
Dumped Milk, Smashed Eggs, Plowed Vegetables: Food Waste of the Pandemic - jelliclesfarm
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/business/coronavirus-destroying-food.html
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anotheryou
Does calorie intake go down? If not it must be just a shift.

I can come up with three:

\- shift to non-perishables (more grain, less fresh vegetables, more depletion
of frozen stock)

\- more efficient use at home (not throwing away leftovers at the restaurants
and bakeries)

\- a general shift towards different ingredients (who uses corn flour, who
makes their own latte, maybe fewer cook veggies at home)

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vanniv
It's completely absurd that we are having farmer's destroy their produce at
the same time that we have massive food shortages.

The products being destroyed here are the very same ones that you can't buy at
any price.

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jelliclesfarm
I also spoke to the onion farmer, Shay. He will only has part of his labour
force coming from Mexico this season. He has a mere 4000 acres. That’s
considered a small farm. He is going to need automation.

Another small acreage farmer in California has put out an appeal for funds to
fight the legal battle for his worker who tried to cross the border twice and
couldn’t..and got caught the third time. I have so many other stories of small
and big farmers growing food having to deal with labour.

They are partly to blame for not demanding automation. But the biggest blame
rests with those supplying consumers and getting them used to low prices for
food.

Entire Ag rests on exploitation of low wage earning labour. Almost all of it
is immigrant/migrant labour..only those who are desparate for those jobs.

Automation of small and local food farms is a matter of national security and
food security. Not being able to farm close to population hubs is also largely
due to high density cities. Half land area must be set aside for farm and open
spaces. It’s ok to be high density but only if there is sufficient
infrastructure, connectivity and sustainability..and after covid, food
security.

A variety of farms including urban, rooftop, indoor, hydroponic, orchards and
fields should be able to cover 40-50% of food crops. Right now all that is
being imported or are part of a cold chain. Or involves trucking or shipping
from South America.Grains, oil, fiber, meat, dairy, spices etc are a whole
different kind of farming.

It’s time to automate small acreage farms. I have been trying to make it
happen for 5+ years. I have heard every excuse why it isn’t necessary. Every
one of them is now moot.

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vanniv
15-20% of Americans have lost their jobs in the last three weeks.

We don't need to import illegal labor -- there are plenty of folks who would
love to be able to earn a living again.

And since working in farming would qualify as "essential" they could get
special dispensation from the government permitting them to leave their
houses.

(All according to plan, I'm sure)

~~~
jelliclesfarm
The 15-20 % Americans who lost their jobs will not be able to do the jobs that
Ag labour has been doing in the fields.

This is exactly when we need automation so anyone can work in the ag field.

The nature of ‘work’ and employment as we know it will changed completely. The
world has changed. We have to redefine everything. Including ‘work’

