Iām gonna buy this book. Order it through my local independent book store, Toadstool. Iām from New Hampshire ( and can also think of 5 folks I know here who are Iowans). Anyway, Jess, from one former English teacher to another.. you bring the light .. and the heat š„.. thank you š
No. I live in Massachusetts. I was a publisherās sales rep to independent bookstores for 37 years in New England and the Toadstool Bookshops were part of my account base.
I got my copy directly from the publisher. Ice Cube press in North Liberty, IA. I grew up in Storm Lake, at the same time as Art. He's spot on. A must read!
I tried to order through my local bookstore, The Novel Neighbor, but it's not available through them. Any help on how to buy it would be greatly appreciated. My local library doesn't have it either.
I grew up in very rural Nebraska in the 1950s. We sort of envied Iowa because it seemed so much richer for farming, 'the real Midwest', whereas we were Great Plains, which was windier, dryer, much more difficult for farming. (Also, Iowa had girss' basketball, which was inthinkable in NE.) Gradually the single windmills on farms morphed into the creeping circles of irrigation, sucking up water from the Ogallalla Aquifer. Other changes were happening. My mom, who had been the first grandchild on either side of her family, was killed in a a car wreck in 1973. Many of her cousins came to the funeral, all from "Cather Country', Red Cloud, Bladen, Guide Rock etc. Someone asked my second cousin Ron what, in his opinion, had been the biggest change in rural Nebraska in his lifetime. "The loss of the family farm." -- That was a big shock to me. I'd lived away from the area for quite a while. I wasn't sure what he was talking about, really. I can certainly see that now.
In the 90's, working in advertising in Cedar Rapids, I was out working on a video with a colleague whose family owned a very large hog operation near Newhall, IA. We were driving through the countryside one day and I, upon seeing one of dozens and dozens of dilapidated unoccupied former farm homes and/or home places with only a machine shed or a barn left.....leaving wide open spaces where there used to be family farm after family farm, commented to him that it was a shame all the family farms were failing and/or being bought up. This son of a "pig rancher" lived out there. Yet he couldn't see with his own eyes that the past was nearly gone. Nowadays you can still find farmers arguing the family farm is still alive and well. Sad.
Thinking more about climate and farming etc., I am reminded that when I was a child there were two traumatic weather events that were in people's minds. One was the Schoolchildren's Blizzard of January 12, 1888, which is a fascinating event but not for today's discussion. The other was, as you might imagine, the Dust Bowl, when so much exposed topsoil was just ripped away and people and livestock and crops were in terrible danger. When I was in grade school, our schoolbooks talked quite a lot about things like contour farming, crop rotation and cover crops. -- But by the time I was in high school (grad 1965), the heavy equipment was leveling the fields. No more conservation talk in text books.
Yeah, it's just an amazing tale. It really gives a sense of that eastern slope of the Rockies nature, the hazards, the uncertainties. And the reluctance of officials to actually count the number of dead. Growing up in NE, we knew it was stupid to drive around the countryside in winter without a shovel, a bag of sand, a canteen of water and a little food. Just in case. Now I guess that would include a mobile phone, etc.
I am a pensioner, but somehow I feel honoured to hear from you what exactly is happening there. And through some luck, possibly David Farrier I got to hear about your too.
What you wrote about TRUMP last time totally resonated with me.
I always thought of him as a bit of a clown, who gets more attention on our TV news than our own PM sadly.
Who needs Days of Our Lives to watch, not that I bothered, but sadly I feel Trump is a disgrace to President's and I believe he has been making quite a lot of money out of BITCOIN too to line his pockets even moreso, and runs his Presidency under the guise of Christianity. Who in their right minds believes that? Time for bed here now for an old gal but I wish you the best in promoting the TRUTH and shedding light on all the atrocities happening there. BIG HUG, Robyn from Cairns. šā¤ļøXo
Jess, I've just returned from two weeks in Missouri. I went back to see all the places the kids and I lived- Coldwater, Potosi, DeSoto, St. Louis. I found superfund sites, poisoned water and soil, so much sickness. I'm writing a piece right now about this issue.
I'm not a native Missourian, but I've been here for 45 years (which weirdly means I've been here longer than the average resident of my county where the average age is about 43 years) and while not a whole lot has changed right around where I live (the population has only increased by maybe 2500 persons in 45 years and much of that is near Fort Wood) just right beside me my neighbor just bulldozed down probably 20 huge old oak trees that lined the road so he could put up a good fence for his cows. He also bulldozed down a swath of woods right behind my house where I had walked for most of those 45 years) so while not causing sickness, it has been heartbreaking for me to see this small amount of "progress". On the other hand, over the years most of the wood processing plants that leaked cancer causing chemicals into the ground and water supply have closed. Sadly, we do not have elected officials who care about the health and well being of their constituents which is why we have to do all we can to support Blue Missouri. The 8th Congressional District, where DeSoto and Potosi are is the reddest district in the state and the 6th reddest district in the nation....we have a lot of work to do here, but even if we can't flip this district we can effect change in other districts (state and national) and make Missouri a safer place to live.
Iām sort of in a similar position in my small town in Iowa, not a native but here for 40 years. Jessās opening statement about midwesterners (Iowans) is accurate! Iām still annoyed at Iowans being too polite to obey right-of-way driving laws. (Me: āitās your turn, JUST GO!ā) š. I feel so much sadness seeing all the so-called progress in this state. When I arrived in Iowa my hubby and I used to drive out in the country to watch the piglets playing in their paddocks. Now thatās all gone. Whatās left are CAFOs, ugly low white buildings far from homesteads. Our water, as I understand it, is the most polluted in the nation, and is affecting the watersheds all the way down the Mississippi to the gulf. But god forbid we have laws in place to protect water, that would be an insult to farmers. I left a local environmental group because all they did was talk about āthe matrixā for building CAFOs. When I suggested we boycott pork, they were horrified, because that would upset farmers. And donāt get me started on puppy mills and exotic animal sales. Iowa is such a beautiful place, why are people so determined to destroy it?
I don't know if it's true, but one of Missouri's claims to fame is that we are the biggest puppy mill state in the nation...may not be true, just something folks like to brag about...actually the voters votes to put controls on the puppy mills, but the state legislature overturned it in their very typical way of ignoring the will of the voters. I quit eating pork a long time ago, not because of any quiet protest against corporate farms but because I just like pigs...we had raised a few and it was so hard to take them to be butchered I just couldn't eat pork after that...and for sort of the same reason I quit eating beef...I just hate to think my appetite is the reason for something to die an untimely death...on the other hand though, pigs really aren't good for much of anything except eating so if no one ate them there would be no reason for them....cows of course can give us milk which seems to be pretty handy and all those excess male cows have to go somewhere so maybe slaughtering them is ok...and where I live the cattle really live a life of luxury till the very end and many go from the farm to the slaughter house and skip the feed lots...but then many don't...such hard questions... I will eat venison since we have way too many deer here and lots get hit by cars or succumb to deer disease, so I'm not opposed to eating meat...just not those smart pigs and cute cows! Or affectionate hens! I had no idea that the water in Iowa is so polluted..wow, how sad. It seems to me from things that have happened in other places (well even here in the states in the Hudson River and Chesapeake Bay) pollution of water can be reversed, but it takes years and the right political support. Maybe things will turn around in the upcoming years.... I sure hope so. I think the important thing is to not give up no matter how hopeless things look...that' exactly what they want us to do. And I quit (actually never went to the first meeting) the local Audubon club because one of the members was a very prominent trump supporter....how can that be????? How can you love birds and support the GOP policies????
U R 100% correct in your telling the 'tail' of a cruel and vicious practice of using our "Best Friends" for profit. I had the honor of being evicted from my Jefferson Barracks apartment bc I called the police on my neighbor. He was housing very young German Short Hairs after being neutered, left alone and one of the pups wailed incessantly. The pup went to a vet (and was healed), my neighbor complained and I was out on my 'tail'. 'Misserians' loves their puppy prison camps. Funny how reproduction has such a skewed meaning in 'Missery'. Might be the white mongrels in the dog house in Jeff City.
Pat, thank you for writing and for your political activism. The loss of those oaks makes me want to cry. When I lived in Coldwater 45 years ago, I was so lonely. My dedication to taking care of the planet and my outspoken liberal ideas were an anomaly.
Fortunately thanks to the internet and groups like this we are no longer alone. I have no friends here and due to fear of retaliation I can't even say I'm a democrat or even a non trump supporter. But there is a lot I can do thanks to the internet and I try to do what I can!
I have the book on my shelf. Canāt wait to read it. Thanks for the push to get going on it. Cullenās pieces in Substack are also a must read. Iām so glad to have found your work. You speak the plain truth. Itās what we all need these days.
