etc. But those rules are applied across the board and devastate the smaller producers who don't have 10 factories, 10000 acre 'farms', global milk production facilities and so on. The smaller producers have a 'micro' (like me), 'small' or even 'medium' sized farm, they sell locally, they use old fashioned production methods, and so on. If people were to get sick from their product, it might harm 10 people, maybe 100 at most, which is so small a number the news industry won't even pay attention.

One of the journals I have received for years, the Small Farmer's Journal, had an editorial in 2017 by a dairy farmer named David Umling. He had/has a goat dairy farm in West Virginia. The regulations, the laws,

made it cost prohibitive for us to sell our farm fresh, unprocessed milk and dairy products, and we couldn’t afford to finance the cost of our operation solely on our retirement income.

Boy, do I know what that's like. Oregon has a regulation that lets people with a cow or two, or a few goats, sell milk to those who stop by the farm. It's a great regulation. In Washington we don't have that regulation. A few years ago, maybe 10 or 15, I was hoping to move my milk goat operation up a step, and sell some fresh goat milk. I went on a dairy tour given by the government agricultural department in a neighboring county. Great tour. The guy leading the tour, the government guy, got kinda spitty angry at us when talking about how he couldn't understand our reluctance, and our complaints about the cost of following the government regulations. "It's only 50 bucks for a dairy license", he moaned and shot us all a hot angry glance from the front of the tour bus, where he was standing up giving his speech.

Florence's udder, for milking, by hand. There's about three-quarters of a gallon of milk in there. Twice a day!

There was silence in response and then his assistant, a quite perceptive young woman, pointed out, "But, it takes $150,000 to $200,000 to get all the equipment, the buildings, the inspections and stuff just to start. That doesn't make any sense if the person only wants to sell the milk from a few cows or goats..." The wanna-be small-scale dairy farmers on the bus gave her a standing (ok, sitting) ovation.

When I realized what I'd have to spend for special equipment (can't hand milk!) and the buildings (can't be part of your barn!), and the protocol and inspections and rules I'd have to follow I gave up my dream of selling fresh goat milk and homemade goat cheeses. Ohh, I milked the goats for years, and I made cheese after cheese after cheese - from fresh soft chevre to goat's milk parmesan. But I never sold those products, just gave them away. If I'd been able to sell them, I'd have made enough money to pay for goat feed, goat care, cheese making ingredients, and equipment. And I'd have been able to build up the business slowly, and eventually be subject to the regulations for larger dairy farms. But, that wasn't to be. The rules and regulations made it impossible to get started.

Three kinds of cheese from 3 gallons of goat milk: Montasio, chevre, and ricotta

10 or so years ago, the government was trying to combat the e.coli and produce problem. Small farmers got very worried, and I understand why. The legislation is supposed to stop the problems with large, combined produce (such as making bagged salad blends in a factory from the combined produce of many farms, or cut fruits, etc). It harms small producers, who do not sell produce combined from 100 different farms, or grow food next to huge slurry producing feed lots, etc. It didn't address the problems of huge feed lots, the slurry they produce, and the fact that the e. coli and other organisms were 'coming out the rear end of domestic animals' raised in industrial agricultural conditions and infecting the farm fields and factories.

Around that time, the small producers in my area were told we'd have to start monitoring the amount of water we used for growing our crops or feeding our livestock. Now, this was told to a group of small producers, growing maybe 10 acres of crops at most, producing a small amount of meat animals and so on. We knew we had rights to the water, we had rights to our wells, we could use whatever we needed within reason and the authorities admitted we didn't use as much water as, perhaps, a subdivision with 20 lawns and backyards and a park. But, we had to monitor our water usage, and we had to pay for the equipment, and the monitoring and we had to submit reports. The attendees at the meeting, and I was one, just glared at the water authorities. They took that in and gulped a few times, then admitted it was just a 'recommendation' and we didn't actually have to do anything. Someone pointed out that if it became regulation the government would have to pay for the equipment and the monitors and so on, and the authorities sort of ran out of the room.

In 2016 the EPA came out with a rule about water usage, supposedly it pits small farmers against big agribusiness. I think it basically means big agribusiness is using the small farmer to fight a rule that'll hurt big agribusiness the most: the Clean Water Act. And this article shows that; shows how the rules get skewed to hurt the little guy more than the big guy. Just like the IRA and taxes.

