U.S. House Moves to Allow Prescription Imports

If you live near the Canadian border and experience a financial burden from expensive pharmaceuticals, this is great news.

The measure was included in H.R. 3161, which the President already said he would veto on the basis of cost.

The Globe and Mail reports today that the President will veto the bill, which passed by a 237 to 18 vote. The statement from the administration expresses concern over consumer safety.
Curiously, the same bill bans import of meat and poultry grown or processed in China, but according to Reuters:

The White House said China's poultry inspection system "is equivalent to the system in the United States."

One hopes it is at least better than China's toy inspection system or pet food inspection system.

Michigan's own Mike Rogers is quoted in the Globe and Mail piece:

“I understand the intention to lower drug prices to the seniors, that is critically important,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich. “What we're doing is throwing open the gates to every [drug] counterfeiter in the world.”

Supporters of the legislation want to provide consumers access to affordable medication. The pharmaceutical industry tried to block the measure.
No surprises really.

UM Study: Organic Farming Can Feed the World

Lookout Monsanto, ADM, Cargill, ConAgra...a new UM study reports that "organic farming can yield up to three times as much food as conventional farming on the same amount of land—according to new findings which refute the long-standing assumption that organic farming methods cannot produce enough food to feed the global population."

From the press release:

According to lead researcher Ivetta Perfecto,"Corporate interest in agriculture and the way agriculture research has been conducted in land grant institutions, with a lot of influence by the chemical companies and pesticide companies as well as fertilizer companies—all have been playing an important role in convincing the public that you need to have these inputs to produce food."

"Organic farming is important because conventional agriculture—which involves high-yielding plants, mechanized tillage, synthetic fertilizers and biocides—is so detrimental to the environment, Perfecto said. For instance, fertilizer runoff from conventional agriculture is the chief culprit in creating dead zones—low oxygen areas where marine life cannot survive. Proponents of organic farming argue that conventional farming also causes soil erosion, greenhouse gas emission, increased pest resistance and loss of biodiversity."

90,000 Hens Killed in Allegan County

A barn fire Sunday morning killed 90,000 hens and caused $2 million damage in Overisel Township. The fire was contained to one barn on a farm with eight barns and nearly a million chickens. The AP reports that the barn and chickens were insured.

One million chickens. Here is a photo of my grandmother from the 1930s. She kept poultry to provide eggs and meat for her family. Some geese and chickens--countable on two hands, enough during the Great Depression. Each bird was fed and slaughtered by her hand for the sake of her family. The poultry was the insurance.

Today, we are cut off from the truth of food production and the fact of our vulnerability. We are separated from the struggle to provide for ourselves and our obesity proves it. We are "shoppers," "consumers," and "customers"--half of the production/consumption equation, rather than wholly self sufficient persons who understand the power of enough.

Small is Beautiful: Conversation with Glenn Bourland

Glenn Bourland, owner of Ann Arbor's By the Pound, says business is good. I met with him today to get his take on the current economic conditions in Ann Arbor and Michigan.

The store, celebrating its 25th year of operation, has been in Bourland's ownership for the last 12 years. Offering bulk foods, ethnic specialty foods and gourmet products, the international inventory ranges from tea and coffee to nuts and grains, spices and candies. Located in South Main Market, the store enjoys sustained business from a regular and loyal clientele. Bourland attributes his steady business success to his focus on products that are staples in the kitchen. "I sell things that people will buy even if their discretionary income is lower. Some of the products are specialty items, but none of them are very expensive," Bourland shared. Even in what most believe is a very weak economy, By the Pound is doing well.

Contrary to conventional business wisdom, Bourland didn't have a business plan when he pitched into running the store 12 years ago. But his instincts have proven sound and the store is thriving. His approach to running the place is very common sense. I asked Bourland for any insights he had to share with people contemplating starting a new business. "It takes a lot of work and thinking outside the box. You need to keep overhead low. I don't hire out anything I can do myself. I do my own bookkeeping, taxes, payroll, ordering, inventory, and maintenance,"Bourland said. He also mans the cash register much of the time. And that is where easy conversation cultivates longterm customer relationships.

Bourland considers customer service central to the success of his small business. "I like to talk with people. I'm not Kroger or Busch's, so the difference I offer is friendly customer service. I want to shop somewhere I enjoy going even if it is a little more expensive." And this is clearly the sort of welcoming environment Bourland fosters in his store.

In a word of caution Bourland said,"I remember reading once that if somebody likes your store they'll tell seven people, but if they don't like it, they'll tell twenty two."

Bourland's strategy is instinctive; he listens to customers and stocks what people want. He pays attention to competition and tries to keep a distinctive and high quality set of products. And he prices products carefully to ensure continued profits.

In January, a European deli called Copernicus opened next door. Bourland says business has improved with the arrival of this new neighbor. Over the years, different stores have come and gone in South Main Market. And those ups and downs have had an impact on By the Pound. Bourland has had to adjust product selections and inventory during those changes at South Main Market. For now, though, a healthy synergy is stimulating business among Bear Claw Coffee, Copernicus, By the Pound, Brazamerica, and Back Alley Gourmet.

