Making Hay

Moving Forward Into the Past

By Gene

 

Last month I had the opportunity to speak at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. I enjoyed my time there with professors and students who are exploring positive changes in our food system, and it was also great to visit with dedicated activists and Farm Sanctuary supporters in the area. I had amazing vegan meals both on campus and off, including at a restaurant called Tofu House. Given its name, I assumed this was a vegetarian restaurant, but I saw dishes with beef, pork and chicken on the menu. I asked if these were veggie meats, but was told they were not. I almost walked out, but ultimately decided to stay.

It turned out that Tofu House was a Korean restaurant. Before the main course, I was served several bowls with kimchi (a traditional Korean dish), bean sprouts, vegetables, grains, and legumes. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, which was very healthy and reminded me about the wisdom embodied by traditional foods. For millennia, civilizations around the world have survived and flourished on plant foods.

In recent years, citizens in affluent countries like the U.S. have been eating too many animal foods, and we are now seeing the resulting health problems, including higher rates of heart disease, cancer and obesity. Now, there is a growing interest in eating better: Fast food restaurants are offering salads and at least one (Burger King) sells a veggie burger. The meat and dairy industries’ influence on the National School Lunch Program is starting to be questioned. Farmers markets, community gardens and home gardens are sprouting up everywhere. We are in the midst of a burgeoning food movement.

It is common for people to incorrectly assume that eliminating animal products from their diet will limit how they eat. However, when people choose to go vegan, their food options typically expand and include many international foods that they hadn’t tried before. That was certainly my experience. In the U.S., groups of immigrants have brought interesting and varied food traditions from every corner of the globe, and most of them are centered on plant foods. Along with a vegetarian restaurant, there are a number of establishments, including Japanese, Indian and Lebanese ones, with many vegan options within walking distance of my house in College Park, Maryland. Eating vegan is easier than ever.

As we choose foods that nourish our bodies, we often find ourselves returning to dishes that have sustained humans for generations. As we go forward, there is much we can learn from our past.

A New Decade and Reason for Hope

By Gene

 

The first decade of this millennium has been marked by stark contrasts. Industrialized animal farming continued to expand and gain control over an ever greater share of the marketplace, and the number of animals exploited for food in the U.S. increased steadily, reaching 10 billion per year. At the same time, there’s been growing public awareness and unprecedented opposition to the waste, inefficiency and abuses of animal agriculture. While agribusiness spends billions of dollars to sell its products, bestselling books like "Skinny Bitch" and "Eating Animals" have exposed millions to the harms of factory farming for the first time.

At the beginning of the last decade, no U.S. law existed to prohibit cruel confinement systems, like veal crates, gestation crates and battery cages. In fact, most state anti-cruelty laws exempted farm animals from basic humane protections. But, over the past decade, some states took action to outlaw common factory farming cruelties. Two states passed laws to ban battery cages (CA, MI), five passed laws to ban veal crates (AZ, CA, CO, ME, MI), and seven passed laws to ban gestation crates (AZ, CA, CO, FL, OR, ME, MI). Responding to growing public pressure, Smithfield, the world’s largest pork producer, pledged to phase out gestation crates (2–foot-wide metal enclosures where female breeding pigs are confined for years). We have a long way to go, but as the new decade dawns, we are poised to see additional laws and policies enacted to prevent cruel factory farming practices.

The last decade started with Farm Sanctuary suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to compel the agency to prohibit the marketing and slaughter of downed animals (animals who are too sick or injured even to stand) for human food. By the end of the decade, the Obama administration had locked in a federal ban on slaughtering downed cattle for human food. A similar ban should be enacted to apply to pigs and other species.

The Obama family recently planted an organic vegetable garden at the White House to encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetables, and the USDA established a community garden, dubbed "The People’s Garden," at its headquarters in the nation’s capital. I recently moved to Washington, D.C. to further our work with policy makers to protect animals, consumers and the environment, and promote plant-based agriculture.

We are in the midst of a growing food movement, and I am optimistic about the coming decade. As agribusiness interests convene for meetings to discuss ways to defend their practices, compassionate citizens are picking up steam. Scientists and researchers at leading universities and institutions are issuing reports that decry the many harms of animal agriculture.