The inability for the powers that be to recognize the needs and benefits, the problems and the rewards, perhaps even the existence, of small farming is commonplace. That inability is institutionalized in all of our lives, all of our businesses (example: Walmart gets Covid relief but the small retailers don't), our everything. Here's a final personal example. About 2018 or so, we were retiring from growing produce for sale. We still sold eggs, about five dozen a week (made enough to buy feed for the chickens and keep the coop in good fettle!). We still sold goats. Our insurance agent got in touch with us. She and the insurance company had seen us advertized on the 'net! We had a farm! We needed farm insurance, pronto! I pointed out that we were retiring, that we only sold a few dozen eggs and a couple goats now and again. Still, she insisted, we had to fill out the form for the farm insurance and get it done NOW! I gave in, the form came in the mail. I laughed and laughed and laughed. I called her up. "This doesn't apply to us, and never did." She stuttered. "We have no employees but ourselves, we have no processing buildings, we have no huge farm equipment, we've only got a small kubota tractor and a walk behind rototiller. Jesus, our farm is only 13 acres and only 2 acres of that are cultivated. We don't sell to retailers, we don't use commercial fertilizer. We are organic, we don't use chemicals that could make us or anyone else sick."

She finally said, 'But you sell eggs!" I admitted we sold a few dozen eggs a week. "Then you have to have this insurance, fill out what applies and send the form in."

"Do the people who have a sign up by their driveway entrance saying they sell surplus eggs have to have this farm insurance too?" I asked. "They are all over the county," I added dryly.

She spluttered again. "They should!" she finally insisted.

The irony. After the insurance company got the form and worked out all the costs, etc, the insurance for the farm and house cost about 500 bucks LESS than the insurance for the house alone.

I think we can all see the way this ties in with the Schwab crap about the New World Order and a lot of political stuff. The death of the small farm since the 1970s, the acquisition of farms by assholes like Bill Gates, the industrialization of agriculture, the acquisition of seed companies and so on all come together until we will have to eat what we are told to eat, and won't be able to grow even a lettuce without strict oversight (if that).

So, thanks for reading and here's the open thread - and remember, everything is interesting if you dive deep enough, so tell us about where you're diving!

Tags:

Open Thread

#farming

#regulations

#water

#dairy

Vote

Comments

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 5:07am

Hello! Hope your day is going GREAT!

Been harvesting blackberries recently. Soon it'll be time to make jelly. Made a bunch of pickles, dill, burger chips and relish in the last couple weeks. The older leaves are starting to dry up and fall off the trees, the goats are having a blast with those. And, our new chickens are starting to lay. Right now it's a very startling thing for them, they walk along and suddenly, yikes! There's an little egg on the grass! Then, they sing the egg song. So, they are learning!

Gonna be working outside and running errands for most of the day. See you in the evening and thanks so much for stopping by and reading my palaver!

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by janis b on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 6:11am

Hi Sima

I’m sorry for all the unreasonable regulations you are subjected to in your effort to provide and benefit from such appetising produce.

I’ve never had fresh-made chèvre, but I imagine it is even more divine than the packaged variety.

I sometimes blend chèvre with cream cheese or ricotta, plus garlic, lemon, pepper and chives.

I’ve never had Montasio cheese, but would love to try it.

Although I don’t often eat cheese, my favourite is a very old/aged goat cheese available at a Dutch cheese shop not too far away. It is like a very tasty and spicy Parmesan, but even better ; ).

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 11:10pm

That blend of chevre, cream cheese and ricotta

@janis b
Sounds wonderful! Montasio is very nice, kinda like a parmesan when older, more creamy and cheddar-like when younger. I used to make all kinds of cheeses, basically exploring. I had enough goat milk to try just about everything!

What's the name of the Dutch cheese? Maybe I've made it once or twice

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 09/02/2022 - 8:26pm

Hi Sima

@Sima

The shop lables it as 'mature' goat cheese. In the past they labeled the different varieties as 'young, old, or very old'.

My sister's close and long-time friend has lived on Whidby Island for decades and has raised extensive veggie and fruit gardens, and goats. I've visited there in the past. My daughter and 1 1/2 year old granddaughter were recently there, and the goats were a great attraction to the little one.

Submitted by QMS on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 7:17am

OTC posted a link in yesterday's OT

which speaks to your theme today..

https://caucus99percent.com/comment/576272#comment-576272

The application of regulations across-the-board without regard to the
size of the operation amounts to bureaucratic BS. The big guys can lawyer,
lobby and bribe their way out of restrictions while the little guys have to cheat
and risk fines to make it work.

