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La Vida Locavore is the blog for anyone whose crazy life includes planting, growing, weeding, fertilizing, raising, picking, harvesting, processing, cooking, baking, making, serving, buying, selling, distributing, transporting, composting, organizing around, lobbying about, writing about, thinking about, talking about, playing with, and eating food!

Notable Diaries

- Recent Congressional Hearings
- 2008 By The Numbers
- The 2007 Ag Census
- Why I Oppose GMOs
- My Visit to Growing Power
- My Trip to a Hog Confinement
- Why We Grow So Much Corn and Soy
- How the Chicken Gets to Your Plate

Politicians To Know

USDA

Senate

Agriculture
Chair: Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
- Max Baucus (D-MT)
- Michael Bennet (D-CO)
- Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
- Bob Casey (D-PA)
- Kent Conrad (D-ND)
- Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
- Tom Harkin (D-IA)
- Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Pat Leahy (D-VT)
- Ben Nelson (D-NE)
- Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
- Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
- Thad Cochran (R-MS)
- John Cornyn (R-TX)
- Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
- Mike Johanns (R-NE)
- Dick Lugar (R-IN)
- Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
- Pat Roberts (R-KS)
- John R. Thune (R-SD)

Appropriations
Chair: Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Ag Sub-Committee
Chair: Herb Kohl (D-WI)
- Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
- Dick Durbin (D-IL)
- Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
- Tom Harkin (D-IA)
- Tim Johnson (D-SD)
- Ben Nelson (D-NE)
- Jack Reed (D-RI)
- Robert Bennett (R-UT)
- Christopher Bond (R-MO)
- Sam Brownback (R-KS)
- Thad Cochran (R-MS)
- Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
- Arlen Specter (R-PA)

Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions
- Chris Dodd (D-CT)

Senate Hunger Caucus

House

Agriculture
Chair: B Collin Peterson (D-MN)
V. Chair: B Tim Holden (D-PA)
B Joe Baca (D-CA)
- John Boccieri (D-OH)
B* Leonard Boswell (D-IA)
- Bobby Bright (D-AL)
B* Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
- Travis Childers (D-MS)
B Jim Costa (D-CA)
- Henry Cuellar (D-TX)
- Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA)
B Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)
- Debbie Halvorson (D-IL)
B Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD)
- Steve Kagen (D-WI)
- Larry Kissell (D-NC)
B Frank Kratovil (D-MD)
- Betsy Markey (D-CO)
B Jim Marshall (D-GA)
P Eric Massa (D-NY)
B Mike McIntyre (D-NC)
- Walt Minnick (D-ID)
B Earl Pomeroy (D-ND)
- Mark Schauer (D-MI)
- Kurt Schrader (D-OR)
B David Scott (D-GA)
B Zachary Space (D-OH)
- Timothy Walz (D-MN)
- Frank Lucas (R-OK)
- Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
- K. Michael Conaway (R-TX)
- Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE)
- Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
- Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
- Sam Graves (R-MO)
- Timothy Johnson (R-IL)
- Steve King (R-IA)
- Robert Latta (R-OH)
- Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO)
- Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
- Jerry Moran (R-KS)
- Randy Neugebauer (R-TX)
- Phil Roe (R-TN)
- Mike Rogers (R-AL)
- Jean Schmidt (R-OH)
- Adrian Smith (R-NE)
- Glenn Thompson (R-PA)
*=House Organic Caucus member
B=Blue Dog Democrat

Appropriations
Chair: Dave Obey (D-WI)
Ag Sub-Committee
Chair: P Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
- Sanford Bishop (D-GA)
* Allen Boyd (D-FL)
- Lincoln Davis (D-TN)
*P Sam Farr (D-CA)
*P Maurice D. Hinchey (D-NY)
P Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
P Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
- Jack Kingston (R-GA)
- Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
- Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)
* Tom Latham (R-IA)
*=House Organic Caucus member

P=Congressional Progressive Caucus

Education and Labor
P Chair: George Miller (D-CA)
- Jason Altmire (D-PA)
- Robert Andrews (D-NJ)
- Timothy Bishop (D-NY)
P Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
- Joe Courtney (D-CT)
- Susan Davis (D-CA)
P Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
P Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
P Phil Hare (D-IL)
- Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX)
P Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
- Rush Holt (D-NJ)
- Dale Kildee (D-MI)
P Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
P Dave Loebsack (D-IA)
- Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
P Donald Payne (D-NJ)
- Jared Polis (D-CO)
- Robert Scott (D-VA)
- Joe Sestak (D-PA)
- Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH)
P John Tierney (D-MA)
- Dina Titus (D-NV)
- Paul Tonko (D-NY)
P Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
- David Wu (D-OR)
- Buck McKeon (R-CA)
- Judy Biggert (R-IL)
- Rob Bishop (R-UT)
- Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
- Michael Castle (R-DE)
- Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
- Luis F Fortuno (R-PR)
- Brett Guthrie (R-KY)
- Peter Hoekstra (R-MI)
- Duncan D. Hunter (R-CA)
- John Kline (R-MN)
- Kenny Marchant (R-TX)
- Tom McClintock (R-CA)
- Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
- Thomas Petri (R-WI)
- Phil Roe (R-TN)
- Todd Russell Platts (R-PA)
- Tom Price (R-GA)
- Mark Souder (R-IN)
- GT Thompson (R-PA)
- Joe Wilson (R-SC)
P=Congressional Progressive Caucus

House Organic Caucus
Congressional Progressive Caucus

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Swine Flu & What You Should Know About the Hog Industry

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Apr 27, 2009 at 18:00:00 PM PDT

