It has been a while since I have written of the Farm Bill but since this weekend marked Earth Day I thought it was a good time to educate and reflect on this massive bill that defines so much of how we Americans interact with the environment.
Before we dive in I must digress. This Bill is an absolute monstrosity and in many aspects I will not be able to cover all pieces in the span of this post.
The Farm Bill, currently the 2014 version, is an impressive 1000+ page document. This document has as much to do with how the Federal Government subsidizes the farming industry as it does with how our kids eat in school. To say that this thing has its tentacles in a lot of aspects of our lives is an understatement. It could be said that every time you open your refrigerator, you are peering into an aspect of the Farm Bill.
Our Food and Farming practices are under constant stress. If its not overpopulation and food scarcity, then its poor crop performance, or food waste. When our food is in trouble, our communal environment is certainly in trouble. The Earth and its health are a the core of the Farm Bill.
2017 is unique in that America has had a massive tidal shift in its politics at the top level. Given what has transpired and the suggestive fights that the new administration is choosing to have, there is a good chance that the Farm Bill and its environmental impacts are certainly going to come up at some point.
But aside from Politics, the farm bill deserves attention because of another glaring fact; WASTE.
Americans waste over 30% of our food. When you put that on the scale of the entire planet and its population it is a very daunting amount of food waste. It is important to remember that Americans are the most "well fed" country in the world, where indulgences in food pretty much consume at least some aspect of our daily life. This fact differs from practically the rest of the human population. The US Farm Bill is built to handle and support this waste, and I find it scary.
As much as the Farm Bill determines how to set commodity prices, subsidize farmers, and allocate food throughout the country; it also sets the tone for how we respect the ground from which this food comes.
Food waste, subsidies on GMO, subsidies on beef, subsidies on CHEAP food production have environmental effects. Farming practices currently are stressing certain areas of the country and soil quality is faltering. GMO crops are questionable to our health and the amount of Fossil Fuels it takes to produce them creates a green house gas dilemma. Cheap food products encourage the use of herbicides and pesticides to increase yields.
Now I do not mean to sound so doom and gloom. The US Farm Bill also is the darling of the Country because there are some great addendums in the bill that actually help the environment. Establishing land conservation, nutrition guidelines, and helping struggling farmers motivate politicians and musicians to stand up and fight for this epic piece of legislation.
What I ask on this Earth Day weekend is for everyone to understand the Bill a little better. Our environment is being pushed to the limits, closer and closer to breaking with each passing year. The farm bill helps and hurts our environment by stockpiling special legislation inside without ever cleaning house. Politics plays with the environment like it is an ATM with unlimited funds. Lets all take a stab at writing our congress person about our concerns for the environment, the bill and actions that are bing taken to help keep our world better for our kids. We athletes are only as good as the food and environment that we live in. Treat it with respect.
For More information on the farm bill HERE is a good place to start.
4/24
Baseline:
2X :30 At each
High Leg Kicks
Inchworm Push Ups
Side Lunges
Standing Toe Touch
Russian Twist
Barbell Prep:
3X8 @ light Load
Single Leg Deadlift
Barbell Bent Over Row (supine hand position)
Romanian Deadlift
***Spend 6 Minutes Building to a healthy 5 rep Deadlift
Strength:
Deadlift
5-5-5-5
*same weight across sets
Conditioning:
6-12-24-12-6
Front Squat 155/105 135/85 or 115/75
Clapping Push Up or Deficit Push Up
Deadlift
4/25
Baseline:
Roll Out lats and Scapula for 5 minutes
Rotator Cuff Sequence W/ 2.5-5# weights: Scare Crow pull and rotation, Bent over Flys, bent over superman, front raises, lateral raises, high pull, corkscrew, wide presses, narrow criss-cross presses.
Snatch Warm Up:
7 x romanian deadlift
7 x snatch high pull
7 x muscle snatch
7 x tempo overhead squat @ 23X1
7 x snatch balance
7 x power snatch to OHS
7 x snatch pull under
7 x hang (squat) snatch
***Spend 8 minutes Warming up to a healthy hang Snatch weight
Barbell Conditioning:
EMOM 10
1- hang Squat snatch
3 Overhead Squats
**same weight across
WOD:
30 Cal Row
20 Hang Squat Snatch 75/55
30 Lateral Bar Hops **these should be fast plyometric hops, SPEED!
2/26
Baseline:
6 min Quality AMRAP
5 Kip Swing Bar OR Rings
5 Hollow Rocks
5 Divebomber Push Ups
5 Elbow To Instep W/ Reach
**Spend 6 Minutes Reviewing Gymnastic Movements and scaling
Gymnastic Strength:
16 Min EMOM
1- Toes To Bar 10-14 reps
2- Pistol Squat 10-14
3- Wall Climb or HS Walk :30-:35 seconds
4- Muscle Ups 2-5 reps
WOD:
10 Min AMRAP
Pull Ups
Burpee Over Box
3-6-9-12-15-18....
