Bailout Nation

An interesting article in the New York Times:

“For the government to print money at the expense of taxpayers as opposed to requiring or going about a receivership and wind-down of any insolvent institutions should be troubling to taxpayers and regulators alike,” said Josh Rosner, an analyst at Graham Fisher & Company and an expert on mortgage securities.

“The Fed has now crossed the line in a very clear way on ‘moral hazard,’ because they have opened the door to the view that they are required to save almost any institution through non-recourse loans — except the government doesn’t have the money and it destroys the U.S.’s reputation as the broadest, deepest, most transparent and properly regulated capital market in the world.”

Food for thought...

Maybe that's why the pork industry isn't quite as nervous as it should be with respect to expansions and new builds here in Indiana, despite the gloomy forecasts experts have been giving it:

"Excessive pork production combined with feed price escalation has the North American pork industry on pace to suffer the most damaging financial year ever, said a Purdue University expert."

Thing is, if they're expecting help (or bailouts) this time, they best not be looking toward the taxpayer, because word on the street is they're Fed up. (yeah, poor pun - but I couldn't resist)

What is our Govt. saying about the future for ag?

Check out this recent forecast put out in December 2007 by the USDA:

USDA Agriculture Predictions to 2017: "Pacific Rim nations and Mexico are key markets for long-term growth of U.S. pork exports. Higher income countries of East Asia increase pork imports as their domestic hog sectors are constrained by environmental concerns. Mexican pork imports rise rapidly, driven by increases in income and population. Brazil is constrained in its pork trade by the presence of foot-and-mouth disease, but continues to be a major pork exporter to markets such as Russia, Argentina, and Asian markets other than Japan and South Korea."

Did you notice something odd in the above quote?

Please permit me to highlight this:

"Higher income countries of East Asia increase pork imports as their domestic hog sectors are constrained by environmental concerns."

If I understand correctly, East Asia's hog sector is constrained by environmental concerns, ergo they'll import more from countries where, say, there are maybe less environmental concerns and/or constraints?

~ shaking my head here ~

Maybe it doesn't make you pause for thought, but I have to admit, it struck me as an odd thing to say by the USDA.

Anywhooooo, here's another important reason why taxpayers won't be too sympathetic toward government handing out subsidies, grants, etc. with respect to larger farms in the years ahead:

"Although net farm income initially declines from high levels of 2007 and 2008, it is projected to remain historically strong throughout the projection period, and reach record levels beyond 2011. Growth in export demand contributes to increases in agricultural commodity prices and gains in farm cash receipts. Increases in corn-based ethanol production also provide a major impetus for this strong income projection. Higher commodity prices lower government payments for price-dependent program benefits, although annual CRP payments increase. With lower government payments, the agriculture sector relies increasingly on the market for its income. Cash receipts represent more than 90 percent of gross cash income in the projections, up from about 85 percent in 2005."

Keep in mind... "The report assumes that there are no shocks due to abnormal weather, further outbreaks of plant or animal diseases, or other factors affecting global supply and demand."

Since our Fed is pretty thin from bailing out the billionairs in recent weeks, I'm guessing they won't have much available to help in any upcoming catastrophes ...like the massive floods swirling throughout the midwest these past few days (and prior).

In other news, I spoke to a friend of mine down in southern Indiana today. He told me about the Michellen (sp?) tire plant layoffs (and other shut downs going on in his area).

Thousands of jobs disappearing in his area...

Times are tough.

Money's tight.

So please don't ask taxpayers to dig deeper.

Thank you.

Meanwhile, while most will be watching the Markets, I'll probably be staring up at the skies on Thursday night searching for a hint of the Auroras this spring equinox.

Tackling the Gard

Not long ago, Senator Gard called Hoosiers losers.

Her latest gig, conveniently combining both Senate Bill 200 and Senate Bill 199 with Senate Bill 43, effectively wiped out some important environmental legislation in the process.

She waves her little magic wand and *poof* -- in your face, hoosiers - literally speaking or not.

Sure, go ahead and call me bitter, because it is a tough pill to swallow over and over and over again whenever that woman touches any piece of legislation that could potentially improve our State. One gets kind of sad at our poor environmental record, 49th out of 50.

But I take heart hoping the electoral process will bring with it some much needed housecleaning.

I for one, can't wait to say, "buh-bye-Bev."

