Through my recent calls to our State Ag Dept I am coming to the belief that they are so 
beholden to Big Ag and the chemical companies that the whole system is broken. 

Its impossible to test all food and the system for reporting pesticide misuse like spraying 
soybeans in bloom is all complaint driven. 

In other words it appears that the MN State Ag Dept at least is not willing to stop an 
illegal activity they are aware of on a broad basis. What good does it do for me to file a 
complaint against a single sprayer and farmer when the whole states crop of beans is 
being sprayed while in bloom? 

My current thinking is we need to disband the Dept of Ag and replace it with an 
environmental oversight department that has the public and environment as their 
constituents and not farmers who make up a very tiny percentage of the states population 
and the International or National Corporations who benefit from current policies. 

What is truly stunning is that in all of this our tax dollars subsidize the over production of 
beans and corn so that large processors like ADM and Cargill can get access to very 
cheap materials for making essentially food by product fillers (HFCS and soy based 
products like oil etc) that line their coffer and those food giants like Kraft and General 
Mills that put this crap into food and pass it off with labels that claim their products are 
nutricous. 

The other main use of the over production is to subsidize ethanol production and also 
depress livestock feed prices so again large agri business companies can profit while 
farmers get a small percentage of the value. 

Its you tax dollars that are indirectly through over production of corn and beans slowly 
poisoning your children, bees and your own body. The Farm Bill with its myriad of 
subsidies and gimmicks that claim to benefit farmers is nothing but a corporate welfare 
system.  Why then are beekeepers and other small farmers and some specialty crops left 
out of the subsidy system? 

This is a complex web of relationships and beneficiaries that if the average citizen 
understood the impacts and could vote on the policies it would likely be a slam dunk to 
toss this antiquated and unhealthy system out in favor of a system that protects citizens 
and the environment. 

But it would not come with out its costs. As a nation we spend less of our income on food 
then any where else in the world. People are used to a lot for $50 of groceries and just 
look around at where their remaining disposable income is spent on toys and other 
questionable items. You will hear from Big Ag and others who are hoodwinked by this 
system that we need to provide cheap food and that the Farm Bill and its gimmicks and 
subsidies is a good thing. 

The dis and mis information that is now parroted as news concerning the recent election 
and ongoing health care debate would be used to create bogus stories like the death 
panel claims to try and scare citizens into believing these chemicals and Industrial 
farming practices are actually really a good thing! Farm Bureau already is doing this over 
the proposed bill for banning the non theraputic use of antibiotics. 

If Big Business can convince some portion of the population that providing health 
insurance to anyone and guaranteeing that there would be a public option to keep the 
Insurance Corporations honest is a form of Nazism just imagine how ridiculous and crazy 
any debate on a Farm and Food issues will be in the future. 

Dow and Dupont and Monsanto etc own the countryside where your bees forage and you 
have jack to say about it! How did this happen? 

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned 
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html