See, this is the kind of thing that really boils my onions. Big Corporate Ag deliberately over-produces using Big Gov't. subsidies then, when the bottom falls out of the Pomzi scheme market, goes back to the gov't. trough for a bailout. Are we suckers or what? Not one dollar of this bailout will go to small, sustainable producers, it all goes to Cargill, ADM and the like. Sign the petition if you like. I mean, you gotta do something.

Tell Secretary Vilsack to stop using your tax dollars to bail out factory farms.

http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/40?akid=26.73802.A23YPq&t=1

For the past six months, the factory farm industry has begged Secretary Vilsack for hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in an effort to stem their record losses resulting from high feed costs and massive overproduction.

In 2009 alone the USDA has purchased over $151 million in pork products in an effort to bailout pork producers.¹ On September 3rd of this year, Vilsack announced another $30 million pork buyout to go to federal food and nutrition assistance programs.²

The drop in export markets of both pork and poultry is the result of years of irresponsible overproduction brought on by unfair government subsidies and loan programs that have created an unfair competitive advantage for family farmers.

Now that the good times have finally ended, the factory farm industry is receiving further handouts from the government after corporations have consolidated the market and driven family hog and chicken farmers permanently off the land.

Sign this letter today to tell Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to suspend all loans to the factory farm industry at the USDA.

http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/40?akid=26.73802.A23YPq&t=1

It’s time to stand up for family farmers and this is a good start.

In 2008 and 2009 alone, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) handed out over $265 million of hard-earned taxpayer money to factory chicken and hog farmers in loan guarantees to build new factory farms that compete against family farmers who are raising their animals the right way.³

Taxpayers should not be asked to foot the bill for factory farms. This is not a responsible use of taxpayer dollars and it needs to end!

Please join us in supporting Farm Aid and their partner organizations, the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, the Land Stewardship Project and the Missouri Rural Crisis Center in their stand for family farmers.

Sign here to tell Secretary Vilsack to end the factory farm bailout by putting an end to guaranteed government loans to the factory farm industry.

http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/40?akid=26.73802.A23YPq&t=1

Thanks for all you do.

Best,

Dave, Lisa and the Food Democracy Now! Team

If you'd like to see Food Democracy Now!'s grassroots work continue, please consider donating. Your donation of $5 or more will help us continue our work. We appreciate your support! http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/25?akid=26.73802.A23YPq&t=1

Sources:

1. Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Support for Domestic Nutrition Programs and Pork Producers
http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/43?akid=26.73802.A23YPq&t=1

2. Snouts at the Trough
http://fdn.actionkit.com/go/44?akid=26.73802.A23YPq&t=1

3. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) statistics.

Though I had some problems with Gourmet, like the articles featuring Vogue underwear models nibbling some rare dish, they also had a foodie political agenda and a good one. I'll miss their voice in the struggle against unsustainable corporate agriculture. Sam Formartz (attached) says it right, I can't believe no one at Conde Nast valued the Gourmet brand, the most recognizable food mag brand in the world.

http://www.chewswise.com/chews/)" style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136); font-size: 22px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">ChewsWise blog post

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An Undeserved Butchering: Gourmet Magazine Posted: 05 Oct 2009 01:55 PM PDT Gourmet magazine celebrated food, where it came from, how it was made, but this last act of butchering was undeserved. Conde Nast decided to shutter the venerable food monthly, giving staff a week to clean out their desks.  Now, I understand Gourmet was losing money. But the swift axe comes as a shock, especially at a time when food writing has become elevated and the audience for such fare continues to grow. I cannot imagine that the Gourmet magazine brand would not have been worth something if re-imagined. I am also saddened because I have worked with Gourmet on occasion and know a few people there. To just single out two, food politics writer Barry Estabrook was among the more insightful, broad-reaching and strong writers in the field. His article on virtual slave workers in Florida's tomato fields led to long-awaited reform. At the very least, his piece deserves consideration for a national magazine award. I would also single out Jane Daniels Lear, senior articles editor, for her keen editorial pencil and deft writing. Ruth Reichl needs no accolades, since she has done so much to change the way food is perceived and written about and I expect she will continue to do so in the future. Gourmet offered a melange of stylized photo shoots and far-flung travel features; it celebrated chef menus and offered tips on fast and easy food. In short, it tried to navigate between the ideal and utilitarian. The mix worked for me, but maybe in this age of Google-your-ingredient recipes the sense of urgency was missing. With a new food site seemingly launching ever week, though, it's hard to think there isn't an appetite for this stuff. And the weird thing was, Gourmet had a lead on all of them. I hope Gourmet lives on at its web site, still offering engaging writing and videos, giving us tips and inside stories. But if it doesn't, I imagine these talented people will land on their feet creating what Conde Nast, alas, was unwilling to envision. - Samuel Fromartz

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Apparently the American Medical Association has weighed in on the new economic stimulus package.........

- The Allergists voted to scratch it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves.
- The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve.
- The Obstetricians felt they were all laboring under a misconception.
- Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.
- Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!" while the Pediatricians said, 'Oh, Grow up!'
- The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the Radiologists could see right through it.
- Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing.
- The Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow, and the Plastic Surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter."
- The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists were pissed off at the whole idea.
- The Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and the Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.
- In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the assholes in Washington.