Farm and Food File

Featured Recipe from “Recipes from ”

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

2 (10 oz.) cans chunked chicken (drained) 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

August Kveno New Ulm, MN

1 c. ranch ¾ c. Frank’s RedHot sauce 1½ c. cheddar cheese

Heat chicken and hot sauce in skillet over medium heat until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in ½ of the shredded cheese, transfer to slow cooker. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Cover and cook on low until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery, chicken flavored crackers or tortilla chips.

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Finding new ground

Some observers see the ers and applicators to spray Black Lives Matter movean estimated four million ment as a tidal wave washgallons of dicamba on 60 ing away America’s original million U.S. acres to create sin — slavery — and the yet another year of “subsystemic racism it fostered stantial drift harm to farmfor more than 400 years. ers” — the exact reason for Maybe, but as the last 75 years of the American civil rights movement has proven time and again — and FARM & FOOD FILE By Alan Guebert the lawsuit — who didn’t plant dicamba-tolerant crops. It’s a room service examoften in blood — rooting out hatred requires more than water or promises. OPINION ple of why an increasing number of Americans distrust Big Ag, the U.S. It demands a true change of heart Department of Agriculture, and govfrom America’s people and its ernment in general: they’re better at government. bending laws than abiding by them; Right now, however, our deeply divided government and even more better at sowing confusion than clarifying it. divided people can’t agree on what Another early June example of news is “fake” let alone how to fight a USDA taking on extra-legal authority deadly pandemic or eliminate the is Secretary of Agriculture Sonny equally deadly blight of bigotry. Perdue’s $3 billion “Farmers to How deep is our divide? Ridiculously deep. For example, according to survey data cited in the June 9 Wall Street Journal, “Those who say they always wear a face mask in public settings said they support Joe Biden, the Democrats’ presumptive presidential nominee, over Mr. Trump, 66 percent Families Food Box Program,” that the White House explains as a way to deliver excess farm produce directly to hungry families. The idea, however, flies in the face of reality and has been killed repeatedly by Congress as wasteful, duplicative, and an open-ended Christmas gift to political insiders and posers. to 26 percent. Those who never or So far, it’s been all those things. rarely wear a face mask back Mr. USDA has already discovered several Trump 83 percent to 7 percent.” wildly unqualified suppliers that The stark difference may partly explain why the United States leads the world in Covid-19 deaths. As of June 10, the viral killer has claimed 114,000 Americans in less than four months. If experts are correct, it likely hopped on its newest gravy train. One, a San Antonio wedding planner, received a $39 million USDA contract to deliver “produce, meat, and dairy to charitable organizations like the [local] food bank.” will kill another 50,000 to 60,000 by When that news became public, and Election Day, Nov. 3. the laughter died down, the wedding

With that level of division already planner was kicked off the program. present in America, now is not the By the end of May, however, the San time to sow more through confoundAntonio Food Bank, which made its ing, conflicting federal action, right? own national headlines because of Recent events in ag prove otherwise. “aerial shots of thousands in line to On June 3, a federal appeals court effectively banned the use of dicambabased crop sprays in the United States. Five days later, however, the pick up food,” still had “not received relief from one of the USDA’s … biggest winners,” Perdue’s food box scheme. Environmental Protection Agency By some miracle, however, a week ruled that farmers and commercial later Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the applicators could use dicamba stocks President, announced “5 million boxes they had on hand as of the court’s rulhave been successfully delivered to ing date. Americans most in need all across the

That meant the court order somehow country…” was bent by the White House for farm- See GUEBERT, pg. 5