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More than you want to know….
….about the new Farm Bill. But here’s a detailed look at the details from both the Left and the Right. It starts by making the point that it should be really called “The Food Stamp Bill”. More money goes to food stamps than farmers and, despite the claims that the bill cuts spending, it does not! http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/
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Whoops!
In the post below (The true cost of a bull) I forgot to credit the link to Juliet Cleave, aka: The flower of Cornwall! Sorry.
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What cold looks like….
….this was the thermometer outside the door at our friend, Dr. Sue Beal’s home in northern Pennsylvania this morning. Something like minus 22 but at that reading, what’s a degree or two? And keep in mind this is actual temperature, not the new-fangled “feels like” stuff. Actually, Sue says the wind has mercifully died down….the sun is bright. Which means her neighbor Punxutawney Phil will be seeing his shadow. Which means still more winter to come…six more weeks!
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The “new” journalism….
….here comes “the old fogey” again. You’re warned! Back when I was learning to be a reporter, there was a course you had to take at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism that was based around a book with the title “How to Lie with Statistics”. The idea was that great lies were always buried in those supposedly cold numbers put out by our government….at all levels. I was reminded of that when I read that the new Farm Bill was going to “save” $20- to 30-billion over the next five years. Now that’s not the Congress that I know very well. But that’s the headline I am seeing today in…
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The true cost of a bull….
….in recent weeks, we’ve noted the same concern expressed on both sides of the Atlantic. In England, Farmers’ Weekly is warning that pumping up bulls with grain for shows and sales is setting up the buyer for an expensive disappointment. Farmers’ Weekly says, as we’ve noted here before, the heavy use of grain results in not only poor quality semen….but shortened useful life. Meanwhile, Kit Pharo, in his weekly newsletter, calculated the actual cost to the American cattleman for his “bigger and better” fixation. First, here is the British view: http://www.fwi.co.uk/articles/24/01/2014/142976/make-sure-breeding-bulls-are-fit-for-purpose.htm Pharo has made the same point before, and so have we, but Pharo takes it a step further…
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Thistle Hill alumni club….
….it was a good weekend for heifer calves. This little one (and again not so little) was born at Linda Hendrix and son, John’s, farm in South Carolina. We sold mom as a bred heifer…the “bred” by Thistle Hill U2, who has done great things for our herd, too. Mom incidentally is a line bred 688 daughter.
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Meet TDA 10….
….over at Traditional Devon America we welcomed another excellent Tilbrook Cashtiller daughter over the weekend. Sire was Cutcombe Jaunty. As the number indicates, our English project now has 10 calves: four bulls and six females. It’s been a painfully slow process, dealing with the ramifications of both TB and the Schmallenberg virus which has closed down British exports. But then a little one (well not all that little) comes along and makes it all worth it. This heifer is less than 24 hours old!
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Winter morn….
…breaks over Thistle Hill. But no time to savor the view over a cup of coffee. Animals to take care of and meat to deliver. At least a little warmer—20 degrees—but more snow in the forecast. Photo by Wooz.
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Put a little “life” in your diet…
….try organ meats. Traditionally, of course, things like liver and kidney have always been considered “low class” cuts. But they are the most healthful part of the animal. It’s not a good idea to risk buying organ meats at the supermarket, but if you know your farmer, there’s nothing better. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/30/eating-organ-meats.aspx You can, of course, special order organ meats from Thistle Hill and we’ll share from our private stock. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/30/eating-organ-meats.aspx
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Just a rumor….
….but if I were still a reporter, I’d be on this one. There are reports in the Midwest that genetically-modified foods aren’t behaving as advertised and Monsanto has been buying-up old line seed companies. As I said, just rumor but maybe that chemical giant’s big bet may not be paying off.