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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!

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- My Visit to Growing Power
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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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Peanut Update

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 16:03:29 PM PST

What's going on in the world of peanuts? Well, funny you should ask.

Despite previous statements to the contrary, PCA did sell food directly to retailers - specifically, to Dollar Tree Stores, Dollar General, 99 Cent Stuff, and 99 Cent Only stores.
The recall continues to grow. One article said 1790 products have now been recalled. Amazing that anyone who buys from PCA has been sitting on the information all this time and only just announced a recall yet but apparently some companies have done that. They've got some 'splaining to do if you ask me.
Schools in three states received possibly tainted peanuts as part of a free lunch program. Add that to FEMA giving out tainted peanuts and the military using tainted peanuts in ready to eat meals and it seems pretty clear that the government doesn't really test the food it buys for safety before distributing it. If it's a silver lining, PCA is not allowed to do business with the government for a year - maybe more.
The peanut recall is hitting retailers hard. Peanut butter sales are down 25 percent. ConAgra and Smuckers (makes of Peter Pan and Jif, respectively) are each running ads and offering coupons, promising consumers their peanut butter is safe.
Strangely enough peanut prices are up [PDF]. According to the USDA, peanut prices averaged 24.7 cents per pound for the week ending January 31 - up 1.1 cents from the previous week. I find it odd that in the midst of this salmonella outbreak, peanut prices are just about as high as they've ever been in the past two years.
The AP offers a peanut butter salmonella timeline. This story has gotten so twisted at this point that I think we need a timeline. Thanks, AP!
Obama Foodorama reports that Rahm Emmanuel is living in Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)'s basement. Why is this significant? Because she just introduced a food safety bill and he's Obama's Chief of Staff. Can Rahm help DeLauro get her bill passed?
DeLauro's bill may be coming at the right time, as Eating Liberally says FDA stands for Failure to Do Anything.
Georgia's state senate is reconsidering its food safety laws. Hmm, ya think???
The FDA's investigation of the Blakely, GA peanut plant that caused this whole mess is so crazy that the FBI is helping them out. The New York Times offers an article about the FDA's findings at the peanut plant - in case you missed all the previous headlines about leaky roofs and baby mice inside bags of peanuts.
Over at Civil Eats, a physician urges locavorism as a smart food safety move.
Newspapers around the country are running op eds about the need for improvement in our food safety system. Here are a few:
- The Baltimore Sun urges tougher regulation (hooray!).
- The Arizona Republic has also come out in favor of safe food.
- Mercury News thinks Obama should put all of food safety under one roof. Yess!!! I agree!!!
- The Miami Herald thinks tainted peanuts violate the public trust.

It's wonderful to see food safety getting the attention it deserves and utterly tragic that people had to die to make that happen.

Jill Richardson :: Peanut Update

Tags: Peanut Corporation of America, salmonella, Food Safety, Peanut Butter, (All Tags)

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Peanut Update | 5 comments

I wonder if (4.00 / 3)

the increase in peanut prices has something to do with the fact that there is still some demand out there in the market - even though retail sales are off 25% that means that there is still 75% of the retail market that's buying. Considering the sheer enormity of the recall, all due to one plant's contaminated output, I'll bet everyone is scrambling to make up orders to replace the pulled stock, meaning that they are looking to other component suppliers. PCA is big, but I they can't be the only processor in the country.

I wonder what the import numbers are looking like? Unfortunately the Foreign Argiculture Service (FAS) stats won't be in till the end of the quarter. It'll be interesting to watch over the next couple of quarters.

Regarding locavores as elitists - explain to me how supporting local business is elitist....

by: Joanne Rigutto @ Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 20:14:35 PM CST

Nut Butter Machine? (4.00 / 4)

Peanuts are terribly easy to grow, harvest, and roast.

You can make peanut butter using a decently hefty food processor, or you can buy a purpose made nut butter machine for higher quantities.

I have no personal experience with a dedicated nut butter machine, but a friend at East Wind Farm in rural Missouri says making nut butters with these machine types is a breeze.

I just happened to researched nut butter machines for someone earlier today, and here are a couple of links;

Some used machines online at:

http://www.ufpm.com/peanut_but...

New ones ARE available from Pleasant Hill Grains at:

http://www.pleasanthillgrain.c...

The hopper holds 20 pounds, and it produces 2 lbs of nut butter per minute. But it is spendy, coming in at $2099.00.

by: Farmboy @ Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 20:48:01 PM CST

Great update, Jill! (4.00 / 2)

Lots of great stuff, thanks!

Obama Foodorama reports that Rahm Emmanuel is living in Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)'s basement.

Lol, think I'm a but slow tonight. Took a while for me to realize that meant basement apartment...

Now I need a Rahm picture, to caption it with something like:

"I'm livin' in ur baysemintz, talkin' to the preznit"

Heh...

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

by: JayinPortland @ Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 22:04:00 PM CST

heads up for hearing on Wednesday (4.00 / 4)

This was in a press release from Congressman Bruce Braley (D, IA-01), who is vice chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's subcommittee on oversight:

The Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee is responsible for oversight of all agencies, departments, and programs within the Energy and Commerce Committee's jurisdiction. This Wednesday, the Oversight Subcommittee will hold their first hearing of 2009 on the recent salmonella outbreak associated with peanut butter manufactured by the Peanut Corporation of America.

Braley was a trial lawyer and is an excellent cross-examiner, as he showed in this absolutely classic Q and A with then GSA chief Lurita Doan.

by: desmoinesdem @ Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 23:30:52 PM CST

Was out most of the day, so... (4.00 / 3)

I don't know if this is news or not...

The link you have about the FBI? It's gone way beyond 'help' now -

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal agents on Monday raided a Georgia peanut processing plant linked to the nationwide salmonella outbreak that has prompted one of the largest product recalls in U.S. history.
The FBI executed search warrants at both the plant in Blakely, Ga., and at Peanut Corp. of America's headquarters in Lynchburg, Va., according to a senior congressional aide with knowledge of the raids. The official spoke only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

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

by: JayinPortland @ Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 00:21:21 AM CST