Hi everyone, Frank N. Foode™ here. Over the weekend, I went to the MOSES organic farming conference in La Crosse Wisconsin. It was right on my way across the country so it wasn’t much of a detour for me. This conference brought farmers, consumers, and seeds from all over the Midwest to attend some workshops about everything from producing seed, to building healthy soils, to market farming and even some were about genetic engineering. Karl was also there and he reminded me that I still have a lot of pictures from my travels last year that I haven’t put up on the blog. So now that I’m back in Berkeley (there’s a story about that which I will tell), I am not wasting any time showing you how much fun I had!
Anastasia has set up a Flickr account for the blog, which you can see on the Photos page! This has made it so much easier for me. I may be smarter than the average corn but all this web stuff is confusing.
You can see the pictures from my whole trip in the Flickr photo album hosted on Biofortified here, on the Flickr site, or read more below.
Seed Swap! I can’t wait!
The fine folks at Vermont Valley Community Farm have got some seed potatoes here of all kinds of colors. Jonnah (holding me) likes the blue ones the best. Their little tubers were selling like hot potatoes!
Jared here just got a Masters degree from UW Madison, and now he works for the Organic Seed Alliance! He is helping people learn how to produce seeds for planting and how to cross varieties together.
Hey buddies, how you doin?
(…) Organic only?
Whoa didn’t know this was such an exclusive club.
Look, I’m “Contaminating!”
Brian grows sweet corn, field corn, wheat, and soybeans on his family farm in Dwight, Illinois, which is about 1/3 organic. He was really curious about how the genetics of sweet corn works, and although he doesn’t grow any GE crops, he was ‘all ears’ about what people are working on!
Strike up the band! But lose that glove, man.
HELP! HELP! Jeffrey Smith has got me! He said I was cute but don’t let me out of your sight!
This is Margaret (“Mardi”) Mellon, who directs the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Food & Agriculture Program.
Psst, is Jeffrey Smith gone? Can I come out now?
Chuck Benbrook works for The Organic Center, and writes about differences in the healthful content of food depending on how you grow it, and also writes about pesticide use with genetic engineering. He’s not as anti-GE as he sounds from what he writes, but he’s still arguing old questions.
Eric Mader from the Xerces Society talked about Native Pollinators and how you can help them out on your farm. Hey Roundup Ready Beet growers – remember to strip-spray and leave some forage for the bees!
Ah, the MOSES organic farming conference is over, and I’ve met a lot of people, some of whom just don’t like me and don’t want me on their farms or in their food…
But at the same time I met many people who are interested to learn more about me. Will Organic Agriculture stop being my enemy and instead be my ally in producing healthier, safer food that is better for the environment?
I’m optimistic, but these things take time.
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Great photos Frank! Thanks for sharing. I’m glad you enjoyed your trip. And it’s nice to see that some of these folks were such good sports to pose with you!
I’m surprised they didn’t make you wear a chastity hat (paper bag) to come to the conference. Don’t they realize the GMO corn will spread their seed wherever the wind blows? You have contaminated their organic crops with GMO traits that will spread across the nation and produce lower yields. Hundreds of trait-iest people will starve thanks to you.