If a goat won’t eat it, why should I?

Farm Wars
by Barbara H. Peterson

Let’s face it. If we want something edible, we need to grow it ourselves, or at least deal with companies that actually care instead of simply saying they do in a public relations campaign all the while treating their customers like red-headed step children.

Take for example, Grimmway Farms. This company is the largest grower, producer, and shipper of carrots in the world. I recently acquired a package of their conventionally grown bagged whole carrots, so I decided to see if my goats would like them. They are being raised with no pesticides or GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Well, I may as well have been holding a skunk in my hand because they would have nothing to do with them. Fiona was raised on a porch and hand fed for a good portion of her life. She eats everything out of my hand. Except those carrots… Red is a good eater also, and will eat just about anything on the ranch. Except those carrots…

So, I contacted Grimmway. Here is the question and response:

Question or Comments:
What pesticides do you use for your conventional bagged carrots? My goats refuse to eat them.

Response:
Thank you for contacting us with your question. The best I can reply is that potentially we could use any pesticide approved by the USDA for use on carrots. Products actually used is considered proprietary information and will vary depending on the needs of each particular field.

Best regards,
Sherilyn Curti
Consumer Relations Coordinator

In other words, it’s none of your business, trust us and the USDA. Yeah, the same USDA that hides GMOs that are banned in other countries, yet are miraculously declared “safe” in the good old USA. Hey, the stuff doesn’t even have to be labeled! So, why is it surprising that Grimmway would respond that knowing what pesticides are on my carrots is basically none of my business? Just eat the garbage and shut up. We know what’s best, and what’s best is our bottom line. Don’t bother us with your insipid questions.

I checked out What’s On My Food.org and found that there are typically 26 pesticide residues found by the USDA pesticide data program on carrots alone. No wonder my goats won’t eat them. I won’t either. Evidently goats are smarter than humans. They know poison when they smell it.

I’m done with Grimmway carrots, and I’m done with big box companies that don’t think we have a right to know what we are purchasing and putting on the table. Trust them? In a pig’s eye. Eat your own poison, I’ve had enough, thank you!