Consumer pressure to prevent E. coli 0157:H7 outbreaks has prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement new testing and recall practices in the beef industry.

While Undersecretary of Food Safety Richard Raymond maintains that our food supply is safer than it has ever been, he acknowledged that something needs to be done concerning the dangers of E. coli in our meat.

'Since January there have been 15 recalls related to E. coli in beef this year, eight of those have been associated with human illnesses. In comparison, in 2006 there were only eight related recalls and none of those were related to human illnesses and in 2005 there were only five E. coli related recalls. So obviously something has changed,' he said.

The new procedures will focus on methods to keep tainted beef out of the marketplace. Starting in November, all beef processing plants must verify that they are effectively controlling contamination. In addition, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service will routinely sample for E. coli O157:H7 at all processing facilities.

It makes me feel a little better to know that someone is taking steps to prevent illness outbreaks, but it occurred to me that perhaps there are more factors to consider. Shouldn't we also be making an effort to determine how this deadly strain became a problem in the first place? Tell me what you think: Are E. coli 0157:H7 contaminations simply a product of the meat-packing process, or do farming practices play a role in this?

One of the challenges of a homestead lifestyle is how to move water from one location to another. There are hand and electric pumps for well water and pumps powered by the grid or a generator to move water to remote locations. But what if your water source is downhill, the field that needs watering is uphill and you have no power available to move the water up the hill.

The answer is a ram pump (sometimes known as a trompe). With no external power source at all, you can use the pressure of falling water to push water vertically uphill as far as 65 feet. Commercial ram pumps are available, but you can build this wonderful 'machine' yourself for a fraction of the cost.

This 1973 article provides a formula for determining how much water you can expect your pump to deliver, as well as a source, still in business, for a commercial unit. An article from 1979 shows how to build your own ram pump using easy to acquire materials.

If you have experience constructing and using a ram pump, please post a comment below.

Moving to a new part of the country or just across town can be a grand adventure. But the process of sorting, packing and transporting your multi-year accumulation of possessions can be a real chore.

Professional movers use a lot of paper when they wrap items to be boxed. In fact, I have found that after unwrapping a box of dishes, the paper used to wrap the dishes, when wadded up and put back into the box, fills the box! If you are going to be packing and moving yourself, you will need a good supply of clean paper, newspaper ink can rub off. Most U-haul and other self-storage companies sell reams of paper for packing, along with bubble wrap for very fragile items. And printing companies may have end-of-roll paper available.

To cut down on the cost of moving, you can kill two birds with one stone by using towels, sheets and blankets as packing material. Pillows also are great to use in the bottom of boxes that will hold heavy items, such as a lamp base. Be creative with your packing and you will use fewer boxes thus cutting down on the cost of the move.

Due to a delay in Congressional budget decisions, specifically the Ag Appropriations bill, our beloved National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA) is again in desperate need of funding help.

ATTRA supplies our nation's farmers with a central location to which they can turn for invaluable information and resources to help them in their efforts to incorporate more sustainable practices into their operations. Many small farmers depend on ATTRA to supply funding and learning opportunities, and ATTRA in turn depends on a federal grant for the means to stay up and running.

To avoid staff cuts or a further reduction in services (they are currently unable to mail their newsletter, conduct workshops, provide research services to callers, or continue their many publications), they are soliciting donations. Click here if you are able to contribute. Even just $25 will help!

There is a sense of satisfaction and security that comes from having rows of colorful, gleaming jars of fruits and vegetables on my pantry shelves. As each kind of produce begins to show up at the farmer's market, I recheck my supplies to make sure there are enough lids and jars to accommodate the next round of canning.

A question I have frequently encountered is 'how much home-canned food is enough to feed my family for six to nine months?' This question assumes that for the summer months fresh fruits and vegetables are consumed, while preserved food is used for the other three-quarters of the year. Fresh produce purchased at the grocery store is not a part of this equation.

So, how much does it take to feed a family of four from the home pantry? Carla Emery, author of The Encyclopedia of Country Living, offers practical advice on just about any question you have on raising your own food. In the chapter on 'Food Preservation' is a canner's planning chart. Here are some of her recommendations, including portion size, for a family of four:

Soups: 4/week for 36 weeks, 1 cup serving, 72 quarts
Jams & jellies: 6/week for 52 weeks, 2 tbsp serving, 80 pints
Greens, carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash: 4/week for 36 weeks, half cup serving, 72 quarts
Pickled vegetables: 2/week for 52 weeks, 21/2 tbsp serving, 52 pints
Citrus fruits/juices and tomatoes: 7/week for 36 weeks, 1 cup serving, 252 quarts
All other fruits/veggies: 14/week for 36 weeks, half cup serving, 304 quarts

WOW! Obviously, we are not suggesting that you need to do this much canning to provide for your family. Many people freeze rather than can their fruits and vegetables or store them fresh in a root cellar. But most of us, I bet, are happy to have a few dozen jars of our favorite canned produce in the pantry to get us by until the next fresh-food season.

But if you are serious about self-sufficiency and want to offer the most nutritious and flavorful food to your family, keep these quantities in mind when planning for next years's garden and market purchases.

Organic food is gaining popularity across the country. Whether this popularity can be chalked up to health-related concerns about pesticides, an interest in supporting earth-friendly agriculture or both, it's without a doubt that more of us are seeking out organic products than ever before.

While this is definitely a good thing, it also leads to an increase in the number of companies that want to market their product as organic when that might not be the case, per the many guidelines of organic food production.

The National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) has come to the rescue with the industry's first fraud detection and prevention program. NCGA and the International Organic Accreditation Service will help retailers ensure that 'certified organic' means 'certified organic.' 

Whether you have a monster wood-burning furnace in your basement or small cook stove in the kitchen, providing the right size wood to keep the wood burners burning is an ongoing winter chore. And having the right wood cutting and splitting tools can be a real asset.

In 1979 and 1980 Mother Earth News magazine ran the results of two wood splitting contests and mentioned the monster maul in both. This maul is an all metal ax with a triangular-shaped head similar to a splitting wedge. But in this case, the head is attached to a full-length metal ax handle. In 2001, when I started working for Mother Earth News, one of the first reader questions I was asked was 'where can I buy the monster maul?'

As a new employee, I might have been stumped, wondering what a monster maul was. But, as it happens, I own one. In fact I first saw it advertised in the magazine in the early 1970s. The original manufacturer was the Sotz Corporation, which I discovered is no longer in business. This was not good news. The monster maul is a great tool, especially for splitting tough, knotty rounds of wood.

An Internet hunt revealed that Northern Tools sells a similar splitting maul. It's a bit lighter weight than the monster, 12 pounds rather than 15. But I have been pleased to direct readers who ask for the monster maul to their Web site.

You can read more on cutting and splitting firewood in these articles or by searching at www.MotherEarthNews.com

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/2004-10-01/Bucking-your-own-Wood.aspx

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1980-11-01/The-Time-Honored-Art-of-Splitting-Wood.aspx

And you can share your favorite wood cutting or splitting tools in the comment section below.

Here's your chance to protect the future of American agriculture: Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) is taking entries for their New Voices Competition. If you have a vision for a new direction in agriculture, one that combines profitability, land and water stewardship, and a better connection between farmers and the communities around them, speak up.

Entrants can submit their ideas in an essay of 700-1,000 words, or in an audio/video format five to 10 minutes long. There's even a photo contest. Click here for more details and a complete set of rules. Winners will present their ideas in the closing session of SARE's 20^th Anniversary Conference in Kansas City, Mo., and will see their plan in various SARE publications.