Thank you for this recommendation. I grew up in a sprawling poor rural county in Northern New York. Iām worried about our people in the same way you are. I, too, have a lot of that ānervous energy.ā And those rural communities, with the high cancer rates? Those will be the ones who lose their hospitals And who will soon not be able to afford health insurance. I appreciate you and your work so much.
Raised on a farm in Lafayette County, Missouri, it is heartbreaking to see how small farm families in my hometown are struggling. When my sisters & I sold our family farm after our parents death, we decided to sell to a family friend with a small farm. We could have sold to a big operation for more $ I am sure, but it was the right thing to do. I'm not patting myself on the back, we just knew that is what our parents would want us to do. We understood that this family would value & care for this land like my mom & dad.
Thanks for the early read this am, Jess! Iām always happy when I see a ānew oneā from you in early morning, to start my day. Now Wintering in SW Florida, it strikes me so, that our Midwestern pals here, refuse to speak about all of the injustices that have been going on that we know affect their kids lives. Living life in āthe bubble.ā Maybe some similarity with the traffic rules at 4 way stop signsā¦.no need to obey the rules or just wave āem through when you just donāt knowā¦.
Art Cullen is a fantastic writer. His Substack and yours are two of my favorites. All my Dad's family came from family farms in Minnesota and I've lived and worked in ND and MO, so I enjoy reading both of you for your perspective on how Big Ag has destroyed the Midwest.
Can you please tell me the name of Art Cullenās Substack? I tried to find it but it doesnāt appear to be under his name as far as the āsearchā option did not provide any link to him.
Yes!Yes! I've been reading his Substacks for a while, too. I have only been in the midwest for a few years and think the world of midwesterners. You and Art Cullen are the pure voices of the midwest rural population and their problems.
Nicely written piece Jess. It is a long time since I have been in the mid-west, but the atmosphere came through in your description. I shall also track down Art Cullenās book, or wait till it comes out on Audible. Like many, I find that modern life allows far too little time for long reads but there is still time for listening while doing daily chores!
As a resident of a big Western city and someone whose ancestors were farmers for hundreds of years, I sometimes feel compelled to speak up for farmers. After all, I'm not going to grow my own food, I need someone to do it for me. So, my question is: How do I show support for farmers when probably all of my food is provided by corporate mega-farms owned by the likes of Conagra or ADM? I certainly do not want support an industry that pollutes the environment with cancer-causing chemicals, and schemes to buy up all the family farms in order to have complete control over America's farmland. I try to make the distinction between the small, independent farms like my family used to have, and the agriculture conglomerates for whom profit is all that matters. Is it possible to support policies which benefit the small, independent farmers who are just trying to scratch out a living from the land, without supporting government handouts to Conagra? To this city dweller, agriculture seems so complicated, I don't know what to think anymore. Thanks for another illuminating post, Jess.
Norm, look into Natural Grocers for a place to buy your groceries. They support agricultural processes that protect the environment and are organic. They offer locally grown produce, too.
Thank you for the tip, Ann. For sure, I could do a better job of seeking out food sources that are more environmentally friendly. Iāve been thinking about all of this lately because Iām working on a draft for my own Substack which criticizes the current administration for screwing over the soybean farmers and cattle ranchers. I donāt particularly want to stick up for ADM, but I do want to support the small family farmers. To me, itās more complicated than I realized when I started.
Iām gonna buy this book. Order it through my local independent book store, Toadstool. Iām from New Hampshire ( and can also think of 5 folks I know here who are Iowans). Anyway, Jess, from one former English teacher to another.. you bring the light .. and the heat š„.. thank you š
Solidarity, friend!
šŖšŖšŖ
English teachers! Yay!
Arenāt the Toadstool Bookstores wonderful!?!
Are you a granite stater?
No. I live in Massachusetts. I was a publisherās sales rep to independent bookstores for 37 years in New England and the Toadstool Bookshops were part of my account base.
Bet you knew the Banks in Falmouth Ma and Annie Banks in Gloucester, Suzette.
Sending you a box load of verbal matches to keep all those folk you speak with and to alight thru the elections, Jes. Keep on keeping on!!!
My bookstore says itās on back order.. Will see what that means. Maybe order it through Jessās link which looks like an indie/ish publisher
I got my copy directly from the publisher. Ice Cube press in North Liberty, IA. I grew up in Storm Lake, at the same time as Art. He's spot on. A must read!
I tried to order through my local bookstore, The Novel Neighbor, but it's not available through them. Any help on how to buy it would be greatly appreciated. My local library doesn't have it either.
