Where's your food coming from?

“At least in my area of the Midwest, crops are in serious trouble. Too much rain early, so they went in waaaaaaay late.

Now it's a drought. Ever seen corn plants that look like pineapples because their leaves are all curled up, trying to help conserve any little moisture they still have?

Makes me think of a favorite Don Henley song, "A Month of Sundays." Now I'll make like Tarpy. Here are the lyrics:

I used to work for Harvester
I used to use my hands
I used to make the tractors and the combines
that plowed and harvested this great land

Now I see my handiwork on the block
everywhere I turn...
and I see the clouds
'cross the weathered faces
and I watch the harvest burn

I quit the plant in '57
had some time for farming, then
Banks back then was lending money
A banker was a farmer's friend

I've seen dog days and dusty days...
late spring snow and early fall sleet
I've held the leather reins in my hands
Felt the soft ground under my feet

Between the hot, dry weather
and the taxes and the cold wars
It's been hard to make ends meet
But I always put the clothes on our backs...
always put the shoes on our feet

My grandson, he comes home from college
He says, "We got the government we deserve"
My son-in-law just shakes his head and says,
"That little punk, he never had to serve"

And I sit here in the shadow of suburbs
look out cross these empty fields
And I sit here, in earshot of the bypass
and all night out I listen to the rushing of the wheels

The big boys, they all got computers
Got incorporated too
Me, I just know how to raise things
that was all I ever knew

Now it all comes down to numbers
Now I'm glad, that I have quit
Folks these days just don't do nothing
simply for the love of it

I went into town on the 4th of July
Watched them parade past the Union Jack
Watch them break out the brass and beat on the drum
One step forward and two steps back

And I saw a sign on Easy Street
It said, "Be prepared to stop"
Pray for the independent little man
I don't see next year's crop

And I sit here on the back porch in the twilight
Now I hear the crickets hum
I sit and watch the lightning in the distance
but the showers never come

I sit here and listen to the wind blow
I sit here and rub my hands
I sit here and listen to the clock strike
And I wonder when I'll see my companion again”

“Out here it was dry early and had all the farmers flashing back to '99 but then it rained - a lot. It's looking to be a good year. A farmer's prayer is that his crops will flourish and his neighbor's will die so he'll have plenty to sell at top dollar.”

“So far this year has been perfect for crops. In the Southeast.”

“Aldi”

“http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11451389/GT!=7756 Anyone else fine this deceptive?”

“Damn, no more cheap brown meat? I'm outraged!”

“But the growing use of carbon monoxide as a "pigment fixative" is alarming consumer advocates and others who say it deceives shoppers who depend on color to help them avoid spoiled meat.

they need to retrain shoppers, color is not a good indicator of spoiled meat...i've heard of this, they've been doing it for a while...people today are overly worried about meat spoilage and grocery stores/restaurants are loosing a ton because of it...shoppers need to be paying attention to the date it was prepped...plus any good supermarket will stand behind their meat...if you bought something that was spoiled, even if it wasn't spoiled but just a little "off", the supermarket would take it back”

“I just wish the FDA was a completely independeent body.”

“I'm surprised that isn't illegal. I know red lights (at least in NY) is illegal in a meat case.

Actually if you let the meat age(brown) a bit, it tastes a lot better.”

“steak never has a chance to change color in my house.”