Comments on: Spies in the Farmers Market

By: Top Guest Blogs of 2009 on Hartke is Online! | Hartke Is Online!

Top Guest Blogs of 2009 on Hartke is Online! | Hartke Is Online! — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:53:19 +0000

[...] 10) Last and certainly my dearest guest blogger is an 80 year old farmer from Connecticut, Robert Burns who kicked off a series of great blogs with Spies in the Farmers Market. [...]

By: robert Burns

robert Burns — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:36:30 +0000

Dear calico,
You are not a farmer.If you could concieve of our standards on our farm, which are far above DPH standards,you would get a a real feeling for who, what, and where we are as farmers….NOT RETAIL FOOD MERCHANTS…. there is a difference,,,the key is freshness.
The wounds, and permanant damage done to us, as your food suppliers,by these unbridled REGULATORS cannot be measured.Theirs is not a cause for survival, but against it, LOUD AND CLEAR…

By: calico

calico — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:51:54 +0000

Sorry, but this is not about the evil government trying to stamp on farmers.

ANYONE who serves food has to follow Dept of Health guidelines. When I run a fundraiser table for our local non-profit horse Rescue, we *must* follow Dept of Health and other related rules.

When I worked in a retail store that served food, once or twice a year the inspector would come through and make a list of changes. Is it “government control” to keep food vendors following sanitary guidelines? As a consumer I’d like to think the food I try or buy is least likely to make me sick.

There will always be bureaucratic snafus, an inspector who needs retraining, or rules that seem inconsistently applied. This is true for *any* government or formal organization.

When we do a stand that involves food the first thing we do is talk to the Dept of Health, dept of Permits/inspections, and anyone else relevant. Sometimes we do need a permit. Sometimes we do need to get a copy of a health guidelines. Sometimes we need to buy gloves, disposable cups, or other little things to meet guidelines.

NOBODY is trying to end farmer’s markets. How did we jump from one inspector’s citations to some government conspiracy to shut down all farmers markets??

I’m the one who is wrong if I break rules and an inspector sees it. It sounds childish for me to blame the inspector for just doing his job.

By: Aulbert West

Aulbert West — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:26:56 +0000

First Nais, then HR2749 [Do I have the number right?], and spies in the farmers markets, well now there is a water rights bill also being introduced which Howard Garrett spoke about on Bob Webster’s radio program and is in his newsletter on his website [http://www.dirtdoctor.com]

To me, all this shows the times we are living in. The more the government can control us, the closer we are getting to the times of one of the beast of the Bible book of Revelation, chapter 13].

We’re not far from being forced to put numbers in our foreheads and on our forehands.

Thank you for recognizing that the government is trying to gain total control.

By the way, do you know which politicians introduced each of these bills?

By: Katrinka Yobotz

Katrinka Yobotz — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:35:45 +0000

See this 1950 warning, which should be put on DVD’s and given to all who don’t understand why this is so important.
http://www.aipnews.com/talk/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=6204

By: Fight Back Fridays July 3rd | Food Renegade

Fight Back Fridays July 3rd | Food Renegade — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:46:07 +0000

[...] emily- strawberry harvest, growing real food, baby love25. A Green Spell (raw eating)26. Spies in the Farmers Market-HartkeisOnline27. Kale and Seaweed Salad (Ricki)28. Health, Home, & Happiness (lactofermented veggies)29. [...]

By: Delyla Wilson

Delyla Wilson — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:24:28 +0000

This sort of government infringement on our basic rights to secure healthy foods in ways that promote sustainable community is why we offer a variety of trainings on community organizing and direct action as well as workshops on permaculture and canning. Regardless of how well we learn to provide for ourselves and our communities we must learn the skills needed to keep government and corporations in check. Without them, they will inevitably find ways to force us back into a corporate consumer loop through which they can profit; the corporations directly and the political bureaucracy through grants and political campaign contributions. Visit us at http://www.permibus.org to host a training in your town.

By: Twitted by charliechap

Twitted by charliechap — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:57:49 +0000

[...] This post was Twitted by charliechap [...]

By: State/Local Health Dept Closes a Farmers Market « Journal of Whole Food and Nutritional Health

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:03:49 +0000

[...] See this story at HartkeisOnline.com [...]

By: Augie

Augie — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:07:39 +0000

As insider, this is what is coming. Here is Ohio and other states, all farmers markets, can be inspected. By rule, vendors are subjecting themsleves to home kitchen inspections, even though they do not know that. This is because they will fall under the cottage industry rules without even knowing it– these are new rules.

Plus under the proposed Food Safety (Control) Act, FDA and all agencies can inspect farms/gardens at their choosing. The way the Federal LAW is worded, this will include kitches and farms/gardens for processed products offered for sale.

Meat and other products cannot be vacuum packed and they must have oxygen surrounding the meat products. A note from one of my Amish contacts is looking for new ways to sell his grass-fed meats, because of the expense of the new rules.
.-= Augie´s last blog ..Lard Has Clearly Won the Health Debate =-.