Monsanto: The Agent Orange Factor

Many of you who read my blog and my postings on Facebook know that the one company I campaign against the most is Monsanto.  But how much do you really know about this mega-corporation?  Welcome to the first feature in my blog regarding Monsanto and its history, and how the company affects us now.

Did you know that every time you use a Monsanto product, such as Roundup, Roundup ready soybeans, or anything made with Roundup ready soybeans or other genetically modified organisms, you provide profit to one of the companies that made Agent Orange for the use of the U.S. Government during the Vietnam War? 

Most people associate Agent Orange with Dow Chemical, but the fact is that ten different companies produced Agent Orange, including Monsanto.   According to Monsanto’s website “The manufacturing companies [for Agent Orange] included Diamond Shamrock Corporation, Dow Chemical Company, Hercules, Inc., T-H Agricultural & Nutrition Company, Thompson Chemicals Corporation, Uniroyal Inc. and Monsanto Company, which at the time was a chemical manufacturer.  Monsanto manufactured Agent Orange from 1965 to 1969.”¹

Agent Orange was invented by Arthur Galston, a U.S. biological warfare researcher as part of an ongoing research program in the early 1950’s.  By the mid-1960’s Galston was lobbying for the U.S. government to stop production and use of Agent Orange.  He eventually succeeded in bringing enough awareness to stop it, but the damage had already been done.   Monsanto, along with the other manufacturing companies, continued to contract with the U.S. government to produce Agent Orange during this time, even though the dangers were being made known.  Lawsuits resulted in the late 1970’s, and were settled out of court up until the 1990’s.  

            

Monsanto’s current position on the Agent Orange issue is one that causes us to question the current integrity of the company.  Even though Monsanto willingly contracted to produce Agent Orange for a profit, and continued to do so after the dangers were presented, their website states “We believe that the adverse consequences alleged to have arisen out of the Vietnam War, including the use of Agent Orange, should be resolved by the governments that were involved.”1

This leads us to wonder how Monsanto’s involvement in the production of Agent Orange affects us now.  Beyond the morally questionable stance that the company still continues to take to this day regarding their responsibility in the matter overseas and with our veterans, we have to look at where these chemicals were produced and what has become of these facilities.  Uniroyal Ltd, one of the companies that produced Agent Orange, owned a facility in Canada known as Chemtura.  Chemtura was located in the town Elmira, which is in Ontario.  The facility produced about 2.6 million litres of Agent Orange and its toxic component, Dioxin, still contaminates the town’s soil and water today.  The facility, known locally as the “Toxidome”, is closed and treated much like Chernobyl.  The adjoining cemetery is no longer used for burials, because the soil is still considered to be too toxic.² 

Monsanto’s Agent Orange production occurred at the Monsanto Chemical Co. site in Nitro, WV.³  Monsanto’s website fails to mention that a class action lawsuit has been filed against them in behalf of the people of Nitro.  Phase 1 of the trial began in September of this year.  Monsanto has been unwilling to offer any correct cleanup of its facilities and is fighting any responsibility toward the people and the properties that have been damaged by the Dioxin levels in their town. ⁴

This all leads one to see the obvious: The products currently being manufactured by Monsanto are going to continue to be manufactured, regardless of any information provided that states they are dangerous.  If/when they are finally forced to cease production of these products, they will not willingly hold any responsibility toward anyone affected by these products or the waste from their production. 

¹ Monsanto. (n.d.):  Agent Orange: Background on Monsanto’s Involvement. Monsanto Corporation:      

       Author.  Retrieved October 28, 2011 from http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/agent-orange-background-monsanto-involvement.aspx 

² York, G. Mick, H. (2008): The Last Ghost of the Vietnam War. Globe and Mail Issue date July 12,   

       2008. Retrieve from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/archives/article697346.ece

³ The Aspen Institute.  (2011): Dioxin ‘Hot Spots’ in the United States. The Aspen Institute: Author.    

       Retrieved from http://www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/agent-orange/us-situation

⁴ Bibb vs Monsanto Website (2011): Civil Action No. 04-C-486. Retrieved from http://bibbclass.com/

Copyright © 2011 Anita Brown

Organic Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

As fall is getting chillier and winter is setting in, we all want something hearty and comforting to warm our bones.  Eating organic has to be a lifelong commitment, even during the coldest of seasons.  Here is my own recipe for creamy chicken noodle soup to get you started.  Enjoy, and please leave a comment as to how it turned out!



Ingredients
3 Organic, All Natural, or Amish chicken breasts*
1 package of Pacific Organic Chicken Broth
1 16 oz package frozen organic mixed vegetables
3 large organic green onion bulbs
1/2 16 oz package organic or amish egg noodles (8 oz)
2 cups organic half and half
1/4 cup organic flour
2 tablespoons salted organic butter
Water
Sea Salt to taste

Boil chicken breasts in water in a dutch oven until cooked through.  Remove and set stock aside in a bowl.  Debone the chicken, being sure to remove all skin and gristle as well, and shred.  Pour chicken broth into now empty dutch oven, add chicken, and then add your reserved stock until dutch oven is 2/3 full.  Add noodles and frozen vegetables, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium.  Simmer until vegetables and and noodles are tender.  In a separate bowl, mix half and half with flour until smooth.  Add to pot, stirring well.  Add butter and salt to taste.  Simmer until slightly thickened.  Your soup is now ready to serve and enjoy ;)

*Although it is the best option, organic chicken isn't always easy to come by.  If purchasing chicken that is labeled as All Natural or Amish, be sure to check that the label specifies that the chickens have not been given and hormones or steroids, and have been fed a vegetarian diet.  Even though these non-organic options have most likely been fed genetically modified foods, they are still better than the regular alternative.


Copyright © 2011 Anita Brown

French documentary fully exposes Monsanto

I highly recommend watching the documentary The World According to Monsanto.  The information that follows is taken from the video's description area on YouTube.  The video follows.  I don't suggest popcorn for this one...

On March 11, 2008 a new documentary was aired on French television, a documentary that Americans won't ever see. The gigantic bio-tech corporation Monsanto is threatening to destroy the agricultural biodiversity which has served mankind for thousands of years.

Genetically modified foods (or GM foods) are foods derived from genetically modified organisms (GMO). Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques. These techniques are much more precise than mutagenesis (mutation breeding) where an organism is exposed to radiation or chemicals to create a non-specific but stable change. Other techniques by which humans modify food organisms include selective breeding; plant breeding, and animal breeding, and somaclonal variation. GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990s. Typically, genetically modified foods are transgenic plant products: soybean, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil. Animal products have also been developed, although as of July 2010 none are currently on the market. In 2006 a pig was controversially engineered to produce omega-3 fatty acids through the expression of a roundworm gene. Researchers have also developed a genetically-modified breed of pigs that are able to absorb plant phosphorus more efficiently, and as a consequence the phosphorus content of their manure is reduced by as much as 60%.

(Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. All copyrighted materials contained herein belong to their respective copyright holders, I do not claim ownership over any of these materials. I realize no profit, monetary or otherwise, from the exhibition of these videos.)

Allen County, Ohio--Welcome to Monsanto Country

Attempting to find locally grown organic foods here where I currently live in Allen County, Ohio has been quite difficult. Being a farming community, I would have assumed that there would be lots of local farmers offering up their organic fresh fruits and vegetables, but no such luck. The one small farmer's market that exists here does not offer organic foods, and the larger farmer's market that used to exist in downtown Lima shut down a few years ago. With pun fully intended, my search for organic produce here was less than fruitful.

Next, I began searching for organic meat. If you go to a grocer here in Allen county and ask for organic raised beef, you are going to be looked at as if you just landed from Mars. Calling local butchers and inquiring about it received extremely rude responses that did not even come with a goodbye. This was even worse than the search for produce, and by the end of it, I truly felt as though I DID fall off of another planet, and was surrounded not by people, but by sheep.

My search ended at Meijer, where I found an organic alternative offered to almost everything in stock, at reasonable prices. I was thrilled! It felt like health heaven as I perused the aisles, gathering up everything from fresh and frozen organic fruits and veggies to organic milk and eggs, breads, cereal, even cottage cheese and coffee creamer. I was saddened by the fact that being in a farming community, nothing organic being sold was locally grown, but at least I found something!