At the end of the last decade, for the first time in generations, the USDA’s year-end records showed that the number of animals killed for food in the U.S. dropped. Let’s hope that this is the beginning of a solid trend, along with the increasing number of farmer’s markets, community supported agriculture programs and community gardens across the U.S. We have a long way to go, but there is definitely reason for hope.

Planting Seeds in Your Community

By Casey

The community garden in Ithaca, NY, chock-full of veggie goodness!

With its long history of promoting meat, eggs and dairy, the USDA is usually not at the top of our “Favorite Government Agencies” list. But sometimes, it does something we really like, such as when Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced this month that August 23–29 would be declared “National Community Gardening Week.”

“Community gardens provide numerous benefits including opportunities for local food production, resource conservation, and neighborhood beautification," said Vilsack. "But they also promote family and community interaction and enhance opportunities to eat healthy, nutritious foods. Each of these benefits is something we can and should strive for."

Friends and neighbors coming together to cultivate fresh local produce is something we can all agree is a  step towards a more sustainable – and more plant-based – American diet. But there’s something that’s even better than a community garden, and that something is a veganic community garden!

If you’re new to the idea, veganic gardening is the practice of growing food crops using methods that are not only organic (free of GMOs and nasty chemicals), but also free of animal exploitation. Sadly, most “just-plain-organic” agriculture in the U. S. relies heavily on animal-based fertilizers such as manure, blood meal and bone meal. Yuck. We can do better.

While many organic enthusiasts believe that you need manure to grow your organic veggies, it just isn’t so! In fact, many cultures, past and present, have sustained their fields without chemicals or manure, simply because they didn’t have an enormous animal industry desperately trying to dispose of its smelly mountains of waste. Think about it. Do you think Native Americans growing the three sisters (corn, beans and squash) had large hog and dairy farms to supply their fields with truckloads of animal poop? Uh-uh.

So, now that you are in on this little secret, it’s time to share the knowledge.

A veganic Earthbox, grown by our very own Delci.

First, locate a community garden near you. The American Community Gardening Association (ACGA)  has a convenient database to help you out. Just plug in your zip code and see what’s growing in your neighborhood. Talk to your local garden coordinators and see how you can get involved.

If you live in a temperate zone, it may be too late to have a veganic plot this year, but investing your labor during this year’s harvest season can earn the respect of your fellow gardeners. When you show up at meeting to plan next year’s garden, you’ll have more influence. (Going to the meeting with some yummy vegan brownies couldn’t hurt your case either. ) Use the time between now and then to brush up on – or learn the basics of – veganic agriculture. To help you get started, check out the Veganic Agriculture Network  and this excellent “how-to” from the Vegan Society.

“But, what if there is no community garden in my neighborhood?” you ask. Why, lucky you! That means you can get in on the ground floor and start your own community garden! As a founding member, you’ll have the clout to make sure things are done veganically from day one. The ACGA has a terrific guide on how do launch your own community garden right here. So enjoy celebrating National Community Garden Week, and start hatching plans now for a truly humane garden in 2010.

For more suggestions, see the Tips on Veganic Gardening on our "Tools and Resources" page.

Food, Inc.

By Gene

I was able to see Food, Inc. over the weekend, and it was great to see that the theater was packed. The film’s popularity suggests we’re in the midst of a burgeoning food movement in the United States as consumers are finally learning about the abuses of factory farming and the importance of making informed food choices.

Food, Inc. doesn’t explicitly promote a vegan lifestyle, but it does urge consumers to make a difference “one bite at a time.” Among several recommendations, the film urges citizens to plant a garden (even a small one) and to shop at farmer’s markets. The movie shows footage of chickens, pigs and cattle kept on industrialized farms, along with other affronts to animal welfare. A non-industrialized farmer is interviewed and criticizes factory farming. He describes how confined animals are more likely to be contaminated and diseased, and that people who mistreat animals are also more likely to mistreat humans. Ironically, he’s making these comments while chickens are being slaughtered at his farm and he’s pulling out their guts on camera.

The film also talks about how agribusiness bullies farmers and citizens who challenge the status quo, including through costly litigation and promoting laws to make it illegal to take photos at factory farms. Factory farming requires secrecy to continue as it has, but Food, Inc. is helping promote more discussion and awareness. That’s a very good thing.