I use Bookshop.org, which gives a portion of proceeds to local bookstores that you designate. Here's their link for this book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/dear-marty-we-crapped-in-our-nest-notes-from-the-edge-of-the-world-art-cullen/6271bef4d0950e1e?ean=9781948509633&next=t
I've used them too, thanks Randy. Apparently the book is on back-order at the publisher so it's doing well.
There is a link in Jess's post to the indi publisher IceCube Press. Order there and also help Jess out! Herman Beck-Chenoweth
Thanks.
Hello neighbor from MA. ā¤ļø Peterborough and toadstool!
I grew up in very rural Nebraska in the 1950s. We sort of envied Iowa because it seemed so much richer for farming, 'the real Midwest', whereas we were Great Plains, which was windier, dryer, much more difficult for farming. (Also, Iowa had girss' basketball, which was inthinkable in NE.) Gradually the single windmills on farms morphed into the creeping circles of irrigation, sucking up water from the Ogallalla Aquifer. Other changes were happening. My mom, who had been the first grandchild on either side of her family, was killed in a a car wreck in 1973. Many of her cousins came to the funeral, all from "Cather Country', Red Cloud, Bladen, Guide Rock etc. Someone asked my second cousin Ron what, in his opinion, had been the biggest change in rural Nebraska in his lifetime. "The loss of the family farm." -- That was a big shock to me. I'd lived away from the area for quite a while. I wasn't sure what he was talking about, really. I can certainly see that now.
In the 90's, working in advertising in Cedar Rapids, I was out working on a video with a colleague whose family owned a very large hog operation near Newhall, IA. We were driving through the countryside one day and I, upon seeing one of dozens and dozens of dilapidated unoccupied former farm homes and/or home places with only a machine shed or a barn left.....leaving wide open spaces where there used to be family farm after family farm, commented to him that it was a shame all the family farms were failing and/or being bought up. This son of a "pig rancher" lived out there. Yet he couldn't see with his own eyes that the past was nearly gone. Nowadays you can still find farmers arguing the family farm is still alive and well. Sad.
I admit I was not fully aware of it either, because I grew up as a "townie", in Minden.
Girls' basketball! (I must still be envious to misspell it!)
My mom played in the 30's and 40's and my wife play in the 60's & 70's. All 6 on 6 of course.
Thinking more about climate and farming etc., I am reminded that when I was a child there were two traumatic weather events that were in people's minds. One was the Schoolchildren's Blizzard of January 12, 1888, which is a fascinating event but not for today's discussion. The other was, as you might imagine, the Dust Bowl, when so much exposed topsoil was just ripped away and people and livestock and crops were in terrible danger. When I was in grade school, our schoolbooks talked quite a lot about things like contour farming, crop rotation and cover crops. -- But by the time I was in high school (grad 1965), the heavy equipment was leveling the fields. No more conservation talk in text books.
Learned a bit today. Thanks for mentioning the blizzard: https://history.nebraska.gov/blizzard-of-january-12-1888/
Yeah, it's just an amazing tale. It really gives a sense of that eastern slope of the Rockies nature, the hazards, the uncertainties. And the reluctance of officials to actually count the number of dead. Growing up in NE, we knew it was stupid to drive around the countryside in winter without a shovel, a bag of sand, a canteen of water and a little food. Just in case. Now I guess that would include a mobile phone, etc.
And a full tank of gas!!!
Absolutely!
Jess I live in Cairns, Australia.
I am a pensioner, but somehow I feel honoured to hear from you what exactly is happening there. And through some luck, possibly David Farrier I got to hear about your too.
What you wrote about TRUMP last time totally resonated with me.
I always thought of him as a bit of a clown, who gets more attention on our TV news than our own PM sadly.
Who needs Days of Our Lives to watch, not that I bothered, but sadly I feel Trump is a disgrace to President's and I believe he has been making quite a lot of money out of BITCOIN too to line his pockets even moreso, and runs his Presidency under the guise of Christianity. Who in their right minds believes that? Time for bed here now for an old gal but I wish you the best in promoting the TRUTH and shedding light on all the atrocities happening there. BIG HUG, Robyn from Cairns. šā¤ļøXo
So nice to hear from you, friendā¤ļø
Jess, I've just returned from two weeks in Missouri. I went back to see all the places the kids and I lived- Coldwater, Potosi, DeSoto, St. Louis. I found superfund sites, poisoned water and soil, so much sickness. I'm writing a piece right now about this issue.
Thank you for doing the work.
