Latest news with #Seabrook
New York Post
a day ago
- Business
- New York Post
My grandfather ‘the destroyer': Inside the ruthless world of NJ's frozen veggie kings
When John Seabrook first discussed writing a book about his grandfather, C.F. Seabrook, and the family's agricultural empire with his mother, her response shocked him, as he reveals in 'The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty' (WW Norton). 'Don't write about your family,' she said. 'Just don't.' Seabrook was perplexed. 'Maybe she knew what I was going to find out,' he writes. In 'The Spinach King,' he unearths the story of how his grandfather created one of the world's largest farming operations, as well as the ugly means that got him there. 9 C.F. Seabrook with factory workers in the 1950s. The Seabrook family's pioneering expansion of the frozen vegetable market is chronicled in a new book. Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center 'Charles Franklin Seabrook, my grandfather, was the principal dreamer, main promoter, master builder, and autocratic ruler of this industrial farming empire – and ultimately its destroyer,' he writes. At its peak in the mid-1950s, Seabrook Farms owned or controlled 50,000 acres in southwestern New Jersey, employed 8,000 people, and grew and packed about a third of the nation's frozen vegetables. Dubbed the 'Henry Ford of Agriculture,' C.F. Seabrook had taken over his father's farm in 1911, transforming its fortunes with his innovative approach to agriculture. He introduced new irrigation and mechanization and diversified into building roads and railroads. But it was his pioneering use of quick-freezing vegetables in the 1930s, partnering with Birdseye, that sent Seabrook stratospheric. 'In our family history, he was Thomas Edison and Henry Ford in the same Dagwood sandwich; a great American who had elevated us from dirt farmers to industrialists in a single generation,' writes John Seabrook. Seabrook Farms was so successful that a 1959 Life magazine story described it as 'the biggest vegetable factory on earth.' 9 C.F. Seabrook seen here with his family. Courtesy of John Seabrook 9 A tractor at Seabrook Farm, the family's vast agricultural estate in New Jersey. Heritage Images via Getty Images In 1969, meanwhile, director Stanley Kubrick featured an astronaut in '2001: A Space Odyssey' sucking a Seabrook Farms Liquipack on their way to the moon. Thousands of workers worked for Seabrook: Russians, Syrians, Germans, Hungarians, Jamaicans, and Japanese Americans, many personally sponsored by Seabrook under the Displaced Persons Act and all paying rent to him. Workers were divided into three sections; whites, 'negroes' and Americans, with each living in separate 'villages' and their rent depending on their ethnicity. African-Americans were given the worst accommodation, without water or sanitary facilities, with European immigrants receiving the next level of housing, and Americans the best standard. 9 Seabrook was known for his ruthless anti-labor practices, most notably during a 1934 labor strike by company workers. Bettmann Archive It also determined their job. 'In the workplace, Blacks were confined to the field and weren't allowed to work in the plant at all, to say nothing of management, which was entirely white, Protestant, and male,' adds Seabrook. Behind the public image of the successful businessman was a man feared by everyone. 'Ambition, energy, and ingenuity drove his rise,' writes Seabrook, 'but violence and terror allowed him to maintain control.' 9 The Seabrook family partners with Bird's Eye vegetables as part of the expansion plan that made them frozen food leaders. REUTERS The way he tackled a strike in the summer of 1934 was typical. Seabrook's revenues from quick-freezing were slow to materialize, and by that summer, it became necessary to cut wages and lay off workers. 'That was when the trouble started,' says Seabrook. 9 Bird's Eye products were so ubiquitous that they were even featured in the movie '2001: A Space Odyssey.' With resentment stoked by the workers' miserable living standards, C.F. Seabrook amassed a vigilante strike force to subdue protests and even enlisted the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan to crush the 'Communist agitators' holding up operations. The results were violent and terrifying; the KKK burned crosses outside black workers' homes. Belford Seabrook, one of C.F. Seabrook's three sons, reportedly threw a small bomb into a house with a mother and her children inside. Workers had their homes surrounded with chicken wire to prevent their escape, and tear gas was employed to quell protestors. 9 C.F. Seabrook was compared to other American industrial moguls such as Henry Ford and Thomas Edison (above). Bettmann Archive Appeals were made to New Jersey Gov. Harry Moore to declare martial law and send in the National Guard. While a deal was eventually struck, most black strikers were fired, and others were evicted from Seabrook properties. C.F. Seabrook would, years later, recruit Japanese Americans from World War II incarceration camps, a 'model minority who would never challenge the old man's authority,' writes Seabrook. Remarkably, John Seabrook had never heard about the strike before he started researching for his book. Even his father, John M. Seabrook, who took over the business from his father, had never mentioned it. 9 'The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty' is written by John Seabrook. 9 'All that's left of the world that my bootstrapping grandfather built is a small museum at one end of the basement of the Upper Deerfield Township Municipal Building,' said author John Seabrook. 'This was arguably the single most significant event in Seabrook Farms history,' he writes. 'How could I have remained clueless of an event that convulsed the family, the company, the county, and the state?' Just as Seabrook Farms prospered during World War I, so it did again in World War II, as quick-freezing came into its own. But by April 1959, with his health failing, C.F. Seabrook had sold the business. By the end of the 1970s, Seabrook Farms was no longer. The plant was demolished, and the land was given to the township in lieu of taxes. 'All that's left of the world that my bootstrapping grandfather built is a small museum at one end of the basement of the Upper Deerfield Township Municipal Building,' adds Seabrook. 'Here the memory of C.F. Seabrook, his multicultural workforce, and his vegetable factory is preserved, swaddled in gauzy nostalgia.'
