Mind-Blowing Facts

Good morning my beautifuls! Anyone else craving a photon of light? At least the plants are getting adequate water to beautify our world! So, in my classes this semester I learned some mind-blowing facts. Some are awesome and others make me think "What are we thinking?!" Here they are. As always, nature photos!

The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of the same stuff as stars.

1. With modern plant breeding, we can genetically modify crops to be resistant to viruses. We could never have a problem with viruses as plant pathogens reducing our yield. BUT WE DON'T DO THIS BECAUSE THE AVERAGE US CITIZEN THINKS THAT GENETIC MODIFICATION OF A CROP WILL CAUSE THEM HARM IN SOME WAY. Please...there is absolutely no harm to you or the plant!!! Stop being absolutely ridiculous and making us waste valuable food!!

2. Most of the agriculture you see on your drive around Wisconsin is a monoculture, one crop being grown, which is most likely genetically identical. REALLY?! Are you begging for diseases and pests to eat our food?!

3. We don't put pesticide, fungicide, or herbicide usage on our food labels!! Do you really know what you're eating?! This is the shortest pesticide label I have ever seen - most are 40 pages (even for organic sprays).
http://www.bayercropscience.ca/English/LabelMSDS/202/File.ashx

4. Only 1/32 of the entire world's soil is farmed. Thanks megacities and interstates for taking up the vast majority of healthy soil. We highly appreciate it.

This is what sustains life on Earth. Take care of it.

5. 1% of the population grows food for the other 99%. Also, 45% of that 1% are over the age of 55 years old. Hmm...I'll let that one sink in.

6. We have some great new innovations to agriculture but they are rarely implemented on a large scaled. Such innovations include intercropping, green mulch, multiple crops, crop rotation (which is becoming very popular), cover crops, border crops, trap crops, and BIOCONTROLS!! *I will be researching a new biocontrol at NC State.

7. We are made of more bacterial cells than human cells.

8. More effort is spend in controlling weeds than anything else [in agriculture].

9. Most weeds were introduced as ornamentals by horticulturists. [This is when a phytopathologist says "damn you horticulturists!"]

10. PERMACULTURE IS AWESOME!! I saw one in Guatemala - look at pictures!

Permaculture utilizes every inch of space. It's also a community builder

11. This is how the water usage in the USA is broken down: 59% industry, 30% agriculture, 11% domestic (cities/homes). WE ARE HEADED TOWARDS A WATER SHORTAGE. IT WILL HAPPEN WITHIN MY LIFETIME AND LIKELY MY PARENTS AS WELL. Then what?

12. It takes thousands of years to build 1 inch of topsoil (where we grow crops). This can be eroded within a few years if we don't practice soil conservation.

13. 30-60% of agriculture output is wasted. THAT'S A LOT!!!

14. 37% of WI adults are obese. 25% of high school students are obese. 29% of the 2-4 year old children in WI are on WIC programs. 1 of 9 households in WI are food insecure (don't know where or when their next meal will be). *That means 1 household on my section Little Elkhart Lake Road is food insecure!!

15. The USA only produces 50% of the recommended servings of fruit for the entire US population. So how are we supposed to be properly nourished?

This is basically my diet. Yum :)

16. 1 in 6 Americans will get food borne illness every year. 46% of produce, 24% which are leafy greens, are the main culprit. **It only takes 5 E. coli cells to get us sick. **60% of our veggies are imported. These veggies are 3.5 times more likely to be contaminated.

17. WE KNOW HOW TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM! Once again, the public is being ridiculous and FALSELY claims that irradiated food is toxic to us. WRONG!!!!!


WARNING: THE FOLLOWING FACTS AGGRAVATE ME TO NO END. DON'T WASTE YOUR FOOD, DO NOT!

18. 60% of the food wasted is at home. That means all of you who read this.

19. 48.8 million US citizens are food insecure. That is 6.5% of the US population. This is a cool website: http://www.census.gov/popclock/

20. Reducing food waste by 25% could feed 43 million people 3 times a day AND could END HUNGER for 430 million Americans (if we had that many. We have 315 million in the USA).

21. Americans waste 160 billion pounds of food a year. Food is now the NUMBER ONE item in a land fill (about 19% of a landfill). why? why? why? 

DON'T DO THIS! EAT YOUR FOOD!!

22. 1/3 of the food brought home is never eaten.

23. 8% of the food we serve ourselves goes into the trash.

24. To help reduce food waste (and lower obesity): Reduce your standard plate of 12" down to 10". You will eat 22% less calories.

Tricky eh?

25. We have no concept of portion size. Look up what a portion size of your favorite food is. You'll be shocked. 

26. Compost reduced waste of food by 30%. I have a compost in my apartment. With 3 girls, we probably produce about 15 pounds of compostable material in a week (easily). 
      *fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, tea leaves, newspaper, brown paper bags, egg shells, and nut shells are compostable. 

I just love this photo so much. Love your Earth. She loves you.

27. One more!! The chances of YOU being born (exactly the DNA composition as you are) are 1 in 40 million. *You spend 30 minutes as a single cell :)