The economy had been very bad and my brother Dave and I were glad to have these jobs even though the work was hard, smelly and dirty. Working on board a fillet processing ship you could earn enough to get through the whole year with plenty left over. So we signed on and headed out.

The trip out was uneventful and when we got there we went right to work. We do our harvesting at one of many farms that we have been using for years. Dave and I worked below deck so we didn’t get to see much scenery but it didn’t matter. These slimy, smelly little bastards weren’t why we were here. It was all about profit. So we bore down and worked hard.

The process starts when our catch is captured but we never see that. All we see is their bodies coming down the line. The first guys on the line sort them into parallel trays that head toward the processing area. Then they continue down the line and are gutted by robots. They slice open the abdomen so that all the guts fall right out. A device shaped like a fork goes into the chest cavity and removes the lungs. At this point a chemical is pumped into their necks to keep them conscious in order to keep the meat fresh. They want them to live right until the last moment. Next the bones are removed by a very complex machine called the “Filletmax 2112″ which removes the bones quickly in just a few seconds. Something strange is the way they open and close their mouths in apparent agony while the process is taking place. We have been told that they are such a primitive life form that they don’t feel pain the way you and I do. I have my doubts. They sure look unhappy and sure seem to understand pain. Their expressions seem so…horrified is the only word that fits. I wonder if any deep thoughts pass through their primordial brains. I hope not. That could ruin eating them for me. I have been known to eat four sometimes five at a time. Even though some of our catch are kept alive to be eaten alive bones and all, I prefer the fillets.

Finally, the heads are removed by Dave and me and the bodies are flash frozen for freshness for the return trip. On our way back we played games and drank till we couldn’t stand. I still wonder how intelligent our catch really is and whether they feel pain or not. They do certainly have some intelligence. After all what we call farm planet 31598 they call the “Earth”. We call them zirrillium but apparently they refer to themselves as human ‘beings’. Strange. Well, in any case, I simply call them yummy.

Don Miles is a writer and drummer from Detroit. He is interested in the paranormal and UFOs. Find out more about him and his work, both short and long, on http://donmilesxfiles.blogspot.com.

Illustration by: Adam Kolanski

You might also like Living the Hero Dream, Flesh and Peacefully Coexist.

It wasn’t until my husband questioned the chicken leg’s presence that it occurred to me that it wasn’t quite normal to have a stray leg just laying on our porch.

That’s how I know I grew up on a farm.

As a kid, we had pigs, beef cattle…and farm dogs. With farm dogs around, it was never especially surprising to see a random animal part laying on the lawn. Some of my best anatomy lessons came from deciphering what exactly it was that Buster hauled up on the lawn to chew. Disgusting? Yes. But it is honest. Farm dogs find the best chew toys in the least desirable places.

With that in mind, a stray chicken leg didn’t seem like any cause for alarm. Once my husband mentioned the leg, however, I had an epiphany, “Hey wait a minute, WE have chickens.” Generally speaking, that shouldn’t be much of an epiphany. In my defense, my mind was racing between getting kids out the door to church and then heading to Grandma’s.

Pondering the rightful owner of the chicken leg planted a sinking feeling in my stomach. Our dog is just naughty enough to not really be trusted to leave chickens alone. Gulp. While my husband loaded the wood burner, I headed to the shed to do a little animal welfare check.

Walking into the shed, a quick scan revealed our three chicken ladies were missing from their usual hangout on the gate railing.

Oh no.

I kept looking, expecting to see bits of chicken feathers or some sort of evidence of chicken destruction. Finally, my eyes found some relief. The three chickens were all standing close together on the floor.

Instantly, though, it stuck me as odd. They all seemed closely huddled together, were hanging out in a corner where I’ve never seen them before, and they were on the floor. Usually they prefer sitting up on a higher vantage point.

Then I saw it.

The middle chicken was standing on only one leg.

My heart sank. My mind raced in a million directions. What in the world do I do with a one-legged chicken? Do I have to put her out of her misery? And how should I do that? I really should know how to butcher a chicken. Can chickens live on one leg , like dogs can live with three? Could she maybe just hop from here on out?

As I pondered my predicament, I looked for blood spots on her and the floor. I couldn’t see anything, and surprisingly, she didn’t look like she was in pain. Perhaps she dropped the leg as simply as one of those lizards that can lose their tail? She seemed to adapt so quickly to the loss.

Soon enough, I had my answer.

When the two other chickens shifted slightly, she stirred and moved. As she shifted, she uncurled her leg that had been tucked up and placed it on the floor, as normal as ever. Yep, normal. Two legs, fully functional and intact. My life suddenly felt much easier.

Beware of missing feet: Ideally, chickens should have two feet at all times, like the hen pictured above.

Turns out, she just tucked up her leg to be cozy on a chilly day.

As for the chicken leg on the porch, a nice man in a large blue truck relocated it to a more suitable long-term resting place.

We may never know the full story. All of the forensics experts seem to be occupied with other investigations. A coyote is a “person of interest” in the case. Last fall, a chicken disappeared on the very day that a neighbor spotted a coyote in the field next to our house. Neither the chicken nor the coyote have been seen since.

RIP Chicken foot. Long may you scratch in that big chicken coop up in the sky.

Following on from yesterday’s post, here are some easy greens you can grow at home. I think it’s no secret that we’ve stopped buying greens – now we’re either gifted the greens from our farming friends in Al -Kharj or we grow our own.

The above are all simple greens that you can grow at home. You can use a container for each green. Since I love juicing greens like arugula, spinach and lettuce, we’re very lucky that these grow easily. There are some people that say dandelion is very easy to grow, but as the birds killed our dandelion plants, I can’t confirm this yet,

The other thing about these greens is you don’t have to pull the whole plant out. We usually just chop the leaves, but still leave the plant in the ground. Aside from having a continuous supply of greens, it stops the birds from stealing the new tender leaves that grow back.

The virus, which emerged in the Netherlands and Germany in 2011, can lead to sheep and cattle having stillborn or deformed offspring.

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) causes fever, diarrhoea and loss of milk production in adult cattle.

The first SBV vaccine, developed by the animal health company Merck MSD, is expected to be available to UK farmers in the summer.

The vaccine is of most use before sheep and cattle become pregnant, as exposure to the virus during pregnancy can cause birth defects in the unborn animal.

Alick Simmons, deputy chief veterinary officer at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said in a statement:

“It is welcome news for British farmers to have the choice to vaccinate their animals.

“The vaccine will give extra assurance against this disease on top of the natural immunity we expect sheep and cattle to develop after initial exposure.”

Reports from farmers suggest that at least 1,700 farms throughout the UK have now tested positive for the SBV virus.

UK farmers will be the first in the EU with access to the vaccine, according to Defra.

For the full article: BBC News

favas are fabulous.

http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/behind-the-cover-story-michael-pollan-on-why-bacteria-arent-the-enemy/

It seems as if we aren’t that different from the plants in our garden.  Kill all of the good guys with man made “stuff” and the system needs time to recover.  We are all connected.

