Our Big Expansion!  

    Last month we introduced Sandy our new farm helper. Now meet "Rex" the 2550 Kubota tractor(photo to the left) in  all his orange glory. Rex has been doing all the heavy lifting around here and we couldn't get the job done without his help too.  Let me tell you about what we've been planting at NHCSA at Spring Hill Farm in Chester. A selection of some of our offerings in the ground are  items that where hard to get last year. We're planting 2,000 Red and Yellow Onions, 3,000 Red, Russett and Blue, yes blue, Potatoes. Salad Turnips, big Beefsteak Tomatoes and baseball sized slicers too. Two different Cucumbers, many different Peppers, like Chocolate Peppers.     

     Muskmelons, Watermelons, Tomatillos, Squashes and Pumpkins.

     At first we'll have greens like, Russian Kale, Rainbow Chard, White Russian Kale, Napa Cabbage, Red Lettuce, Jericho Lettuce, we've been busy!  

     Out in the pick your own: Chives, Yellow Pear Tomatoes, Raspberries, Strawberries, Cilantro, Sunflowers, Flowers and more!

     This is a selection, so much more is coming and we're excited to share this with our members.

PS, We planted Asparagus too but it takes 2 years to produce. 

This month I'd like to provide you some information genetically modified organisms(GMOs) and genetically engineered (GE) foods. GMO plants and animals have their genetic material altered in ways that would not have happened naturally in order for them to exhibit traits that are not theirs. Techniques known as recombinant DNA technology combine DNA molecules from different sources into one to create a completely new set of genes.  It often requires deletion and insertion of the host genes.  A subset of GMOs known as transgenic organisms are organisms that have had DNA from a different species inserted into their genes.  One of the more recent transgenic organisms was reported by China in 2011.  Scientists from there claim to have hundreds of trans genetic cows where they have introduced human milk production genetic material  into cows so that these animals can produce human milk.  The researchers claim these cows produce breast milk identical to human milk.  How can something so unnatural be accomplished?  A common method is by artificially attaching the desired foreign gene to a virus and then injecting it into the nucleus of the host forever altering its natural system and expression.    

    GMOs are in turn used to produce genetically modified foods. The most widely developed and controversial application of GMO technology is through food crops that are resistant to commercial herbicides or ones that have been genetically altered so that they can produce their own pesticides.   Referred to as "stacked straight" seeds, these are capable of both gene modified traits described. The market leader of the GMO crops that are planted globally are owned by Monsanto. In the corn GMO market alone there was over 30 million acres of this "stack" corn planted in 2008 by US farmers;  Almost double this acreage production is estimated just two years from now.  Other most common GMO crops include soy, cotton, canola, sugar beets and squashes such as yellow and zucchini squash.  The consequences to forever altering the chemical make up of nature is impossible to predict and yet its estimated that over 70% of processed food in this country contain GE products.  Most of the livestock in the US is fed GE grains unless it is USDA certified organic or Non-GMO Project verified.  Even when purchasing certified organic products which are not allowed to use GE material, the risk of cross contamination is high through pollination with GE crops.  There are many environmental and  health concerns related to this technology including increasing the risk of allergies as properties of one organism is injected into another. Concerns with regarding the security of our food system is often raised with monoculture increasing susceptibility to pathogens and wiping out entire crops. Promises for better crop yields and less use of pesticides has not been delivered.  The reality is that it is an experiment on nature and the consequences to our future food production and dwindling diversity of our food is disturbing.  For now, what we do know is that unless people are buying certified organic foods or project verified products, you are probably eating GMOS at every meal.   

     Unlike GE technology for the advancement of science and gene therapy to save lives, this infant technology in our food offers little to no benefit to consumers.  Good studies demonstrating safety to humans or long term implications do not exist. How did we get here?  Back in the early 1990s, when the FDA was reviewing the policy on GMO and food, there were concerns that there would be more allergies and disease with GMOs.  Despite researchers demanding long term safety studies on GMO, the FDA was instructed to promote GMO technology and hired Micheal Taylor (former attorney and VP of Monsanto and currently head of Food Safety with FDA).  Under his direction, FDA announced despite concerns to the contrary that they were not aware of differences in GMO and conventional food. Furthermore, companies such as Monsanto would determine whether their GMO products were safe. The one human study looking at GMO soybean (Round UP Ready) was shown to transfer into our DNA bacteria. The implications are disturbing in that other GMO foods such as corn that now harbor modified genes that release its own toxins could in turn transfer into the DNA of our intestinal flora and in turn produce pesticides in our GI tract. Unlike drug research that are tested in enclosed environments, these have been released into the environment not subject to rigorous testing and proof of safety to us. Nature has become GMO companies' personal laboratory and we have become their subjects. Unlike foods on the market shelves, this won't be able to be handled by a massive "recall."