Pesticide-Free Ojai  hosts Weed Managment

 PFO had another well-attended affair to move people away from the chemicals with smarter strategies. Several speakers shared their wisdom. A number of tools were demonstrated, the use of compost and organic compounds like vinegar, citric acid and cinnamon/clove combos, not to mention eating the nutritious ones. "Weeds hate healthy soil" said Ms. Ritchie, who talked about biodynamic farming and probiotic enzymes in cow manure, that build a healthy topsoil. 

Want better meat choices, from grassfed, smaller ranchers?

JUNE 22 - CALL PRESIDENT OBAMA:         202-456-1111

  For years, U.S. meatpackers -- four enormous companies that buy and slaughter nearly 85% of all cattle raised in the U.S. -- have been trampling on America's independent family ranchers. They prefer to buy cattle from large factory farms than from smaller independent producers, and they've voiced this preference by paying the small guys less for their animals than they pay the big guys. This effectively shuts smaller producers out of the market and drives them out of business, leaving us with more factory farms.

There's an agency charged with cracking down on this sort of bad behavior. It's called GIPSA -- the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration -- and it's part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In the 2008 Farm Bill, a coalition of family farmer and rancher, food justice and consumer groups got Congress to strengthen GIPSA's power to crack down on the big meatpackers. Unfortunately, the meatpackers responded by putting pressure on USDA not to implement what Congress passed, and USDA has been stalling for a year. The industry would be content for it to stall forever.

We need President Obama to weigh in on this important issue. The new GIPSA provision helps ensure that small and midsized ranchers get a fair price from the companies that buy from them, and it gives them access to justice if they're being mistreated. This is a fundamental issue of fairness for farmers, and implementing it would help expand consumers' access to meat raised by smaller independent producers in their local area.

45% of the meat randomly tested in a number of supermarkets across the country were found to have antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus bacteria. 80% of antibiotics sold in America go to livestock & poultry production -- not to treat sick animals but to promote faster growth and compensate for filthy facilities.  Tell Congress to support the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, which would require the FDA to review previous approvals of antibiotics use in animal feed & cancel those found to be unsafe from a resistance standpoint.

Capitol Switchboard:  202-224-3121 (ask for Rep. Elton Gallegly) 

Rep. Ron Paul introduced this bill after the FBI raid of a small Amish farm in Pennsylvannia was suspected of selling raw milk to out-of-state consumers.   For more information, see the movie Farmageddon, or call our own Joanie Blaxter (831-246-0162) or Jean Pedersen (729-0439).

http://www.naturalnews.com/032424_Ron_Paul_raw_milk.html

Ojai Valley Green Coalition  

Blueberry Vinaigrette 

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