Netzingers blogs -- Home of the Daily Zinger ® http://www.netzingers.com/blog/atom/feed 2008-07-07T00:01:01-04:00 Food safety is second to commerce http://www.netzingers.com/node/916 2008-07-24T00:01:01-04:00 2008-07-24T00:01:01-04:00 jim The U.S.D.A. argues for rules preventing proactive testing for mad cow disease.  This is yet another case of the government preferring commerce over food safety.  This is effectively playing the odds with public health, gambling that there is no problem currently avoiding detection.  Right now, only a few cows are tested, while other countries test every animal slaughtered.

]]> The U.S.D.A. argues for rules preventing proactive testing for mad cow disease.  This is yet another case of the government preferring commerce over food safety.  This is effectively playing the odds with public health, gambling that there is no problem currently avoiding detection.  Right now, only a few cows are tested, while other countries test every animal slaughtered.

]]> Ethanol: yet another failed government subsidy http://www.netzingers.com/node/915 2008-07-23T00:01:01-04:00 2008-07-23T00:01:01-04:00 jim Besides funding an expensive way to make fuel, government subsidies for ethanol production have rocked the market in unexpected ways.  Food prices have soared, conservation is being rolled back, and stockpiles of staples have dwindled to all-time lows. 

Haven't we learned by now that government subsidies to industry just don't work?  When the government intervenes in the food chain, all kinds of tragic things happen, like the soaring rates of school-age and low-income obesity under the Farm Bill stewardship of the USDA.  That is the kind of infrastructure support we can do without.

]]> Besides funding an expensive way to make fuel, government subsidies for ethanol production have rocked the market in unexpected ways.  Food prices have soared, conservation is being rolled back, and stockpiles of staples have dwindled to all-time lows. 

Haven't we learned by now that government subsidies to industry just don't work?  When the government intervenes in the food chain, all kinds of tragic things happen, like the soaring rates of school-age and low-income obesity under the Farm Bill stewardship of the USDA.  That is the kind of infrastructure support we can do without.

]]> Rice from above http://www.netzingers.com/node/914 2008-07-22T00:01:02-04:00 2008-07-22T00:01:02-04:00 jim This is one of the oddest things in agriculture I have seen in a long time: planting rice seed from an airplane.  The pilots fly low over flooded rice paddies in California and drop the seed dive-bomber style into the wet soil. 

Of course the folks here in Arkansas think that's just nuts. It seems pretty doubtful that aerial planting makes much sense from an economic or environmental perspective; the article cites time and weed control as major factors in the decision to plant from airplanes.

]]> This is one of the oddest things in agriculture I have seen in a long time: planting rice seed from an airplane.  The pilots fly low over flooded rice paddies in California and drop the seed dive-bomber style into the wet soil. 

Of course the folks here in Arkansas think that's just nuts. It seems pretty doubtful that aerial planting makes much sense from an economic or environmental perspective; the article cites time and weed control as major factors in the decision to plant from airplanes.

]]> Let the Chef tell you what to eat http://www.netzingers.com/node/913 2008-07-21T00:01:01-04:00 2008-07-21T00:01:01-04:00 jim I find it amusing that after decades of foodies moaning about the "Food Police" telling them to eat healthy, one of their own has turned on them.  This proves one of the key assertions of sustainable agriculture: that eating local foods in season is not only better for you, better for the environment, and cheaper, it also is the best option.  Let Chef Ramsey tell you what to eat, if you would listen at all.

]]> I find it amusing that after decades of foodies moaning about the "Food Police" telling them to eat healthy, one of their own has turned on them.  This proves one of the key assertions of sustainable agriculture: that eating local foods in season is not only better for you, better for the environment, and cheaper, it also is the best option.  Let Chef Ramsey tell you what to eat, if you would listen at all.

]]> Another hidden cost of food production: worker healthcare http://www.netzingers.com/node/912 2008-07-18T00:01:01-04:00 2008-07-18T00:01:01-04:00 jim Add another externality (or unaccounted cost) to the food chain: the cost of healthcare for undocumented workers, many of whom turn to risky alternative medicine.  It is time to consider that the people who handle our food live in the most unhygenic conditions.  Doctors worry that indiscriminate use of illegal Mexican antibiotics will give rise to drug-resistant strains of human diseases.  From the infected hand of the farm worker it is a short hop to your dinner plate.

]]> Add another externality (or unaccounted cost) to the food chain: the cost of healthcare for undocumented workers, many of whom turn to risky alternative medicine.  It is time to consider that the people who handle our food live in the most unhygenic conditions.  Doctors worry that indiscriminate use of illegal Mexican antibiotics will give rise to drug-resistant strains of human diseases.  From the infected hand of the farm worker it is a short hop to your dinner plate.

]]> Food price whiplash a sign of weakness http://www.netzingers.com/node/910 2008-07-17T00:01:01-04:00 2008-07-17T00:01:01-04:00 jim The price of rice dropped 20 percent, but only after nearly tripling in Thailand.  So like the huge swings in the stock market, volatility is a sign of major structural weakness in the market.  This is only the start of the wave; rice consumption around the world outpaces production.

]]> The price of rice dropped 20 percent, but only after nearly tripling in Thailand.  So like the huge swings in the stock market, volatility is a sign of major structural weakness in the market.  This is only the start of the wave; rice consumption around the world outpaces production.

]]> Processed foods: unsustainable at any price http://www.netzingers.com/node/908 2008-07-16T00:01:02-04:00 2008-07-16T00:01:02-04:00 jim The new urban poor are becoming increasingly dependent on processed foods.  This, tied to the rising prices of commodities such as rice, corn, and wheat, is leading to a new serfdom of the inner city.  The value add of processing and packaging is subtracted from the consumer, who often has no idea of what they are eating or at what cost.