Pasture:  I hestitate to call it pasture, since for the last 15 years it has been cut for hay and hasn’t been grazed by anything except broiler chickens, but I’m going to go with the title anyway, in the spirit of intentionality.  Chris over at Chism Heritage Farm does a more or less monthly photo essay of his pasture through the year, which seems like a great way to keep a record of changes, developments, seasons, etc.  Complete novice that I am, I don’t really know what I’m looking at in my pictures but I’m sure I’ll learn as I go along.  So here are the first pictures in what will hopefully be a long term record of the state of the pasture in my top field. (The grass is too tall right now to get to the bottom fields, so even though I’m fully aware of different conditions down there, and thus different growth, I’m wimping out – maybe I’ll start keeping track of them next year).

In the above three pictures, we are standing by the main gate to the top field. The first picture looks directly south, the grass heads are about 4 ft.  The picture of the pasture pen is to show scale (it’s a classic Salatin pen, up on bricks, so about 2 1/2 ft high).  The third picture was taken slightly left of the first picture to show where the broilers were on the field last year – completely different kind of growth.

In the above three pictures we are looking west.  First, down at my feet.  Then across the view – more broiler pasture evident.  Then about 10 paces west of the gate to one of the few patches of clover in the field that I’m aware of.  Why is it here and not elsewhere?

The Rooster:  I have this rule about the chickens.  They are not vet-worthy.  If they get injured or ill, they get some TLC in terms of segregation from their flock, and a comfortable place to convalesce, but the getting better part is basically up to them.  They either do or they don’t.  Which means that I look a little silly at this point, still mollycoddling our rooster.  Long story short, he lost a spur about 8 weeks ago, which shouldn’t have been a big deal, but the wound site got infected.  For about a month, I changed dressings, applied ointment, lanced the wound, fed him by hand, took him to shady spots for exercise and bugs, found him nice kale leaves, etc.  He should have been a goner weeks ago according to my own rules, but here he is, a month later still getting his leg wrapped once a week.  In my defence, the reason he’s now wearing the vet wrap is to keep the hens from pecking at the wound, otherwise I wouldn’t still be doing it, and he is back to living with the flock again, and no longer getting hand fed tasty morsels, I’m sure to his great disappointment.

]]> http://robynsfineart.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/weekly-photo-challenge-escape/ Tue, 21 May 2013 02:05:58 +0000 Robyn G http://robynsfineart.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/weekly-photo-challenge-escape/ Yesterday morning on the way back from my sojourn to ‘my’ cherry tree… I saw this roo sitting in the old orchard…

I must say… I was soooo not ready to take these shots… At the same time as deciding I should try and take some snaps, I was fumbling with the camera snapping and changing to auto…really quickly!!!  Consequently they are very raw ( not processed or refined…especially, the ‘not refined’ part ) and not even necessarily in focus.

I definitely think it fits this week’s weekly challenge though.. so imagine they are much better

There was a silent dialogue that happened between the roo and me

The roo: You can’t see me.

Me: I can see you!

The roo: Aggghhhh! Run!

The roo: Escape!!!

There endeth my exciting tale

PS I should say the roo (kangaroo) and I live happily ever after!!

New information from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index has found that one in four farming, fishing or forestry workers ages 18 and over are obese.

But yet, Gallup as also named “farming, fishing or forestry” as the best occupations for exercising at least 30 minutes daily.

When I spend time with my show heifers and cows, I like to take them for walks. That way we are both getting exercise. When we used to have our milking herd, it was also pretty easy to get a couple hundred squats in at each milking. These are just two examples of all the exercise that my family got around our farm. I like to think that most farmers are pretty active!

What do you think? I was surprised to see that one in four farming, fishing or forestry workers are considered obese. How do you stay active on your farm or at your job?

Nitrate leaching overview - Milking on the Moove:

Today I give an overview of nitrate leaching.

What is Nitrate Leaching?

What type of farming leach the most Nitrate?

How nitrate leaching from dairy farms is different from cropping & horticulture. . . .

How absentee farm owners can protect themselves from a “dirty dairying” taint:

The obvious answer is to stay on top of effluent discharge in the first place says Geoff Young, environmental monitoring consultant and Managing Director of BPO Ltd, the Waikato company which specialises in providing technical environmental monitoring information and systems both in New Zealand and overseas.

In Young’s opinion the recent Waikato Regional Council vs a Mangakino farm case was a no win situation. According to the reports, warnings had been issued and it wasn’t until charges had been laid that improvements were made. The investment made by the owners was significant but it was made too late to head off the Environment Court charges.

The Regional Council has been trying to get the message across for years that when it lays charges it’s already too late. According to Young, dairy farming cops more than its fair share of flack and this is yet another example protagonists will use to point out how bad dairy farming is, when that’s not the case at all. . .

High quality, safe NZ seafood focus of new role:

Cawthron Institute has boosted its science and aquaculture capability with the appointment of senior scientist Dr Jacquie Reed as its new head of aquaculture.

“We are excited to further strengthen our science leadership team with this new appointment,” Cawthron Institute Chief Executive Professor Charles Eason says.

“Dr Reed is an accomplished scientist with extensive, proven scientific expertise and specialist knowledge of the commercial aquaculture sector. She will complement and enhance our existing research, while bringing a fresh approach, new energy and drive to this important role.”

Dr Reed will lead the Aquaculture Group, manage the further development of the Cawthron Aquaculture Park and spearhead research and development to support new and existing partners, including SPATnz, Kono and Aotearoa Fisheries Limited. . .

MT. Beautiful Winery Founder David Teece to Be Honored for Receiving a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:

United States-based internationally acclaimed professor of economics and founder of Mt. Beautiful Wines/Teece Family Vineyards, David Teece, is “absolutely delighted” that efforts to promote U.S. – New Zealand relations have been officially recognized.

Professor Teece, who is also a successful entrepreneur and consultant, has received a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services regarding New Zealand-United States relations. This Royal Honor will be presented at investiture dinner on Thursday May 23rd at 7pm by the Governor General on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.

“In my case I have worked hard on a lot of issues between the U.S. and New Zealand, but this is a complete surprise on my part. I’m delighted to have the recognition and I feel stimulated to work even harder towards achieving common goals between the countries,” Teece said. . .

Green Meadows Beef Shows Commitment to New Zealand Food Traceability with Launch of Own Butchery:

Green Meadows Beef, a New Zealand owned, family business that produces 100% grass-fed, free-range beef has opened the doors to its own butchery in New Plymouth. This is the natural next step for the brand that hopes their approach to beef farming, processing and delivery will lead to more Kiwis purchasing healthier, tastier and more ethically produced meat.

Taranaki based Pat Hogan, who has more than 25 years experience as a butcher under his belt in supermarkets, retail butchers and his own store, has been brought on to manage the butchery. He is a welcome addition to the Green Meadows Beef team, which is led by Michael and Margy Carey, and their sons, Nick Carey, Brent Carey and Karl Carey. Pat’s expertise complements Michael Carey’s extensive knowledge of animal management and Nick Carey’s business and marketing skills. . .