Maybe the National Pork Association has a position waiting for her?

hehehe

Drugs in our Water

The Barbara Cox video interviews are now posted over at the Bloomington Alternative (link), in which Barb makes a very important point with respect to water:

"What's in my backyard today is in your backyard tomorrow."

The Barbara Cox interviews were taped before the BIG BOMB dropped regarding water supplies across the country.

Here's what I mean...

On March 10, 2008, the Associated Press released some of the details of an intensive 5 month study of the nation's water supplies -- and they came up with some startling results:

A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.

...And while researchers do not yet understand the exact risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals, recent studies — which have gone virtually unnoticed by the general public — have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife. (link to full story)

Here's the kicker...

The federal government doesn't require any testing and hasn't set safety limits for drugs in water. Of the 62 major water providers contacted, the drinking water for only 28 was tested. Among the 34 that haven't: Houston, Chicago, Miami, Baltimore, Phoenix, Boston and New York City's Department of Environmental Protection, which delivers water to 9 million people.

And don't, for one minute, think that all of this only has to do with human drugs entering the water supply.

In the United States, the problem isn't confined to surface waters. Pharmaceuticals also permeate aquifers deep underground, source of 40 percent of the nation's water supply. Federal scientists who drew water in 24 states from aquifers near contaminant sources such as landfills and animal feed lots found minuscule levels of hormones, antibiotics and other drugs.

Of particular concern, the news article highlighted this:

Human waste isn't the only source of contamination. Cattle, for example, are given ear implants that provide a slow release of trenbolone, an anabolic steroid used by some bodybuilders, which causes cattle to bulk up. But not all the trenbolone circulating in a steer is metabolized. A German study showed 10 percent of the steroid passed right through the animals.

Water sampled downstream of a Nebraska feedlot had steroid levels four times as high as the water taken upstream. Male fathead minnows living in that downstream area had low testosterone levels and small heads.

This news comes at a time when the...

EPA is proposing a voluntary option for CAFOs to certify to the permitting authority that they do not discharge or propose to discharge and therefore do not need NPDES permit coverage. (link)

Seems to me that there is a WHOLE LOT OF GOVERNMENT HOUSECLEANING needed. Our tax dollars are paying these people to do ...what, exactly?

Don't think you've heard the end of this. The news is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.

"Tick. Tock" Time will tell.

Jasper County Long Range Planning

Thursday is the big day, folks.

It's your chance to have a voice in Jasper County Long Range Planning.

Meetings held on Thursday, March 13, 2008, will determine the future of our county, so if ever there was a meeting to attend, this would be the one. It will be held twice, so choose the time that best meets with your schedule:

1. Thursday March 13th at 11:30 am at the Jasper County Fairgrounds
2. Thursday evening, March 13 at 6pm at the Demotte Fase Center

Both meeting times/places are open to the public. This is the place to voice your opinions about CAFOs, subdivisions, etc. The meeting/s will explain the writing of the new comprehensive plan for the future of Jasper County and then people will take a short survey and be allowed to make public comment.

Hope to see you there!

Desparate Acts by Hog Producers

On the subject of "desparate acts" by the hog producing sector, it would appear that at least one large provider has finally "blinked" ...or so it would seem when reading this article:

This week, Smithfield's production arm, Murphy-Brown, said it will eliminate 40,000 to 50,000 sows from its overall herd of over 1 million sows. "There's a glut of pork out there, and with high input costs, there's no way we can add enough value to make money," Don Butler, director of government relations for Murphy-Brown, told Agriculture Online. "We must cut back. We would hope that other pork producers around the country would see things the same way and take similar action."

While the announcement sent the message that five-dollar corn and $40-hogs don't work, it sent a different concern to the hundreds of contract farmers who operate the farrowing and finishing operations that crank out Murphy-Brown pigs. Which contract farms will Murphy-Brown no longer need?

Indeed, even as the price of corn continues to rise while pork drops further, one has to wonder why anyone would even consider starting a HOG CAFO or CFO in this economic climate.

Sure, the plummeting dollar makes the price of our pork a wee bit more enticing in some foreign markets, but here at home -- you gotta think twice about getting into 'da biz, right?

Well, maybe "how it works" might shed some light onto the "why" of it all. This post by a prospective hog CFO owner is asking for help making his decision of whether or not to go into hog farming. It's quite enlightening:

The deal is that a huge hog farm will "build" me a hog barn on my land and fill it with their hogs, I have to take care of the hogs daily ect., I am also told that the big farm will guarantee me to pay off the barn. I am sure you guys know the type of deal I am talking about.