Vancouver Sun
17-06-2025
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
Why more Canadians are landing in emergency departments with cannabis-induced vomiting
Emergency departments are seeing a spike in visits owing to a once unusual, highly unpleasant and, in rare cases, potentially life-threatening side effect of chronic cannabis use: severe bouts of vomiting lasting hours, even days. As pot becomes more potent and more convenient to purchase, emergency doctors are reporting more cases of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS, a gastrointestinal condition that can affect people who use cannabis frequently (several times a week, if not daily) over months or years. In addition to 'cyclical' vomiting, other signs include morning nausea, intense abdominal pain and 'relief through compulsive hot showers or baths,' Western University researchers recently wrote. It's increasingly affecting teens and young adults, they report. 'Yet few people — including many clinicians — know it exists.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Emergency department visits for CHS increased 13-fold in Ontario after the legalization of recreational cannabis in 2018, one study found . While weed's legalization wasn't associated with a sudden or gradual change in cases, pot's commercialization — unlimited number of stores, more products — overlapping with the COVID-19 pandemic, was associated with an immediate bump in rates. The potency of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, is also off the charts, said Western's Jamie Seabrook, rising from about three per cent in dried cannabis in the 1980s to, according to Health Canada, 15 per cent in 2023. Some strains have as high as 30 per cent THC. 'When I talk to youth, they can easily access strains that are upwards of 25 per cent. And that's huge,' said Seabrook, a professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics, and the department of pediatrics. The human brain continues to develop up to around age 25, he said. THC exposure over this period has been linked with problems with attention, memory and learning, as well as increased risks of paranoia, psychosis and, more recently, schizophrenia. Here's what to know about CHS. CHS was first documented in 2004 by researchers reporting on 10 people from South Australia in whom chronic cannabis use 'predated the onset of the cyclical vomiting illness.' Nine of the 10 'displayed an abnormal washing behaviour during episodes of active illness.' Reported cases of CHS have since been popping up around the world. The Ontario study documented 12,866 emergency department visits by 8,140 individuals between January 2014 and June 2021, or pre- and post-legalization. About 35 per cent were aged 19 to 24. Nearly 10 per cent of visits led to hospital admissions. Monthly rates of CHS emergency visits increased from 0.26 per 100,000 population in January 2014, to 3.43 visits per 100,000 population in 2021. It's not clear what causes CHS. Cannabinoids bind to cannabinoid receptors in the brain and gastrointestinal tract. One theory is that it may be due to overstimulation of the receptors leading to 'issues with your body's natural control of nausea and vomiting,' according to the Cleveland Clinic. Paradoxically, low doses of cannabis can help with nausea. 'But that's low doses, and infrequently,' Seabrook said. 'Chronic use substantially increases the risk of nausea.' Telltale symptoms of CHS are severe and persistent vomiting. 'Scromiting' is a term that's been used, a merger of 'vomiting' and 'screaming,' the Cleveland Clinic reports. 'You may have intense pain, which causes you to scream while you vomit.' Vomiting can lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. Youth can mistakenly think using more pot will help with the nausea and pain, 'but it's actually exacerbating it, because they don't even realize that they have anything called cannabis hyperemesis syndrome,' Seabrook said. The big challenge is food and nutrition. 'They're not able to take down food without purging.' Some are mistakenly diagnosed with bulimia nervosa, an eating disorder, 'simply because whoever gave that diagnosis wasn't aware of the extent of cannabis use,' Seabrook said. With an eating disorder, there's a body image concern, and people are inducing purging. 'Whereas with CHS, they're not doing it on purpose. It's the cannabis that's causing it,' he said. Others might get worked up for a food intolerance, suggesting 'they remove this food, or that.' They might have a CT scan or an MRI, using up 'a lot of health-care dollars when these simple basic questions initially could have eliminated a whole bunch of other potential diagnoses,' Seabrook said. People can get temporary relief from hot baths and showers, but it's a temporary fix. 'When they get out, the symptoms reappear,' Seabrook said. If left untreated, severe vomiting and dehydration can lead to acute kidney injury. In very rare cases, 'it can lead to death, if you are that severely dehydrated and you're not getting your electrolytes up,' Seabrook said. Most people who develop CHS have used cannabis for several years, Seabrook said. There's no evidence that, say, a teen who uses high-potency pot one day will immediately get CHS. 