Federal government raids Amish farm for raising livestock and growing crops the natural way

Amish-Farmer-Agriculture-Animals-Autumn-Corn-Countryside-980x653.jpg

The Biden administration recently sent armed federal agents to Miller’s Organic Farm and demanded the farm cease its operations immediately. The authorities also ordered $300,000 in fines, an amount enough to put the small, family-owned farm out of business.

https://yournews.com/2022/08/31/2405005/federal-government-raids-amish-f...
~

Amish Farmer Faces Fines, Prison Time for Refusing to Comply with USDA Regulations

Arguably, the most uncivilized people in this entire ordeal have been the supposed “representatives” of the civilized world. While Miller, his employees, and his customers have all engaged in peaceful, voluntary transactions, the federal agents have used overt threats of brute force to get Miller to comply with the terms of a third party.

https://fee.org/articles/amish-farmer-faces-fines-prison-time-for-refusi...

Some degree of flexibility of the regulators is needed.

Thanks for the OT!

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 11:14pm

That Amish farm...

@QMS
Is featured in the link in Lookout's post which got me going on this. Thanks for the link to OTC's research on it, and for the clips you've featured here. This is exactly the problem I see, exactly the problem. They never scale down the rules or consider anything for the smaller producers. And when they try to do so, they don't have the skills or knowledge to generally do an effective job. Or maybe it's the higher ups keep making the people make the rules be 'efficient' and 'fair' (one rule for a 10,000 employee super farm, and the same rule for a farm with only family employees). It's nuts.

The pictures you featured above sure made memories ring into my poor old head. I used to work with draft horses. I dreamed of using them on the farm. Never was able to do it, although I did learn how to horse driving and ploughing and such from an old farmer near here who used horses. Thanks for the comment and the pics!

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by Lookout on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 7:37am

Good morning...

Our local small dairy operation sells "pet milk" (not for human consumption - wink,wink) as a way to escape the absurd regulations. Those farmers with an Abattoir and Butcher Shop face tremendous oversight.
Joel Salatin explains

The market limitations are primarily twofold. One is the supply. The artistry and choreography required to move animals around on palatable pasture year-round in any given bio-region takes years to learn. This is not cookie-cutter rations formulated from annuals stored in a big grain bin. The producer deals with on-farm variables such as seasonality, wet, dry, hot, cold, genetic physiology, minerals and a host of others. Beyond that, the Food Safety and Inspection Service has successfully annihilated most community-based, appropriately sized abattoirs (slaughterhouses) and criminalized on-farm processing. This is by far the major impediment to the local integrity of food.

That’s all on the production/processing end. The second market limitation has to do with entry-level requirements for major marketing channels. From liability insurance to net-90-day payment to slotting fees, large buyers share a Wall-Street business mentality. That mentality aggressively shuns competition, especially from little innovators.
...
What’s the answer? I don’t know, but what I’ve come up with is what I call food clusters. These require production, processing, marketing, accounting, distribution and customers — these six components make a whole. The cluster can be farmer-driven, customer-driven, even distribution-driven initially. But once these six components are in place, it can micro-duplicate the industrial on a bio-regional or foodshed scale, which includes urban centers.

Good luck with your operation. That sure is nice looking cheese. Lots of work in that everyday milking. Well, thanks for the interesting OT!

—

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 11:22pm

The abattoir problem

@Lookout
is common everywhere, unfortunately. I had an acquaintance who was moving his grandparents/parents farm to organic beef production. He couldn't, at first, find a place to process the beef, even slightly locally, and keep it to the organic requirements for his group of small production farmers/ranchers wanted to follow. Finally, he and a few others found an abattoir about 2 hours drive away, very small, which would work with the smaller producers. So they trucked their beef cattle, pigs, etc, out there and had the work done there. They formed a co-op.

Luckily, we can still do very small scale animal processing on our farms. We've a local butcher who comes out in a van with a team and deals with the 10 or 20 cattle, or 30-50 chickens or whatever. It's costly, but, it should be! If you can't pay the price in dollars, you can pay in cuts of meat. The butcher sells those too.

Thanks for the detailed comment with lots of information! Ohh, I forgot, we can sell 'pet' milk too. It's just that I had friends who did that and got the 'visit' from the authorities. So I didn't want to do it. Heh. Too scared, I guess. I have to admit, after years of drinking raw goat (and cow) milk, I can't drink any other kind. Processed milk SUCKS.

