Eat Well For The Future

Jellyfish, overfishing, and the dead zone

2011-07-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

Our household traveled to Alabama last week for my wife's family reunion. We spent most of the time at condos at Orange Beach and had a very good time. On Friday and Saturday we went into the ocean, and our son got a jellyfish sting each day. There were no side effects except for some temporary pain. (I stepped on one and it squished underneath my feet. Yuck!)

However, as there were many kids and adults fishing jellyfish out of the water with nets, it piqued my curiosity as to why there were so many. I did a news search earlier in the day and found a couple of interesting articles.

The first article from the Herald-Tribune.com site, "Are jellyfish a harbinger of dying seas?" proposes the hypothesis that the proliferation of these creatures could induce the seas towards a more primitive state. Robert Condon, a researcher at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science that looks at the relationship between jellyfish blooms and how they fix carbon in trophic levels not readily accessible to other creatures.

The reason I am posting this in my blog--after a two-year absence--is that two possible causes for the proliferation of jellyfish are the overfishing of predators and the large annual anoxic dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. "Jellyfish thrive in disturbed marine ecosystems, from dead zones to seabeds that have been raked by trawling nets," according to Jon Bowermaster in "Jellyfish return to the nation's coast."

Overfishing as an issue of concern for the future of food is obvious. The dead zone due to the excess of fertilizers washed into the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico is an annual concern and indicates long-term problems with how we manage the lands on which we grow food.

I would like to delve into this topic in more detail later, but I wanted to write this brief synopsis as an new area of inquiry.

A memo: A school assignment

2009-03-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks, I have been taking a fascinating class at the University of Minnesota in the Public Affairs program, Globalization and the World Food Economy. As part of this class, we had to write a memo to discuss the issues related to agricultural subsidies and how to try to change that system.

I submitted this yesterday to my teacher.

TO: Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack
FROM: Joe Erjavec
DATE: March 13, 2009
RE: President Obama’s Food and Nutrition Policy

President Obama has promised policy changes across a wide range of issues, including entitlement spending. The United States’ farm policy has been an entitlement program for 75 years. The time for change has come. In this memo, I will propose what a new Obama food and nutrition policy should look like, and why it should be shaped that way.

To begin, I think it is appropriate to state the political reality that President Obama faces. Just days ago, Jackie Calmes reported in the New York Times that Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota has rejected Obama’s call to cut subsidies to large farmers. In 2004, when the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled against the cotton industry, Conrad said that it had “the potential to have extraordinary consequences up and down every main street in rural America” (Becker).

Of course, it would be ideal if there was not such great support for agricultural subsidies, but I believe that the administration should use this moment to get a comprehensive understanding of the complex set of forces that create, affect, and are affected by farm policy.

At the beginning of the Great Depression, 25% of all Americans lived on farms. As so much of the American economy was dependent on farming, it was good public policy to provide subsidies to those who would have otherwise gone completely bankrupt. (Although the situations are not entirely equivalent, this does seem to parallel the current bailout of the financial sector.)

However, the economic situation for the farming sector of the economy is much different than it was in 1929. The number of people living on farms has shrunk to a mere 2% of the populace. The larger farmers receive a majority of the subsidies for the eight program crops, which amounts to roughly $7-17 billion dollars per year, dependent on existing crop prices. This transfer of wealth is unnecessary and unfair benefit for the recipients. The great majority of food and fiber crops receive absolutely no subsidy.

Additionally, since 1929, the role of globalization in world trade for agriculture has been growing and is an essential characteristic of agriculture. The agreements surrounding trade have become so complex that to leave the system of subsidies in place does little benefit, except for the program recipients. Some of the negative effects of this are:

1. The subsidy stimulates the overproduction of food, which removes most of the opportunity for profit by struggling developing world producers.
2. Diminished reputation of the United States as a trading and negotiating partner.
3. Encouraging the production of food on land, which, for environmental reasons, would be better left untilled.

Some of the benefits that would accrue if we removed the subsidies are:

1. Reduction of tax burden.
2. Producing opportunities for competition for the production of both currently subsidized and non-subsidized crops.
3. Pave the way for including the environmental costs of producing food; stimulating research and adaptation of more ecologically appropriate farming methods. (The Reason Online article by Daniel Griswold, et al., gets into more details.)
4. Stimulation of the production of fresh fruits and vegetables.

In consideration of these points, I recommend that the United States work to remove the subsidies over the next five years. In my analysis, three important factors need to be considered in order to create any successful change.

First, there is plenty of political support for the subsidies. The reason for this is not the subsidies in and of themselves, but for the guaranteed stream of income that is part of the rural economy. A revenue neutral, or even positive, outcome for the recipients could be devised that would not involve subsidies. Payments for environmental services, for example, could provide incentive for farmers to grow crops that require no input of fertilizer, or allow them to grow fallow as a barrier against runoff of fertilizer to rivers. For instance, hypoxia—the removal of oxygen from water--is a huge problem. 8,500 acres at the mouth of the Mississippi River are hypoxic, according to David Perlman.) Note that this strategy would not necessarily provide any tax relief to the average taxpayer, but it would help to reduce the overproduction of crops.

