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You can not feed a nation on "a premium product" that you have to "pay a premium for" Which is not to say I have any strong investment in the belief that curre

You can not feed a nation on "a premium product" that you have to "pay a premium for" Which is not to say I have any strong investment in the belief that current large scale farming is optimal however I'm poor but inconveniently need food from time to time, so unfortunately I've gotta throw my weight in with the "what ever gets me rock bottom grains and legumes" camp.

xradionut 13y ago
"You can not feed a nation on "a premium product" that you have to "pay a premium for"" Yes you can. You just need fewer people to feed.
- eip 13y ago
  Monsanto is working on that with their GM program. https://www.google.com/search?q=monsanto+sterilization https://www.google.com/search?q=monsanto+sterilization http://www.larouchepub.com/other/1995/2249_kissinger_food.html http://www.larouchepub.com/other/1995/2249_kissinger_food.ht...
  - ihsw 13y ago
    You have no idea how comforting it is to see a Google search link that doesn't have a bunch bullshit parameters at the end of it.
  - rmason 13y ago
    You are making an emotional and anti-science argument. Even having to quote from a Lyndon LaRouche website. Here's a few articles that counter your argument: http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/bad-science-checklist-gmo-opponents/ http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/bad-s... http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/09/are_gmo_foods_safe_opponents_are_skewing_the_science_to_scare_people_.html http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/201... People have done seed breeding since the days of Mendel. The only difference today is that we have better tools.
    - trothoun 13y ago
      Not to nitpick but artificial selection in plants started a lot earlier than Mendel[1]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_agriculture#Development_of_agriculture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_agriculture#Developm...
    - eip 13y ago
      I know. We have excellent tools. And Monsanto is using them to create corn that sterilizes humans. It's not emotional or anti-science. It's just the cold hard truth. https://www.google.com/search?q=monsanto+corn+sterilizes+people https://www.google.com/search?q=monsanto+corn+sterilizes+peo... It is patently impossible to discuss social engineering or the automation of a society, i.e., the engineering of social automation systems (silent weapons) on a national or worldwide scale without implying extensive objectives of social control and destruction of human life, i.e., slavery and genocide. The solution of today's problems requires an approach which is ruthlessly candid, with no agonizing over religious, moral or cultural values.
- sliverstorm 13y ago
  Well that's easy then. What says we have to feed everyone?
maerF0x0 13y ago
We are already paying a premium for subsidized food. From what I understand Big agri is very subsidized and smaller producers are not. That means a portion of the price premium (the spread) is not a real production cost, but just a lack of subsidies that competitors receive. If BigAgriBusinesA receives more $ (on a per unit produced basis) than SmallAgriBusinessB , then there is a price spread that is not due to efficiency, but due to meddling by the gov't in the market. Also, if premium food does in fact lead to premium health, then one might argue its cheaper to eat premium food than the total bill of cheaper food + additional health costs. This may not work for organic kale vs reg kale, but just might for potato chips vs reg kale.

xradionut 13y ago

"You can not feed a nation on "a premium product" that you have to "pay a premium for"" Yes you can. You just need fewer people to feed.

eip 13y ago
Monsanto is working on that with their GM program. https://www.google.com/search?q=monsanto+sterilization https://www.google.com/search?q=monsanto+sterilization http://www.larouchepub.com/other/1995/2249_kissinger_food.html http://www.larouchepub.com/other/1995/2249_kissinger_food.ht...
- ihsw 13y ago
  You have no idea how comforting it is to see a Google search link that doesn't have a bunch bullshit parameters at the end of it.
- rmason 13y ago
  You are making an emotional and anti-science argument. Even having to quote from a Lyndon LaRouche website. Here's a few articles that counter your argument: http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/bad-science-checklist-gmo-opponents/ http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/bad-s... http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/09/are_gmo_foods_safe_opponents_are_skewing_the_science_to_scare_people_.html http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/201... People have done seed breeding since the days of Mendel. The only difference today is that we have better tools.
  - trothoun 13y ago
    Not to nitpick but artificial selection in plants started a lot earlier than Mendel[1]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_agriculture#Development_of_agriculture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_agriculture#Developm...
  - eip 13y ago
    I know. We have excellent tools. And Monsanto is using them to create corn that sterilizes humans. It's not emotional or anti-science. It's just the cold hard truth. https://www.google.com/search?q=monsanto+corn+sterilizes+people https://www.google.com/search?q=monsanto+corn+sterilizes+peo... It is patently impossible to discuss social engineering or the automation of a society, i.e., the engineering of social automation systems (silent weapons) on a national or worldwide scale without implying extensive objectives of social control and destruction of human life, i.e., slavery and genocide. The solution of today's problems requires an approach which is ruthlessly candid, with no agonizing over religious, moral or cultural values.
sliverstorm 13y ago
Well that's easy then. What says we have to feed everyone?

maerF0x0 13y ago

We are already paying a premium for subsidized food. From what I understand Big agri is very subsidized and smaller producers are not. That means a portion of the price premium (the spread) is not a real production cost, but just a lack of subsidies that competitors receive. If BigAgriBusinesA receives more $ (on a per unit produced basis) than SmallAgriBusinessB , then there is a price spread that is not due to efficiency, but due to meddling by the gov't in the market. Also, if premium food does in fact lead to premium health, then one might argue its cheaper to eat premium food than the total bill of cheaper food + additional health costs. This may not work for organic kale vs reg kale, but just might for potato chips vs reg kale.