Farmers choose cotton over food crops

From William Neuman in the New York Times:

“SPEARMAN, Tex. — Tight supplies of corn, soybeans and wheat have sent prices skyrocketing in the last year, prompting worries of a looming global food crisis.

In other years, American farmers have responded to high prices by devoting more land to staple food crops.

But this spring, many farmers in southern states will be planting cotton in ground where they used to grow corn, soybeans or wheat — spurred on by cotton prices that have soared as clothing makers clamor for more and poor harvests crimp supply.

The result is an acreage war between rival commodities used to feed and clothe the world’s population.

“There’s a lot more money to be made in cotton right now,” said Ramon Vela, a farmer here in the Texas Panhandle, as he stood in a field where he grew wheat last year, its stubble now plowed under to make way for cotton. Around the first week of May, Mr. Vela, 37, will plant 1,100 acres of cotton, up from 210 acres a year ago. “The prices are the big thing,” he said. “That’s the driving force.”

New legislation to allow residents in Vermont to teach home milk processing

You wouldn’t think they’d need a special law for such an obviously good thing, but that seems to be the way things are these days. However, Vermont is perhaps one of the most progressive areas in the United States, and it’s encouraging to learn that legislators there were amenable to enshrining these important rights in law. From The Burlington Free Press:

MONTPELIER — A Vermont farm advocacy group that was ordered to stop offering raw milk workshops will get to resume the classes under a bill proposed in the state Legislature.

Rural Vermont had taught people how to turn raw milk into butter, yogurt and cheeses until it received an order to stop or face possible legal action from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture on Feb. 10.

Let the good [raw milk] times roll — Michael Schmidt and raw milk friends — Toronto’s Total Health Show today

More snaps from the show and the post-show partying in Toronto the good (as they used to call it — probably that was before raw milk was outlawed):

Garcon, just bring a whole jar of the good stuff and some glasses! Michael Schmidt celebrates with friends after a successful day of "raw milking" at North America's premier natural health show.