Jacques of all Trades

Man charged in connection with 70,000 chicken deaths in Md. - The Washington Post

Mark Shockley, a Delmar farmer, went out to his chickenhouses Saturday morning. No lights were on. No fans, either.

Some 70,000 chickens were dead.

“This is a first for me in my almost 20-year career,” Lt. Tim Robinson of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office told DelmarvaNow.com. Police say the chickens died after a drunk man on the property for a gathering allegedly went into a shed, possibly looking for a light switch. Instead, he apparently turned off power to the chickenhouses, an act that most likely killed $20,000 worth of chickens within 15 minutes. (via )

This is a horrible consequence for one man’s drunken exploits.  That said, I don’t want to think about the conditions in which these chickens are kept if they can die after only 15 minutes without power.  Having driven down US-13, I already know what they smell like.

Food security: What crops will feed the world if we run out of farmland? - Slate Magazine

If we’re stuck with potatoes and garlic, well, I can think of worse combinations…

I’m not a McRib fan, but this only goes to confirm the theory that one should never think about where a McRib comes from.  (If the mattress chemical wasn’t enough…)

theweekmagazine:

Bad news for fans of the infamous McRib: The Humane Society filed a legal complaint against Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, which supplies the pork for McDonald’s sandwich. In an undercover operation from 2010, the animal rights group says it uncovered a number of disturbing farming practices, including the use of tightly confining gestation crates that cause sows to suffer “from open pressure sores and other ulcers and wounds,” with nary a veterinarian in sight.

What makes these allegations particularly “appalling” is that Smithfield claims their animals are raised under “ideal” conditions, says Joyce Chen of New York Daily News. The Humane Society is accusing the food suppliers of “misleading its consumers,” notably through a series of PR-friendly videos called “Taking the Mystery out of Pork Production.” Meanwhile, McDonald’s recently recognized the farm for its commitment to animal care, even bestowing Smithfield with a “supplier sustainability” award.

Keep reading

nprfreshair:

On today’s Fresh Air, how industrial farming destroyed the tasty tomato…and why we’re partially responsible, says Barry Estabrook: “It’s the price we pay for insisting we have food out of season and not local. We foodies and people in the sustainable food movement chant these mantras ‘local, seasonable, organic, fair-trade, sustainable’ and they almost become meaningless because they’re said so often and you see them in so many places. If you strip all those away, they do mean something, and what they mean is that you end up with something like a Florida tomato in the winter — which is tasteless.”

And the world comes to resemble an episode of Better Off Ted.

nprfreshair:

Inside the world of test tube meat with The New Yorker’s Michael Specter: “There is something inherently creepy about [growing meat in labs.] But there is something more inherently creepy about the way we deal with the animals that we eat. … They live a horrible life and they often die quite cruelly. So the idea of being able to eliminate some of that is extremely exciting for a lot of people.”

thedailywhat:

Paging Gallagher of the Day: Go ahead and add “exploding watermelons” to China’s growing list of food-related scandals.

According to local reports, the plant growth accelerator forchlorfenuron — a legal additive — was improperly sprayed on watermelon crops late in the season under damp conditions, causing them to explode “like landmines.”

Farmer Liu Mingsuo recalled the horror he had witnessed: “On 7 May, I came out and counted 80 [burst watermelons] but by the afternoon it was 100. Two days later I didn’t bother to count any more.”

Farmers say the chemical can speed up the harvest by as much as two weeks, in addition to increasing the size and price of the fruit by 20% or more. But director of the vegetable research institute at Qingdao Academy of Agricultural Science Cui Jian says use of forchlorfenuron on watermelons is not recommended, as it has a tendency to encourage the growth of misshapen melons that would be deemed unsellable due to their poor taste and difficult storage. “But,” he adds, “it should not harm anyone’s health.”

Of course, having one of these suckers blow up in your face may put a damper on your day.

[guardian.]

(Source: thedailywhat)

Vietnam farms (outside of Hanoi)

set of trip photos.

Where good things grow

This image from the Korea Multi-purpose Satellite (KOMPSAT-2) captures many agricultural crops can be seen growing including wheat, barley, fruits and vegetables. The circular shape of many of the fields indicates central-pivot irrigation is being employed; a well drilled in the centre of each circle supplies water to a rotating series of sprinklers. The black zigzag pattern in the bottom right represents thick, lush trees.

• High-Res Image: 1969×2071 px (1.90 MB) • Source: ESA (via 

unknownskywalker)