Unique line-up of International Judges for New Zealand’s Spiegelau International Wine Competition:

From a total of 12 judges, three are flying in from Australia and one from Singapore to add their extensive experience to the eight-strong New Zealand team at this year’s Spiegelau International Wine Competition.

Joining regulars Ralph Kyte-Powell from Melbourne and Adelaide-based consultant Phil Reedman MW are Annette Scarfe, a newly minted MW based in Singapore and Nick Ryan, wine writer and commentator from Sydney. . .

Walking through Arzua takes some time with streets, traffic and so much to look at.  We stop at a grocery story for snacks and look forward to a short day of only 10 miles.

The old kilometers marker contrasts the modern setting.

It’s interesting that centuries old walls still stand and buildings are built alongside and  around them.

Not too many pilgrims this morning.

The tired remains of an old stone building is a reminder of earlier days in this city.  Follow the yellow arrow…

Meet our new friends from Germany.  A mother, father, and two children in their late teens spend their holidays on hikes throughout Europe and the UK.  Favorite hiking destination?  Ireland.  That may be worth checking out!

 .

Finally out of town and enjoy the company of a few pilgrims this morning.

The path takes us through woods reminiscent of old fairy tales with winding vines, while the countryside seems to explode with the vibrant greens of spring.

Why does the tractor have a 40 on the back?  Slow moving vehicle sign?

We see a few modern Camino highway signs, but even these seem weathered.

These connected buildings appear to be one home using the old stone walls, but installing modern doors and windows.  I’m guessing the round attached building may be a grain storage facility?

 The street name is Preguntono, house number 15.  Bars on the windows… is that a security system?  Hmmm…not everyone means well on the Camino?

Mo-o-o-o…

Lugar means place,  and Pregontono, I believe, is the street name spelled slightly differently from the other house.  Albergue in the busy season?

The yellow flowers are providing gorgeous scenery today and the sun is trying to shine.

Looking back over the village of Rua as we trek up the hill.

We visit with the Dr. and his fiancé as we stroll along. Randy is answering their questions about farming / livestock and the Dr. is answering Randy’s questions about sore knees and the like.

Looks like they didn’t use all of their chopped wood this winter.  Grapevine is ready to do its thing.

Follow the arrow to find the right path.  Some of the Camino markers don’t have numbers, so they just mark the path.

This is the most pleasant day of walking so far. Temps are warming up, as well.

Maybe too pleasant…

It’s been a source of stress out here for many, over the last couple of months.  In Carnamah, the water was flooding up over the sidewalk!

We then picked up some groceries and made our way home again.  When randomly (or was it random?) we spotted these two menacing looking wedge tailed eagles.  I’ve never been this close to one (let alone two!) and so was thrilled to be able to grab my camera.  The photos aren’t brilliant, however it is the first time I’ve been lucky enough to snap some photographs.

These two were camped out right beside the small pen that contains many heavily pregnant ewes (definitely not random!).  Some of whom were literally giving birth before my eyes.  These eagles were onto it.  They can easily pluck a little new born from it’s mother.  We’ve seen it happen (our first summer at Brian and Tessa’s).  It was shocking, upsetting, tragic.  I suppose as these two flew off when I eventually frightened them…our little mob sighed in relief.

Our little lamb is still romping around the house, and gets lots of cuddles from Mike and I.

We’ve also begun to see our efforts sprouting out of the ground.  Both the canola and wheat are germinated and are beginning to turn the earth green.

Well, not really. And this isn’t specific to strawberries, either they are simply acting as a case study.

What is happening here, is not magic strawberries, but the development of technology allowing far better weather forecasting so farmers can prepare and save their crop yield, which apparently, if the weather is unknown, can vary up to 70%.

‘But as the year’s first crop of British field-grown strawberries goes on sale this weekend, growers have a new hi-tech weapon in their armoury. The biggest growers are using a state-of-the-art forecasting system that allows them to predict the yields in individual fields.’

Seriously, Guardian? ‘High-tech weapon’? ‘Armoury’? It’s already awesome–who doesn’t love strawberries (except for people who are allergic, I guess)–we don’t need to amp this up anymore. These farmers are not off to fight some sort of great war against the weather, strawberries in hand.

‘”For the last couple of years a glut of strawberries arrived during a rainy spell when demand wasn’t so high,” said Paul Jones, a strawberry buyer for Tesco.

‘”As a result we got together with some of the UK’s biggest strawberry growers and suppliers to discuss bringing in technology that could help them plan their planting programmes more accurately. Now, with the aid of computer technology and leading weather prediction data, we will be able to process and analyse forecasted strawberry volumes down to individual field level.”‘

Makes sense until…

‘The hi-tech approach is a new way of harvesting one of the most venerated, historic fruits. In medieval times strawberries were regarded as an aphrodisiac and a soup made of strawberries, borage and soured cream was served to newlyweds at their wedding breakfast.’

Wait, I’m sorry, but I fail to see why knowing that one of my favourite snacks is an aphrodisiac, previously turned into soup. Other than to strawberry-loving soon-to-be-newlyweds the soup is a little bit irrelevant.

And then it’s never mentioned again. I had to double-check to make sure I hadn’t just made up some crazy strawberry soup in my head.

 But, despite the random aphrodisiac, this is still really cool. I love strawberries and it’s awesome that farmers are growing and farming in a way that increases their yield, without tampering with the product, because that never seems to work out well–I don’t know why, but no one seems to want to eat genetially engineered food.

I am lookinh forward to this being implemented in other areas too, not just the UK and to other crops so we can all enjoy our natural, healthy snacks.

In the last blog I introduced the Killdeer eggs…

Killdeer Eggs

Some time over the night and today – The eggs hatched – (They are about the size of peeps!)

Just wanted to share the image – 4 little killdeer heads…

(The mom and dad were having a fit – with me so close…)

Killdeer Chicks

If you live in Tennessee you may have been aware of the recent debate over House Bill 1191 by Representative Andy Holt, or you may not. And you may certainly be wondering what this has to do with changing my ringtone, but be patient all good things come to those who wait – or at least keep reading.

Well, this bill has to do with animal cruelty, undercover video/photography, and timeliness of reporting these abuses to the authorities. The bill passed through both house and senate, but faced some push back from supporters of HSUS, which really came as a surprise to me because I would think an animal rights group would be all about timely reporting of animal abuse. Well, they weren’t. This bill, which has since been vetoed by our Governor due to potential concerns raised by our Attorney General about long term legal battles it could lead to, was in its intent designed to strengthen Tennessee already stringent animal cruelty laws. This bill, had it passed, would have required reporting of any video or photographic evidence of animal cruelty to the proper authorities within 24 hours. (Again, I still don’t really understand why HSUS had a problem with this, but they did.)