And thank you. You're my Missouri warrior.
Jane Goodall said something like: who ever thought putting poisons on our food was a good idea...
I'm not a native Missourian, but I've been here for 45 years (which weirdly means I've been here longer than the average resident of my county where the average age is about 43 years) and while not a whole lot has changed right around where I live (the population has only increased by maybe 2500 persons in 45 years and much of that is near Fort Wood) just right beside me my neighbor just bulldozed down probably 20 huge old oak trees that lined the road so he could put up a good fence for his cows. He also bulldozed down a swath of woods right behind my house where I had walked for most of those 45 years) so while not causing sickness, it has been heartbreaking for me to see this small amount of "progress". On the other hand, over the years most of the wood processing plants that leaked cancer causing chemicals into the ground and water supply have closed. Sadly, we do not have elected officials who care about the health and well being of their constituents which is why we have to do all we can to support Blue Missouri. The 8th Congressional District, where DeSoto and Potosi are is the reddest district in the state and the 6th reddest district in the nation....we have a lot of work to do here, but even if we can't flip this district we can effect change in other districts (state and national) and make Missouri a safer place to live.
Iām sort of in a similar position in my small town in Iowa, not a native but here for 40 years. Jessās opening statement about midwesterners (Iowans) is accurate! Iām still annoyed at Iowans being too polite to obey right-of-way driving laws. (Me: āitās your turn, JUST GO!ā) š. I feel so much sadness seeing all the so-called progress in this state. When I arrived in Iowa my hubby and I used to drive out in the country to watch the piglets playing in their paddocks. Now thatās all gone. Whatās left are CAFOs, ugly low white buildings far from homesteads. Our water, as I understand it, is the most polluted in the nation, and is affecting the watersheds all the way down the Mississippi to the gulf. But god forbid we have laws in place to protect water, that would be an insult to farmers. I left a local environmental group because all they did was talk about āthe matrixā for building CAFOs. When I suggested we boycott pork, they were horrified, because that would upset farmers. And donāt get me started on puppy mills and exotic animal sales. Iowa is such a beautiful place, why are people so determined to destroy it?
I don't know if it's true, but one of Missouri's claims to fame is that we are the biggest puppy mill state in the nation...may not be true, just something folks like to brag about...actually the voters votes to put controls on the puppy mills, but the state legislature overturned it in their very typical way of ignoring the will of the voters. I quit eating pork a long time ago, not because of any quiet protest against corporate farms but because I just like pigs...we had raised a few and it was so hard to take them to be butchered I just couldn't eat pork after that...and for sort of the same reason I quit eating beef...I just hate to think my appetite is the reason for something to die an untimely death...on the other hand though, pigs really aren't good for much of anything except eating so if no one ate them there would be no reason for them....cows of course can give us milk which seems to be pretty handy and all those excess male cows have to go somewhere so maybe slaughtering them is ok...and where I live the cattle really live a life of luxury till the very end and many go from the farm to the slaughter house and skip the feed lots...but then many don't...such hard questions... I will eat venison since we have way too many deer here and lots get hit by cars or succumb to deer disease, so I'm not opposed to eating meat...just not those smart pigs and cute cows! Or affectionate hens! I had no idea that the water in Iowa is so polluted..wow, how sad. It seems to me from things that have happened in other places (well even here in the states in the Hudson River and Chesapeake Bay) pollution of water can be reversed, but it takes years and the right political support. Maybe things will turn around in the upcoming years.... I sure hope so. I think the important thing is to not give up no matter how hopeless things look...that' exactly what they want us to do. And I quit (actually never went to the first meeting) the local Audubon club because one of the members was a very prominent trump supporter....how can that be????? How can you love birds and support the GOP policies????
U R 100% correct in your telling the 'tail' of a cruel and vicious practice of using our "Best Friends" for profit. I had the honor of being evicted from my Jefferson Barracks apartment bc I called the police on my neighbor. He was housing very young German Short Hairs after being neutered, left alone and one of the pups wailed incessantly. The pup went to a vet (and was healed), my neighbor complained and I was out on my 'tail'. 'Misserians' loves their puppy prison camps. Funny how reproduction has such a skewed meaning in 'Missery'. Might be the white mongrels in the dog house in Jeff City.
Pat, thank you for writing and for your political activism. The loss of those oaks makes me want to cry. When I lived in Coldwater 45 years ago, I was so lonely. My dedication to taking care of the planet and my outspoken liberal ideas were an anomaly.