The hog industry has changed in the last decade or two and I think we need to consider that as we discuss the current swine flu outbreak. First of all, it changed in the U.S. As of 2007, the top 4 pork packers controlled 66% of the U.S. market: Smithfield, Tyson, Swift, and Cargill. And Smithfield and Swift have since merged with JBS to become one company. This represents massive consolidation compared with the past. According to the USDA:

The number of hog farms fell by more than 70 percent between 1992 and 2004, whereas the hog inventory remained stable. The average hog operation grew from 945 head in 1992 to 2,589 head in 1998 and to 4,646 head in 2004. The share of the hog inventory on operations with 2,000 or more head increased from less than 30 percent to nearly 80 percent. Operations with 5,000 or more head held more than 50 percent of the hog inventory in 2004. - The Changing Economics of U.S. Hog Production

What about Mexico? It seems that Mexico also experienced consolidation of the hog sector during the same period of time. NAFTA is what allowed Smithfield to buy up Mexico's top hog company. Smithfield aimed for vertical integration in Mexico and planned to capitalize on cheaper labor costs in Mexico to produce pork on the cheap and then export it to the U.S.

As for the flu itself, hogs get the flu the same way people do. Just like your chances of getting the flu go up if you hang out in a preschool class where the children sneeze on you and don't wash their hands (my mom teaches preschool, I would know), pigs are more likely to contract a disease in the crowded unsanitary conditions of a factory farm - FAR more disgusting than your average preschool class.

My point is that we haven't been factory farming hogs for very long, and it took only about a decade to produce a deadly disease (or two, if you count MRSA). Perhaps that should be telling us something?

Jill Richardson :: Swine Flu & What You Should Know About the Hog Industry

Tags: Swine Flu, Factory Farms, (All Tags)

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Swine Flu & What You Should Know About the Hog Industry | 10 comments

I don't know what you're talking about (4.00 / 3)

Senator Chuck Grassley Twittered today,

U can't get swine flu fr eating pork. Eatup. Regardless of epidemic

See? Nothing to worry about. Move along...

by: desmoinesdem @ Mon Apr 27, 2009 at 20:11:58 PM CDT

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Oh wow, is that real?! (4.00 / 1)

Lol...

"Intelligent discontent is the mainspring of civilization." - Eugene V. Debs

by: JayinPortland @ Mon Apr 27, 2009 at 20:17:48 PM CDT

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yes, it is real (4.00 / 1)

Grassley's Twitter feed can be quite entertaining.

by: desmoinesdem @ Mon Apr 27, 2009 at 22:34:42 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

hahahahahahahaha omg soooo funny (4.00 / 3)

I guess he's got the entire factory hog farm industry to defend, as their senator. I am now following him on Twitter.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

by: Jill Richardson @ Mon Apr 27, 2009 at 23:33:48 PM CDT

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The 'Eatup' is pretty tacky (0.00 / 0)

but of course he's right about the rest. :-)

Swine flus are nothing new, and I suggest much caution in terms of blaming these diseases on the pigs, or on the birds, because the first knee-jerk reaction is to put them in even more secure and more sterile buildings, away from the people, and to make sure they're prohibited on a small scale.

Disclaimer: I've got 6 cute baby chicks in my living room. The cat is wondering why she's locked out of what used to be her house, especially when it's full of what is clearly very entertaining cat food.

As it was, he did a deal with a blancmange, and the blancmange ate his wife.

by: elfling @ Tue Apr 28, 2009 at 14:38:34 PM CDT

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Exactly... (4.00 / 1)

Nothing bad ever happens until it does, eh? And often, those "whoops" moments aren't easily (or ever) reversed...

We never seem to learn that lesson though, do we?

"Intelligent discontent is the mainspring of civilization." - Eugene V. Debs

by: JayinPortland @ Mon Apr 27, 2009 at 20:15:33 PM CDT

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Lots of skepticism (4.00 / 4)

at the big orange,which I understand but there is science backing this stuff up, it's not just a bunch of people in a dark room making shit up. It drives me crazy, I get why people are skeptical but at the same time, when there are so many cons to a farming practice, the only reason it stays has to do with money, money to lobby our government, money to buy people off and money for advertising. It's rotten.

by: Ellinorianne @ Mon Apr 27, 2009 at 21:25:28 PM CDT

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well, when the product (4.00 / 3)

is about as good for you as tobacco, then it's not a good product. Did you catch the recent study of 500,000 people that showed increased mortality from eating factory farmed beef and pork?

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

by: Jill Richardson @ Mon Apr 27, 2009 at 23:34:45 PM CDT

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I am against the factory farms (4.00 / 1)

but I don't think there's any evidence to say they're the culprit here. Flu isn't spread by flies in general and not all that much in feces, either. And, their pigs don't seem to be sick.

Lots of reasons to be against factory farmed pork, and there are other diseases that could be a factor some day, but jumping to conclusions IMHO will only hurt our cause in the long run.

As it was, he did a deal with a blancmange, and the blancmange ate his wife.

by: elfling @ Tue Apr 28, 2009 at 14:33:52 PM CDT

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Meat Industry's Monstrous Power - Thought-provoking Article (4.00 / 1)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comm...

This is a highly globalised industry with global political clout. Just as Bangkok-based chicken giant Charoen Pokphand was able to suppress enquiries into its role in the spread of bird flu in southeast Asia, so it is likely that the forensic epidemiology of the swine flu outbreak will pound its head against the corporate stonewall of the pork industry.

by: AnnN @ Tue Apr 28, 2009 at 07:54:55 AM CDT

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Swine Flu & What You Should Know About the Hog Industry | 10 comments