]]> The new urban poor are becoming increasingly dependent on processed foods.  This, tied to the rising prices of commodities such as rice, corn, and wheat, is leading to a new serfdom of the inner city.  The value add of processing and packaging is subtracted from the consumer, who often has no idea of what they are eating or at what cost.

]]> Second thoughts on U.S. beef http://www.netzingers.com/node/907 2008-07-15T00:01:02-04:00 2008-07-15T00:01:02-04:00 jim If the Koreans are so worried about mad cow disease, it makes me wonder why we here in the U.S. aren't equally upset.  With protesters in the streets, the popularity of the South Korea prime minister plummeted amid concerns about resuming beef imports from the States.

]]> If the Koreans are so worried about mad cow disease, it makes me wonder why we here in the U.S. aren't equally upset.  With protesters in the streets, the popularity of the South Korea prime minister plummeted amid concerns about resuming beef imports from the States.

]]> Dirty birds attract support http://www.netzingers.com/node/905 2008-07-14T00:01:01-04:00 2008-07-14T00:01:01-04:00 jim Support for chicken farmers in a fecal contamination lawsuit comes from a wide range of industry advocates - some of which come as a surprise, such as the cattle and porks associations.  I guess all meat stands together?  If only fruits and vegetable farmers and environmentalists displayed such steadfast solidarity, we might be spared pollution from battery farms.

]]> Support for chicken farmers in a fecal contamination lawsuit comes from a wide range of industry advocates - some of which come as a surprise, such as the cattle and porks associations.  I guess all meat stands together?  If only fruits and vegetable farmers and environmentalists displayed such steadfast solidarity, we might be spared pollution from battery farms.

]]> Your kids on drugs http://www.netzingers.com/content/your-kids-drugs 2008-07-13T08:05:27-04:00 2008-07-14T07:11:11-04:00 jim The latest market development in pharmaceuticals: prescribing statin drugs to kids as young as 8 years old. This is truly a sin, since preventing heart disease is relatively easy and safe, compared to the side-effects of statin drugs. In fact, the PDR says that the recommended drug should only be used after the diet approach has failed - not as a supplement to or replacement for improving the diet.

In the free market, it is always better to let a problem happen, and then introduce a new product to remedy that problem. When a problem is prevented - like when heart disease is prevented by switching to a low-calorie, meat- and dairy-free diet - money is saved. Preventing problems means people spend less money fixing the problems, and that removes the profit motive.

]]> The latest market development in pharmaceuticals: prescribing statin drugs to kids as young as 8 years old. This is truly a sin, since preventing heart disease is relatively easy and safe, compared to the side-effects of statin drugs. In fact, the PDR says that the recommended drug should only be used after the diet approach has failed - not as a supplement to or replacement for improving the diet.

In the free market, it is always better to let a problem happen, and then introduce a new product to remedy that problem. When a problem is prevented - like when heart disease is prevented by switching to a low-calorie, meat- and dairy-free diet - money is saved. Preventing problems means people spend less money fixing the problems, and that removes the profit motive.

]]> Corporate espionage comes to dinner http://www.netzingers.com/node/904 2008-07-11T00:01:01-04:00 2008-07-11T00:01:01-04:00 jim The stuff of Michael Crichton pot-boilers comes home in the guise of spies infiltrating a non-profit.  The supposed infraction?  Advocating worker's rights in the food industry.  The rights organization was legal, but neither the detective agency or its investigation was legal.

]]> The stuff of Michael Crichton pot-boilers comes home in the guise of spies infiltrating a non-profit.  The supposed infraction?  Advocating worker's rights in the food industry.  The rights organization was legal, but neither the detective agency or its investigation was legal.

]]> Sustainable agriculture in the Big Apple http://www.netzingers.com/node/903 2008-07-10T00:01:01-04:00 2008-07-10T00:01:01-04:00 jim Small urban farmers not only grow vegetables, but are turning profits in New York City and elsewhere.  The future of the big city to remake itself as a village, if it is to have a future.

]]> Small urban farmers not only grow vegetables, but are turning profits in New York City and elsewhere.  The future of the big city to remake itself as a village, if it is to have a future.

]]> A call to end farm subsidies http://www.netzingers.com/node/901 2008-07-09T00:01:02-04:00 2008-07-09T00:01:02-04:00 jim Amazingly, the New York Times has called for an end to farm subsidies.  In this crazy time of collapsing supplies and soaring prices, this advice bucks the trend toward increasing protectionism. 

]]> Amazingly, the New York Times has called for an end to farm subsidies.  In this crazy time of collapsing supplies and soaring prices, this advice bucks the trend toward increasing protectionism. 

]]> Message from the analyst: get used to higher food prices http://www.netzingers.com/node/900 2008-07-08T00:01:01-04:00 2008-07-08T00:01:01-04:00 jim Raj Patel tells NPR that Americans will be paying closer to the true cost of food.  This is bad news for both the budget and nutrition of the most vulnerable populations.

]]> Raj Patel tells NPR that Americans will be paying closer to the true cost of food.  This is bad news for both the budget and nutrition of the most vulnerable populations.

]]> Restaurants hit hard by fuel price hikes http://www.netzingers.com/node/899 2008-07-07T00:01:01-04:00 2008-07-07T00:01:01-04:00 jim From elite eateries to family favorites, the restaurant industry is feeling the pinch between rising supply costs and falling traffic.  Is this a sign that the suburban lifestyle is finally collapsing under its own weight?

]]> From elite eateries to family favorites, the restaurant industry is feeling the pinch between rising supply costs and falling traffic.  Is this a sign that the suburban lifestyle is finally collapsing under its own weight?

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