-
Grass feeding is for “crazies”….
….that’s the view in the Midwest, where corn is king. Dr. Joseph Mercola discusses the possibility that view is changing. No, next question. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/06/grass-fed-beef.aspx
-
A sure sign of Spring….
….in England, our Cornwall Correspondent and her husband, Chris, have just turned out their heifers after wintering in their shed. A beautiful set of animals! Can’t wait to get over there to walk in all that green grass. Just one more month to wait! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=423305741149258&set=vb.231333727013128&type=2&theater
-
They keep comin’….
….we’re off to South Carolina and Georgia to see our latest Traditional Devon calves…embryo imports from England that we paired over there. Meanwhile, our British colleagues keep coming up with exciting possibilities. This is a Bribery cow….one of our favorite lines. And the sire is from another favorite line….the Bywood herd. Unfortunately Bywood has recently closed down after many years of producing some great animals. This little calf is at Ashott Barton Farm owned by our colleague Shiamala Comer. It was Shiamala who bred the Millennium Falcon bull, the cornerstone of our pure English Devon project. Study this cow and you’ll see why we had to launch what has been a…
-
An increase in beef prices….
….everywhere else. The size of cattle herds continue to slide and that means beef prices at the supermarket will continue to climb. Of course, they’ll go up even faster because of other costs. Thistle Hill has been able to hold the line on prices for several years now because we’re less vulnerable to the economics of commercial operations….and we don’t spray, pour and spread all those expensive chemicals on our land and animals. While the most expensive input in most cattle operations is nutrition, for us it is butchering. We’ve made the point before that it costs us about $500 to process a steer; the big commercial operations get it…
-
A “take-down” of Whole Foods….
….outrage over the discovery that Whole Foods is a business…and not above taking advantage of the gullibility of some of its customers. There’s also some anti-creationism thrown in. Still, this is kind of amusing, particularly if you stick around for the comments. And worth plowing through just for this college-boy insight: “Very few of us are anywhere near rational. And pretty much all of are hypocrites.” It’s a good line, though. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/23/whole-foods-america-s-temple-of-pseudoscience.html Thanks to Linda Rozett for the link.
-
The EPA stands guard….
….protecting our health! Don’t dare light up a cigarette on the beach. But when it comes to pesticides in your food…the EPA says not to worry. It’s just Monsanto doing its thing! http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/26/bt-toxin-residues.aspx
-
From our Bonn bureau….
….a tv report on a huge 32,000 cow dairy near Chicago. Big Ag thinks this is great, of course, but we find it very depressing. This is the future folks! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJRy82i8e5Q&feature=email Thanks to Gisela Volkert of Meerkatze.
-
From our Cornwall bureau….
Thanks to Juliet Cleave.
-
The war on farmers….
….continuing the theme of an earlier post. The government continues to get really tough…on farmers who aren’t causing the problems. Again and again, it’s clear that the real threat to our health comes from factory farms and factory food processing. But it’s a lot easier to go after the little guy. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-food-safety-20140223,0,6831660.story#axzz2u528ngu5
-
Carnival of the animals….
….just for fun. Be sure to have your sound up. It’s been around before but, as I often say, this is my blog and I have certain privileges. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ssXJtzFOjA&feature=player_embedded