If given the choice between eating conventionally raised meat and going meatless - I’d choose meatless, hands down. And I wouldn’t want the fake meat burgers. They’re full of GMO’s, chemicals, and estrogen's, and they’re made in a lab, not a kitchen.
I'm hyper aware of how the majority of livestock producers raise meat. Especially since we raise livestock on an organic farm. In our area there are too many confinement cattle and hog operations.
The rolling hills of north east Iowa are beautiful. A drive through the country sounds picturesque.
In truth it’s smelly and gross. It’s rolled up windows and held breath. It’s disgusting stenches from feedlots and gagging when manure pits are emptied and sprayed onto fields.
When we go to a restaurant that doesn't have organic meat on the menu I choose the vegetarian dishes for two reasons:
I've seen how confinement livestock is raised
I’ve smelled how confinement animals live
I never want to taste the meat that the majority of farmers produce.
Organic, grass-fed meat is the best choice. If that’s not an option, I’ll go meatless.
1 grass-fed steer prevents 8 pounds of phosphorus from entering waterways
1 grass-fed steer feeds four families healthy meat and heals the environment
1 grass-fed steer removes up to 20,000 pounds of atmospheric carbon from the air
1 grass-fed steer keeps 100 pounds of nitrogen from polluting streams, rivers, and lakes
75% of all grass-fed beef sold in the United Stated is imported. Buying local grass-fed beef supports farmers and restores the environment where you live.
Now, from the power of grass-fed meat to superbugs ...
The latest tests by federal scientists found that nearly 80% of supermarket meat had antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
“Consumers need to know about potential contamination of the meat they eat, so they can be vigilant about food safety, especially when cooking for children, pregnant women, older adults or the immune-compromised,” said Dawn Undurraga, Environmental Working Group’s nutritionist and author of the report.
Those bacteria were resistant to at least one of fourteen antibiotics tested for by the Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, a federal public health partnership.
Now, Let’s Talk Corn...
Genetically engineered corn seed is “stacked,” with traits. There are three levels of “stacked” corn. Each stack is either; corn borer resistant, rootworm resistant or herbicide resistant. A double stack has two traits, a triple stack has all three.
GMWatch reported that rats fed triple stacked corn developed leaky stomachs.
Now, It's Your Turn...
Put the Power of One Grass-fed Steer to work for you. Feed your family healthy meat that repairs the environment and heals the earth. Avoid products that cause harm to your family and the area you live in.
You have the Power to improve your diet and the earth!
Working on time management skills? You might just learn a thing or two from a cow. In the 1940's Cornell University studied cattle to see how they spent their time each day. Andre' Voisin's book,Grass Productivity has the detailed study on the efficiency of grazing cattle.
The university studied cow-calf pairs on pasture. Observers learned that cattle graze for a little less than eight hours per day. No over-time for bovine. They never exceed eight hours of grazing time.
Spend time Wisely
The cattle spent about seven hour per day ruminating (chewing their cud). The time differed slightly depending on the fiber content of the forage. Some ruminating is done lying down and part standing up.
Cattle lie down for slightly less than twelve hours per day. Cows divided these 12 hours into nine rest periods of varying length.
The cattle in the study didn't deviate in their daily routine. When they replicated the study in other countries the cattle showed the same results. In areas with hotter daytime temperatures the cattle spent no more than eight hours grazing, but they did it at night. The slight variances by breed or heredity weren't much different, they didn't change the study's results.
Quality is Everything
Here's where the efficiency of grazing cattle matters.; If cattle spend eight hours grazing each day quality is everything. If they're grazing poor pastures without nutrient dense forage they're basically spending eight hours eating junk food. Eight hours of quality forage, either pasture or hay, boost the cattle’s health. Feeding quality produces quality results.And how they're grazing matters, too. MIG grazing improves soil quality and prevents erosion.
If you're spending eight hours at something be sure to get the greatest return from those hours. Junk in - junk out. Quality counts. With organic production It's about quality not quantity.
When there are new calves, kids or lambs the entire herd likes to check out the newest members. The bull calves and 'freemartin' bull calves are wearing red tags this year, the heifer calves have yellow tags.
Really great slogans. But, what’s really happening on the farm that’s producing food for your table?
Close your eyes. Imaging a farm. Do you see lush pastures. Animals grazing. Pigs sleeping in the warm sunshine surrounded by shade trees and green grass.
