Fun Links Friday IV – Food (Policy) For Thought

Is it already the end of the week? Where does the time go? How was your week? And what happened in the world regarding food policy? Let’s see:

Tom Philpott highlights in this article that Mid-West farms are getting ready to lose a ton of money because the three main crops (soybeans, corn and wheat) all stand at very low prices because of good harvests all around. And he makes the best of arguments: “why not take some of the Midwest’s vast stock of farmland—say, 10 percent?—and devote it to vegetable and fruit production? And take another slice of it and bring it back to perennial grass for pasture-based beef and pork production? Both vegetables and pastured meat deliver much more income pre acre than commodity corn and soybeans, once the systems are up and running and the infrastructure in place. And considering how much of our produce comes from drought-stricken California, that would likely be a wise move from a food security standpoint.” Yes yes yes, finally somebody says that. But from what I heard yesterday (more on that later), this message still hasn’t reached food policy makers in the US.

Could this Ethiopian grain be the new quinoa? Teff, with low water needs, great yields and high protein contents, is being trialed in the US as a feed and food crop. Plus, since it would be produced locally in the US, you would avoid the possible negative side-effects of rising quinoa demand.

James Kennedy, a chemistry teacher from Australia, makes the coolest infographics about wild vs. domesticated varieties of fruit and vegetables. Check out the peach one, for example! He’s also made more for watermelon, corn, and other fruits. Check out his blog for more!

This experiment wants to ‘prove that foodies are full of garbage’. It’s two guys buying McDonald’s food, cutting it up in small pieces and serving it at a high-end food expo. The comments they get are priceless, especially when they ask people to compare the taste to McDonald’s food. True, it might just be politeness – but funny nevertheless.