'It's long term, and frequency of use,' Seabrook said. It's also not clear why not everyone who uses cannabis chronically and frequently develops CHS, though a genetic vulnerability might play a role. But Canada has one of the highest rates of youth cannabis use in the world, Seabrook said. 'The most recent data we have from Canada — and this is kind of alarming — is that about one in five, or 20 per cent of 16- to 19-year-olds have used cannabis in the past month and close to nine per cent daily, or almost every single day,' Seabrook said. 'Potency is a huge factor. But there is also now growing social acceptance (of cannabis) and a lot of youth think there is very little harm associated with its use.' The first phase is called the prodromal phase, Seabrook said. 'Basically, they don't have classic symptoms at this point, but they're starting to experience morning nausea; they feel sick to their stomach.' In phase two — the hyperemetic stage — the severe vomiting kicks in. 'It moves beyond just feeling nauseous.' Vomiting and intense pain can last one to two days, or more. Other symptoms include hot flashes, weight loss, high blood pressure, sweating and trembling. 'It's at this stage two where they start to have baths and showers and they feel like, 'Whoa, if I crank up this heat, it helps a bit,'' Seabrook said. The third phase is recovery. Symptoms disappear within days or weeks of stopping cannabis use. 'It's almost 100 per cent. They completely resolve if someone quits cannabis altogether,' Seabrook said. 'But quitting isn't easy. We always talk about things like addiction: Is cannabis an addiction? If they're using it every day, maybe it's more addictive than we originally thought.' Many youth struggling with mental health turn to cannabis as a coping strategy without recognizing it increases the risk of anxiety and depression. Some youth may need support stopping. 'If you have somebody saying, 'Look, the only way to stop this is to quit altogether' that's very difficult,' Seabrook said. 'A harm reduction approach would involve the use of adolescent medicine or a rehabilitation specialist that can say, 'I'm going to meet you right where you are at. Let's see if we can go down to this much use.' Slowly but surely weaning them off the extent to which they're using.' 'Lower dose potency is another really good option and slowly trying to reduce the amount and frequency that one uses.' More research is needed, including randomized trials to explore different treatment options, greater awareness among healthcare providers — emergency doctors, gastroenterologists and others — and more education in schools and through public health campaigns, Seabrook said. National Post Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here .
Ottawa Citizen
17-06-2025
- Health
- Ottawa Citizen
Why more Canadians are landing in emergency departments with cannabis-induced vomiting
Emergency departments are seeing a spike in visits owing to a once unusual, highly unpleasant and, in rare cases, potentially life-threatening side effect of chronic cannabis use: severe bouts of vomiting lasting hours, even days. Article content As pot becomes more potent and more convenient to purchase, emergency doctors are reporting more cases of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS, a gastrointestinal condition that can affect people who use cannabis frequently (several times a week, if not daily) over months or years. Article content Article content Article content In addition to 'cyclical' vomiting, other signs include morning nausea, intense abdominal pain and 'relief through compulsive hot showers or baths,' Western University researchers recently wrote. It's increasingly affecting teens and young adults, they report. 'Yet few people — including many clinicians — know it exists.' Article content Article content Emergency department visits for CHS increased 13-fold in Ontario after the legalization of recreational cannabis in 2018, one study found. While weed's legalization wasn't associated with a sudden or gradual change in cases, pot's commercialization — unlimited number of stores, more products — overlapping with the COVID-19 pandemic, was associated with an immediate bump in rates. Article content The potency of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, is also off the charts, said Western's Jamie Seabrook, rising from about three per cent in dried cannabis in the 1980s to, according to Health Canada, 15 per cent in 2023. Some strains have as high as 30 per cent THC. Article content Article content 'When I talk to youth, they can easily access strains that are upwards of 25 per cent. And that's huge,' said Seabrook, a professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics, and the department of pediatrics. The human brain continues to develop up to around age 25, he said. THC exposure over this period has been linked with problems with attention, memory and learning, as well as increased risks of paranoia, psychosis and, more recently, schizophrenia.