My question is, Is the hog market so bad that doing this kind of contracting makes no financial sense or is the market bad to the "small" hog farmer. Any insight is appreciated (link)

I've mentioned in the past about integrated contracts -- how it's not necessarily just the farm and/or farmer that needs to go under the microscope as the "source" of problems relating to factory-style farming. The people getting off virtually "scott-free" in all the wastes these farms can produce are the larger entities who "come bearing gifts" ...virtually bribing farmers to go big (or threatening them to get out by pulling their patronage away).

A small farmer with no customers is a bankrupt farmer.

A large farmer with contract in hand, well, maybe he'll eke out enough to feed his family and keep his land a few more years (?) ...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, CAFOs and CFOs are NOT farms. If anything, owing to their size and the sheer volume of wastes they produce (to say nothing of the water they consume daily), the closest category could be -- light industrial -- and in extreme cases, heavy industrial is more appropriate.

Sure, that's just my humble opinion, but I can assure you, it's an opinion shared by others.

In fact, I was pleasantly surprised when I recently read Mr. Schellinger's official statement on the subject:

Confined Animal Feeding Operations or CAFO's represent a significant challenge to Indiana's quality of life. These enormous, largely unregulated facilities produce vast amounts of animal waste that are then released untreated into our rivers, streams and spread across our land. The magnitude of these operations means that one facility has the potential to affect thousands of people in proximity to it.

I believe economic growth and protecting our environmental quality of life are not mutually exclusive goals. CAFO's can be of economic value to Indiana if they work with the community and not against it. That means taking responsibility for the waste they produce and the impact they create.

As Governor, I would pursue a policy that regulates CAFO's under industrial zoning restrictions rather than agricultural. I would work to implement stronger oversight and monitoring of these facilities, working with communities and CAFO owners to ensure an open, fair and constructive dialogue.

Industrial zoning restrictions -- gotta love it!

Permit me to savor the thought.

Now, once they're all rezoned (to industrial from agricultural), let's take another look at them thar farm subsidies, eh?

The Politics of Politics

After getting the 10th phone call in just the last 3 days asking me for my opinions on the upcoming BIG VOTE, guess I should share it with those who haven't called yet... some of the readers of this blog.

Sorry I haven't been very forthcoming on where I stand yet.

For good reasons, IMHO.

First, I've been on a journey searching for clues to the people who are vying for the hot seat, namely the oval office. I've also been trying to understand how things "work" in DC -- how do things "come together" so to speak.

And the deeper I look, the sadder I get, and the more naive I feel...

You see, if you don't know about K Street, you really don't know how things really work at that level of politics and power.

If you've never heard of influence.com, then you really don't know who is who, where they've been, and where they are now. (You might even be interested in some of the trails of breadcrumbs leading to our own Governor's doorstep.)

If you don't understand the fiat monetary system and know who the real power brokers are behind the scenes -- or the mess the so-called money-managers have managed to accumulate in just the the last dozen years or so, then you really don't know the full extent of the mess our next President will be stepping into.

If you've never seen what's really happening behind the scenes in the press or even how votes are counted, then you really haven't heard the full story on anything -- balanced or otherwise.

And if you don't know the true meaning of the word "libertarian" ...then you haven't taken the "World's Smallest Political Quiz" on the Net.

And finally, if (like me) you're just now finding out about most of this stuff, then congratulations -- welcome to the Inquiring Voters Club -- IVC for short. I'm thinking of having bumper stickers made soon.

Stay tuned.


PS: Even if you don't visit any of the links, at the very least watch the video.

Dead Starlings in Indiana

A friend forwarded this link to me about the dead starlings being found around the Fair Oaks CAFOs:

"Numerous birds found dead" - Rensselaer Republican 02-20-2008

And I immediately recalled another recent article on the subject of dead starlings, but these were found in Randolph County (not far from another CAFO, I might add):

"State chemists' office investigates deaths of dozens of starlings" - Peru Tribune 02-16-2008

The Randolph County incident was also reported in Palladium-Item (read it here).

So one incident in our area is reported on Feb. 20/2008 ...another reported in Randolph County on Feb. 16/2008 ...how many others?

Two reasons I bring this up...

1. The Republican article stated -- "The pesticide is used less than 15 times within a year in the state according to USDA figures."

