Don Carr

Author Description

11 January

The Farm Bureau Four

Written by Don Carr

Food and farm reformers have rightly been focusing on the presidential primary season, urging candidates to talk about agriculture and engage in “good food” issues. But there’s another presidential race that will have profound impacts on our future food and farm system. And this contest has been flying under the radar of the good...

#ROA, Republicofawesome Ag Lobby, food movement, politics Comments are off

17 December

Monsanto’s Climate Cowardice

Written by Don Carr

The increasing vagaries of climate change are already having profound impacts on agriculture and how we grow our food. The short of it is unless we find a way to drastically reduce green house gas emissions while sequestrating more carbon, we’re screwed. Droughts, floods, volatile weather and pests will make it much harder to...

#ROA, Republicofawesome Ag Lobby, Climate Change, GMO Comments are off

15 December

Ted Cruz’s Million Dollar Food Stamp Question

Written by Don Carr

Politico reported on GOP presidential nomination Senator Ted Cruz’s recent crop insurance flip-flop. Crop insurance — essentially Obamacare for corn — is heavily subsidized. It’s also important to farmers in the crucial campaign state of Iowa. Cruz, whose supporters characterize him as a “full spectrum constitutional conservative” had initially voted to cut $3 billion in...

#ROA, Republicofawesome farm subsidies, food stamps, politics, White House Comments are off

20 November

Does the chicken industry pluck farmers?

Written by Don Carr

Since the end of World War II, poultry companies have been fine-tuning a system that gets farmers to compete to grow the most poultry. It’s called the tournament payment system, and by now it’s fiercely efficient, rewarding farmers who churn out big chickens on the cheap and penalizing those who don’t. It’s a system...

#ROA, Republicofawesome Animal Welfare, Food Comments are off

13 November

The Wrong Way

Written by Don Carr

Republican Matt Bevin’s recent triumph for the governorship in Kentucky underscores the long downward slide for Democrats in rural America. Due to Tea Party waves and cycles of lackluster outreach efforts the blue squad has seen its numbers dwindle in farm country. What could help farm state D’s wander out of the darkness? According...

#ROA, Republicofawesome, TheRepublicofawesome Ag Lobby, ethanol, politics Comments are off

05 November

Agri-culture: Spader Vs. Cooper on GMO TV

Written by Don Carr

We’ve reached peak saturation in our heated national brawl over genetic modification when two major network prime-time TV dramas stumble into the GMO debate in the space of two weeks. Even better, it features two leading men generally taking opposite sides in the discussion. On the most definitely pro-GMO side, Bradley Cooper reprises his role as...

#ROA, #ROA #Republicofawesome entertainment, GMO Comments are off

01 November

A Food Party Dress Rehearsal

Written by Don Carr

Wednesday’s handshake agreement to possibly stave off cuts to subsidies to insurance companies for administering the crop insurance program was a master class in how to defend federal turf. Food movement types would do well to study and start to replicate the conventional agriculture sector’s response. It was a wonder to behold. While it’s...

#ROA, Republicofawesome Climate Change, farm subsidies, food movement, food stamps, politics, White House 3 Comments

23 October

Food Fight: A DC Food and Farm Policy Talk Show

Written by Don Carr

National Food Day is Saturday, underscoring how the way our food is grown, raised, produced, bought, sold, shared, and consumed has grabbed the national consciousness and become deeply intertwined with our political process. To that end, Baylen Linnekin and I have started developing Food Fight, a thought-provoking, weekly talk radio show/podcast focused on food...

#ROA #Republicofawesome food movement, politics, ROA 1 Comment

21 October

Hot Diggity: Plate of the Union

Written by Don Carr

Last week while I was lamenting the lack of a coherent “Food Party” to press candidates ahead of the first Democratic debate, a coalition of groups and food movement powerhouses were planning a full-on assault on the primary process. Plate of the Union launched yesterday with a press event that included Food Policy Action, the Union of...

#ROA, Republicofawesome food movement, politics, White House Comments are off

13 October

A Democratic Primary Debate “Food Party” Policy Questionnaire

Written by Don Carr

Let’s assume the nascent “good food” movement had its collective shit together enough to coalesce and organize into a coherent political force like the farm lobby. The Club for Growth has famously hamstrung conservative politicians with its tax pledge and its not out of the question to think someday the food movement could exercise...

#ROA, Republicofawesome farm subsidies, Food, food movement, politics, White House Comments are off

‹1 234 5 ›»