The Responsibilities That Come With Being An American Citizen By Benedict T. Palen, Jr.

Being a citizen of the United States comes with privileges, such as voting, the right to express oneself freely, and so forth.   But it also comes with civic duties, and the trends in modern society reflect a loosening of the standards that we, as citizens, must follow in order to (a) help ensure a nation that holds true to the principles upon which it was founded, and (b) maintain good relations with our neighbors.

There are some simple things that reflect a me first attitude.  They include disregard of basic principles of being a good neighbor—maintaining the appearance of one’s home and yard, respecting the right to quiet enjoyment by our neighbors of their homes, obeying the laws for speeding, and keeping noise levels down.  To some, these may seem silly and irrelevant.  But, take it from those of us who have the advantage of perspective as the generations have evolved—we have strayed from these fundamental things.

This is also very apparent, extremely worrisome, when it comes to our choices for our elected officials.  Whatever happened to voting based on what is good for the country, and being sure that those for whom we vote have the moral character to do the right thing, and to put their country first rather than themselves?  What has happened to the notion, indeed, the requirement, that we, as voters, must educate ourselves about the issues, and have a clear grasp of what a candidate stands for?   We must rise above those who seek to divide us, and who cannot do something as basic as being honest with us about who they are, and what they stand for.

The answer to these issues is not complicated. It is in the mirror; we must look at ourselves, and ask ourselves how do we improve our civic mindedness?  It starts with each of us.  It means going back to the basics—civic awareness, voting responsibly, and showing respect for our neighbors and all around us.   Those things are part of our social fabric.    They are the enduring qualities of America, and we must refresh our focus on them.

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Hemp Production By Benedict T. Palen, Jr.

Hemp production has become the hot new trend in agriculture in parts of the US, with acreages tripling, or more, from prior levels.   This has caused the prices received by farmers to nosedive in many cases.  From the perspective of a 40 year veteran of agriculture’s cycles, things will level out, and those producers who know what they are doing, and who follow sound agronomic and marketing practices, will do well over the long run as the demand for the multiple uses for hemp continues to grow.

For anyone looking to get into the business for the first time, there are a few things to put at the top of the list of factors:

·         Do you have enough capital to get the crop from planting through harvest?  Many ag banks will not provide financing for hemp growers, so cash in pocket may be a necessity.

·         What % of your farm will you devote to hemp?

·         Have you talked to other growers in your area who have tried and failed/succeeded with hemp?

 Do you understand why some fail, and some succeed?

·         Do you have a reputable seed source?

·         Do you have a marketing plan?  Is the price guaranteed?  Do you have an act of God clause in

          your contract?

·         Are you better off (less risk) to partner with an experienced grower and share land, capital, and

           other assets

By no means is this a complete list of key topics, and each situation and growing area will create other variables.  A word to the wise—walk before you run, into this business.

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The Carbon Footprint For Organic Food By Benedict T. Palen, Jr.

There is no doubt that the popularity of organic foods has grown by leaps and bounds over the past 10 years.  Consumers believe that organic foods are healthier for them, and safer for the environment.

But is the latter really true?  I have addressed that question in a couple of ways, and a thoughtful reader might come to a different conclusion about the carbon footprint of organic foods after considering my rationale.

There are climatic limitations on where organic crops can be grown. For example, avocado production is limited to a few relatively small areas of the US, with heavy imports from Mexico during times of the year when there is no US production available to the markets.   This means that, far from the “local food” movement that has become so much in vogue in many areas of the US, significant transportation costs, and petroleum based emissions, play a larger role than consumers might expect when comparing the organic versus conventional avocados.  The same examples can be made of a variety of other crops, which, even if fairly widely adapted in parts of the US, offer organic availability only in limited production areas, which may be further away from most consumer demand centers than the non-organic versions of the same crop.    While the US has country of origin labeling for many products, would it not be sensible to have labeling about the carbon footprint of a certain product?  To be true to the health and environmental benefits that are often part and parcel of organic marketing, would it not be important to disclose this to consumers?

     The other element of this question has to do with farming practices.   Farmers use herbicides and pesticides to control weeds and bugs, respectively.   Without those products, weeds and bugs can lead to greater use of water for the crops (because weeds consume water that the crop would otherwise use, and bugs can increase plant stress, thus increasing plant water needs).    And, because many organic crops will not produce the same quantity as, say, the same crop conventionally grown on a given acre, the result can be that more land, and more water, and needed to grow X amount of organic crops to match the same conventional crop quantity raised on fewer acres of land.

     All of this said, there is not necessarily something “bad” about organic crops.  The fact is, though, that many consumers buy into the sometimes over-hyped notion of organics without considering the environmental costs associated with those crops.

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