In Search of the Silver Bullet

by Dale Johnson on August 20, 2010

As I watched another heavy thunderstorm move through a while ago, I began to think, ya know if it’d just quit raining everything would be OK… The crops would recover, the grass would quit growing so fast (so I wouldn’t have to cut it soooo much), the mosquito population would diminish, I could enjoy the evenings outside a bit more, why even life itself would suddenly become better!!! I then realized that just one year ago as I watched another hot, dry day pass, that I was wishing for just a little rain so everything would be better.

Have I fallen into the “silver bullet” mentality? And, just what is the silver bullet mentality??

In my mind, it’s thinking that something exists out there that’s a catch all fix all end all be all of all our problems… and that all we need to do is use this magic pill, juice, plant, drug, herb, concoction, or whatever, and all will be well — Instantly!!!! I’m here to announce that the silver bullet does NOT exist!! I’m not sure exactly where this thinking originated from (although I’m quite sure I’m not the only one afflicted with this skewed thinking) but it sure seems to me that the marketing genius’ are constantly capitalizing on our continuing search for it. We’ve been told that simply by taking this one and only pill our pain will go away, or by using this one fertilizer that our crops will always be great or by applying this chemical to our soil that our fields will be weed free… and beyond that, there will be nothing to worry about!!! No side affects, no consequences, no problems at all.

I believe that the answer to ALL our problems are not singular, but in diversity.

The answer to various weather conditions affecting our crops is to have healthy soil that can shed, or hold moisture as needed, and by knowing and working with the life cycles in the various soils to promote their growth.

The answer to our health care system is not finding that one Doctor (who usually prescribes a pill) who can heal us, but by feeding ourselves healthy, clean food grown in the region in which we live and by understanding that food should be our medicine, and our medicine should be our food;

The answer to our job security issue is not by relying on one (or a few) large multi-national corporations to employ us all, but by hundreds of thousands of small diverse companies that are fully vested in the local economy and will not close up shop and move somewhere else because there’s more money to be made by relocating.

I could give tons of other examples, but they all end up with the same answer: Cherish and enjoy the diversity that surrounds us, whether in nature or in business, enjoy the little things as they are in reality what holds up everything else… And to loose those little things, would be to loose ourselves.

Healthy trails,

Dale

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Food Independence Day

by Century Farm on July 4, 2010

As we celebrate the independence of our country it’s important to remember the reason for our beginning… INDEPENDENCE!!!

We broke away from Great Britain not because of some tax on tea, but because the King would not accept payment of our levies and taxes in the form we chose. We wanted to be able to print and distribute our own money so commerce could be localized and people could do business with whoever they chose. Our Founding Fathers knew that by allowing the freedom to buy things from our neighbors that communities would grow and prosper and be safe and secure.

In regards to the independence to buy food from who we choose, I’ve seen quite a change in my lifetime. I’ve seen local go from always knowing were our food came from (mostly from our own farm and garden) to local being defined by large corporations as how far their food travels from their own distribution centers!!

But by far the most disturbing change is in the power that our own Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seems to think they have in determining from who, what and where we can buy our food. Under the disguise of food safety, they have regulated the way food can be raised, processed, distributed and sold – which is not a bad thing – but when it’s so heavily slanted in favor of huge multinational corporations, it makes me wonder what our Founding Fathers would have thought of this ridiculous over-regulation.

This came to light back in April when the FDA, in response to a lawsuit filed earlier in the year by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund in regards to FDA’s regulating the sale of raw milk, made these claims:

1) That we the people have NO fundamental right to produce, obtain or consume the food of our choice (in this case raw milk)

2) That we the people do NOT have the right to consume and feed our children any particular food

3) That we the people do NOT have the right to determine what is healthy for ourselves

4) That we the people do not have the right of freedom of contract when it comes to our food. The FDA claims that THEY hold these rights and only THEY can make these decisions

To me, these claims are beyond disturbing and any American citizen who has ever lived (our Founding Fathers would be up in arms) would be appalled at any agency even thinking to take away these most basic rights.

So on this Independence Day, remembering what started this whole revolution, let’s declare a FOOD independence day (and year) and shop at those small local markets and farm stands that WE choose that supports a safe, secure and healthy food supply.

Healthy trails,
Dale

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The Future Will Not Be Pasteurized

July 1, 2010

Ever wonder why so much of our store-bought food is over processed the way it is? Are those big food companies really protecting us from “bad” food, or are they covering up “bad” food?? Let’s briefly examine the food industry. It’s important to know that most of our food or food ingredients that are used [...]

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The Dairy Dilemma… Part 2

June 22, 2010

So, let’s look at the question we asked in our last article… just what is the big issue about drinking raw milk? Well, it comes down to politics (again). The dairy lobby in the United States is generally known to be the most ruthless, nasty and downright unlawful bunch that’s ever been in operation. They [...]

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The Dairy Dilemma… Part 1

June 19, 2010

In the news recently we’ve seen our legislators vote on whether to “allow” us to drink raw milk. As someone who grew up on a dairy farm and who’s family members have been drinking raw milk since the late 1800′s, I have strong opinions on this topic. First of all, from an anecdotal research viewpoint, [...]

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My DNA

June 15, 2010

Whenever I sit and wonder what the heck I’m doing with my life, I always end up in the same place… it’s the food man!!!! Pure, simple, healthy, tasty… life’s really rewarding when you can narrow it down like that. As a life long farmer being on the same acreage that 5 generations of Johnson’s [...]

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