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| "February Colors over Missouri Haybales" Courtesy of Photoartdb Consulting Copyright 2015. All Rights Reserved |
When taking this photograph above, it occurred to me how beautiful the colors are in different states of the USA. The interesting red that cropped up in this photo during the sunset over the hay bales that are my neighbors really struck me as awesomely beautiful.
In Arizona, you have the natural red rock earth tones of the high desert in Central and North Central Arizona plus the mountain green of forests in Northern Arizona and true desert nature of Phoenix, Cave Creek and Tucson. In Connecticut and New York, you have the blue of the ocean and green lush countrysides with rolling mountains in the northern parts of the State. Missouri has offered green rolling prairies, brilliant sunsets and sunrises as well as bountiful water wonders like creeks such as the unique rock foundations at Johnson's Shut-Ins and locally known swimming holes plus waterfalls like those found in Roaring River State Park. Beautiful lakes abound all around the State holding water that fed communities as well as provided recreational sources. The value of water has been fought over in history and sang about in the music of many. One of my favorite renditions is one that Willie Nelson and Joni Mitchell did on one of her albums called "Chalk Mark In a Rainstorm" (1988). Joni Mitchell - Cool Water (with Willie Nelson)
Yet these vibrant colors are fading from the crystal blue sky, green grasses and mellow Midwestern beauty, turning gray and brown more often most days, partially due to the change of seasons into winter. But also due to the unsavory and hormone-saturated fertilizer that is being used as the byproduct of factory farming operations surrounding the area flowing unchecked by the governmental agencies intended to protect this precious commodity. The run-off from these operations has spoiled once pristine lakes, waterways and restricted their use as a place to find solace, fun or thirst quenching relief. Once upon a time, my brother and I would have not thought twice when swimming on a family outing to swallowing the water from a creek or river… or eating the fish caught from a local stream. Now, certain members of my family don't even trust drinking the local rural water because of the research we've done as to the proximity of water tables near CAFOs in this county. It was quite sobering research.
The water tables in Barton County have declined drastically since those days - and the trend does not look like it will reverse as it has been noted that a local factory farming family is now linking the water from their various properties for further unchecked irrigation. Roaring River is no longer a safe place to swim and fish, as it was during my childhood. The factory farms set up in its close proximity have make it not safe to take your children or go fishing. Since I live in the Southwest part of the State, I haven't heard how things are with Johnson Shut-ins since I lived in St. Louis years ago. It was a place that my friends and I went to often to shoot photos, picnic and swim on the unique rock formations. My sense is that it is not as safe as it once was. Water is a precious commodity that is being used up and descegrated because the citizens here have been spoiled into believing it is an unlimited resource.
Because it is winter, all farmers and myself are mostly confined to indoor activities. That means that reading, writing or watching movies when you might otherwise be occupied outside. Recently, my rental choice was "Gone Girl," based a book that I'd read since it was set in Carthage, Missouri. Since Valentine's Day is approaching, it fit my dark mood about holidays that have been transitioned from meaningful celebrations into commercial blitzes like Easter and Christmas, encouraging you to "buy more" to show her/him/them how much you love them and forgetting the real meaning of the holiday. This particular holiday on February 14 began as the Feast of St. Valentine. If you are interested in that kind of historical stuff, please go to Wikipedia thru this link and learn more:
Valentine's Day according to Wikipedia
"Gone Girl" fit my feelings that sometimes relationships go awry when we don't really talk to each other, assume that a person fits our view of what life with them should be like and then are disappointed when it turns out different from the fairytale we concoted in our mind. Same is true about corporate agriculture and political well-meaning elected officials - so many dreams and hopes dashed into a nasty reality of what really must happen to make things happen. Baring your soul is not always an easy business.
However, the extent to which a person will go to try and reconstruct that fairytale is pretty outlandish in this book and the movie. The movie also added some gory aspects for that Hollywood Touch that pretty much grossed me out - so there's your spoiler, folks. Overall, its ending is what struck me as so clearly part of our society. And since I don't want to add another spoiler here, I'll stop and let you judge for yourself by watching the movie sometime. My recommendation is that you not take your sweetheart to it for Valentine's Day. Watch the trailer and decide if it is for you, and by the way, it's not filmed in Carthage. Some other Hollywood location sufficed for budget or other purposes. Too bad, Carthage could use the jobs that movies bring to town when they come to stay during production.
