Hi Tom,

Thanks for forwarding Laurel’s note.  I expect that nobody is surprised.

I know I’m a broken record on this, but we need to change the paradigm about food production.  If we feed the soil, the soil will feed us — a concept so simple that it’s beyond the grasp of many.  There is a world underneath our feet, and those of us living on top of the soil are the direct beneficiaries of the work of those critters underneath us.  And plants make the connection between the above-ground world and the below-ground world.

"Feed the World" is a paradigm that exports our soils and will leave us depleted while “the world” moves on to the next garden spot.

And "feeding the soil" vastly changes our approach to pesticides and GMOs too — there will be uses for weed-killers and such, but the monopoly chemical giants will have us believe it takes rocket science to grow a carrot.  And it doesn’t.  

Keep the Faith.  

And maybe let’s not fall trap to the "ag tariffs are the tool to oppose Trump” tactic the Dems are pushing right now?  If we are to move beyond the soil as an extractive resource paradigm, then we can’t support it while we expose it, we’ve been living that for decades and it doesn’t work.  Other suggestions re Dems and regenerative agriculture in Iowa…??

Best,
Donna





> On Aug 8, 2018, at 5:56 PM, l <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Laurel Hopwood <[log in to unmask]>
> To: Laurel Hopwood <[log in to unmask]>; dr.jimdiamond <[log in to unmask]>; gdaleco <[log in to unmask]>; hughslehman <[log in to unmask]>; Neil_Carman <[log in to unmask]>; Thmathews <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Fri, Aug 3, 2018 5:53 am
> Subject: Dept of Interior letter supporting GMOs
> 
> GEAT
> 
> Earlier today, I sent this email -
> Very bad news ... The National Wildlife Refuge System's system-wide ban 
> on neonics and GMOs has been withdrawn by Trump and Zinke (Secretary of 
> the Interior).
> It took many years of litigation and advocacy by the Center for Food 
> Safety and PEER (with the assist of the Sierra Club genetic engineering 
> committee) before the Fish and Wildlife Service adopted those bans, 
> effective 2015. New strategies are considered.
> 
> I am now sending you the trash letter from our Dept of the Interior. 
> This is public info.
> 
> Btw, I spent weeks finding Sierra Clubbers who lived in the appropriate 
> areas to work w CFS to get the ban accomplished.
> 
> laurel
> 
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> <(signed) Withdrawal of Memorandum Title...ational Wildlife Refuge System.pdf>


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