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Sunday, December 21, 2014

Perdue secrets and the Chesapeake Bay: By Ray Wallace

NO SECRETS:
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PERDUE SECRETS:
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     These “biosecure poultry operations” (or, as you or I would call them, “farms”), where most of the chickens we eat are raised, are totally inaccessible to people outside the industry. And once you see what’s inside them, oh wow, does that desire for secrecy make total sense....

     That “USDA Process Verified” label isn’t an inspection program. It’s a marketing program that allows producers to make claims and create certification logos without actually having their farms inspected or verified.

     -- From “Perdue Execs Are Probably *Terrified* That This Video Exists. Too Bad,” by Melissa Gilkey, at this current Upworthy site:


THE CHESAPEAKE BAY:
   
     When Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) hits his last few days in office next month, he plans to enact dramatic new regulations for farmers who use chicken droppings to fertilize their fields....

     The new regulations focus on phosphorus, a nutrient found in the tons of chicken litter produced by the Eastern Shore’s poultry industry, which is anchored by the processing giant Perdue Farms. Although phosphorus is necessary for plant development, if it is not absorbed by crops or retained in the soil, it can seep into the local waterways and travel to the bay....

     Phosphorus, along with another manure ingredient, nitrogen, have been blamed for seriously polluting the bay and contributing to the formation of oxygen-deprived “dead zones.” Environmentalists warn that major action is needed now and cannot be delayed.

     -- From “Pending chicken manure regulations fan debate in Md.,” by Jenna Johnson, at this December 14, 2014 Washington Post site:

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

FYI, the general public is prohibited from touring a chicken farm for the same reason another chicken rancher is prohibited from the same tour. It's to prevent the spread of Avian Flu, dummy. The flu can wipe out many flocks and create financial devastation.

It's in the best interest of a chicken farmer to run a clean, sanitary operation for the quality of his product just as it's in the best interest of the crop farmer to not over fertilize and to keep his local environment clean and healthy. After all, both farmers go swimming and fishing in the local waterways.

Anonymous said...

what about all the Canadian geese that crap all over every pond ,park,street and years. But yet you cant touch them.

Anonymous said...

if they say it leaches out of the soil so bad, why is there a build up in the soil, cant be both ways

Anonymous said...

that right 6:38 we haven't used litter in 30 years so when i just had my nutrient management plan soil test run it was still in the high zone. so it doesn't go up, down, or sideways. you can plant right by where a pile was, and boy there will be some green corn right by the pile but not injured. It's all just bull s t. there is more politics in farming than anything. you can't do anything without asking somebody. when can i do this or spread that or when a dead line is I get tired of the crap you have to put up with. it's you land not theirs.

Anonymous said...

6:38 This is a ploy for more regulation, more fees, more licenses, more salaries for pencil pushers to oversee and annoy farmers.

I run a homestead, and if the author was INVITED to my farm, he/she would be wearing disposable boots and other gear TO PROTECT MY ANIMALS, not them.

Anonymous said...

I guess all the sewer plant leaks into the Bay aren't harming anything. Baltimore City regularly spills hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage each year into the Bay. Yet they never pay a steep price for their transgressions. Not to mention that the Bay is the end point for runoff from Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and New York. All the development from these areas with their lawn fertilizer, gas and oil from roads, and sediment runoff into the Bay. Yet, environmentalists want to pin all the Bay's problems on Perdue and the farmers.

Anonymous said...

Guess Perdue will be dumping their general counsel, who is a pal on O'Malley's that probably was engaged for that reason.

Anonymous said...

Good points 7:19 which leads me to the federal Clean Water Act. If that law were being enforced there would be no need to single out Eastern Shore farmers.
Had to laugh when the article said omally wasn't afraid to take on the powerful poultry industry.
Oh he most certainly is and that's why this was done when he's on his way out. Coward is now added to his list of 'attributes', lying being the only other one.

Anonymous said...

7:19 It's do as I say, not as I do. They get HUGE kick backs from those companies dumping into the bay. It's only when that company stops playing ball, that they're exposed and fined, etc.

Money is what talks with these people. Environmentalist are needed, to some extent, but they have morphed into whack jobs with zero common sense. It's easier for them to attack farmers who do not contribute to their "non profit", whereas they get their handouts from state and federal governments. Can't bite that hand.

I walk away from anyone who mentions gmo/non gmo, organic, etc as they are not properly educating themselves with what they support.

Anonymous said...

The chicken growing industry needs to be shut down now! All the lies and secrets are killing the bay and the people. The truth is out there, but no one wants to hear it. Purdue and Tyson are killers! The people involved in the industry are only interested in money, to hell with the environment. Stop thinking about the cash in your pocket, and think about the future of our children!

Anonymous said...

Love, Love, Love Perdue chicken. Yummo. Our family and friends all love Perdue chicken...doesn't matter what you say. wish you would just go away.

Anonymous said...

Thank you,11:29,for the whack-job-of-the-day loser comment of the day! Wow! You need counseling! LOL!

Anonymous said...

If the "environmentalists" (whoever they may be) are against it, I am FOR it. Bunch of self-serving idiots.