So, can we assume the Fair Oaks starling kills are the "2nd" time for using the pesticide this year? Maybe we'll know for certain after the State Chemists have determined more from the Randolph County investigation.

2. In the article, Carol Bannerman, a public affairs specialist for the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Wildlife Services, is reported claiming that -- "starlings are problematic for farmers because they feast on cattle feed and rob cattle of their proper protein. Then they contaminate feed and water with their bird droppings. The droppings can spread disease to both the animals and the humans that consume the animals."

Hmmmm... Ms. Banning seems to be quoting from the USDA/APHIS/ADC document #NCR451 which goes into great detail on the subject of controlling starlings, but maybe the Republican didn't quite quote her precisely? It implies the starlings are creating all kinds of disease, doesn't it?

Here's a little snippet from NCR451:

At livestock facilities, starlings consume feed and contaminate the feed and water with their droppings. Where high protein supplements are added to feeds such as cattle feeds, starlings may selectively eat the high-protein portion.

Starlings may also transfer disease among livestock facilities, a problem that particularly concerns swine producers. For example, TGE (transmissible gastroenteritis) virus can pass through the digestive tract of starlings and be infectious in the starling feces. However, researchers have found healthy swine in lots with infected starlings. Thus, even infected starlings may not always transmit the disease, especially if starling interaction with pigs is minimized. TGE may also be transmitted on boots or vehicles, by stray animals, or by infected swine added to the herd. (emphasis added)

Sounds like Ms. Banning said exactly that, right? Read deeper young grasshopper...

Maybe I'm interpretting the above wrong, but the way I read it, the birds could transfer diseases from one livestock farm to another, which seems to be the biggest economic concern. And that brings up another question...

Which came first? I'm not talking about the bird or the egg.

I'm wondering how do these birds get infected in the first place?

I mean, if they're carriers of diseases that can affect entire CAFO herds, then surely they have to have picked the disease up from somewhere in the first place, somewhere that -- per chance -- there were infected animals. Or, perhaps, there are infected animals at the location where the starlings need to be eradicated?

Pesticide use to eradicate the starlings, according to NCR451, is not the first (or only) method for controlling the "problem" large farms face from these so-called pests, but it is one of the easiest and less time-consuming for large feedlots.

Which brings me to another quote from the Renss/Repub article:

"Starling eradication methods include a federally licensed pesticide called DRC1339. The USDA has been recently using the pesticide in Jasper County to control the starlings and protect livestock at local dairy/cattle feed lots.

"This method is used only if the birds cannot be subdued," said Bannerman."

And this...

According to USDA studies, there were no signs of poisoning among predators within 30-200 days of consumption.

Bannerman said people shouldn't allow pets to eat dead starlings, but there was little risk of poisoning to household pets.

"Pets would have to eat a large quantity of the starlings for them to be affected," said Bannerman."Humans should not touch the dead birds with their hands."

Okay, so let's take a quick look at the black box warning for the concentrated version of this pesticide:

RESTRICTED USE PESTICIDE
Due to High Acute Inhalation Toxicity and Eye and Skin Corrosiveness to Humans; High Acute Toxicity to Nontarget Birds and Aquatic Invertebrates; and the Need for Highly Specialized Applicator Training.

For retail sale to, and use only by, USDA APHIS Certified Applicators trained in bird control or by persons under their direct supervision.

I found that on a document that reads: "FOR DISTRIBUTION AND USE ONLY WITHIN WYOMING"

Here's one of the general restrictions for use:

This product contains a slow-acting avicide which kills target birds in 1 to 3 days. As many types of nontarget bird species are potentially vulnerable to DRC-1339, it is necessary to use care and to follow the requirements of this label to minimize impacts to nontarget species.

I found the DO NOT list a bit alarming:

• DO NOT apply by air


• DO NOT apply within 50 feet of bodies of water


• DO NOT harvest any crop for use as food or feed that has been contaminated with this product.


• DO NOT graze livestock or plant any rotational crop in treated non-crop or in crop areas that may have been contaminated by treated bait spilled from bait application containers for one year (365 days) following the last application of bait made from this product...


• DO NOT apply bait(s) in areas where there is a danger that Threatened or Endangered Species will consume baits...


• DO NOT apply baits made from this product in a way that will contact workers or other persons.

And the list goes on. Yes, there's far more and you can read about it through this link. Sorry I don't have the Indiana version. Not enough time for me to hunt that down today.