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by Snode on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 7:58am

Every small farmer

cowed out of business is more captive consumers for the big guys. So you see monopolies enable economy of scale. Now, move along, nothing to see here, If you don't move on you'll be issued a citation. Don't make me pull out my tazer.

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 11:24pm

This comment

@Snode
is spot on with the sarcasm. After all, the little guys don't need to farm, they can work in the fields for monsanto!

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by humphrey on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 9:17pm

Interesting and frustrating essay on how regulators require

the little guys to jump through hoops Sima.

Meanwhile it appears as if Ukraine and the MSM have a bridge that they want to sell you.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/inspectors-head-ukraine-n...

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine -- A U.N. inspection team arrived at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant Thursday on a mission to safeguard it against catastrophe, reaching the site amid fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces that prompted the shutdown of one reactor and underscored the urgency of the task.

The visit from the 14-member expert delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency came after months of negotiations to get inside Europe's biggest nuclear plant. Arriving in a convoy of SUVs and vans, the inspectors were led by IAEA director Rafael Grossi.

Later in the day, Grossi reported that the group had collected important information at the plant and would continue its assessment. The visit is expected to continue until Saturday.

“The key things that I wanted to see, I saw,” Grossi said. He said of the staff at Zaporizhzhia, “Despite a difficult situation and circumstances, they are very professional in their work.”

As the experts made their way through the war zone toward the complex, Russia and Ukraine accused each other of shelling the area and trying to derail the visit. The heavy shelling delayed the team's progress toward the plant.

Energoatom, Ukraine's state nuclear power company, said Russian mortar shelling had led to the shutdown of one of its reactors by its emergency protection system and had damaged a backup power supply line used for in-house needs. One of the plant’s reactors that wasn’t operating was switched to diesel generators, Energoatom said.

NEW: One of the two operational reactors at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant was deactivated after Russian forces launched mortar bombs in the area https://t.co/nV61epzSo2

— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) September 1, 2022

The Times and The Sunday Times
@thetimes
·

Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, said the Russians had stepped up shelling in the area in an attempt to disrupt the inspection
Andriy Yermak
@AndriyYermak
Russia shelled Energodar and the territory of the Zaporizhzhya NPP. They want to disrupt the visit of the @iaeaorg mission. These are the actions of a terrorist state afraid of the world learning the truth.

RF is responsible for everything happening at the ZNPP and Energodar.

Submitted by QMS on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 2:42pm

But, but why doesn't this pass the sniff test?

@humphrey

The RF forces secured the NPP early on to prevent the Ukes from using it as a big bomb.
RF forces have been protecting the transmission lines, transformers and switching stations
as well. Doesn't make sense they would be shelling their own troops and installation. But,
I guess the Swiss cheese heads in the MSM journalism pool aren't paid to question much?

the little guys to jump through hoops Sima.

Meanwhile it appears as if Ukraine and the MSM have a bridge that they want to sell you.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/inspectors-head-ukraine-n...

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine -- A U.N. inspection team arrived at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant Thursday on a mission to safeguard it against catastrophe, reaching the site amid fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces that prompted the shutdown of one reactor and underscored the urgency of the task.

The visit from the 14-member expert delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency came after months of negotiations to get inside Europe's biggest nuclear plant. Arriving in a convoy of SUVs and vans, the inspectors were led by IAEA director Rafael Grossi.

Later in the day, Grossi reported that the group had collected important information at the plant and would continue its assessment. The visit is expected to continue until Saturday.

“The key things that I wanted to see, I saw,” Grossi said. He said of the staff at Zaporizhzhia, “Despite a difficult situation and circumstances, they are very professional in their work.”

As the experts made their way through the war zone toward the complex, Russia and Ukraine accused each other of shelling the area and trying to derail the visit. The heavy shelling delayed the team's progress toward the plant.

Energoatom, Ukraine's state nuclear power company, said Russian mortar shelling had led to the shutdown of one of its reactors by its emergency protection system and had damaged a backup power supply line used for in-house needs. One of the plant’s reactors that wasn’t operating was switched to diesel generators, Energoatom said.

NEW: One of the two operational reactors at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant was deactivated after Russian forces launched mortar bombs in the area https://t.co/nV61epzSo2

— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) September 1, 2022

The Times and The Sunday Times
@thetimes
·

Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, said the Russians had stepped up shelling in the area in an attempt to disrupt the inspection
Andriy Yermak
@AndriyYermak
Russia shelled Energodar and the territory of the Zaporizhzhya NPP. They want to disrupt the visit of the @iaeaorg mission. These are the actions of a terrorist state afraid of the world learning the truth.

