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I don’t know why….
….but this just tickles me. The perfect Christmas gift for the man who has everything? There’s a whole bunch of similar cups over at buzzfeed.com but Warning: adult language on most of them.
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“I don’t eat fat”….
….words still heard too often…along with “I try to limit the amount of meat my family eats”. I gave up long ago trying to convert those still worshipping at the government’s Food Pyramid. But I have wondered why the belief persists despite all the evidence that meat can be good for you….and so can the fat. It’s all the more mystifying since the government quietly abandoned the Food Pyramid a long time ago. And the lead government scientist has even warned against low-fat dieting. The key is in the word “quietly”, according to Nina Teicholz, who says the bureaucrats don’t want to admit they were wrong. So, a la Lucy, they’ve moved…
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Jim Helfter, R.I.P….
….we’ve just learned of the passing of one of the unsung heros of the natural grass fed beef industry. Jim Helfter, designer of the Helfter cafeteria mineral system, died after a fall from a horse Monday, October 28th. Jim had been dealing with serious heart problems for some time and it’s not clear at this moment whether a heart attack preceded or followed his fall. Funeral services are pending. Helfter, a quiet, unassuming man, came up with the original cafeteria mineral plan and one that, we think, out-performs all others. It gives the cow free choice of about a dozen minerals and permits the animal to choose what its body…
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Recent arrivals…
….at Thistle Hill. In the background, an English Traditional Devon™ heifer just brought up from the recip farm in Georgia. She’s a Cashtiller/Jaunty 8-month old beauty. In the foreground, a ™bull calf born here a few weeks ago to TDA 4. And the sire was Ashott-Barton Falcon. Here’s where it gets complicated, so pay attention: The heifer is a full sister to the little bull’s mother. Do they know they’re related? Talk about a family reunion! Then there’s this late arrival…just a few hours old. (Hang on now.) His sire is Churchill, who is a brother to the heifer above and uncle to the little bull above. Got it? The…
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Farming: A Life….
A lovely profile of an 86-year old farmer in rural New York….still in the business after 7 decades of farming despite a hip replacement, a knee replacement, and a broken back. (Why do I feel a certain kinship?) http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/381503/the-86-year-old-farmer-who-wont-quit/ Choose your word: stoicism, acceptance, understanding?
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Settled science….
….as a former professional skeptic (read, reporter) I always get suspicious when someone says “settled science”. I’ve given up far too much coffee, wine, butter and bacon over my wasted years to ever again believe there is such a thing. But below a writer (gasp, from one of my former networks) builds a powerful argument that the argument is over….genetically modified foods have won! Anyone who blogs and doesn’t agree is a paid hack for the organic lobby. Well, I wasn’t aware the “organic lobby” has enough money to spread around among journalists but I’ll check my mailbox later. Meanwhile, in the interest of fairness, here is the link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2014/09/23/will-the-us-national-academy-of-sciences-fumble-its-reassessment-of-gmos/ Actually, my…
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Special delivery….
….our Traditional Devon™ bull “Churchill” has been transferred from Thistle Hill in Virginia to our partners, Bill and Nancy Walker’s farm, in Anderson, South Carolina. Churchill’s first calves are on the ground here….and the Walkers will be trying him out during the next breeding season. From South Carolina, we dipped down into Georgia and picked up some Traditional Devon™ from Doyle Unruh’s recip herd. We brought back three calves along with two 2-year old bulls raised at Century Farms plus Wellington, Churchill’s full-brother. Doyle is on the left and our friend, Glen Covington, who volunteered again to make the trip with me. Bill Walker is on the far left if you click…
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Is there no limit…..
….to the magic of a cow? Perhaps Wooz would have said “yes” more quickly if I had thought of this! https://gma.yahoo.com/big-lego-fan-uses-lego-cow-pop-legoland-110324935–abc-news-sex.html
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So far, so good…..
….our Traditional Devon America™ bull, Churchill, has a second calf to his credit. She’s a day-old in this picture, the daughter of a Senepol/Devon cross heifer. The birth was easy (easy for me to say)….we saw the heifer go into labor…drove back across the street to get a tag…and the calf was actually already on its feet by the time we got back. We’ve used Churchill over several more pure Devon and this weekend he heads to our partner Bill Walker’s farm in South Carolina. His full brother, Wellington, will be in the trailer on the return trip, along with a half-dozen other English Devon.
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Attention, Michelle!!!
….your campaign for healthier eating doesn’t hold a candle to the rest of the world. For one thing, GMO foods are banned most places in Europe and when they eat, they eat lots of meat….and fat. We were reading Lois Aylestock’s Facebook page—she and her husband Doug own Blue Ridge Meats, our butchers—and that’s where I lifted this photo….and also an article about the school lunch program in France. Made me want to enroll. http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-14845/what-french-kids-eat-for-school-lunch-it-puts-americans-to-shame.html