Michigan pig farmer Mark Baker has been under a virtual embargo the last several months because of his states prohibition on raising so-called feral pigs–essentially any pigs that Big Ag doesnt want to see produced. The high-end restaurants he formerly supplied with heritage pork dont want to do business with him for fear local public health authorities will come down on them. The local USDA slaughterhouse wont handle his pigs because its owners fears regulator reprisals.
So Baker has begun exploiting the only option he could think of: taking his knowledge about pig butchering and meat curing on the road. His first stop was this weekend at a home in Concord, MA, nearly within sight of the Old North Bridge, where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired in 1775.
There, in the garage of Farmageddon documentary producer Kristin Canty, Baker laid out a recently slaughtered pig, and over two days during the weekend instructed 16 area residents how to turn it into pork chops, roasts, ham shanks, and bacon, among other items. They paid $100 each for the new skills he instructed them in.
He also provided insights into his struggle against Big Ag and for the right to sell his heritage pigs, free of government prohibitions. At a dinner Saturday evening, following a day of butchering instruction, Baker spoke to the attendees about his struggles with the state of Michigan. This is not about pigs, its about freedom, he said.
The state has classified the heritage breed of pigs he raises as feral, based on allegations such breeds roam wild and destroy farm fields and forests. They say there are 5,000 to 7,000 feral swine around in Michigan, explained. I have never seen one.
Baker has sued the state over its attempt to outlaw the pigs he raises, but the suit will likely not be heard until this spring, or even later. In the meantime, he is being required to abide by the prohibition.
He said that only one other farmer has stood with him in opposition to the state. Most of the farmers are laying low, waiting to see what happens to us and to the suit.
A former military man of twenty years, Baker vowed to resist the state. This is one farm and this is one guy who is digging in his heels.
Baker was clearly moved by the show of support among Massachusetts foodies who committed to spending the weekend learning how to butcher a pig. You are doers. You are here on a Saturday cutting up pigs. We are starting to feel our food is in jeopardy. I used to think the solution was, Well sue em. The real solution is what we did here today.
He added: Everyone here is a farmer. If you just grow a few tomatoes, you are a farmer.
Special thanks to Kristin Canty for organizing the Mark Baker event on short notice. And to Deborah Evans, who runs her own hog farm in Maine, who assisted Baker. Its a potentially promising model for other groups around the country that want to support farmers standing up for food rights, and teach essential skills in the process.
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While Mark Baker understands the political implications of Michigans campaign against small hog farmers, he is being careful to avoid the trap of political ideology. In this incisive article by U.S. News & World Reports editor Simon Owens on efforts by the Tea Party to tap into unhappiness about food rights, Baker expresses his reservations of committing to any party or ideology.
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Also on Friday, the last chapter in the long Morningland Dairy saga was written when state of Missouri regulators carted off more than 30,000 pounds of condemned cheese that dairy had fought for more than two years to preserve. The three regulators had to walk hot coals before they could take the cheese, though, as youll see in this video of the events.
When people learn to hunt and shoot feral pigs, butcher them, cook them and eat them…..that really encroaches on the processors cartel and even gives a nod to the second amendment. Go Christin Canty….you glorious rebel you!!
(Basic identifier of a scam – are you supposed to keep “voting” in their kangaroo elections for Reps and Dems, and keep giving them and their affiliated NGOs money?)
For starters, we must reject anything having to do with either Washington gang, or any corporate collaboration, and all aspects of system (corporatist) ideology.
My dictionary states the following definition of feral: ” 1. existing in a natural state, as animals or plants; not domesticated. ”
Ah-ha. If something is close to nature, you can be sure our officials will figure out a way to find something wrong with that. The answer? Raise them inside your home. Problem solved.
D. Smith,
The state’s definition is pretty simple, contained in this Invasive Species Order:
http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/docs/Invasive-Species-Order-120310.pdf
Essentially, certain breeds of pig are prohibited, or variants of those breeds.
I should have known they would have certain breeds targeted for this sort of nonsense. It figures. They get all those ducks in a row before they go around harassing people, I’m sure.
How poetic to butcher within site of the Old North Bridge.
Andy Rooney got it right years ago….
OPDC sales are crazy….we can not get to the end of a truck delivery route with out running out of product on trucks even after we over load extra product. Then,…..stores call and want the truck to return to drop off more product becuase they are already sold out in three hours. I guess….Andy Rooney was 99% right. The fat part is not perfect, but he got all the rest is dead on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu_PCGJ-rkA
“If dairy farmers want to sell more milk….they should go back to selling what comes out of the cow!!!
Quote Andy Rooney….
This is from 7 years ago… great visionary thoughts and very predictive of todays dairy distaster and the emergence of raw milk as a new market.
Back in the 60s mom froze store bought milk if she thought it was going to spoil. So why not freeze it now?
I have friends who tease me and call me a “prepper” just because I can or freeze some veggies and fruits every autumn. They don’t ^get it^ either. But when someone needs some of my frozen pumpin to make a pie, they don’t hesitate to ask. ::see my eyes rolling?::
If they didn’t call you a “prepper” you may be called a hoarder! At least you know what’s in/on your food and how it was processed.
