Livestock

How's everyone's winter going? Wanna grow some chickens? Happy Homesteader has a series of videos to get you started.

The Atlantic has an article about organics regulations. Organic dairies must pasture their cows 120 days a year, and there are additional requirements regarding the proportion of feed that comes from grass.

Why Big Ag Won't Feed the World

Josh Viertal tells us today in the Atlantic.

Read this Article Now!

There is a lovely, sensible article in the LA Times this week from food writer Russ Parsons that everyone should read.

the issues we're facing are not going to go away, and they are too important to be left to the ideologues. What I'd like to see happen in the next decade is a more constructive give-and-take, the start of a true conversation.

And, in light of my own recent resolution, I particularly liked this bit:

What's political is also personal. If you believe in something, you should be willing to make sacrifices to support it, even if it's expensive or inconvenient. Wailing about farmers who use pesticides and then balking at paying extra for organic produce is hypocritical because the yields in organic farming are almost always lower. On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with doing the best you can whenever you can -- as long as you're willing to accept compromises from the other guy too.

I'd love to know what you guys think.

I also want to bring this up from comments:

There are a ton of great veg-friendly places to eat in the Central MA area. There's a guide to good ones in the Worcester area here: http://VegWorcester.com/restaurants

Thanks, Drew, I've been looking for a good resource. Any other suggestions?

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a happy and healthy holiday season! Tis the time of year for resolutions, and here's mine: I resolve to eliminate conventionally raised meat from my diet. I already use naturally and humanely raised meat and eggs in my home, but when I eat out, I eat things I would never purchase in a store. Time to clean that up, which will largely mean becoming a vegetarian outside my home. It is daunting to contemplate, but I suspect it will be less difficult than I fear. Anyone else?

The Atlantic Food Channel has some good news. 2009 brought welcome legislation and improved conditions for animals.

NOFA/Mass is having a Winter Conference on January 16th at Worcester Technical High School featuring Joel Salatin as its keynote speaker. He will also lead an all-day seminar on "introducing livestock to your farm." Check out the schedule of events; it looks like there's something for everyone (cultured dairy products workshop? Yum!)

The Fallow Season

After the flurry of attention that foods receives around Thanksgiving, there is a marked dropoff lately in food-related articles. Now, with Christmas coming, what coverage there is in centered on food-related books.

In that vein, there is a lovely post over at the Atlantic Food Channel about Wendell Berry, in which he is described as the Thoreau of the sustainable food movement. I think the comparison is apt, and if you are a fan of Michael Pollan, you should familiarize yourself with his acknowledged "ideological forbear."

Let me know if you guys are seeing anything good out there!

We've got a drug for that!

The New York Times reports that two vaccines have been developed to immunize cattle against E.coli. One has been approved for use in Canada, and one is currently being tested in the US. The industry estimates the cost of vaccination to be about $10 per cow, significantly cutting into their profit margins. It seems to me that the cost of all the various pharmaceuticals we give to these animals must at some point offset the savings of raising animals on the CAFO’s that make them so ill. It’s hard to imagine what the tipping point will ultimately be.

NYT’s Mark Bittman and WaPo’s Ezra Klein discuss various aspects of food policy and “voting with your mouth”at the always entertaining bloggingheads site. If you haven’t read Bittman’s book, I highly recommend it. His writing is always accessible, and Food Matters combines elements of big-picture thinking with practical, individual solutions and (fittingly for a cookbook author) recipes.

Sweetwilliam Farm (see sidebar) is taking orders for their 2010 CSA. Stop by this weekend for more info and pick up some fresh eggs and produce. The store is open 10-5 this weekend, and if you bring a gift for Toys for Tots, you will receive a discount! Have a great weekend!

Links

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I'm back with links.

There's a great article in Mother Earth News archives about the hazards of commercial meat production. There are alarming tidbits like this one:

According to a May 21, 2007, article in The Wall Street Journal, reliance on junk food has shot up in recent years because the cost of feed corn has doubled due to the increased use of corn for ethanol production. According to the article, one farmer now feeds his cattle a ration that is 17 percent stale candy and 3 percent stale "party mix." Another feeds a 100 percent byproduct diet, including French fries, tater tots and potato peels

Candy and party mix? No wonder the cows get sick! The article also has tips on how to find healthier meat. (h/t Lisa) Of course, the best way to ensure healthier meat is to know exactly where it comes from. Don't forget our local meat growers, like Jo-Erl's meat CSA and Mass Local Food's producers.

Here is a CNN video from last week that profiled Will Allen.

USA Today has an article about a company producing healthy, organic school lunches on a large scale.

Kelley from Mass Local Food has some news and a call for volunteers:

Things are getting really exciting with Mass Local Food. We had a record month last month - 45 orders and $3000 in sales for our producers. And we expect with the holidays that December will be just as busy. We are also working towards incorporating, and we have a new sorting site - a farmers market building in Westminster which fits us just right. And we are working towards opening up pickups in Holden and Shrewsbury.

As usual, we are looking for help with the sorting this Friday, Dec 4th, between 1:30 and 3:00 pm, at 64 Leominster St, Westminster. Let me know if you can help.

Please pass on any links you think would be of interest, and spread the word about the blog!