I drove past a farm yesterday with a new van parked out front. The signs on the side read, 'Farm to Table’ and ‘Know Your Farmer Know Your Food’. This particular farmer has several confinement hog houses.
Do they qualify for the ‘Farm to Table’ campaign? Of course. They’re farmers. They sell direct from their farm to customer’s tables.
Do they fit the model for the ‘Know Your Farmer Know Your Food’ campaign? Yep, they do.They sell at farmers markets. Customers get to know them.
But, DO YOU, as a customer picture something different when you support a farm?
Are you thinking of pigs in a pasture or hogs crowded inside of a building.
Are you thinking of cattle grazing under a blue sky and sunshine or steers stuffed under a shed roof with just a few square feet to move around.
Across the mid-west farmers markets are re-opening for the season. I suggest that you really get to know your farmer. Ask questions. Things aren’t always as they seem
How familiar are you with these terms:
Free Range vs Cage Free
Pasture raised vs Confinement
Organic vs 'Beyond Organic'
The California Supreme Court ruled that producers who mislabeled products as organic are open to lawsuits as protection from fraud in the organic industry.
I’m not sure whether the farms that label themselves as ‘Beyond Organic’ will have to change their advertising but it 's food for thought.
And remember; If we are what we eat most of us are fast, cheap and easy. Lets change that!
I spent the last couple of days getting the garden ready. The asparagus bed, pumpkin patch, vegetable garden and orchard trees have been salted to Improve Soil Nutrients.
I read about how to improve soil nutrients and the benefits of sea salt for boosting trace elements in an article from Acres USA, January 2003. This winter I re-read the book Sea Energy Agriculture by Maynard Murray, M.D.
Dr. Murray presents evidence of the declining trace elements of soil. When commercial fertilizers are applied only the basic elements are returned to the soil. The abundance of these; nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and lime initially increase crop yield, however, they block uptake of necessary elements.
The science behind Sea Energy Agriculture is that the chemistry of sea life is naturally disease resistant and nutritionally superior. Sea salts added to soils are properly balanced between trace elements and sodium chloride. The application rate is important, too. The application is reasonable to restore the soil’s missing elements without rendering it useless like Carthage after the Romans salted the earth.
The best defense against disease is good nutrition. That nutrition starts in the soil. Plants take up the minerals which are then distributed to the end consumer whether human, livestock or wildlife. These end crops are nutrient dense and superior in trace elements.
In the past I’ve tried getting the geese to weed the asparagus beds. Instead of pulling out the grass they pulled up all the strawberry plants in the next bed over. This year I’m experimenting by using a high rate of Redmond Salt to kill the grass in the asparagus bed. The heavier application won’t hurt the crop, instead it will restore elemental nutrients while inhibiting the invasive grasses.
Both SEA-90 and Redmond Salt are certified organic (OMRI listed). The difference is where the sea mineral solids are sourced. SEA-90 is from an estuary where sea water is captured and dried. Redmond salt is sourced from deposits in Redmond Utah.
As an experiment both products are being applied separately to the orchard trees and garden. Here on the farm there are two areas with heirloom apple trees, two areas with peach trees and one group of cherry trees of three different varieties. I don’t know whether the difference between the two products will be significant, we’ll find out at the end of the growing season.
Redmond salt is sold by a local supplier, which is convenient. There aren’t any SEA-90 suppliers in our area so I bought enough for half of our vegetable garden and half of the orchard trees through Amazon.
Last fall the pastures were salted with Redmond salt, 50 pounds per acre, to improve the balance of the soil. This spring we’ll repeat the salt application. We’ve seen great promise in pasture growth using sea solids and the livestock prefer grazing the fields where it’s been applied.
Here's the Schroeder -Thomas Splint Update. A few years ago one of our calves broke his hind leg, you can read about it here
This is calving season on many farms so and we get quite a few questions about how to make a Schroeder -Thomas Splint.
The splint that Keith welded worked great for our calf. However, I recently got an email from Tracie asking for more information on the splint. I was happy to share more pictures along with a few other details.
Tracie was kind enough to send an email with a picture of their Schroeder-Thomas Splint. I think that Tracie may have improved on the design by adding a can holder for the calf's foot. However, using a cable to make the upper ring doesn't give enough support for the frame at the hip area. The cable is flexible which makes it easier to adjust but again, the upper ring is for supporting the leg.
