Free Republic

The past few months of robust grocery store sales would suggest that shoppers aren’t stretched for cash. But that’s not the full story. Food manufacturers like Kellogg (K), PepsiCo (PEP) and Nestlé all reported sales growth in the first quarter of the year. But even though sales are up, people are buying less. Growth has been fueled by higher prices, which offset declining volumes. “If you look at the top-line dollar sales, it is obviously very positive,” said Alastair Steel, executive, client engagement for market research firm Circana, where he works on strategy and consults for clients. “But it really...

Farmers in South Dakota are facing egregious intimidation tactics by a private company that wants to use eminent domain to confiscate valuable farmland for carbon-capture pipelines.Summit Carbon Solutions requested a restraining order against Brown County farmer Jerad Bossly. The company claims he threatened the lives of its representatives who showed up unannounced to survey his property, a farm that has been in his family for four generations. He told The New American that when they arrived, he was about 12 miles away, working in a field. His wife was home, recovering from gallbladder surgery, and was taking a shower when...

Last fall, when researchers unearthed the remains of a 3,000-year-old structure in the western Armenian town of Metsamor, they faced two mysteries: First, they didn’t know what purpose the structure had served. Beyond that, a strange powdery substance covering the area left them stumped...The team assumed, at first, the material was simply ash. After all, charred remnants of the building’s reed roof and wooden beams indicated it had met its end in a fire...The powder wasn’t ash, but wheat flour. They had unearthed an ancient bakery.Archaeologists estimate that the structure could have once held as much as 3.5 tons of...

In 2003, a remarkable article appeared in the journal Lipids, titled “Fat, fishing patterns, and health among the Bardi people of north Western Australia.” According to the authors, the Bardi people hunted and fished selectively in order to obtain meat and fish containing as much fat as possible. To the Bardi, foods lacking in fat were considered “rubbish.” If a kangaroo was too lean, they threw it away. They fished only for specific species of fish, and at the right time of year, to harvest only those with the most fat lining the intestines. Then they painstakingly removed the fat,...

The “climate change” ideology increasingly takes on pseudo-religious aspects, demanding sacrifices from its adherents at its altar. God is dead in the West, after all, but He must be replaced with something as humans are inherently inclined to seek transcendence and meaning.Via The Telegraph:The collateral damage of net zero is now getting uncomfortably close to home. First Dutch farmers were threatened with compulsory purchases to satisfy EU emissions targets, fomenting a new revolt in the process. Now it’s Ireland’s turn, where the government is reportedly looking at plans to cull around 200,000 cows to meet its climate targets. The scheme...

If farmers and ranchers don’t produce enough food, we don’t eat. So we should always be very thankful for our hard working farmers and ranchers. Unfortunately, farms and ranches all over the United States have been hit by a string of disasters in recent months, and as a result food production has taken a turn for the worse. So does that mean that we should expect that there will soon be shortages of certain items? Unfortunately, it appears that is likely to be the case. For example, it is being reported that approximately 90 percent of Georgia’s peach crop for...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

A few weeks ago, 42-year-old Jared Bossly ventured out into his farm to plant alfalfa. Bossly’s farm in Brown County, South Dakota has been owned by his family for four generations. They grow corn, beans, and alfalfa in addition to raising cattle. They also plant trees all over the property as a windbreak to protect the herd. Bossley has put his entire life into his work, and has passed those values along to his children. He and his 17-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son work on the farm daily to do the right things for the land. Every spare penny the...

An international team suggests a simple tweak to the first meal of the day might help people living with type 2 diabetes (T2D) better control their blood sugar levels. In fact, changing just one meal helped keep the blood sugar in check. "We're not talking about a complete diet overhaul," says Dr. Oliveira. Their 12-week study had two groups. One was advised to eat from a selection of low-carb breakfasts containing approximate amounts of 8g of carbohydrate, 25g of protein and 37g of fat while the other was advised to eat from a selection of low-fat higher-carb options containing about...

In spite of advances in making laboratory-cultured meat products taste like the real deal, we're yet to see a single factory pumping chicken nuggets out of a vat. That might not be such a bad thing, according to a recent study by researchers from the University of California, Davis (UCD), and the University of California, Holtville. They warn current production methods of lab-grown meat could end up being way worse for the environment than beef farming, despite being touted as a sustainable alternative. Their life-cycle assessment of current meat-growing processes – which has yet to be peer-reviewed – found cultured...

