By former USDA Secretary John R. Block.
Finally – my corn and soybeans are in the ground. However, as of last Sunday there were 15.8 million U.S. corn acres still unplanted. The wet spring and ticking time clock have pushed farmers to plant fields before they are dry. This has been a very tough planting season.
U.S. corn production will drop like a rock. We just don’t know how much. Our soybean crop will also suffer. President Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on Mexico unless they help to cut off the streams of immigrants from Central America. Well that got their attention. Mexico will be sending troops to help close the door.
Also, the word is that as early as next week, Mexico will vote to approve USMCA- our new NAFTA. Canada and U.S. will still need to vote.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released a new 52-page study of school meals in response to the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act passed in 2010. Our students are eating more fruits and vegetables. We can only hope that all the ads and national news about what to eat and what not to eat will give us healthier citizens. Perhaps we will see a reduction in obesity. A positive note is that the cost of eating more fruits and vegetables isn’t any more today than it was in 2013. So, get your exercise. Eat more protein and less sugar and carbs.
Did you know that last year was the wettest on record? Did you know that GMO’s are considered safe to eat by a majority of scientists, including the National Academy of Science, the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association? But only 1/3 of consumers accept that view.
Did you know that camels’ milk could be the next super food? Rich in iron, vitamins B and C, low in fat and can fight diseases like diabetes.
When I was Ag Secretary and in Saudi Arabia standing beside a camel, the farmer handed me a cup of that camel’s milk. I drank some of it. I have been healthier ever since.
John Block was Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1981-1985, where he played a key role in the development of the 1985 Farm Bill. If you would like to review his radio shows going back more than 20 years, just go online to www.johnblockreports.com.