One of the more well known advocates against House Bill 1191 was Carrie Underwood. And now, a lot of my friends in agriculture think I should change my ringtone ( it’s Blown Away by Carrie Underwood) just because she and I were on opposite sides in this debate. (And given my stance on Cracker Barrel and their opinion about crate free gestation in pork, you might think I would have changed the ringtone already) But, I haven’t.

Here’s why, maybe I have grown a little from my Cracker Barrel rants – not that I am planning on going back in one any time soon. Or maybe, as a Mom, I don’t want to push too hard, fearing my two young impressionable daughters will turn out more like Ms. Underwood than me.

I may not like that there are people in this country that care more about their pets than the fact that 1 in 4 children in America are hungry, or that more than a few senior citizens have to choose between food and medicine. Animal abuse occurs in this country, and it should not be tolerated period. As a Mom and a physician, forgive me if I worry a bit more about hungry children, abused and beaten children, children whose parents are hooked on drugs, seniors choosing between medicine and food, etc. etc. I also, cannot fathom why, when solutions to the problem of animal abuse are proposed, Animal Rights groups and Animal Rights Advocates like Carrie Underwood, were against the bill, because it would limit the time that they would have to film and take pictures for propaganda footage that is used to raise money for their organization. These groups were more concerned with raising funds than STOPPING the abuse. Please help me understand that.

But, the fact is Americans have the right to choose what is important to them. If animal rights groups feel that the right to shoot undercover footage and to continue to allow animal abuse to go on for months in order to raise money from the footage, well, I hope HSUS and Ms. Underwood are happy with the Governors veto.

For me, I hope that the bill gets reworked and resubmitted next session, but I am keeping my ringtone. Because even though we stand on opposite sides of animal rights issues, I still like her music – and I don’t want to drive my daughters into imitating her opinions. But, I am dying to ask her where she gets the leather for her shoes and purses? Maybe she only has vinyl.

One of the most common questions asked is “What can I grow at home, when I have a small amount of space?”

These are six of the easiest herbs to grow at home from seed. Most garden centres also have baby herb plants that you can take home and grow into a larger plant. These herbs need some light, either through sun lights or by placing them next to a window for part of the day.

They require little maintenance, aside from watering. You can feed an organic liquid fertiliser if you want to increase the yield of the herbs.

I don’t know if you’ve ever tasted your own organic herbs, but I have to tell you that the taste will blow you away! We grow our own coriander (cilantro), and when I first made guacamole with just the onion, cilantro, lime juice and avocado, our tastebuds were buzzing with delight! Despite using organic cilantro for the guacamole before, nothing beats fresh coriander straight from the plant to your mouth. You’ve got to try it!

Oh, if you’re in Riyadh and want an organic thai sweet basil plant, please send me an email. We have too many at last count! And for the next growing season (starting at the end of September), if you want us to start a herb plant for you and you live in Riyadh, send an email and we’ll be happy to do that.

Have fun growing now!

The organization spreads false and misleading information about farming and ranching practices and works to mislead consumers about animal proteins and food products.

But agriculture is not the only industry HSUS has a bulls-eye on. The hunting, fishing and outdoor world also battles HSUS, which opposes hunting and the killing of animals for any reason.

Attempting to spread the message about HSUS’s mislead efforts is a daily, constant efforts and many times it feels as if we in the agriculture world are beating a dead horse. So it was great to read a column in our local paper written by a local outdoorsman who recently learned the truth about the organization and used his column to educate readers.

I enjoyed his column and wanted to share his message and truth about HSUS. Many people wrongfully believe HSUS is associated with their local animal shelter and that is simply not true. If you want to support local animal shelters, send your money directly to the shelter, not to HSUS!

Read Steve Gilliand’s column at http://www.hutchnews.com/Outdoors/OUT–Steve-G-column-HSUS

A Conversation on the Oregon Intolerable Acts of 2013

Including Background, Economic Significance of the Oregon Intolerable Acts, Introduction to Art Sappington, and Conversation between Lindianne and Art on

April 22, 2013. 

Background:

In early 2013, the office of Governor Kitzhaber bombarded the Oregon legislature with 2600 bills.  The cumulative impact of these bills would abolish rural private property and force an end to independent family agriculture, ranching, and mining in Oregon.

For decades, Americans have been fed a load of propaganda that ranching is evil, mining is bad, farmers are dumb. 

In reality, everything you eat or use is either grown or mined.  Small scale (not huge corporate) agriculture is THE basic human activity, without which no society can survive.  Agriculturists should be cherished and protected, not disrespected, harassed, and bullied.   These Intolerable Acts will impose a tyrannical system of government on Oregon unless Americans speak up now.  Educate yourselves, learn the issues, talk to your leaders.

I transcribed this conversation between myself and Arthur Sappington, Co-ordinator of the Jefferson Mining District; Art collaborates in mining law and natural resources law research with Ron Gibson, Guy Michael, Hal Anthony, and Al Hansen, and environmental scientist Joe Greene. These men are exhausted from analyzing 2600 bills. 

Young people:  now is your time to shine. I encourage you to question Oregon’s  representatives and governor:  Why are Oregon’s world famous organic small farmers under attack?   If Oregon’s new system of laws is a good system, why is it being sneaked into passage?  What is this system’s real agenda?  Why does this agenda take 2600 bills to accomplish?   Good law is succinct and understandable.

To find out more, Google Jefferson Mining District. 

“With all these economic blessings, what more is necessary to make us a happy and prosperous people?  Still one more thing:  a wise and frugal government, which shall keep men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuit of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.”   Thomas Jefferson

Significance of The Oregon Intolerable Acts

America’s economy is in a tailspin because America’s resource base in rural western America is being cut off at the roots.  In the American west, government has for twenty-five years been systematically destroying human scale artisan agriculture, timber, fishing and mining.  Now in Oregon 2013, government is testing a system of legislation that abolishes private property.  The test is:  What abuses and deprivations will the American people swallow?  The cumulative impact of the 2600 bills that swamped the Oregon legislature, the Oregon Intolerable Acts of 2013, will be to outlaw, abolish and criminalize timber, mining and agriculture, the foundation of our national economy.  Crucial food, fiber and mineral supplies for the American economy are being cut off.   

America’s rural people are under attack, yet city people don’t understand how serious is the situation, and how it affects all Americans.  News from rural America is often suppressed or distorted.  The purpose of the Hard Rock Miner Report is to educate urban and rural people about the natural-resource-based, country economy.  Americans are told, “Go shopping”  “Buy.”  “Borrow.”   Urban people no longer understand that the stuff they buy originates in the natural resource based productive economy.  As Art Sappington says, “You can’t just buy.  Someone, somewhere has to produce something.”

The natural resource-based economy is the key to solving America’s current economic woes.  Every human being lives from natural resources.  Without food and water, people die.  Water grows food.  Farmers use water to grow food for everybody.  Farmers need fair food prices to cover their time, energy and expenses.  Farmers need access to water, soil, seed, and working hands.  I honor and respect farmers and ranchers for their year round work, their wisdom and know-how that produces food.  One farmer, his family and workers feed hundreds of people.  One farm supports thirty town jobs.  One miner supports fifty to sixty town jobs.  The survival of America’s farmers, ranchers and miners is America’s hope for a return to prosperity.  Everything you eat, wear, and use comes from the country.  If it isn’t grown, it’s mined. 

