Re: Re: Was: choose whole milk dairy products at the store? - now: WIC program

[Guest guest]

jan,

i could not agree with you more. where do you get your numbers? i would

love a credible source for these types of stats so that i can confidently

educate the same. thanks for your perspective.

justin

> The cost appears high because the government subsidies the feed cost

> in grain fed animals. We all pay for it in our taxes, and again at

> the grocery store. The only people that make out on the subsidies

> are the large grain buyers who make out by buying grain below the

> cost of production, store it as long as they need to, and repackage

> it in junk food that returns them very nice profits. The cereal

> boxes costs more than the cereal inside them!

>

> 100 years ago, we paid 25-50 percent of our income on food, now we

> pay 8%. The cost of growing food has increased, along with the cost

> of land, capital, and labor. So how can our food cost be less?

> Because farmers are kept poor and the food game continues while the

> government subsidies the farmers just enough to get a loan for

> another year. That is why all farmers have off-farm jobs (or their

> wives). The business never makes a profit that includes paying the

> farmer a family living wage.

>

> Most of us in Traditional Foods farming are trying to receive a

> price that covers our costs and lets us work on the farm. Going to

> another job is what creates the climate of " short-cuts " needed to

> avoid the necessary labor entailed in environmental farming.

> The `short-cuts' slowly get back to conventional farming, as many in

> the conventional organics are doing, to stay in the farming

> business.

>

> The reason there is only 1% of farmers are raising organic and 100%

> grassfed meats is because individuals are still confused by the

> higher prices that are necessary to farm that way, and don't believe

> they can afford it. Those that can afford it may not be convinced

> the food is really better for them. Both combine to create a market

> that lacks enough sales to sustain it. Only food is suppose to

> always have the same low price, or it is " not affordable " . In

> everything else we accept rising prices: houses, fuel, cars, movies,

> paper towels, junk food, soft-drinks, etc, anything but nourishing

> food.

>

> When we see the cost of commercial food next to high-quality food,

> we automatically compare the two and say " Wow! That's so high! I

> can't afford that. " But that knee jerk reaction (I do it too!) is

> only because of the comparison. Example: 2 Mocha's bought at our

> favorite coffee shop, will more than pay for a gallon of raw

> organic grassfed milk! Or 1 pound of raw organic grassfed butter!

> Compare how long those will last to the 2 coffee drinks. And we

> won't even get started on the savings due to health benefits down

> the line.

>

> The only ones suffering in this cheep food world is the farmers

> (financial) and the consumers(health). The food manufactures are

> making high profits.

>

> It's all a matter of perspective.

>

> Jan

> www.blackberryridgellc.com

>

>

>

> That cuts to the heart of how bothered I was when I went to the

> Wise Traditions conference last year. All the food was excellent,

> but I kept thinking about how only a very limited group of people

> would ever be able to afford or appreciate such a wealth of good

> food.

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