Perhaps the effort to develop high density residential real estate downtown will add to this promising synergy. Time will tell.

Back to the Future: Local Resilience in a Global Economy

Hanging Mountain Farm in Westhampton, Massachusetts presents a case study in clashing global and local economic forces and sensibilities. It is a story of outsourcing, enterprise, niche-making, community, state support for family farms, innovative "green" architecture and landing on your feet. We in Michigan can learn from the experience and perseverance of the Aloisi family in western Massachusetts.

Owned and operated by Nita and Leo Aloisi, Hanging Mountain Farm specializes in maple products and features the Strawbale Cafe, a unique straw bale structure, designed by their daughter, architect Missa Aloisi, and built by friends and family over a three year period.

The Aloisi family's connection to the farm goes back to 1930 when Leo's father began work there. He purchased it in 1947 and Leo acquired it in 1983. According to Leo, the sugaring operation dates back at least to 1917.

In 2002, the family began construction of the cafe while Leo was still employed fulltime in IT with Dow Jones. But late last year, after 16 years with Dow Jones, Leo was "downsized." His job was sent to New Jersey. Other colleagues were "outsourced," their positions being sent to India.

Fortunately, Leo and Nita had been working to diversify their sugaring business to include a cafe. Although they had planned to develop it at a slower pace in retirement, downsizing compressed their timeline. They originally planned to serve pancake breakfasts during sugaring season, but neighbors urged them to remain open year round. Now they serve breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Sunday. This has proven a boon to the farm and created a community gathering place.

The Aloisis were able to obtain state start-up funding for the building and most recently, Leo attended a business course geared toward small farms and sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Farm Viability Program. Leo said, "It allowed me and others to develop a business plan for where we wanted to go with our individual farms. There were 15 in that class and there were 15 different plans."

A big issue for farmers in Massachusetts is determining a niche product or market in order to sustain viability. Leo described the situation of dairy farmers as a case in point: "Farmers need to become competitve with products from across the country and are doing so with products that are specialized, locally grown or unique to an area. In order to remain competitive, milk producers are selling raw milk and organic raw milk. Organic raw milk is one of the cornerstones of the new dairy market in Massachusetts. It is sold locally on the farm or delivered to customers' homes." Instead of trying to beat Big Ag at its game, small producers are creating something that Big Ag cannot produce--a specialized locally-based product with the added service of home delivery.

I told Leo about the economic difficulties in Michigan and asked him what advice he might have for workers who have been downsized or outsourced. His words were encouraging and action- oriented: "Small business is the backbone of the U.S. economy. The innovations that small businesses create are necessary to the country's economy. Find a niche. Small businesses can find and develop a unique niche more cost-effectively than large businesses can."

As for the challenges of starting a new small business, Leo emphasized the importance of a positive attitude,"The one thing that has always helped us is trying to keep a positive attitude about what is going on. It really helps you keep moving forward. Lots of things happen that can definitely throw a monkey-wrench into what you are doing. And all you can do is just smile at it and keep going forward and try not to let it overwhelm you."

Chin up, Michigan. Get local. Be positive.

And wipe that darn frown off your face. . . .

Eat at Joe's, Coney Joe's in Brighton

I drove to Brighton today in search of an address, 130 W. Grand River, found on the back of a vintage postcard, probably dating from the late 1950s.

"In Brighton, it's the Canopy. Food with imagination. Cocktail Lounge and Dining Rooms. Smorgasbord every Thursday, 5:30-9:30 p.m. Room seating 85 people. Gaslight Room seating 25 people."

You might remember this sort of place from your youth, or more likely your parents remember it from their's. Clearly, this was the place to be in 1950s, 1960s and 1970s in Brighton. Cocktails, smorgasbord, an ashtray on every single linen-draped table and even a gaslight room.

It's gone now. In fact, it's been gone for some time. According to the building's current occupant, the Canopy closed in 1989 and sat vacant until 1992 when Prudential Preview moved in. Currently, the broker-owned real estate firm, Preview Properties calls the building home. The owner of Preview Properties shared a bit about the old Canopy. Being centrally located between Lansing, Detroit, Ann Arbor and other centers, business people met their for working meals. Like many community landmarks and meeting places, the location is still remembered as the Canopy by people in southeast Michigan.

Next door and around the back you can find a restaurant celebrating 25 years in its current location. Coney Joe's, started in 1972, is still standing and serving hot dogs, burgers, fries, and even ostrich burgers.


Currently owned and operated by the founder's daughters, it boasts the "world's greatest coney." And for 2 dollars, it was quite satisfying.








One of the daughters and I talked about the current economy in this state, about the boom years of the 1990's, about the importance of small locally-owned business to a community's economic health. She had even heard about initiatives in other parts of the country to create local currencies. She allowed as how business has declined in the last two years, but then added, "since 9-11." Apparently, when the big box stores were all sprouting around Brighton, construction workers flocked to Coney Joe's. But that building rush has wound down. Still, the humble hot dog has outlasted the power-dinner smorgasbord next door. Long live Coney Joe's.