DRC-1339 products are highly toxic to sensitive species such as starlings and pigeons, is slightly toxic to non-sensitive birds (raptors, songbirds), and is differentially toxic to mammals. Since it is rapidly metabolized and excreted by the target bird species (starlings), scavenging birds that feed on treated dead birds would likely be unaffected.

Another USDA document (from PA) states:

Only USDA personnel may use DRC-1339 concentrate. Use of this label is a cooperative effort between USDA and the farm operator, since several days of prebaiting and monitoring are required prior to actual use of the product. Typically, the farm operator is primarily responsible for prebaiting (with assistance from USDA), and USDA is responsible for use of the toxicant and follow-up monitoring.

Whew... that's a lot of detail.

But there's more. Want to know about the toxicity of DRC-1339 and how they came up with the doses? If you're into that kind of detail and/or you want to learn about a few of the concerns that have been raised recently regarding this pesticide, here's an interesting study.

Keep in mind, when reading the above study, check out the authors' purpose for writing it (to rate dosage levels recommended for its use and dispel fears over the toxin) and -- ahem -- watch for any non-objective statements. (Not saying there are any present, just, well...)

Until next time -- TTFN!

World finds out about USA beef scandal

You know the world is watching when the news about the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company scandal hits the headlines of a Beverage Industry magazine targeted to industry insiders.

Industry concerns follow massive US beef recall
by Linda Rano:

19-Feb-2008 - The largest meat recall in US history has reignited fears that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is not taking adequate measures to ensure the safety of the nation's meat supply. (link)

This particular online news service also publishes a monthly full-color glossy magazine (yes, real hold-it-in-your-hands hard copy) of breaking stories in the beverage industry, as well as print and online ezine publications for other industry niches including Nutrition, Health, Food Safety and more. Their publications span the globe with their largest subscriber bases in the EU.

After the BSE scandal that rocked the UK beef industry, you can safely bet they're closely monitoring the entire Hallmark/Westland Meat story as it unfolds here in the USA.

voluntary recall of "approximately 143,383,823 pounds of raw and frozen beef products"

To be fair, the way I understand the situation, the meat wasn't fully recalled (ie sent back to the supplier) but instead, it was placed on "hold" by institutions/schools/etc. until the USDA completes their investigation to determine whether or not the meat is (or isn't) safe for human consumption.

So maybe "recall" is a bit too strong a word (for now?) in the article referenced above...

Even so, it's the first time I saw an actual number published with respect to how much beef is involved. Imagine. 143,383,823 pounds!!!

Which brings me to Indiana Senate Bill 123 regarding labelling of meat and dairy products. Apparently it might get a dusting off for reading soon. Here's a quick synopsis:

Citations Affected: IC 15-2.1; noncode.

Synopsis: Meat and milk products. Authorizes the state board of animal health to provide voluntary grading and certification relating to meat and meat products. Provides that a person who knowingly or intentionally forges a grade or certification commits a Class D felony. Requires the board of animal health to review, study, and make recommendations to the legislative council about claims made about milk, milk products, meat, and poultry marketed to the general public.

Effective: Upon passage; July 1, 2008.

What do you think? Should we send a strong message to the Industry? This is your chance to get involved by contacting your reps regarding the Bill -- your choice.

School Lunch Program - Got Beef?

In case you haven't heard... the Hallmark/Westland Meat Company story is shocking parents across the country while School lunch program operators across the nation are being instructed by USDA officials to "pull the beef from school lunch lines as a precaution."

Video shot at the Chino slaughterhouse during an undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States shows downed cows, animals that are too sick to walk, being prodded with forklifts, poked in the eyes and blasted with water.

"The attempt was to make them so distressed and to cause them so much suffering that these animals would get up and walk into the slaughterhouse," said Wayne Pacelle with the Humane Society.[link]

The Humane Society of the United States says it turned over a video showing cattle being abused at a Chino slaughterhouse to the San Bernardino County district attorney's office in December. After a month with no legal action, the animal protection agency posted some of the video on its Web site this week and turned over 96 minutes of recordings to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees slaughterhouses.[Emphasis added - link]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture launched an investigation into the company on Wednesday after the Humane Society of the United States released a video that appears to document workers abusing cows that are too injured or weak to stand. (link)

...and were it not for the undercover video filmed by the Humane Society, what would have happened?