Americans are being fed a load of propaganda that mining is evil, ranching is bad, and farmers are dumb.  It is propaganda to exclude people from forests and call it “saving the wilderness.”  Without people tending forests as the red man did for thousands of years, forests become unmanageable tangles of fuel that burn so hot the ground is ceramicized. 

The laws now before Oregon’s legislature would end Oregon’s independent farming, ranching, and mining communities.  For one hundred fifty years these independent producers have relied on a system of law based on private property and a neighborly use of water as it flows through the watershed from mountain to valley, stream to river to ocean.  Now that system is being turned on its ear.

Arthur Sappington brought this dire situation to my attention.  Arthur Sappington is a generalist in natural resources: agriculture, timber, mining, dairying, and fishing.  Art’s father’s family owns Tillamook Dairy; Art’s father Robert Sappington was CEO of Pioneer Seed Company.  Known as Old MacDonald in Vietnam, Arthur hiked bomb craters with a backpack full of vegetable seeds, sowing seeds so Vietnamese families whose farms had been bombed might eat.  Arthur graduated the UC Berkeley School of Natural Resources in 1978.  Art lives by the work of his hands in engineering, ranching and agri-forestry.  He and his partner Ed Needles own a rich gold mine, the Orion Mine, in Baker County, Oregon.  The federal government stole this gold mine from Arthur Sappington and Ed Needles.  How the feds jumped a mining claim is the story of my book (not yet published) Hard Rock Miner.

A fifth generation Oregonian, Art Sappington coordinates the Jefferson Mining District, a lawful self-governing mining district that includes parts of Idaho, all of Oregon, and  northern California. He and his colleagues asked me to write for popular understanding the legal confrontation now brewing between Oregon’s government and country people.

Conversation of April 22, 2013:

Arthur had called and left a message:  “The Oregon government’s proposed new legal system redefines and outlaws private property.  It dispossesses farmers, ranchers and miners.” 

I called back and said,  “Look at the comparative history of dispossession:  Outlawing private property and dispossessing independent producers reminds me of what happened to the kulaks, the free independent peasants of Russia, when Lenin and Stalin took power. Tens of millions of people were killed, forced off the land, and sent to labor camps.

Arthur:  True, the communist state outlawed private farming.  Unbelievably, that’s what the state of Oregon is doing, outlawing private farms.   In my community [the small towns of Richland and Halfway, in Baker County, Oregon] we have a rural countryside of 20 to 40 acre ranches, raising diverse valuable crops like elephant garlic, alfalfa, beef, and orchard fruit.  And every farm and ranch here are for sale.

This should be a prosperous place.  There’s plenty of water and an industrious population here [where the Snake River joins the Columbia River at the Oregon-Odaho border]. 

But this legislative session in Salem, Oregon is redefining private property in rural areas.  Real estate is no longer private property.  Legislative aides are explaining the new laws to me.  A farmer or rancher can no longer count on a reward for his labor. 

Urban people need to understand that a farmer or rancher’s security is the land he’s working and the water that falls on it and runs through it.  The Oregon Intolerable Acts criminalize a producer for using water granted to him by law and custom. 

Lindianne:  The kulaks of Russia were criminalized.

Art:  Exactly, the independent farmers of Russia were criminalized and exterminated in the communist take over of Russia.  Lenin and Stalin eliminated the free peasants, and instituted big state farms.  The result: Russia’s food system collapsed.  Russians had mass famine, and they stayed hungry until Leonid Breshnev gave 10 acres to every peasant.

Lindianne:  Now in the Russian dacha movement, 50% of Russian food is raised on small homesteads.

Arthur:  In Oregon, private lands are being stripped from rancher, farmer, and miner, and turned over to environmental services for something called a natural working landscape.

In House Bill 3337, the definitions are astounding, the bill redefines private property.  Senate Bill 217 assesses ranchers $100 per water right; some ranchers have ten or twelve.

Senate Bill 839 sets up an enforcement system for an unnecessary regulation where no degradation has occurred.  Look on the Jefferson Mining District website.

This system leaves nothing for the producers.  Only environmental restoration is funded.  This new legal system assumes all watersheds are deteriorated and must be restored to a natural state.  One bill forbids farmers to flood irrigate, forces them to use the Israeli drip system.  The water system in the Northwest has worked for 150 years.  It’s not broken, but the state presumes to fix it.

Lindianne:  “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Arthur:  Thank you.  Folks from the coast may not understand Baker County.  This is high desert.  Summers get hot, 100-plus degrees; the natural vegetation is sagebrush and burnt grass.  Yes, water temperatures increase in summertime.  Despite these conditions, farmers and ranchers manage to grow beef, sheep, and specialty organic crops like elephant garlic and alfalfa.  Many of these farmers are Mennonites, Mormons, traditional Christians.  Many of us are descendents of pioneers.  We are independent and self-reliant.  Our way of life is being attacked.

The rural community feeds the city.  The city in turn should support the farmer.  But regulators have set up a system to squeeze farmers, ranchers and miners.  We no longer get a return on our labor.  The government has been squeezing us for years.  These Intolerable Acts are just the final blow.

Lindianne:  Oregon is taking the heat for everyone to see what tyranny is in store if Americans do not take a stand.

Arthur:  It’s not just Oregon.  Rural people all over the country are being forced out.  So are lawmen who stand up for rural people.  The people of Colorado just lost their county sheriffs.

Lindianne:  What?  The sheriff is America’s only elected law enforcement. 

Arthur:  The federal government is usurping the authority of the county sheriff.  Sheriffs are in the state constitution, look in the Oregon constitution.  Suddenly Colorado and Florida have no more county sheriffs.  We have posted the story of the sheriffs on the Jefferson Mining District website. The sheriff is the law authority of his county.  Even the federal government has to answer to a sheriff in his territory.  Now the federal government is trying to eliminate sheriffs.  What are you going to do?

Lindianne:  Abolishing sheriffs is another test to see what Americans will swallow.

Arthur:  It frightens me that we, the working miners and farmers, citizens of Oregon, could be dispossessed.

Look back in American history; corporate government has harassed American workers, farmers and miners to the point of civil unrest.  Look at the federal dumping of milk and produce in Washington, DC, the Kentucky Coal Wars, the railroad strike that shut down America’s railroads, the Arizona Copper Mine Wars that followed unionization of copper mines in Arizona; in Bisbee the National Guard left 469 miners out in the desert and 12 survived.

Historically, miners put up with a lot of s***, but once they blow up…  ”Don’t piss off the miners.”  I said this to Scott Fairley, legislative aide to Governor Kitzhaber:  “This is not a threat.  I’m trying to warn you, I’m trying to head off this confrontation.  You guys have lit a fuse.”