Other types of non-agriculturally related investments in rural America should be considered both to reduce the politically sensitivity of the role of subsidies, but also to assist the bolstering of rural economy and its future, which has not be adequately addressed in recent years.

Second, there is growing demand for a healthier American diet. Research into the aspects of a healthy diet has led to the conclusion that a diet with a substantial percentage of fresh fruits and vegetables is a healthier one. I was impressed with a recent editorial co-written by American chef Alice Waters and Katrina Heron that discussed the National School Lunch Program, “No Lunch Left Behind.” She decries the lack of healthy food that is available as part of the lunch program. Many of the items currently available are “high-fat, low-grade meats and chesses and processed foods like chicken nuggets and pizza.” This is not the kind of food that I think the President visualizes as the centerpiece of a nationwide nutrition policy.

With that stated, the third important consideration is the increasing importance of a delivery method for the growing demand for fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products. As I am certain the President and his administration is aware, many fruits and vegetables, as well as meats, are already being delivered through community supported agriculture, or CSA. According to the USDA’s National Agriculture Laboratory Website, there are currently 400 CSAs located “near urban centers in New England, the Mid-Atlantic states, and the Great Lakes region, with growing numbers in other areas, including the West Coast.” The financial incentive for farmers participating in a CSA is a reliable community of consumers, who provide a higher price for their products through a subscription, or share, of the output of that farm. The farmers provide a regular delivery of the food grown on the farm.

In conclusion, it has taken seventy five years for United States farm policy to reach its current state. The political power of those who benefit directly from its subsidies are quite entrenched. A quantum change is not likely to be successful in the face of this. What is necessary is taking a long-term strategic look at the shape of the American diet, the markets, and the state of rural American. If the President and his administration state their vision clearly and impassionedly to the legislators and voters of those states most likely to be affected by any change, I believe they will be agree to this vision of the future.

That is not to say that the President will not face further resistance to these ideas; he undoubtedly will. But as the President is a pragmatist, I believe he will be able to communicate why this will work and why it has to work. Rural America is in need of innovations to keep their communities and economies vibrant, and I believe that they have their own best interests at mind and at heart.

Thank you for your time and consideration on these matters, Secretary Vilsack.

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Becker. Elizabeth. "Lawmakers Voice Doom and Gloom On W.T.O. Ruling," New York Times 28 Apr 2004. 11 Mar 2009

Calmes. Jackie. "Obama's Budget Faces Test Among Party Barons," New York Times 09 Mar 2009. 11 Mar 2009

"Defining Community Supported Agriculture." 10 Dec 2008. USDA. 13 Mar 2009 .

Griswold, Daniel, Steven Slivinski, and Christopher Preble. "Six Reasons to Kill Farm Subsidies and Trade Barriers: A no-nonsense reform strategy" Reason Online 01 Feb 2006. 11 Mar 2009.

Perlman. David. "Scientists alarmed by ocean dead-zone growth," San Francisco Chronicle 15 Aug 2008. 11 Mar 2009

Waters. Alice. "No Lunch Left Behind," New York Times 20 Feb 2009. 11 Mar 2009

Eating well without being neurotic about it...

2009-02-27T13:59:00.000-08:00

As someone who will eat something as healthy as a veggie burger for lunch one day, and something less healthy, like a chorizo-filled deviled egg for breakfast on another day, I think I have a relaxed attitude about food. I enjoy a wide variety of it and think that there is value in food other than the nutritional value itself. (I couldn't imagine not serving burgers on the 4th of July when family is visiting, for example.)

As a parent, I find it quite a bit disturbing that there are kids who are obsessed about healthy food, as discussed in What's Eating Our Kids? Fears About 'Bad' Food. I think the culture and attitude around food is important for both being sensible about our diets while also enjoying a well-prepared meal.

It seems that some of the neuroses about food stem from the same fears about trying to make our children absolutely safe. I know I want my kids to have an enjoyment of food.

A couple of good articles from the Times on food

2009-02-25T12:43:00.000-08:00

I've been reading quite a bit on the Internet and a couple of books for the class I'm taking this semester. These two articles interested me.

Brooklyn's New Culinary Movement discusses New Yorkers producing their own food.

Alice Waters and Katrina Heron wrote this editorial criticizing the current school lunch program with recommendations on how to make it healthier and cost-efficient.

Sustainability and the economics of eating

2009-01-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

Although like many families we are being careful with our spending, I do believe in spending some money, especially in our neighborhood. A couple of nights ago, my son and I went out to eat at one of our favorite places, the Longfellow Grill. He had his usual "cheesy noodles" (mac-and-cheese), while I had their delicious turkey burger with a Fat Tire. It was a nice way to spend some dad and son time together while helping to support a good neighborhood business.

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In an unrelated matter, I thought this article in the Times is worthwhile for those of us thinking about cooking in the new year. For lunch I mixed olive oil and balsamic vinegar for my salad!

Getting in gear for the year...