After all, Westland and its parent company, Hallmark Meat, are "the second largest supplier of beef to the USDA's commodity procurement branch, which distributes the beef to needy families, the elderly, and also the schools throughout the national school lunch program," according to the Humane Society of the United States. (link)

The USDA Response to the Media Attention?

The USDA, in its news release, said it was "unfortunate" the Humane Society "did not present this information to use when these alleged violations occurred in the fall of 2007."

The Humane Society, in its statement, said it had turned the information over to "California law enforcement officials" at that time, and "local authorities asked for extra time before public release of the information." (link)

Sidenote: Yes siree, I imagine the USDA would have liked to see the video back in fall of 2007... maybe it would have prevented them from buying "...more than 27 million pounds of ground beef from Westland in 2007 as part of the government-subsidized National School Lunch Program." (Emphasis added - link)

In another Response from USDA:

In any case, there's no evidence that meat from so-called 'downer' cattle entered the food supply, USDA official Kenneth Petersen told reporters during a telephone news conference Friday. (link)

And another:

Federal officials emphasized that a hold is not the same thing as a recall. The beef could later be used if the USDA OKs its safety. (link)

And in case you didn't know this;

...Westland, the second-largest supplier of beef for the National School Lunch Program, was named "supplier of the year" in 2004-2005 by the Agriculture Department. It has delivered beef to schools in 36 states.

The USDA today stopped Westland from supplying meat to federal food and nutrition programs pending the outcome of its investigation. While the workers in this video have been fired, the Humane Society says the most shocking thing about the abuse shown here is that it happens all the time.

Some responses from the political side:

February 1, 2008-- Congressman Leonard Boswell is pushing the USDA to examine recent reports of inhumane treatment of animals. (link)

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, sent letters Wednesday to the agriculture secretary and the head of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) asking for an immediate investigation into the safety of ground beef being used in the National School Lunch Program. "The treatment of animals in this video is appalling, but more than that, it raises significant concerns about the safety of the food being served to our nation's children," Durbin said. (link)

Federal regulations call for keeping downed cows out of the food supply because they may pose a higher risk of carrying E. coli, salmonella contamination or mad cow disease. (link)

Several School Boards across the country have been pulling beef from the menu until they can be certain no supplies came from Westland. Some of those School Boards reporting in the news are located in the following states (partial list, no specific order): California, Washington, Oregon, South Dakota, Illinois, Minnesota, Utah, Hawaii, Florida, Texas, Iowa and New York. For a large (and growing) list of news reports on this story, check out this link.

Now I'm guessing that Hallmark Meat Packing has become the "hallmark" brand for how NOT to run a slaughterhouse/packing plant?

Aw, heck, here's one more reported USDA response worth mentioning:

USDA officials said that despite the apparent abuses, Westland meat products have always passed stringent government purity standards, and they do not believe the company's beef is unhealthy. (link)

What the ...?

Even if you don't get sick eating the Hallmark/Westland stuff, you might get sick watching the 96 minutes of video. Yes, there are animal rights violations. Now that's an education our kids shouldn't have to receive -- in any manner, shape or form -- because it simply shouldn't BE happening -- PERIOD.

Dirty Little Secret About E Coli

There's a dirty little secret about E. Coli, salmonella, campylobacter and other forms of food poisoning that hasn't become common knowledge for the general public -- yet -- and there is considerable cause for concern.

What's the dirty little secret? The news, according to this Associated Press article is alarming some sectors of the health industry:

It's a dirty little secret of food poisoning: E. coli and certain other foodborne illnesses can sometimes trigger serious health problems months or years after patients survived that initial bout. Scientists only now are unraveling a legacy that has largely gone unnoticed.

What kind of health problems? Here's one example from the article:

Consider Alyssa Chrobuck of Seattle, who at age 5 was hospitalized as part of the Jack-in-the-Box hamburger outbreak that 15 years ago this month made a deadly E. coli strain notorious.

She's now a successful college student but ticks off a list of health problems unusual for a 20-year-old: High blood pressure, recurring hospitalizations for colon inflammation, a hiatal hernia, thyroid removal, endometriosis.

"I can't eat fatty foods. I can't eat things that are fried, never been able to eat ice cream or milkshakes," says Chrobuck. "Would I have this many medical problems if I hadn't had the E. coli? Definitely not. But there's no way to tie it definitely back."

Donna Rosenbaum of the consumer advocacy group Safe Tables Our Priority (S.T.O.P.) is quoted saying;

"We're drastically underestimating the burden on society that foodborne illnesses represent."