Rural landowners need to know, under this new system, you don’t own your property.  To change your own driveway, you now need permission from the county road master.  New regulations require farmers to provide access to private roads, to provide a gate onto your land for the guy on other side of the road.  Government agents can make you re-do your driveway, move the on-ramp.  Farmers’ time and resources are being wasted with arbitrary requirements that have nothing to do with what a producer needs to do to operate his farm, his ranch, his mine, his shop.

Lindianne:  I’ve come to agree with your thought that an attack on agriculture is a religious matter.  Agriculture is biblical and goes back to the Garden of Eden.  Jesus lived from the land and sea, among pastoral nomads and fishermen, in small farming and fishing villages.  I think we should bring this matter to the churches.

Arthur:  Well, I do visit churches, Catholic, Methodist, Mennonite, Seventh Day Adventist.

Lindianne:  Here is what the Urantia Book says about private property:  The institution of private property came with agriculture.  Food was man’s first private property.  Private property is essential to modern national life.  “No government can long endure if it fails to provide for the right to enjoy personal property in some form.  Man craves the right to use, control, sell and bequeath his personal property.”  71:2.9 UB

“The right to property is not absolute; it is purely social.  But all government, law, order, civil rights, social liberties, conventions, peace, and happiness, as they are enjoyed by modern peoples, have grown up around the private ownership of property.”  69:9.17 UB

Arthur:  The Christian ideal is stewardship.  Christian service is stewardship.  Many farmers are deeply religious people.  Look at the Amish, the Mennonites, the Mormons, the Seventh Day Adventists. 

Compare our way of life, growing food to support life, to the phrases “ecosystem management,” and “ecological benefit.”  These words are being mis-used to attack us.  The new system outlaws any farming or production in rural Oregon.   It’s supposed to be a green economy, but it outlaws farming?  No raising livestock.  Barns are now called “unnatural.”  If you can’t raise cattle in barns or in open spaces anymore, where can you raise them?  Where do these regulators want the cattle and the ranchers to go?  What do they want? 

Lindianne:  Go away.  Someone else owns your land.  You are dispossessed.

Arthur:  Don’t tell me to jump ship.  The people who make these laws have lost all organic connection to the land.  They don’t know what they’re talking about and they appear to have no common sense.  Yes, farmers use 78% of the water.  Farmers grow the food and raise the animals for city people to eat.  Now the farmers are told, you have to pay for your water, and you’re damaging the watershed.  There is no damage.  Our watershed is healthy.

If you cut off the farmer’s water, the city people will have no food. 

There is a lack of 1+1=2 in urban peoples’ understanding about food.  They think food comes from a magic wand and shows up at Safeway. 

Lindianne:  When I came out west from New York City in ‘81, I had no idea how much work it takes to grow food and get it from field to processing to store to table.  And how much water it takes.

Arthur:  Urban folks don’t understand water.  Water can be fruitfully managed.  Around here, streams used to dry up 4 to 6 weeks in the year.  Now there is water all year round because of the system of ditches we ranchers created.  The ranchers use the same water over and over again as it comes down the mountains, through the watershed, down the creeks, to the rivers, to the Columbia River, to the ocean.  Water is used over and over, very efficiently. 

Regulators want to dismantle this system.  The legislative aides I talked to thought, once water is appropriated, it disappears.  They think you can’t use it again. 

The government claims authority over private property, for what purpose?  Scenic rivers.  Under Senate Bill 838 a farmer can’t do anything within ½ mile of a scenic river without a permit.

Lindianne:  That’s outrageous.  Agriculture starts at the river, that’s why farmers farm river valleys.  Look at the Nile River in Egypt.  We need to explain to urban people how country people live, and how our work in the country supports the cities. 

Arthur:  Country people’s livelihood is no longer legal.  Living outside the city is illegal.  I said to the governor’s aides, “You’re making us outlaws.”  One bill redefines my farm as a nuisance.  Call my farm a visual nuisance?  Call my gravel pit an attractive nuisance?  Call a good hayfield, a crop of corn an attractive nuisance? 

Lindianne:  Arthur, what do farmers and miners want? 

Arthur:  Leave me alone and let me do what I do.  I’m not hurting anybody.  Let me dig.   Let me work with horse ranches.

Look at Will and Beverly Howe’s place.  Their 50 acres in Arizona is up for sale, so is their 15 acres in Oregon.  Those are working horse ranches.  There’s a 60’ by 60’ foot arena, a 75’ pen where horses train to work cattle to run in a circle, there’s a 350’ by 100’ arena with pens, cutting shutes.  Short barn, 8 stall horse barn.

Lindianne:  Who bought their land?

Arthur:  It hasn’t sold yet, it’s been on the market for six months.  It’s worth more than $1,000,000.  It’s like a fairground.  There’s an outdoor kitchen and a bunkhouse.

Lindianne:  Sounds like paradise!  Ranch camp.  Reminds me of Old Oak Farm in the 20’s and Celo Farm in the 60’s where my family got out of New York City in the summer.  Farm camps taught urban folk country ways and gave kids good healthy experiences in the country.  Celo Farm changed my life.

Arthur:  Camps can’t get insured any more.  But we can have people sign a waiver, a release, when they come onto the property. 

Lindianne:  To turn this crisis around we will need to offer camps for families, where kids and adults can learn country life.

Arthur:  There’s a network of Christian country camps.

Lindianne:  Well, we need to bring people together, to educate families before this culture and this knowledge of how to raise healthy crops and animals is lost.

Arthur:  The government is funding an attack on the rural community.  These laws will devastate rural Oregon.  We won’t be able to survive.  We can’t meet the requirements.  It’s a protection racket:  pay us, we’ll leave you alone.  Businesses are closing doors.  Every farm in Halfway and Richland is for sale.  When every farm is up for sale, what is wrong with this picture? 

When I was a kid, in the fifties, farms sold rarely.  Maybe if someone died, a farm would sell, but families tended to hold the farm and keep it in the family.  Then in the 60’s and 70’s, conglomerates, big food companies like Green Giant and Birdseye started buying farm land.  Big agri-food producers soon dominated the food system.  Today, a combine is operated by a lap top computer from a pickup truck.  The operator in the combine just steers.  The machinery is operated by the computer.  It runs for 24 hours, then refuels.

Lindianne:  People aren’t touching plants anymore.  And that is what gives people peace of mind, working with living plants and animals.  I love my chickens, I love working in my greenhouse, I love picking wild nettle shoots in the spring.

Arthur:  The farm economy in Halfway and Richland was unique, mostly 20 and 40 acre ranches.  Around Pendleton, Hermiston, Fruitland and Ontario, you would find 200 acre ranches, on a different scale.  There was room for both size ranches, before.  Now, if you have a 40 acre farm, you just own the house.   You have to bring in a salary, you can’t make a living on a 160 acre-or-less farm any more.  If you have less than 200 head of cattle, your spouse has to go get a salary. 

