Growing Hope Foundation

Hello my friends,
Today I am writing about something I have written about a number of times in the past – the importance of healthy soil to our future and that of our children. Today, however, I am coming at the topic from a slightly different angle. The reason is because of an article I read not long ago. But, more than that, about who wrote the article, and the organization they referred to in the article.
The article I read was entitled “Healthy Soil Serves as Insurance During Extreme Weather” and was published by the daily newsletter of the organizaiton “No-Till Farmer.” If you’ve read my blog regularly, you know this is the kind of topic that always grabs my attention since Growing Hope promotes minimum tillage and even more so, no-till practices.
But, the reason this article especially caught my eye was because of the organization that was cited as they reported this story. Many of the details found in the article were pulled from a report that was published recently by the National Wildlife Federation.
When it comes to the environment, there are a myriad of different voices all clamoring to be heard. And, sometimes one voice feels it is being drowned out by another, possibly opposing, voice. Oftentimes this results in clashes among groups that, were they to stop and evaluate their end goals, they would find them to be quite similar.
That is why this particular article caught my attention. Now, I have no idea if No-Till Farmer is in any way “at odds with” the National Wildlife Federation. It is hard to tell by looking at the websites of either if they are politically aligned with one particular philosophy over another. But, just the fact that one organization quoted facts put out by a different organization that just may, in the political realm, be somewhat conflicting, is admirable. No-Till Farmer saw value in some specific work of the National Wildlife Federation and so they made that information known to its readers.
Not to make more of it than is there, but I see it as bridge-building of sorts. On a much grander and broader scale, to be able recognize that someone, or some group, that I might not always agree with about everything, occasionally admitting that sometimes that person or group may have an idea worth supporting; an idea that also furthers a cause I am passionate about.
Stubborn human nature tends to draw attention to our differences. Sometimes it is important to recognize our similarities.
My challenge for you today – think of some person or group towards whom you would normally feel a sense of anamosity and instead try to identify something, anything, you may hold in common. The result may be a pleasant surprise.
Enjoy the day, my friends.
Julie

Hi friends,
I heard a very interesting story on the radio the other day that had to do with – you guessed it – labels on egg cartons. As with most things I tend to write about, it sounds like a rather benign topic on the surface, but do a little scratching, like a chicken searching for grubs, and you might find something you didn’t expect.
For instance, I never stopped to think about it before, but one thing they talked about was the “organic” labeling. As soon as they started talking about it, my ears perked up because I was like, “well, an egg is laid by a chicken, and that is a natural process, therefore shouldn’t that qualify it as an organic product no matter what?” No. An egg is “organic” if the chicken that laid it eats only “organic” feed, and is not injected with any antibiotics. I found that interesting.
Another thing I learned was that if the carton states that the chickens were raised “cage-free”, that does not necessarily mean that they were free to roam about in some farm yard. All it means is precisely what it states: that the chickens were not housed in a wire pen. But, they still may not have had access to the outside, nor did they necessarily enjoy any more room in which to flap their wings than “caged” chickens. They can be just as cramped and sun-deprived. It’s simply that there are no “wire cages” involved. Good to know.
Personally, I love eggs. They’re relatively inexpensive, they’re relatively good for you, and I find them to be very tasty. But, I have noticed those labels from time to time and have wondered about them. I am glad to learn that maybe some of my assumptions were not exactly accurate. And, dare I say, some of the labels could almost be construed as “misleading.” Not in a criminal sense, but sort of as in “we never said they were free to roam about; we only said they were ‘cage-free’, and check it out, no cages here!”
Not everyone feels compelled to read labels on food packaging. But, if you are someone who likes to read the labels so you can feel you are better informed about your eating choices, you might want to do a little homework before reading any more labels because “they might not mean what you think they mean.”
I’ve said it before, and I continue to brandish it as a sword – be aware, people! Not “BEWARE”, but simply “Be Aware.” That is our responsibility as members of society.
Have a great day!
Julie