S.T.O.P.'s newly elected president, Ms. Nancy Donley of Chicago, is no stranger to the effects of food poisoning. Their website indicates that "Ms. Donley, who previously served as S.T.O.P.’s President from 1996-2004, is nationally known for her extensive advocacy work on preventing foodborne illness and death. She became a member of S.T.O.P. and started her advocacy work after the tragic death of her six-year-old son, Alex, in 1993 from E. coli O157:H7-contaminated meat."

Now, if you are really curious to learn more about foodborne illnesses, you really should spend some time on the S.T.O.P. website. There "...is a collection of stories and testimonies given by victims and families of victims of foodborne illness. They bear witness to the fact that existing and emerging foodborne illness ravages victims without mercy."

The Center for Disease Control is aware of the problems relating to foodborne illness. They say foodborne illnesses cause 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths a year. Among survivors, some long-term consequences are obvious from the outset. Some required kidney transplants. They may have scarred intestines that promise lasting digestive difficulty.

But unfortunately, there has been little data collected on what happens to food poison survivors AFTER...

For now, some of the best evidence comes from the University of Utah, which has long tracked children with E. coli. About 10 percent of E. coli sufferers develop a life-threatening complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, where their kidneys and other organs fail.

Ten to 20 years after they recover, between 30 percent and half of HUS survivors will have some kidney-caused problem, says Dr. Andrew Pavia, the university's pediatric infectious diseases chief. That includes high blood pressure caused by scarred kidneys, slowly failing kidneys, even end-stage kidney failure that requires dialysis.

"I don't want to leave the message that everyone who had symptoms ... is in trouble," stresses Pavia.

Miserable as E. coli is, it doesn't seem to trigger long-term problems unless it started shutting down the kidneys the first time around, he says. "People with uncomplicated diarrhea, by and large we don't have evidence yet that they have complications."

There are other proven long-term consequences of food poisoning. You can read the article here for more details.

In addition to foodborne illnesses, antibiotic resistance is also one of the top concerns for the Center for Disease Controll.

The "dirty little secret" on foodborne illness comes out following another important article published on January 20, 2008, in the San Francisco Chronicle: "Bacteria race ahead of drugs Falling behind: Deadly infections increasingly able to beat antibiotics"

Now, I'd be remiss if I didn't take you back to the manure issues surrounding CAFOs, considering the above news.

So many, many times before on this blog I've pointed out study after study after study regarding how long these pathogens can survive in our soils and waters. You need only look to our 303d water reports to see the E. Coli problems in Indiana waterways.

My point is this -- if you can't kill it first, you shouldn't be planting it in (or spraying it on) the ground in such massive, concentrated quantities.

BigAg has been on a mission to push farmers to "grow big or get out" for years now. And yet, in all their talks about so-called "nutrient" absorbance capacity of the land in "safe manure handling practices" it simply astounds me that they spend so little time on the health issues relating to factory farming practices that appear to be leaving a dirty trail all the way from the farm to the fork.

And what supremely ticks me off is how their push for BIG has slaughtered so many family farms across this great nation while they -- Big Ag -- keep digging into taxpayer pockets to deal with the issues surrounding their "model" for the future of our food -- to have taxpayers pay to clean up their mess.

They're eager to throw another few billion at the FDA for tighter food safety.

They're happy to see more billions flow to the USDA for greater food safety.

They eagerly wait to see how much more money can go into farm subsidies and the like to deal with everything from........

DANG IT!!! They created the dang mess in the first place... even convincing small farmers, who would have had to quit and lose their farms, to go BIG so they could compete in the industry -- glossing over the unresolved problems tied to this style of Agriculture. AND NOW -- DIG DEEPER INTO TAXPAYER POCKETS ...scare the hell out of them to make them pay more, and more, and more... and... geez. It's time to get responsibility back where it belongs, dangit!!

Sorry. Got a little carried away with this post. (taking a deep breath here)

Gotta run -- but you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be back soon with more on this issue.

Want to do something right now?

Call Rep. Crawford ASAP and request that he schedule HB 1168 for a hearing and vote in House Ways and Means Committee. They're trying to keep it out.

His office number at the statehouse is 317-232-9875.

The toll free number for the Indiana House is 800-382-9842.

You only have until Thursday, by the way. Yeah, they like to slip past these as fast as possible -- my humble opinion.