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| "Clouds on the Horizon-December 31, 2019" Photoartdb Consulting. Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved. |
It seems fitting to start the New Year and New Decade of 2020 with another blog posting. Sorry it's been so long since I've been able to post or have the energy to post anything. We had some sadness in our family in 2019 with the loss of my father and beloved aunt. Time has seemed better utilized grieving in private, doing family things, handling the aftermath, consoling each other and hanging tight with our family members as we all grieve the passing of two very important human beings.
Since last year, there have been a number of things taking me away from writing and photographing things that are my preference at this stage in life. During the entirety of 2019, my health deteriorated pretty significantly in my upper respiratory area leading to a "cold" that became bronchitis at the end of 2018. I've also had moments when it was hard for me to breath after working outside. This breathing difficulty took away my energy and ability to move with the same vigor as usual. Took fewer teaching assignments this past year to cope with my health and energy issues. Also had to significantly reduce much of my volunteer work. The same circumstances seem to be doing the same thing at the end of this year as well, but believe taking the flu and pneumonia shots have made my immune system stronger. However, I know what the culprit is and where it lives. It's my Factory Farm Neighbor around the corner.
We are now entering January 1, 2020. A new decade usually is a time to pause and make new resolutions and look forward to new beginnings.
What does all this personal stuff have to do with my usual blog topic and "The Factory Farm As Neighbor"? Well, it occurred to me that the South winds have been prevailing this late fall into the winter season. Like other folks who live near to these CAFOs, my health has been going downhill the last six years while I've tolerated this stinky "neighbor."
And my other observation and impressions are that there is so much cancer in this area, water purity issues have been escalating. The stench does not leave even when the wind is not from the direction of my neighbor. Also, here at the end of December, the grass has not truly died because we have had no real severe frost - weather patterns have shifted dramatically all over the country. Usually winter has a hard freeze by now to kill off the vermin and germs. My smelly "neighbor" fumes come from the direction of the CAFO barn, consequently I have placed two wind directional devices in my yard that I can hear when they start turning, so I know that the wind has shifted and the toxic air will be coming my way. That wind makes my pets cough, my eyes burn and chest ache.
It also crossed my mind this holiday season that I've now been residing in this little farmhouse for six years. During the entire time, I've had two different types of serious health setbacks necessitating operations that have made me think seriously about the systemic roots of what they could be caused by. Confined or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) often cause upper respiratory diseases for those living close by. There is scientific proof to this fact. People with asthma are advised not to spend a great deal of time near these operations or they could suffer significant health risks. Talk about interfering with our right to enjoy a peaceful rural existence, as well as jeopardizing health for long-term residents or visiting family members. It is no surprise to me that my relatives who rented out this house before I moved in were unable to keep tenants no matter how low the rent was and had not rented it for two years before I moved back to Missouri. My "smelly Factory Farm neighbor" is just around the corner, less than a half mile. Close enough to make a difference, stink up the air and cause harm to me and make my dogs cough. When the wind comes from the the direction of the CAFO, it's time to go inside, close the windows and hunker down. Enjoying the country air becomes a prescription for illness, coughing, stinging eyes and other unpleasantries.
Missouri has now passed laws this past year that enable Cattle Producers to raise their cattle in CAFO's. Can you imagine the methane gases, the stench for neighbors and unhealthy beef that will be produced from those atrocities? It is indeed sad that the Missouri Cattlemen's Association was behind the legislation in Jeff City that passed and felt it necessary to denigrate a small nonprofit educational organization that has for decades supported the interests of the small independent farmer who chooses to use sustainable agriculture to run their operations vs. those who have embraced industrialized farming with all of the problems that it brings in terms of health, local control, economic turmoil, citizen/neighborhoods well being, clean air, clean water and the possibilities of hazardous illnesses like MERSA. What a shame indeed.
One of my quests in life is to try to know my food sources. This dated article caught my eye from www.newfoodeconomy.org a long time ago. Because among all the food recalls for e-coli and other problems surfacing in pork, ground beef, lettuce and other usually-considered healthy produce, this was one trend that was not usually at the forefront of the mainstream media up until this past year. When will we stop poisoning ourselves? When will we realize that China and other overseas companies should not control our food sources and farmlands. The following article was published on January 3, 2019 and written by Sam Bloch:
The Listeria scare that hit Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Walmart
equalled 100 million pounds of recalled products in 2018.
equalled 100 million pounds of recalled products in 2018.
A very interesting documentary came out in 2019 that deals with "Right To Farm" legislation and its impact on the health of rural communities. The film is called "Right To Harm" and is offered through free screenings in various cities around Missouri right now. There's an upcoming screening coming to Kansas City on January 16, 2020. It's my plan to be there unless other life circumstances interfere. Copyrighted image for the film produced by Hourglass Films and initially released in February 2019 is shown here:
If you want to visit their website to learn more and view the official trailer for this documentary, here's the link first to the YouTube posting:
Filmmaker's Website link can be found by clicking text below:
Check the Eventbrite.com app to find other screenings as well as info about the upcoming Kansas City screening this month.
It's important to educate ourselves on where our food is coming from, how industrialized farming is impacting our health and this film provides one point of view to consider. Start your new decade by learning more about this important issue and educating yourself on all aspects of this fight. Food resources, Clean water, Clean air are all really important to sustaining our lives. Some day in Missouri, you might find yourself in my shoes worrying about the personal health impact that "The Factory Farm As Neighbor" in your county or neighborhood is having on your life, health and family members' well-being, too.
Because music makes everything seem a little better as we fade into the sunset of 2019 and welcome the sunrise of 2020, I'd like to share one album that I'm really enjoying right now -- Jesse Malin's "Sunset Kids." There are some lyrics that really resonate with me right now in the song as 2020 begins and Factory Farms are still my neighbors, like this one "When it all blows up and it all comes down and it makes you sick, but you're still around..."
Click on the link below. Enjoy this little tune and grab your favorite partner to get up and dance a little....Welcome to 2020 in America:
Keep It Clean. Keep It Green, America. And Hang In There ... We could be on the Threshold of a new Decade of Change. Make a resolution to educate yourself more about where your food is coming from and what it's doing to our collective health.
Don't just complain about it. Do something to make change happen.
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 and will be deleted. Stand up for your opinion. Thanks for your thoughtful kind responses. Please keep language clean and our farmlands green. :)