(Last Updated On: May 23, 2023) NATIONAL MINT JULEP DAY | MAY 30 National Mint Julep Day on May 30th each year sets up a refreshing toast to summer. Each year, people around the country gather for a glass of mint julep! This refreshing southern classic is a traditional drink of the Kentucky Derby. #MintJulepDay A classic mint julep is made with a mint leaf, bourbon, sugar, and water. In the Southern states, where mint julep is more associated with the cuisine, spearmint is the mint of choice. Preparation of the drink may vary from one bartender to another. Some...

Is Biden targeting white republicans' small businesses the same way Stalin targeted the Kulaks during the holodomor? Biden is not only targeting small business truckers, he is also targeting family farms By Ezequiel Doiny On April 17, 2023 Madeline Coggins wrote in Fox Business "The trucking industry is sounding the alarm on consequential ripple effects of the Biden administration's latest move in the electric vehicle push. While critics have voiced concerns about the EPA's recent emissions regulations, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), a trade organization that represents small business truckers, warns the restrictions are dangerous and threaten small businesses...

Joe Biden’s “climate czar” John Kerry is calling for farmers to stop growing food in order to meet the administration’s radical “net zero” goals for lowering “emissions.” Kerry, Biden’s Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, issued the warning during a green agenda conference in Washington D.C. During the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) AIM for Climate Summit, Kerry told the audience that “we can’t get to net zero, we won’t get this job done, unless agriculture is front and center as part of the solution.” Kerry warned attendees that his and other world leaders’ “lives depend” on farmers ceasing their operations. Stopping...

Indigo, a new community outside of Houston, is a different type of residential development. Led by farmers, the project will be anchored by a 42-acre working farm. When Scott Snodgrass and Clayton Garrett started their CSA in 2015, the Houston metro area wasn’t that familiar with the concept. They say their initial 350 CSA members roughly doubled the CSA membership in the area. With their 60 acres of vegetables, they became one of the biggest direct-to-consumer farms in the area—and they relished the opportunity to get more folks connected with their food and teach them about agriculture. The pair ran...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

For the last, oh, I don’t know… forever… ranchers and farmers large and small have taken care of their livestock with antibiotics and antimicrobials that were available at farm stores. These medicines treat common illnesses and infections that people who own large animals and livestock are very familiar with and qualified to treat. They have been trusted to do so for as long as these medicines have been available. The first chicken antibiotics were introduced in 1948. Since then, there has been no call nor reason to regulate these items. Many farmers and ranchers tend to many of their animals’...

The Dutch government continues its war on the country's farmers and has proposed new regulations that would roughly limit two cows per acre in order to reach the European Union's climate change targets by 2030... The proposal, which has not yet been approved by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, would limit "0.35 hectares of grassland per livestock unit" in an attempt to tackle nitrogen emissions by reducing methane gas, which will place an even greater strain between the country's farmers and Dutch government. ... The Netherlands, which is the second-largest exporter of agricultural products in the entire world, has seen...

Kitchen Nightmares is coming back after nearly a decade and we couldn’t be more excited. According to Deadline, Gordon Ramsay will lead the series revival which joins four other shows that he currently hosts on Fox, including Next Level Chef (which was recently renewed for another two seasons), Hell’s Kitchen, MasterChef, and MasterChef Jr. The new Kitchen Nightmares will be produced by Studio Ramsay rather than ITV Studios America but will have the same concept: Gordon screaming at restaurant owners in an attempt to save their failing businesses. In 2017, Ramsay admitted it was the wrong move to end the...

President Donald Trump delivered remarks to a packed house of eager supporters in Davenport, Iowa on Monday evening, lauding his administration’s history of supporting American farmers at an anticipated campaign event focused on his America First Education Policy.“We put workers first, we put farmers first, and above all, we put America first,” he said.Trump stepped onto the stage and was greeted by electric energy. The crowd broke out into chants of “USA” as his signature entrance music, “God Bless the USA,” by Lee Greenwood played in the background.President Donald J. Trump speaks in Davenport, IA "I stood up to CHINA...