West Australian
29-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
PGA returns after administration to continue to fight against 'costly' government interventions
Pastoralists and Graziers Association of WA president Tony Seabrook says the 118-year-old organisation is 'back in full force' to protect its community which has been 'shunned' by both State and Federal governments. The farmer advocacy group fell into administration in January after a $1m-plus claim from the Australian Taxation Office for a long-running debt. Administrator RSM probed the 'the organisation's financial irregularities' and referred the matter to WA Police, rocking the industry in the lead-up to the State and Federal elections. But the association moved back into its office in West Perth in early March and Mr Seabrook said the association was ready to put the 'difficult period' behind it and continue to prioritise its members. 'None of the members within the association were in any way involved in anything that has happened,' he said. 'There's an ongoing police investigation and we're awaiting to see what they dig up. Until then, we will continue to advocate for the needs of our members. 'We exist to service our members to the very best of our ability and also the broader agricultural industry.' Mr Seabrook said it was a time of great turmoil for farmers. 'We're doing what we do to protect our members and our community at a time where we have a State Government and a Federal Government that doesn't really seem to care very much about agriculture,' he said. 'Our main focus has always been to service and protect our members against the ignorance and stupidity of government and bureaucracy. 'We provide a very worthwhile service to all of our members because we want to look after them.' The industry is currently being rocked by several State and Federal government interventions, including electronic sheep and goat identification, tax on unrealised gains, new firearms regulations — and the subsequent issues with the new online portal — and the live sheep export ban. Mr Seabrook is among many WA farmers who have decreased their flock in the wake of the live sheep export ban, decreasing his flock from 3000 to 150 head in recent months due to sky-high operational costs. Mr Seabrook said the PGA would continue to advocate against these interventions which are 'costing' regional communities. 'The phased transition to mandatory electronic identification for sheep and goats by July 1, 2026 is another nail in the coffin for farmers,' he said. 'While the tax on unrealised gains is unfair and unreasonable, and fails to acknowledge the impact on rural farming families.'
NZ Herald
06-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Horse racing: New Zealand Bloodstock moves to boost centenary yearling sales
To facilitate that, New Zealand Bloodstock will increase the numbers of horses sold on the first three days of the sales next year, starting on Sunday, January 25 and Monday, January 26 for Book 1 horses while 290 horses will be offered in Book 2 on Tuesday, January 27 before many of the overseas trainers return home. Book 1 of the yearling sales usually sees around 220 horses a day catalogued, meaning that after withdrawals around 200 yearlings would be offered each day. That meant around 660 total horses could be catalogued in Book 1 to be sold over those three peak days, Sunday to Tuesday. New Zealand Bloodstock (NZB) will boost those numbers for next season by cataloguing 290 lots per day for Book 1 on Sunday and Monday with another 290 for Book 2 on the Tuesday. Crucially, all 871 yearlings catalogued for those three days can be on the salegrounds at the same time, enabling buyers who may usually miss Book 2 yearlings to inspect them as well. 'We want to get as many of those top horses in front of as many overseas buyers as we can,' says NZB managing director Andrew Seabrook. That will make for some long days but big books and longer sales days are becoming more common right around the Australian sales industry, with Karaka the best-placed to cater for it because of its extensive hospitality offering. The Karaka salegrounds are also a vast, green and inviting space whereas the major overseas salegrounds aren't as comfortable for those settling in for a 10-hour day. While the plans to put the 870 yearlings, minus withdrawals, in front of as many top-end buyers as possible should please vendors, it will still leave yearlings to be sold and they will be catered for with the new Summer Sale for 200-plus yearlings on the Thursday. That will have more of a Book 3 feel it and while it will be targeted by those looking for value horses, Seabrook says it will come with added incentives. 'We will increase the hospitality from what would normally be available at that stage of the week and that specific sale will have some attractive sales terms and $200,000 worth of Karaka Millions bonuses for horses bought there,' says Seabrook. 'The 100-year anniversary is truly an exciting occasion. We are thrilled to be celebrating such a milestone on behalf of the wider industry and are looking forward to producing one of the best catalogues seen in New Zealand.' SUPERSTAR FOR SALE One of New Zealand's star mares is being offered for sale as a breeding proposition this week. Group 1 winner Bonny Lass goes up for sale on NZB's Gavelhouse Plus online platform, with bidding opening on Wednesday night and closing next Thursday. The winner of eight races and nearly $800,000 in stakes, Bonny Lass is one of only two mares in the modern history of New Zealand racing to win at Group race level every season from 2 years old to her 6-year-old season. Her sale continues the recent trend of elite race mares being sold at the end of their careers, one that has become far more pronounced in the age of syndication as it is unfeasible for syndicates to breed from them. Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald 's Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world's biggest horse racing carnivals.
