Jim Goodman’s Posts

• The pen is mightier than agri-business

  Why are (some) farmers afraid of Michael Pollan? 26

  Posted 1 month, 1 week agoAuthor Michael Pollan is no stranger to controversy. He has broadened the discussion of what we eat, where and how it is grown, big vs. small, organic farming vs. conventional. When he speaks some in the audience will love him, some will not.

• We're going to hold your feet to the fire, are they getting hot yet?

  Obama needs to take a stand on trade 0

  Posted 3 months ago

  Candidate Obama said, in an Obama Administration, meetings would be conducted with transparency and the active involvement of citizens, labor, the private sector and non-governmental organizations. So why hasn't he scrapped the Security and Prosperity Partnership?

• Drinking the Kool-Aid of Corporate America

  Why are milk prices plummeting? 10

  Posted 5 months ago

  Dairy farmers are in deep trouble. Milk prices have fallen by half since last year, dropping to a 30-year low. Consumption has fallen in light of the slowing world economy and now there is a huge milk surplus, or so the “experts” tell us. But milk prices, like the rest of the world economy, crashed because of a globalized, unregulated free market system, not because of surplus product.

• Think Before You Eat, Agriculture and the Environment 0

  Posted 6 months, 1 week ago

  Farmers claim to be stewards of the environment, some would say it's best friend; others, its worst enemy. The truth is we can be both.

  Humans have never left a small footprint, we have always tried to shape the environment to suit our needs. Initially farming had one purpose, food; farming provided a more stable diet than the hunter-gatherer existence.

  As we became more "civilized" our effect on the land… Read More

• Cutting the fat

  USDA sees a food problem, but not the solution 1

  Posted 8 months, 2 weeks ago

  Albert Einstein once said, "The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them."

  The same can be said of U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's newfound commitment to "get Americans to eat more healthful foods while also boosting crop production to feed a growing world population." As he notes, "These two goals have often been at odds."

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Jim Goodman’s Recent Comments

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  Joel Salatin has done great things, but we all can't have the luxury of living so close to such a huge metroplitan market. Like real estate, in direct marketing it's location, location, location. The product has to be good, but --location.

  On An 'agri-intellectual' talks back posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago 49 Responses

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  I have farmed both conventionally and organically, so I can see both sides of the argument, I have been there. Farmers need to make a living.  I don't know as the world has ever asked us to feed them. I think they would prefer to feed themselves, and it would not be corn and soy that they would be eating.

   

  We need to help out in crisis situations but as weare net importers of food we should also be trying to feed ourselves. Corn and soy feed animals, and make Monsanto, Pioneer , Cargill, ect rich.

   

  As a conventional farmer it was difficult to admit that I was working for corporate agriculture, but it was true. So Tom's point about farmers just getting subsidies as a pass through is spot on.

   

  While all farmers cannot sell directly as I do, it is much more rewarding  (and most of the time more profitable) to know my customers. I wouldn't trade that for six weeks in a combine.

  On An 'agri-intellectual' talks back posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago 49 Responses

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  So, has this guy ever farmed and made a living from it? If he has, does he think about the productive capacity of that land in 5, 10, 50 years? Probably not, corporate philosophy is all about profit today.

  On Dow Agrosciences: farm like there's no tomorrow! posted 3 months, 1 week ago 1 Response

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  I think my dairy meets all of your requirements for being eco-freindly. In July my average milk price (about half of my organic milk had to be sold as conventional milk due to a glut of organic milk on the market) was just over $19/cwt. In March I was gettting just over $30/cwt. I lost $100 per day in July.

  
  ALL organic dairies are supposed to be eco-freindly, thats the whole idea of organic. There aren't all that many niche markets out there are there? Where are they, who are they, what products do they want?

   

  On [UPDATED] Sen. Bernie Sanders cries "monopoly" in a collapsing milk market posted 3 months, 1 week ago 47 Responses

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  The truth hurts, but the truth shall make you free.

  On Agrichemical industry steps up pressure on White House organic garden posted 5 months, 1 week ago 6 Responses