A vegetarian diet is certainly healthful and estimable. I don't however feel compelled to follow that regimen, but I do try to eat ethically and healthfully. Each year, my wife and I, along with our guests, consume a total of 20-25 lbs of lamb, 20 lbs of chicken, about 20 lbs of pork, and a similar quantity of beef. All of it is produced organically and sustainably within 30 miles of our home, Cedar Falls, by small, independent producers. Likewise our milk, eggs, and yogurt (which me make ourselves). We grow our own herbs, produce and vegetables, or buy them from local, independent producers. I bake our bread using organic flours and grains (cornmeal, flax seed, etc.) "Local,""independent," organic," and "sustainable" are our ethical watchwords when it comes to our food buying. I'm not surprised that many fellow Sierrans eat meat; what principles underlie their food purchasing decisions? BW On Sunday, November 24, 2013, gerald neff wrote: > Hi Phyllis, thank you for your response. I am somewhat surprised that so > many Sierra Club members are not vegetarians. I think that setting a good > example does have some effect on others. My son is vegan and I think I may > have influenced some others who are more aware of what they eat and drink. > Jerry > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Phyllis Mains <[log in to unmask] <javascript:;>> > To: [log in to unmask] <javascript:;> > Sent: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 11:42:28 -0600 (CST) > Subject: Re: Fwd: [cafolegalworkinggroup] in the Sunday Post Outlook > section > > I'm with you Jerry--I don't eat animals either. Beans, veggies and fruit > take less from the earth and pollute less too. Also important to me is > animals don't suffer torture birth to death from being raised in factory > farms. > Phyllis > On Sun, 24 Nov 2013 08:22:26 -0600 gerald neff <[log in to unmask]> writes: > > Another reason of the many others, that I choose not to eat meat. > > Jerry > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Wally Taylor <[log in to unmask]> > > To: [log in to unmask] > > Sent: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 07:42:08 -0600 (CST) > > Subject: Fwd: [cafolegalworkinggroup] in the Sunday Post Outlook > > section > > > > I thought this might be of interest to this list. > > > > > > Wally Taylor > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Martin, Robert P. <[log in to unmask]> > > To: cafocollaboration <[log in to unmask]>; 'CAFO > > Legal Working Group' <[log in to unmask]> > > Sent: Sun, Nov 24, 2013 7:29 am > > Subject: [cafolegalworkinggroup] in the Sunday Post Outlook section > > > > > > > > > > > > That turkey on your plate could use some more industry competition > > By Christopher Leonard, Published: November 22 > > Christopher Leonard, a former national business reporter with the > > Associated Press, is a fellow at the New America Foundation and the > > author of the forthcoming �The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of > > America�s Food Business.� > > Turkey is America�s most political meat. Every Thanksgiving, a > > roasted turkey anchors the meal at which we pay homage to the > > Pilgrims and give thanks for our country�s prosperity and freedom. > > The president pardons a bird in the Rose Garden. And Ben Franklin > > even compared the turkey favorably to the bald eagle in a letter to > > his daughter: �For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much > > more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America > > .?.?. a Bird of Courage.� > > The turkey tells a story about our nation. But today, the story of > > turkey in America has seen independence replaced by servitude, and > > open markets by opaque contracts. If the Pilgrims had seen this > > coming when they sat down for the first Thanksgiving, they would > > have lost their appetites. > > Just four corporations � Cargill, Hormel, Butterball and Farbest > > Foods � produce more than half of the turkey in the United States, > > a level of concentration unthinkable just a few decades ago. Even in > > the 1970s, the meat industry was defined by competition among dozens > > of companies that worked with independent farmers. But all that > > disappeared when a handful of corporations gobbled up their > > competitors and took control of the farms and slaughterhouses that > > make our meat. > > Today, just three companies produce nearly half the chicken in the > > United States, according to a market breakdown provided by Tyson > > Foods. Four companies make about 84 percent of our beef, while four > > companies produce 64 percent of our pork, according to the most > > recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The industry is > > effectively divvied up between four big meatpackers: Tyson Foods, > > JBS, Cargill and Smithfield Foods. > > You don�t have to be a Pilgrim to know that unchecked power rarely > > goes unused. The days of falling prices are gone. Meat prices jumped > > more than 7 percent in 2011 and more than 3 percent last year, and > > the USDA estimates that prices are continuing to rise steadily and > > could increase as much as 3.5 percent next year. Consumers pay more, > > farmers earn less, and companies in the middle reap a windfall from > > the difference. > > Don�t blame the poor turkey. The takeover of America�s meat > > industry began with its less-prestigious cousin, the chicken. > > Starting around the 1940s, chickens were pressed into the service - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp