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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…
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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.
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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
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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.
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From our Cornwall bureau….
Thanks to Juliet Cleave.
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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
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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
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Crocodile tears….
….after making war on small farmers for the past five years, Ag Secretary Tom Vilisack has the _____(fill in the blank) to put out a self-serving press release decrying the decline of small farms. http://news.yahoo.com/number-us-farms-declines-farmers-getting-older-182609347–politics.html;_ylt=AwrBJR9tSgZTHlsAuEHQtDMD And to top it all off, he sees a “bright spot” in the number of young farmers just getting started. Fine for Big Ag and their Ag Secretary, as long as you confine your farming to flower pots.
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Dog heaven….
….at least if you’re an English Shepherd. Unlike us, “Jack“, owned by our friends Linda and Rich Maurer, can’t get enough of the stuff. We’ve noticed the same delight with our “Pokey”. Normally ready to come in and join the humans, Pokey has been staying out for hours burrowing and jumping into snow banks. We just can’t coax her inside.
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The numbers don’t add up….
….or do they? We have a new Farm Bill and the “official story” is that there’s been a cut in spending. As the song goes: that’ll be the day. Despite reports, the fact is government spending is going up tens of billions of dollars, including for such as things as promoting Christmas trees. There’s also an “official story” from the government about increasing food prices. And then there’s the real story being experienced by consumers. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/food-prices-soar-as-incomes-stand-still/ Predictably, the sky-rocketing prices at the grocery store—ignored by most media—have moms blaming farmers. Seems we’re price-gouging, in their opinion. One thing the press sure has covered, is the complaints about greedy farmers. For…