Tracie also added a can Koozie to hold the foot inside the frame. We had used a block of wood to support the foot and held it in place with Vet Wrap and duct tape.
The key to making the splint is fitting it to the animal. Careful measurements are needed for the length and the circumference at the hip.
As a side note; all the surfaces of the frame that come in contact with skin should be padded to prevent sores from forming. This is especially important during fly season.
The spring weather is too erratic here in Iowa. Some years there's been snow on the ground late into April. Spring weather is too cold and the grass too sparse for grazing so now calving is schedule to begin in May.
Recently I've been emailing with Summer from North Dakota. They have a calf with a high, rear leg fracture. The frame they designed has an adjustable base with clamps to make the foot platform slide up or down. Summer was kind enough to share several pictures of their splint. They did a remarkable job with their calf named, Superman. He's fortunate for their loving care.
Thanks for sharing, Summer!
Summer’s design with adjustable base
How to tape the leg – alternately to the frame to hold the bone in place
calf resting
Frame fit at the hip. When the calf stands the weight is transferred to the groin.
calf standing with splint supporting his weight like an armpit when you use a crutch
A new Study on Organic Farming confirms quality is the key ingredient.
A newly released study concluded that Organic meat and dairy products are healthier; more nutrient rich than meat and dairy products from conventionally raised animals.
Professor Carlos Leifert of the Nafferton Ecological Farming Group at the University of Newcatle reports that Organic meat and dairy has 50% more beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3’s are linked to better immune function, reduced cardiovascular disease, and improved neurological development.
Researchers, led by Leifert, found that organic crops had 60% higher key anti-oxidants and lower levels of the toxic metal cadmium than conventionally produced crops.
We're organic farmers because we believe it's the right way to farm, not because it's the popular way. In fact, it's only become popular in the last few years. Organic farming is about quality over quantity. Organic farming is better for the animal, better for the environment, and healthier for the consumer.
“It is the quality of our work which will please God and not the quantity.” -Mahatma Gandhi
Additionally, other studies have shown that Organic grass-fed beef is the best source of lean protein.
Did you know that the average Weight Watcher customer looses six pounds in two years? That’s less than half a pound per month. They count calories, buy expensive pre-packaged food and anxiously step on the scale. They’d get better results by switching to grass-fed beef. And they wouldn’t have to make any other dietary changes. I highly recommend reading Pasture Perfect, by Jo Robinson.
Organic, grass-fed beef is better for kids, too. Studies show that pesticides lower IQ scores. Evidence suggests that genetically engineered food may contribute to Autism, Attention Deficit Disorder, and allergies in children. Organic food is clean. It's pesticide free.
The safety of Red meat is in the news, again. Health concerns about red meat, along with processed or grilled meats is brought up periodically. Now the World Health Organization (WHO) is weighing in -
As an organic meat producer I believe our farm is distinctly different; Organic, grass- fed beef is healthy. The practice of MIG grazing improves meat quality, restores the environment, and is beneficial to the life-cycle of livestock, crops, and soil. Quality is more important than yield.
A customer shared this podcast from WGN Radio in Chicago. The guest, Dr. Michael Fenster is a cardiologist and chef. This doctor highlighted interesting issues and omissions in the latest study. Some of these include:
Antibiotic use in animal feed Dying gut bacteria Grass-fed, grass-finished beef Heritage breeds of pastured hogs Artificial additives in food Genetically engineered crops and Glyphosate Hormones in meat Safe Food Labeling; House Resolution 1599 and much more...
The connection between healthy food and overall health continues to grow. Our herd continues to grow, too. The steers are sold out for this year. In January we'll start taking orders again. The details will be posted in the January newsletter.
One of our late season calves got stepped on. She has a large area on her spine that's swollen and very sore. Keith took her to the vet and they started her on a protocol of anti-inflammatory medication. She can stand with help but isn't steady on her feet yet. One of the problems with cattle is the blood pressure in their legs builds up the longer they're down. In order to keep her circulation strong , without added pressure, we've made a floating tank for her.
The University Of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine uses tanks to float cattle after surgery.
We're using a stock tank with an old beach towel as a sling to cradle her and keep her upright. The tank gets filled half way with hot water and topped off with cool water until it's the perfect temperature. Cold water would shock her, the water has to be warm. She floats for about 45 minutes a couple of times each day. Everyday she's getting stronger. Time will tell if she'll fully recover but for now Hope Floats.