Fortunately thanks to the internet and groups like this we are no longer alone. I have no friends here and due to fear of retaliation I can't even say I'm a democrat or even a non trump supporter. But there is a lot I can do thanks to the internet and I try to do what I can!
I have the book on my shelf. Canāt wait to read it. Thanks for the push to get going on it. Cullenās pieces in Substack are also a must read. Iām so glad to have found your work. You speak the plain truth. Itās what we all need these days.
Thank you!
Seneca, the Stoic philosopher, wrote: āAll cruelty stems from weakness.ā And this administration and its sycophants are monstrously cruel.
But so many of us are the opposite. And we are getting stronger.
Thanks for the link to Cullen.
Thank you for this recommendation. I grew up in a sprawling poor rural county in Northern New York. Iām worried about our people in the same way you are. I, too, have a lot of that ānervous energy.ā And those rural communities, with the high cancer rates? Those will be the ones who lose their hospitals And who will soon not be able to afford health insurance. I appreciate you and your work so much.
Thank you!
Raised on a farm in Lafayette County, Missouri, it is heartbreaking to see how small farm families in my hometown are struggling. When my sisters & I sold our family farm after our parents death, we decided to sell to a family friend with a small farm. We could have sold to a big operation for more $ I am sure, but it was the right thing to do. I'm not patting myself on the back, we just knew that is what our parents would want us to do. We understood that this family would value & care for this land like my mom & dad.
Thanks for the early read this am, Jess! Iām always happy when I see a ānew oneā from you in early morning, to start my day. Now Wintering in SW Florida, it strikes me so, that our Midwestern pals here, refuse to speak about all of the injustices that have been going on that we know affect their kids lives. Living life in āthe bubble.ā Maybe some similarity with the traffic rules at 4 way stop signsā¦.no need to obey the rules or just wave āem through when you just donāt knowā¦.
That is the perfect analogy, friend
Art Cullen is a fantastic writer. His Substack and yours are two of my favorites. All my Dad's family came from family farms in Minnesota and I've lived and worked in ND and MO, so I enjoy reading both of you for your perspective on how Big Ag has destroyed the Midwest.
I appreciate you!
Can you please tell me the name of Art Cullenās Substack? I tried to find it but it doesnāt appear to be under his name as far as the āsearchā option did not provide any link to him.
https://artcullen.substack.com/
Thanks for the link! It worked!
Yes!Yes! I've been reading his Substacks for a while, too. I have only been in the midwest for a few years and think the world of midwesterners. You and Art Cullen are the pure voices of the midwest rural population and their problems.
Nicely written piece Jess. It is a long time since I have been in the mid-west, but the atmosphere came through in your description. I shall also track down Art Cullenās book, or wait till it comes out on Audible. Like many, I find that modern life allows far too little time for long reads but there is still time for listening while doing daily chores!
Yes, I have been reading his substacks for a while, I grew up in the Midwest and his words, and yours always strike a deep chord
Jess, I enjoy your writing and appreciate your courage and leadership. Proceed with confidence!
ā¤ļø
As a resident of a big Western city and someone whose ancestors were farmers for hundreds of years, I sometimes feel compelled to speak up for farmers. After all, I'm not going to grow my own food, I need someone to do it for me. So, my question is: How do I show support for farmers when probably all of my food is provided by corporate mega-farms owned by the likes of Conagra or ADM? I certainly do not want support an industry that pollutes the environment with cancer-causing chemicals, and schemes to buy up all the family farms in order to have complete control over America's farmland. I try to make the distinction between the small, independent farms like my family used to have, and the agriculture conglomerates for whom profit is all that matters. Is it possible to support policies which benefit the small, independent farmers who are just trying to scratch out a living from the land, without supporting government handouts to Conagra? To this city dweller, agriculture seems so complicated, I don't know what to think anymore. Thanks for another illuminating post, Jess.
Norm, look into Natural Grocers for a place to buy your groceries. They support agricultural processes that protect the environment and are organic. They offer locally grown produce, too.
Thank you for the tip, Ann. For sure, I could do a better job of seeking out food sources that are more environmentally friendly. Iāve been thinking about all of this lately because Iām working on a draft for my own Substack which criticizes the current administration for screwing over the soybean farmers and cattle ranchers. I donāt particularly want to stick up for ADM, but I do want to support the small family farmers. To me, itās more complicated than I realized when I started.
Simply, thank you for all you write and all you do. You appear to be an indefatigable warrior for the true and the good!
Thank you!