These Intolerable Acts are a religious attack on Christian culture.  These laws pit theology of save the wilderness against actual stewardship.  Sustainable economic development should be defined as the flow of commerce for business, from producers to markets to consumers, a natural flow.

In this new system, in contrast, the profit all goes to the government and NGO’s [non-governmental organizations], for “restoration” of something that’s not degraded.  There is nothing left for producers or for retailers.  The “green economy” has left farmers and ranchers out.  What’s wrong with this picture?  Who will grow the food when we are gone?

Lindianne:  We are already experiencing food shortages in Alaska.  I can’t find bulk sunflower seeds this year.  I always thought of the green economy as having permaculture and farming at its heart.  It looks to me like independent small producers are being sold down the river, sold into wage slavery.  Mega-corporations will be the only food producers left. 

Arthur:  Independent producers are 1% of the population now.  In 11 states, 60% or more of the population are living on government payments, with no earned income.  Those 11 states include California, New York, Illinois and Florida.  In Oregon, 40% of the population receives some form of public assistance, and unemployment is high.  These people have lost their ability to produce. 

Lindianne:  No wonder folks are committing suicide in record numbers.  Useful people don’t commit suicide, they know their own worth.  In Christian stewardship, people learn by doing.  The Amish raise their kids to respect the farmer’s wisdom, to respect the land as source of nurturance.  That’s why I support the urban agriculture movement.  Take a vacant lot, grow food, it revitalizes the neighborhood.

Arthur:  People from the cities trespass on our ranches and mines during hunting season, tear down water systems, burn down cabins.  “Oops, sorry.  I thought I was on Forest Service property.” 

I have said,  “You are trespassing on patented ground.”  There’s lots of patented ground in the forests.  The first forest service roads went to patented ground, ground of a mineral character.  The state claim-jumped our private mining claims.  But our roads and trails are still there.  A miner has a right to drive to his private property.  We drove up to our mine, and we were told, you are trespassing in the wilderness.  I said, “This is patented ground, private, under a patented mining claim. This is a mine to market road.”  Check Section VIII of the Oregon State Constitution.  A road from mine to market is a public road and confers a public benefit.

The aide to Oregon State Senator Ted Ferrioli is a young woman who worked as a legislative aide in Washington, DC; she has a degree in marine biology and studied maritime law.  I told her, “These laws are rewriting the definition of private property.  There is no more rural private property, it’s all “open spaces.”

She agrees that what I wrote on natural resources law is 100% on the money.  But that’s not the way the Democrats and Greens look at it.  They call 150 years of constitutional and statutory law the “old capitalist system.”  150 years of property law is being thrown on its ear this legislative session.  It’s genocide.  It’s economic suicide.  Already the ranchers can’t make money.  Now they have to pay hefty fees.  Pay the fee or lose your ranch. 

The state takes back the granted water right.  Do you realize how insane that reasoning is?  In the west we developed a system of agriculture, ranching, timber and mining that worked for 150 years.  The new system is like: you pay for a car, then the person you bought it from makes you buy it again.  It’s two different systems of thinking. 

Lindianne:  When Joseph McCarthy was finally laughed out of power at the end of the McCarthy Era persecutions, the people who finally stood up to McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee said, “Have you no decency?”

Arthur:  This spending is indecent.  Indebting our grandchildren is indecent.

Lindianne:  In biblical times, there was a jubilee every 50 years.  Forgive all debts.  We’re way overdue for that.

Arthur:  The money is being revalued.  In the 1910’s, 1920’s, $20/ounce gold was stable as a medium of commodity exchange.  There were greenbacks, and yellowbacks, backed by gold.  A $100 goldback was worth $100.  It was a stable time.  Now banks are allowed to loan on paper, and the economy is completely separated from gold.  A loan creates money, but it has no intrinsic value, it is just 0’s on a computer sheet.  Hyper-inflation is the result.  Now the IMF is resetting back to gold at $5,000/ounce.  This will upset people who remember $200/ounce.  When they’re gone, no one will know any better.

This new economy is plastic.  This new economy trades value for a promise.  You don’t own your property, the government owns it.  The government owns all property, all water.  Therefore, the government owns the people.   We may already have reached the tipping point.  45% of the nation lives on unearned income, doesn’t have to do anything to live, and have no idea what producers do.  

Lindianne:  Urban people are trained to borrow and buy.  I come from urban culture, and I know its strengths, and its limitations.  It is good and necessary to support the elderly and educate young people, but able-bodied people should have productive work.

Arthur:  Today, actual producers make up only 1% of the American population.  If you kill the producers, you are killing the golden goose, the source of wealth.  The producers bring food from the earth, other producers add value and get the food to market and to the retail store.  Value added includes trucking, packaging, and inspection. 

Commerce is rightfully regulated under the interstate commerce clause.  Once the product gets into commerce, its value inflates.  What does the producer get?  Right now the farmer gets one-fourth of one cent per box of cornflakes.  The rest of the price you pay is value added and taxes.  The company that provides artwork for the cardboard box receives more than the producer; the artist receives a full penny.  A box of cornflakes costs what today, $4 or 5?  The price is higher and the box is smaller.

What’s coming out of Salem, Oregon is a twisted theology:  Man is bad, keep man from the land.  What you read to me from the Urantia Book about private property is good.  The two systems of law we’ve discussed today are worlds apart in logic.  Mining law and property law are based on the work of a free individual.  Freedom is based on property law.  Freedom includes the right to pursue business, the right to maintain life.

But if the government gives you your necessities, why work?

Lindianne:  No society can endure for long with mass idleness.  I observe in today’s population contention, misunderstanding, rigidity of thought, and miscommunication.  People are idle, bored, lonely, sad and confused by media.

Arthur:  Ask who benefits from the confusion?  Follow the money.  Where is all the money going?   Government is pulling in; the state says, we don’t have money.  Where do the Oregon state moneys go?  In this new system, money is taken from producers and given to environmental programs through the Department of Environmental Quality, and Fish and Wildlife.  Add the burdens of welfare, unemployment, and the Oregon health program.  We didn’t have this 15 years ago; now Oregon has a huge insurance program, state picks up the tab for low income people.  Senior facilities are being subsidized.

Some of these are good programs, but where’s it coming from?  Who is paying for it?  Oregon doesn’t have big revenue streams anymore.  There are no timber receipts; that collapsed or rather was destroyed.  Timber companies were ordered to clear cut the forests, and a lot of timber companies knew better, knew this would be the death of timber in Oregon. 

Lindianne:  What about agricultural commodities?  Agriculture should be huge in Oregon with its abundant water and arable land and industrious people.

Arthur:  Farmers can’t hire kids to work on farms anymore.  Row crops are mechanically harvested.  But fruit trees and berry vines need people to pick fruit.  Orchards in Fruitland and Ontario have been abandoned.  95% of Oregon’s strawberry farms have been plowed under.  Orchard owners are pulling out trees because they can’t afford to hire folks to prune and spray.  Regulations decree this.  Farmers used to pay pickers by the bushel or the flat.  Now farmers have to pay by the hour for a per pound product.  When I was a kid we would pick strawberries by the flat.  The guy that picked slow got paid for 1 flat.  The guy that picked fast got paid for 6 flats.  It was a fair system. 