RF is responsible for everything happening at the ZNPP and Energodar.

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 11:29pm

Exactly!

@QMS
I had exactly the same thought. Why would the Russians shell themselves?

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 11:28pm

Thanks for the info about the nuke plant in Ukraine

@humphrey
I'm following this, but not super closely. All I can say is, why would the Russians shell their own troops? Don't they control the plant now? Or the area around it? Ohh, I see QMS addresses this below (or above as it were)

Gads, fog of war, or fog of idiocy? Which one is our media in?

the little guys to jump through hoops Sima.

Meanwhile it appears as if Ukraine and the MSM have a bridge that they want to sell you.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/inspectors-head-ukraine-n...

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine -- A U.N. inspection team arrived at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant Thursday on a mission to safeguard it against catastrophe, reaching the site amid fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces that prompted the shutdown of one reactor and underscored the urgency of the task.

The visit from the 14-member expert delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency came after months of negotiations to get inside Europe's biggest nuclear plant. Arriving in a convoy of SUVs and vans, the inspectors were led by IAEA director Rafael Grossi.

Later in the day, Grossi reported that the group had collected important information at the plant and would continue its assessment. The visit is expected to continue until Saturday.

“The key things that I wanted to see, I saw,” Grossi said. He said of the staff at Zaporizhzhia, “Despite a difficult situation and circumstances, they are very professional in their work.”

As the experts made their way through the war zone toward the complex, Russia and Ukraine accused each other of shelling the area and trying to derail the visit. The heavy shelling delayed the team's progress toward the plant.

Energoatom, Ukraine's state nuclear power company, said Russian mortar shelling had led to the shutdown of one of its reactors by its emergency protection system and had damaged a backup power supply line used for in-house needs. One of the plant’s reactors that wasn’t operating was switched to diesel generators, Energoatom said.

NEW: One of the two operational reactors at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant was deactivated after Russian forces launched mortar bombs in the area https://t.co/nV61epzSo2

— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) September 1, 2022

The Times and The Sunday Times
@thetimes
·

Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, said the Russians had stepped up shelling in the area in an attempt to disrupt the inspection
Andriy Yermak
@AndriyYermak
Russia shelled Energodar and the territory of the Zaporizhzhya NPP. They want to disrupt the visit of the @iaeaorg mission. These are the actions of a terrorist state afraid of the world learning the truth.

RF is responsible for everything happening at the ZNPP and Energodar.

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by humphrey on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 12:24pm

Also too:

Check out this Gobbledygook

The Ukrainian MOD has said that they won't release the names of settlements they recaptured from Russian forces to avoid Russian forces finding out and attacking those settlements. pic.twitter.com/WcdGawxSm8

— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) September 1, 2022

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 11:31pm

hahahahah :)

@humphrey
Yea, so the Russians might find out the names of the villages they control! Or Controlled!

I translate the gobbledygook as 'We really haven't freed or retaken anything, so there's no list to give out'.

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by snoopydawg on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 1:01pm

Control the food and you control people

World Economic Forum's ENTIRE plan EXPOSED in just 60 seconds— This is what attacks against Dutch farmers are REALLY about... pic.twitter.com/RDIoeovSEb

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 31, 2022

It’s really this simple and it’s why we’re seeing so many attacks on food processing plants, but of course it goes beyond just controlling our food.

A German leader just said that Germany will support Ukraine no matter how much it hurts the citizens. Taking Russia down might be one of the reasons why NATO Is using Ukraine, but it’s also the way to commit economic suicide for many countries to help usher in the great reset.

Biden’s labeling Trump supporters domestic terrorists after promising to unify the country. Seems like he’s taking a page out of Obama’s book. Or is Obama actually running the show? Lots of people from his administration are in Biden’s.

We’re up in the hills again, but internet is very spotty. Sam is now a flying grasshopper hunter and has become quite successful at catching them and gets upset with me cuz I don’t let her eat them. It’s their world and she’s just visiting.

—

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Submitted by snoopydawg on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 1:14pm

She’s quoting Biden

@snoopydawg

Karine Jean-Pierre says that people who voted for Donald Trump are "a threat to our democracy, to our freedom, to our rights." pic.twitter.com/8e2fXP2sD7

— John Cooper (@thejcoop) August 31, 2022

Biden also said that if anyone wants to fight the government they will need a jet not just the piddly weapons they have. Interesting then don’t you think that Pelosi says that a bunch of unarmed people almost overthrew democracy.