2009-01-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

We are ready to leave the heavy eating of the holidays behind. It is certainly a challenge changing gears. Over the weekend we had thought of one of our lazy meals, but I ended up going to the coop to pick up ingredients for a compromise meal--nachos with free-range burger. It was filling and fulfilling.

The relationship between fertilizer and hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico

2008-12-20T09:08:00.000-08:00

We discussed this important issue in the class I took this semester. A downside of growing corn crops, besides the one I discussed yesterday, is the amount of nitrogen fertilizer that is used and eventually runs off to the Gulf of Mexico, creating a dead zone, or hypoxia.

The Discovery Channel's website related this to America's consumption of meat. As our meat consumption is largely driven by large amounts of corn fed to cattle, chicken, and pigs, I think it is important to consider the relationship between the sustainability of those crops and the meat that is ultimately served in our homes and restaurants.

For discussion: Tom Vilsack as agriculture secretary

2008-12-19T12:21:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama's choice of governor Tom Vilsack as agriculture secretary is not going over well with many in the sustainability community, reported here in the Twin Cities Daily Planet. I have some initial reactions.

Politically, I'm not thrilled by this choice, if I start from the premise that someone tied to the agriculture business is not going to help guide us towards a more sustainable agriculture. I am interested in seeing the governing tone Obama sets with this representative of status quo thinking. Perhaps Vilsack's knowledge, although historically slanted towards the interests of big ag, will be an asset that will be utilized towards a different type of agriculture policy. We'll see.

If change in this regards come, I would like to see a reduction in the amount of subsidies farmers are paid for growing corn and producing ethanol, as I think the government can incentivize much better innovation than using our farmland for growing a poor choice of fuel crop like corn. With that, I would like to see encouragement of other crops. If part of our energy strategy is to produce some fuel from crops, I don't think it shouldn't be from food crops.

Sutainable sustenance

2008-12-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

I would like to start by saying I am a meat eater. An unabashed meat eater. I love meat. I would drink meat flavored soda pop if it were available. So now that we have that fact established lets get on to the "meat" of the subject.
Sustainability--I think I define this by what it is not. It is not:
Walmart plastic vegetables
Feedlot Beef
Dairy that is shipped across the country for sale.

The way I look at it, if you can, grow your own! I grew up on a farm in south Mississippi. We grew a garden of all our vegetables. We raised our own beef, poultry and swine. We hunted and fished to supplement our table fare. It was a good life!

I know this isnt possible for all but even now as an "Urban Dweller" I particiapate in the neighborhood garden program and grow alot of my own vegetables.

So if you cant grow your own (Most landlords have a problem with indoor bovine pets)! What do you do? BUY LOCAL!!!!!
I was reading an article that stated that only a dime of every dollar spent at stores like Walmart remain in the community. Besides the economic there are the "green" issues. Walmart trucks its good from across the nation for your consumption. Why contribute to this waste of fossil fuel and pollution when you can get better products locally. And do it now while you still can get them locally before the conglomerates force local farmers out of business. This has already happened in my area with dairy farms. Walthall county MS was the "cream Pitcher" of Mississippi until the 1980's. Now there are fewer than a dozen dairies left. All the milk in our area except for a very few exceptions comes from California. Yeh, those happy cows in California....WHY??? Why would I want old milk from across the country??

For your meat selection try talking to local butchers about where they get there beef/swine/etc. Drive out to the country and visit farms. Since my family no longer raises animals, we often go together and buy a side of beef from a local farmer. Much better quality. And you know the history. I had a chef make a smart remark about my comment that my cut of steak I was served was quite nervy and just not as good as I expected. He said "Well, you may not be familiar with fresh grass fed beef"
I replied that the last steaks I had I knew the steers name!

So there it is......Just my 2 centavos!
Grow it!
Buy it local!
Help the enviroment and your community!

Greetings (and good eating)

2008-12-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

Last night, after listening to a classmate give a presentation on sustainable eating and just after taking a bite of not-so-tender roast from the crockpot, it occurred to me to cut down on meat consumption next year. I told Melissa about the idea, and that I was not necessarily thinking we would eat less meals with meat, but when we do, we should eat a bit less (and higher quality).

She replied that she would be inclined to eat more vegetarian dishes, as long as they didn’t get too boring or complicated. She mentioned a vegetarian cookbook we have. However, the cookbook does tend toward those that are more complicated and lengthy, which during the week is a bit hard to reasonably prepare.

It occurred to me today to start a conversation with others who have a thoughtful relationship with food, whether they are vegetarians, vegans, or omnivores. My impetus for this project of writing and conversation is my recent reading of an article in the New York Times article, As More Eat Meat, a Bid to Cut Emissions.

I love meat, but I am well aware of the unsustainable practices of producing much of it. After reading Michael Pollan’s wonderful and personally eye-opening book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, I changed at least part of our family’s diet by buying free range hamburger and steak from our local co-op. (Everyone who has tasted the burgers that I’ve served have loved the taste.)

So, with that, I would like to invite those of you who would like to participate in this conversation to write me so I can add you as an author to this blog. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Joe Erjavec