Conclusion

Readers, you have now heard the sound of two country folk on the front line of freedom.

Dismal as this situation appears, conditions are actually ripe for a paradigm shift to a simple, elegant solution that changes life on earth for the good.

The Hard Rock Miner Report

Stay tuned to the Jefferson Mining District and Hard Rock Miner Report for more common sense from Oregon and Alaska.  The Hard Rock Miner Report stems from my ongoing conversations and correspondence with Arthur Sappington.  I rely also on the work of mining law researchers Ron Gibson, Hal Anthony, Guy Michael, Al Hansen, Tom Quintalt, and environmental scientist Joe Greene.  Our subjects:  natural resources, freedom, comparative history, agriculture, timber, mining, fishing, manufacturing, production and producers, gold and silver markets, the crops and the weather.  Generally, we examine the tyranny attempting to overtake our land and people. 

Urban people, you are cordially invited to join our dialogue.  We invite you to learn about how natural resources keep you alive.  We country people live differently from city people.  We dirty our hands and our barnyards reek of manure so you can eat.  Do you not understand that if we are stopped from growing food, you will starve?

Lindianne writes from Alaska, the last frontier.  http://www.hardrockminersreport.com

China’s reputation for both is somewhat less desirable.

But no-one is suggesting the hold-up of our meat at China’s border is due to either safety concerns or corruption.

Whatever the cause, Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy said sorting out the problem is MPI’s top priority.

“New Zealand officials have worked around the clock to provide additional technical information to Chinese authorities over the weekend.

“This information will be given to AQSIQ, the Chinese organisation responsible for border clearances. This will enable them to pass it on to port authorities, a process which may take some days.

“New Zealand officials are also talking with their counterparts in China today to see what, if any, further information or support is needed.

“Overall trade to China is still flowing well and this issue appears confined to some shipments of meat.

“Most product is frozen and is being properly stored, while priority for clearance is being given to chilled meat.

“The Ministry for Primary Industries is also keeping in close contact with the meat industry and updating them on a daily basis.

“New Zealand is a trading nation and from time to time these kind of technical delays will occur. This is a temporary issue, but we’re confident it can be resolved,” says Mr Guy.

There is no convenient time for such a hold-up but this is another blow in what has been a particularly difficult season for sheep farmers.

“On top of the drought and the meat schedules this is causing concern amongst sheep and beef farmers,” says Bruce Wills, Federated Farmers President and its trade spokesperson.

“It is reassuring to see Minister Nathan Guy confirm that its speedy resolution is the Ministry for Primary Industries number one priority.

“Sheep and beef farmers will be affected one way or another as suppliers or shareholders. A number of the exporters involved in the delay are cooperatives. This means any financial impact ultimately falls back upon the farmers who cooperatively own them.

“What I can say is that New Zealand’s farmers truly value the Chinese market for our lamb.

“We want to build a much closer relationship with Chinese consumers and our Chinese farming counterparts too. It is about establishing a true-two way relationship and we hope these messages can be conveyed to the right authorities.

“We must now urgently resolve this matter to the satisfaction of the Chinese authorities. Comment must be responsible and informed by fact because speculation could do New Zealand damage in a vital market,” Mr Wills concluded.

China is a very important trading partner but doing business there is not like doing business here.

It’s a different country with a very different culture and different ways of doing business.

What works here will not necessarily work there and we will have to learn to adapt to that.

Ed Waltz riding Jasper down main street

   Currently a family friend is in the hospital and sadly not recovering from surgery the way we all hoped. Ed is a fighter,strong and stubborn, so as I write this I am sure that he is fighting to recover totally from this long process.Yet,  his wife travels back and forth from Ruby Memorial hospital in Morgantown to their home in Weston daily. The drive is around a 2 hour round trip and is long and expensive to do every day. She is also now the sole worker on their small farm. But, they have a hidden support system,  those in the back ground who keep the farm running. 

   Today, Ed and Dottie’s farm animals need fed and watered, horses need put out to pasture, grass needs mowing. The farm has over a dozen animals that need daily care and someone has to do it while Ed is unable to. This is a night mare that every animal owner fears…If some thing happens to me ,who will care for my horse, dog, cattle or goats?  Most of us have at least have some family that can help out, but what happens when they can’t or don’t really understand the care of large animals like horses? This is when what I call “Farm Family” comes in.

    “Farm Family” are the neighbors, the trail ridding friends, the Vet. techs, the Farrier and the boys from the next farm that step in. They all have been their, they understand that a farm is not just a pasture full of cows grazing in a field.  At times it is an over whelming burden, because the animals need tended, huge gardens need worked, hay need mowing, tractors need fixed, fence needs mended, and at times children who need supervision.

   As a member of this “Farm Family” group I have both the given and received from this unsaid promise. The promise that” I was not alone, no matter what!” Their was always someone who answered the phone at 1 am and would listen to my story of a sick or dying animal. That other ”Farm Family” member was their to give advice, share medication, tools or just give me a shoulder to cry on, when I could not call my mother. It is an understanding that I have never found anywhere else.

    So when I found out that my friend was sick and the extreme nature of the situation Tom and I asked if their was anything that we could do? What did hey need? The answer was not money, food or laundry it was a simple request… “Could you all come and put  a round bail out for the horses? The breaks are bad on the tractor and I don’t  use it. The boy next door is feeding the dogs,ducks and horses every morning, but he is not able to get hay out into the pasture”..Our responce was a united “Oh course”. This gesture may mean nothing to someone on the outside of farming. But, for anyone who has had 6 head of horses and no way to get hay to them, they will understand that we just gave Dottie a huge gift.

Ed and Dottie

Tom and Ed have been friends for almost 8 years now and Tom has been Ed’s Farrier for about as long. We have helped them get horses and trailers, we have followed their grandchildren through school and shared a nip of moonshine with on the front porch. We are more to them then some hired contractor who shows up to work and the horses and they are more than a costumer base to us… they are ‘Farm Family’.

I  am  richer, because “when the  Cow Pie hits the fan” I know that I can count on having another “Farm Family” member there to help clean up the mess. Here in my town we still care about our neighbors. We try hard to share what we have, and do what we can to relive the suffering of people and animals all around us.We all realise that one day it will be our turn  having trouble getting things done on the farm. But, we will be able count on others to help us get through the hard times. No money is ever exchanged, nothing but a heart-felt “thank you” is ever given. There is no price on kindness, friendship, or understanding. You reap what you sow …. and “Farm Families” know that if you sow the very best of yourself then when it is your darkest hour, you will reap more kindness then you can ever image. 

With this post I add my best wishes to Ed Waltz’s recovery and support to Dottie Waltz… We are here for you any time  and we will see you when you are feeling better, Gods speed.

               Yours always, Jolynn