Next, I went to check out the meat. All of the Meijer chicken and pork touted all-natural labels that actually meant it, stating that the chickens were never given growth hormones or steroids, and were fed an all-natural vegetarian diet. I meandered over to the butcher counter, and this is where I found Naturewell beef.

Naturewell beef, while not to be confused as organic, is better than the general beef supply found in your local grocery store. Here are a few facts about Naturewell from their website:

Routinely tested
At Naturewell® we routinely test our beef to ensure our promise of no antibiotics or added hormones. Our certified feeding facilities are regularly monitored and audited by National Beef® representatives and third party auditors, and we require our ranchers to sign affidavits to confirm their compliance with all aspects of the Naturewell program.


USDA Inspected
All Naturewell Natural Beef is processed through our USDA-inspected, state-of-the-art, National Beef processing plants. The tests, quality checks, and comprehensive processes are just part of the demanding list of criteria that make our approach to offering natural beef unique – in fact, no other natural beef is certified in using this procedure.

Frequently Asked Questions

For those of us on specialized diets, what does “minimally processed” and “no artificial ingredients” really mean?

Natural for fresh meat products, as defined by the USDA, refers to “minimally processed and containing no artificial ingredients.” In order to meet this definition, companies may only use traditional processes to make the food edible, preserve it or make it safe. Additionally, any physical processes used cannot fundamentally alter the raw product beyond separating the whole food into component parts or traditional forms. A good example of this is ground beef.
Naturewell® products not only meet these requirements, they exceed them – absolutely no chemicals, “natural additives” or water is added to the meat during processing. Additionally, our cattle are fed a natural diet without added hormones or antibiotics, and the product is tested to ensure it delivers 100% natural beef every time.

What is the diet of the cattle before becoming part of the Naturewell program?

Birth to weaning - cattle will graze on native pasture grasses along with their mother’s milk.

Backgrounding - cattle may be backgrounded after weaning to allow them to develop prior to entering the finishing phase. This diet is traditionally a grass pasture diet or a low-energy, grain based diet supplemented with grass, haylage or silage.

Finishing – usually begins when the cattle reach about 800 lbs. The cattle typically receive a high-energy, corn or grain based diet supplemented with roughage, usually ground grass hay.

Here is where my bubble is burst. A large part of the problem with the food industry is that they feed our livestock supply with the wrong kinds of food, corn being the worst of all. The majority of corn used to feed our cattle is a genetically modified organism (GMO), which is far from natural. While the website doesn't state that the corn is genetically modified, it doesn't state that it isn't either, and any company promoting a natural product would jump on the opportunity to say so if that were the case. Beyond the corn most likely being GMO (which supports Monsanto), the other problem is that COWS DON'T EAT CORN!!

That is right, cows are not made to eat corn, period. Not as a full diet, not as part of a diet, not at all. There are strains of e coli in existence today that would not exist at all if cows weren't fed corn. Cows are designed to eat grasses and flowers found in pastures. While Naturewell is a sufficient alternative at the moment (because there is absolutely no other available to the sheep...er, um people here), it is still not satisfactory. It appears to be somewhat better, because the cattle are not fed corn throughout their entire lives the way that the majority of cattle in the food industry are, but it really isn't. Feeding a cow corn is just that, an unnatural feeding method that alters the waste of the animal, causing the odds of the animal to be exposed to dangerous strains of e coli (and causing us to be exposed to the still unknown effects of genetically modified foods) to significantly increase.

While Meijer has a decent selection, comparison to Walmart proved to be quite interesting. Wally World is attempting to jump on the "all-natural" bandwagon, and is failing miserably. While all of the labeling on their beef and other meats state "all-natural", nowhere on the label does it say that they are antibiotic or hormone free. This leaves one to realize that Walmart's shady definition of "all-natural" means that the product came from a live animal, and that is it. Duh. Thanks, Wally World, but you've been seen through.

One can only hope that I can get to Georgia as quickly as possible, and then and only then will I be able to truly begin my journey to real food, by doing my own gardening and exchanging with a people that knows how people are supposed to eat.

Until next time from Georgia, take care and eat right.

Copyright © 2011 Anita Brown