Conspiracy theories make good mystery stories and movies. Yet the reality of what is going on in some segments of corporate agriculture beats the horrors that Hollywood can come up. Since 2012, Speciesism: The Movie director Mark Devries has used spy drones to investigate environment devastation caused by factory farms. Take a look at what he has assembled to date: www.factoryfarmdrones.com
The narration is a little sensationalistic for my tastes and sounds more dramatic than documentary, as well as his tone in what he believes he's discovered. The use of the relatively new technology of drones intrigued me as they offer some pretty interesting ways to view what is happening without getting up front and personal with the operations. Mr. Devries could come to Missouri, though, and find many more of these operations beyond the Smithfield Farms locations he focused upon.
In 2008, the Missouri Rural Crisis Center (MRCC) produced a series of documentary interviews with local Missouri farmers whose lives had been impacted by the insurgence of CAFOs in this State due to the lax regulation and rather open season laws on allowing corporate ag to do what they want, where they want and without any consequences when their pollution gets out of hand - driving farmers from land that had been farmed by their family for generations and making it impossible for farming families to enjoy the outdoor life that attracted them to this as an occupation in the first place. Here are the links to the four parts of that groundbreaking documentary on what is going on in Missouri.
MRCC is not the only organization to recognize the detrimental impact that CAFOs have on the small independent farmer trying to do things in a sustainable and humane way. There are others out there fighting the good fight.
Smithfield Farms also is not the only culprit in this twisted scenario, but as the world's largest producer of pork and having recently been acquired by a Chinese company, it makes them a central figure to the plot. An award winning documentary short produced in 2010 by the Humane Society of the United States shows what can happen when these conditions are forced upon animals. Since then, Smithfield Farms has recommitted to its intent to cease use of gestational crates by 2017 in its corporate-owned facilities. We'll see what happens then. Think what you may about the HSUS, but their mission is not to stop farmers or breeders from doing their business, but to ensure that there is humane treatment of the animals. What good farmer or good herdsman doesn't what to see their animals treated humanely and in a conscientious manner? It's just good business because it makes good meat to put on America's table. Here's the piece that was produced back in 2010: "Undercover at Smithfield Foods" (Uploaded to YouTube in 2010; 2012 Webby Award Winner)
As I revisit these stories and think about my movie viewing this past weekend, the central point of "greed" comes to mind. In the movie, "Gone Girl", there was an underlying layer of "where is the money coming from, where is it going and how do we hold on to it?" Loss of high-paying jobs during the economic downturn in 2008 by the movie's central characters in NYC is coincided by a need to move back to the Midwest to care for a dying parent. Everything it seems revolves around money - in the movies, in corporate agriculture and especially on the political scene these days as politicians become the pawns of political action committees focused on their own agendas -- which benefit their profits but not necessarily the welfare of the consumers or general public.
Released in 1968 as part of the Beatles' White Album, George Harrison of the Beatles created a social commentary with this song. It fits with some of the corporate and political hijinks we are seeing today on the national and local scenes.
As for the future, wouldn't it be great that instead of seeing "piggies"be mistreated and morphing into those who would sacrifice their well being in the name of the Almighty Dollar, we could see more of those who wish to take Paul McCartney's approach and return to nature by celebrating, cherishing all of the resources that are given by God or the Great Spirit and help put Mother Nature at ease about the future sustainability of this planet and its water resources? See if it doesn't make sense to you as well:
As usual, thanks for reading and your comments are welcome as long as they are out in the open and not submitted anonymously. Have a great holiday with someone you love. And will end this one with a short video from a gentleman who enjoyed the reopening of Johnson's Shut-In park and celebrated it by making a film of folks enjoying its unique terrain and flowing waters. Look for the woman in the cowboy hat with a corgi and white lab mix enjoying the waters and shooting photographs off the water if the tests are coming out negative for e-coli some summer day.
Comments are by this individual writing the blog and no other company, nonprofit or other organization has approved or endorsed them. Am not a scientist, so can't claim my own scientific research but just comment on what is happening. These words are my sole opinion and no one else is responsible for these remarks. Anonymous comments not accepted. Stand up for your opinion. Thanks for your thoughtful and kind responses. Please keep language clean and our farmlands green. :)