School's Out

By Gene

The school year is over, but there are still activities on campuses wherein volunteers, students, and others are engaged in the noble practice of growing their own food. Earlier this week, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack visited a school in southeast Washington, DC to help “create and unveil an edible "Good Food Garden" that will bring healthy, fresh and nutritious food to children from underserved communities in the nation's capital.” Meanwhile, a Baltimore, MD newspaper article described burgeoning efforts to grow and supply healthy fruits and vegetables to school children in that city and beyond.

More and more people are coming to realize the profound consequences of our unhealthy food system. The way we eat contributes to some of the most pressing health problems in our country including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. Sadly, our federal school lunch and nutrition programs have served to exacerbate these problems at tax payer expense, and they are in desperate need of reform. Children should be encouraged to consume fruits, vegetables and other healthful plant foods, rather than animal products, and as the child nutrition act is addressed in Washington, DC over the coming year, we need to be in touch with our elected representatives and senators and make our concerns known. You can take action on this important issue here.

Power to the People

By Gene

We are witnessing a nascent interest in green living as yesterday’s Earth Day celebrations and other activities attest. But, green living needs to be more than a slogan absent of real change. We should each seek to adjust our habits and lifestyles to lighten our load on the planet, and the single most impactful choice we make is how we decide to eat. Choosing a vegan lifestyle and supporting Farmer’s Markets, community gardens and other sustainable food systems can make a world of difference. 

Earlier this year, I was very happy to see Tom Vilsack, the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) break pavement near USDA headquarters in Washington, DC to establish “The People’s Garden.” On Earth Day, he expanded the effort “to promote healthy food, people and communities across the nation.” 

The USDA press release says: “In response to the overwhelming public support and hundreds of letters the 'People's Garden' concept has received, Secretary Vilsack challenged USDA facilities around the world to plant their own 'People's Gardens.' Let’s keep expressing our appreciation to USDA for setting a good example and promoting healthful plant-based eating with ‘The People’s Garden.’

Cracks in the Wall

By Gene

Our entrenched industrialized farming system needs to be reformed, both through combating inhumane and harmful practices, and through promoting better alternatives.

I recently visited Michigan State University (M.S.U.), a Land Grant institution with a long agricultural history. It was established in the mid 19th century and helped inspire President Abraham Lincoln to create the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the 1860s. Michigan State has done a lot to promote industrialized animal agriculture in recent decades, but there is something else very positive beginning to happen on campus. Students and volunteers have created a popular ten acre organic farm at M.S.U.. They produce fresh greens all year round, even during the freezing Michigan winter! The organic farm provides food on campus and it runs a Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA) that has a long waiting list of customers hungry to invest.

From Michigan, I travelled to California and spent several days with my friends at the City of 10,000 Buddhas in Ukiah. Besides promoting compassionate plant-based eating, the group operates a veganic farm that grows food without using animal manure, bone meal, blood meal, or other slaughterhouse byproducts. (Click here for more on veganic farming.) The farms’ harvest supplies a vegetarian restaurant and a cafeteria on campus. Around Ukiah I also met people who are producing their own food, often growing fruits and vegetables to be shared and traded with neighbors. Finally, while in California, I learned that Maria Shriver (Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s wife) is following Michelle Obama’s example and planting a garden at the capitol to grow healthy plant foods.

These are all small things amid the massive field of factory farming abuses, but each step is very positive, and taken together they are helping to build serious momentum for the kind of change we need on farms across the U.S. As Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” Each of us, every day, can take steps to be part of the solution through our food choices.

White House garden

By Gene

After hearing from many thousands of caring citizens across the United States, including members of Farm Sanctuary, the Obamas decided to grow an organic garden at the White House. According to the New York Times, “While the organic garden will provide food for the first family’s meals and formal dinners, it’s most important role, Mrs. Obama said, will be to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at time when obesity has become a national concern.” 

Our country’s health has deteriorated as industrial animal farming has spread. For the first time in U.S. history, this generation of children is expected to die younger than their parents. But it doesn’t have to be this way, and the first family’s positive example could help turn things around. When Franklyn and Eleanor Roosevelt planted a White House garden, it helped inspire Victory Gardens across the U.S. Let’s hope the Obama’s garden will do the same. 

Our food system has profound consequences for animals, the earth, and our own health, and tragically, we have been eating our way to death and destruction by ingesting products of violence, gluttony and injustice. Hopefully, the seeds of the White House organic garden will blossom and grow in communities across the country and people will be inspired to reconnect with the earth and grow healthful foods that help to nourish mind, body and soul.