Much more information in this article.

—

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 11:41pm

Great point about the jet...

@snoopydawg
It's all just a show, isn't it? The red versus the blue, the 'insurrection', the 'healing' under Biden... Bleh. It's astonishing how many people can't see it.

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 11:39pm

Sam is learning her job!

@snoopydawg @snoopydawg
My now very old dog, Jaska, used to capture swallows out of the air as they flew by attacking her head for being close (like 20 feet away) from their nest. Shocked the heck out of me. She quickly learned not to do that again! And so did they!

Food control is, in the end, complete control. If we can't even grow food in own gardens, or get some shared from our neighbors' garden, we are doomed, because it could come down to that.

Thanks for stopping by and dropping the links!

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by lotlizard on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 1:50pm

MOMA: some dairy farmers who sell direct to Amsterdam consumers

https://www.moma.amsterdam/

Their stuff including a hand-made goat cheese is excellent but regulations are onerous and prohibit some things such as raw-milk products being sold.

Haven’t been around because of having been on vacation in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, but am back home in Dresden now.

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 1:54pm

Welcome back, Lotl. Good to see that furry

@lotlizard

face again.

be well and have a good one

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by on the cusp on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 8:07pm

Lucky you!

@lotlizard GREAT destinations! Glad you are back, safe and sound!

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 11:46pm

Moma: Sounds great...

@lotlizard
The regulations and rules they have to follow sound draconian, like most food regs now. I was living in Europe back before all the USA type regs came through. The food was amazing. Raw milk and raw milk cheese didn't sicken huge amounts of people. Locally made cheese was/is wonderful. Then the USA type regs started becoming popular. Why? I think because big business started destroying all the small producers and also, USA made a rule that no country could export their raw milk cheeses to the USA. Goodbye Parmagiano Reggiano! And Camembert and more.

The no raw milk rule with respect to cheese is stupid, I think. Most cheeses are aged enough that the 'raw' milk part doesn't matter. Maybe with fresh cheese, but even then...

Thanks for stopping by. It's good to 'see' you again!

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 1:53pm

Good morning/afternoon eve, Sima.

The plight of the small farmer, like that of most small businesses, is awful and getting worse. We really need to pressure legislatures to cut exemptions, becausse regulators, for sure, never will.

be well and have a good one

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 11:56pm

I completely agree..

@enhydra lutris
I don't know that the legislators are brave enough, but maybe they can be.

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by humphrey on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 1:58pm

This is a possibility how things work behind the curtains.

When CIA — or as Bolton did with direct threats “we know where your children live” — comes to your home, tells you to write trash about China or you and your children (psychopaths' favorite target) will be killed. What do you do? https://t.co/eUddh8uOVD

— Theresa Kelly (@EndWarmongering) September 1, 2022

Submitted by on the cusp on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 8:27pm

More in your face proof

@humphrey everything out there that leads us toward military action is a damn lie

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by Sima on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 11:58pm

It's so open now, too...

@humphrey
So open. Maybe it always was and I just didn't know where to look?

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by on the cusp on Thu, 09/01/2022 - 8:25pm

Hey, Sima!

Hope you had a productive day!
I hadn't realized the intense regulatory pressure on small farms and markets. When I was a kid, we all made our own butter, drank the milk we actually milked, bought syrup from the families raising sugar cane, and local locker plants were common in every town. Take your steers and leave them, go back in a few days and pick up the packaged meat.
I guess Big Ag cannot abide competition. I do have neighbors that sold rabbit meat. Seems kids allergic to everything under the sun could eat it. Yard eggs are still pretty common. Honey is still common. Just too damn bad, a sorry, sorry state of affairs.
Our government just loves them some monopolies, don't they? Big Donors, of course.
I am gonna go run, play for a few days. Any chance to get out and about is taken.
Hope your kids are doing great, chica!

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by Sima on Fri, 09/02/2022 - 12:03am

Have a great time over the weekend!

@on the cusp
Getting away is good, very good! I will be still at home, but, I get a vacation from the parental and sister care duties for the weekend! Woot!

I have to admit, when I started drinking raw milk, making my own cheese, butter, cream, etc, I couldn't believe how good it all was. And how rotten, in comparison, the stuff from the grocery store was! Every state should have a small producer rule. If you don't advertize, just sell, or provide, your products to the neighbors, then you don't have to satisfy all the rules. Like Oregon's rule. It would still leave out the people in the cities, but at least it would let small towns eat their own produce and drink their own milk!

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so