Does this mean the govt et al will shut them down? Will the “lawyers” attack them and “own” them? Will the lawyers sue the crap out of them so they have to shut down?
1 in 6 with food poisoning…grow your own, buy local, see the farm.
I don’t can all that much stuff now that my DH and I are empty-nesters. I’ve gotten more interested in freezing things – so much easier. That gadget you mentioned sounds more like a pressure cooker than a canner. My canner is just a big graniteware kettle with a regular lid (no gauges) and it has the metal racks inside so that the jars don’t touch the bottom of the kettle. There’s probably more than one kind of canner though, I don’t know.
Yeah, I know what’s in most of the foods we eat. If I have the time I preserve stuff; if I don’t have the time, I don’t flake out if I don’t get it done. For years friends have called me Susie Homemaker, yet no one hesitates to ask if they want or need something they think I might have. Go figure.
Firstly, blaming the farmworkers and food handlers (restaurants) for having dirty hands is only a small part of the equation. The biggest blame, as we saw back in 2003 or 2004, was run off from CAFO farms. Polluted, antibiotic-laden, festering rain/snow run off and ponding. They just don’t want BIGPHOOD to have to buck up and take the blame.
Secondly, the poultry industry is damn lucky they don’t kill off more people than they do with their CAFO filth. The outbreak 10 years ago was more about fresh ground turkey being infected, rather than deli meats. Another BIGPHOOD success story, huh?
Thirdly, “improvements in beef handling” has little to do with it. That industry refuses to admit that grass-fed beef is where the “improvement” is coming from. In the regular beef industry, they consider pink slime and meat glue to be “improvements”. Gads.
Lots more there to pick on, but you get my drift. Another story pointing fingers the wrong direction and misdirecting proper blame.
The same with phobias. The brain only wants to protect us. It takes someone with great knowledge in dealing with these issues to resolve them correctly. There are no quick fixes. Another example is panic attacks, for some reason the brain is stuck in the flight or fight mode. Fear is a learned response and can be unlearned. Something that is much easier said than done. The patient has to participate in resolving the fears or it doesn’t work. Since there is no tests that prove “chemical imbalances” the medical community is only guessing and assisting big pharm make big $$$$. Tell your son his MIL has some emotional issues, and she probably doesn’t even realize it, or if she does, she may not have a clue how to resolve it. The world is a terrifying place for many. And should he decide to assist with cleaning stuff out, he may need haz-mat gear or at least a respirator so he doesn’t inhale crap and remember mold spores can become airborne and land on mucous membranes (eyes/mouth). There are big safety issues for those who clean hoarders homes.
Maybe it is a big pressure cooker, I know mom also used it when she canned. As a kid, I wouldn’t have known what she was doing.
Just gets scarier and scarier
I don’t think my son will ever give in and help his MIL. He’s pretty stubborn and he’s already told her no, so I doubt it will change. Maybe he knew the hazards, I don’t know.
They truly just do NOT understand, do they?
[quote from article at link provided about by Sylvia]: “The studies, in Malawi, led by scientists from Washington University in St. Louis, reveal that severe malnutrition often involves more than a lack of food, and that feeding alone may not cure it.
The antibiotic study found that a week of the medicine raised survival and recovery rates when given at the start of a longer course of a tasty therapeutic food made from peanut butter fortified with milk powder, oil, sugar and micronutrients. Malnourished children are prone to infections, and the drugs either amoxicillin or cefdinir were so helpful that researchers said medical practice should change immediately to include an antibiotic in the routine treatment of severe malnutrition.” [end of quote]
This is their idea of “therapeutic food:?? Really? Peanut butter (a known allergen to lotsa folks); powdered milk (ack); oil (probably rancid); sugar (really?!); micronutrients (what on earth do you suppose their idea of a micronutrient is for Pete’s sake). Arggghh, I read stuff like that and it makes me want to scream. And then on top of it all they want to dose them with antibiotics. Good grief. None of that will help malnutrition in the long term. If they save someone for 1 day, they skew the statistics to include that one day.
Yeah, scarier and scarier is right. Those poor malnourished people are living in happy ignorance if they think any of that stuff is going to help them.
“Acceptable drinks for most students would include low- or no-fat milks, 100 percent juices and water.”
No one in my family would touch milk other than whole milk. My daughter used 1/2&1/2 on her cereal.
I see orange juice that’s been sitting in a vat for a year and adulterated is ok?
“I’ve struggled with my weight all my life, and it’s not an easy thing to deal with,” Vilsack told Reuters.”
And it didn’t occur to him that it was caused by what he put in his body? Coupled with lifestyle.
From the picture caption in the link: “Students have a nutrition break mid-morning consisting of milk, juice, an orange and either mini sausage roll or Vegetarian Italian bagel ”
I question in what way this crap is healthy? What are the ingredients? The orange is the only healthy item I see.
I’ve no doubt that most if not all, fast food joints, along with most processed foods have these toxic ingredients. How could there be any questions on why so many are in ill health?