During the morning session speakers will discuss food safety, veggie libel laws, antibiotic resistance caused by intensive livestock farming, animal cruelty in industrial meat production, concentration in agriculture and the effects of industrial agriculture on rural communities. In the afternoon, speakers will cover the environmental, human health and economic advantages of buying locally produced food, and direct marketing of organic produce and meats. A panel of local family farmers will describe their experiences bypassing the industrial food distribution system. We encourage you to attend. The symposium is recommended for farmers, consumers, and activists concerned about the quality of our food supply and the moral and environmental implications of industrial scale factory farms.
Space is limited, so early registration is advised.
Sponsored by U.S. Senators Tom Harkin and Chuck Grassley as a follow-up to a meeting in So. St. Paul last spring. Then, Joel Klein met with close to 1,000 farmers in the Twin Cities and agreed to study concentration issues closely. He has since testified that concentration is not a big worry and approved the Continental - Cargill grain merger. The Cedar Rapids meeting should be an important opportunity to register disapproval to concentration.