• Something else not added to Thistle Hill meat….

    ….another warning about the weed killer that is killing you:  glyphosate.  It’s everywhere….in fact, I see garden sprays actually bragging on the label in big letters that it’s in their mix. I think it is also important to mention in connection with those industry studies which “prove” that genetically-modified foods are safe”.  One thing those studies never do is couple the testing of GM foods with the glyphosate that is almost always used in conjunction with genetically-modified farming.  You just aren’t going to have one without the other. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/05/25/food-minerals-soil-health.aspx

  • 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.

  • GMO labels….the risk factor…

    Big Ag and Big food have been waging an expensive, and mostly successful, campaign to block demands they label their genetically-modified products.  They rightly fear a GMO label will chase away some customers. But here’s an expert in the field of risk-analysis who says the Monsantos of the world are not thinking this through.  And something tells me, unfortunately, that he’s right. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/how-risky-is-it-really/201311/open-letter-big-ag-ceos

  • You have only a few days….

    ….to access an excellent roundup (sorry, bad choice of word) of the threat posed by the GMO industry.  Normally, this video is behind a paywall but you can access it now and through November 9th at no charge. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/02/genetic-roulette.aspx

  • The bugs win!!!

    An important milestone that won’t get much press coverage:  A top-level health officials say we have indeed “run the course” of antibiotics.  Super-bugs have won the battle and there’s nowhere we can turn. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2477273/Weve-reached-end-antibiotics-Top-CDC-expert-declares-miracle-drugs-saved-millions-match-superbugs-people-overmedicated-themselves.html Just a few days ago, there was an article…one of dozens we’ve seen…worrying about where all this is headed.  But now, as we read in the first story above, we don’t have to worry about where we’re headed.  We’re there. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/feeding-antibiotics-to-cows-is-bad-for-humans-but-congress-wont-stop-it-new-report-says/2013/10/22/ecd2de08-3afd-11e3-a94f-b58017bfee6c_story.html It’s the same group of Merchants of Death (Monsanto, et al) inflicting GMO on us that have, of course, blocked any attempt to control the use of antibiotics in feeding animals.  Like hormones, antibiotics speed…

  • GMO….what’s it worth to you….

    ….$15-million dollars or more if you’re Monsanto, DuPont, or your neighborhood supermarket and their buddies.  That’s how much they’re pouring into a fight in Washington State to prevent consumers from knowing whether they’re eating genetically-modified food. Most places in the world require a GMO warning label on food but not in the United States.  (Somehow Democrats and Republicans always manage to get together on that!) However, the state of Washington is going around the fix in the capital of Washington (where Monsanto focuses its dollars) and is voting on a referendum making GMO labels mandatory. http://www.cornucopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/I-522.poster.1023.jpg

  • Myth busting – Part 3….

    ….I’m from the government and I’m here to protect you. Bt toxin has been around for a long time; a major ingredient in pesticides farmers use on crops such as corn.  But those clever folks at Monsanto developed Genetically Modified Corn that puts the Bt toxin right in the seed. Well, along with all the reservations about GMO food, some experts worried that it would only be a matter of time before those clever bugs developed a resistance to Monsanto’s “wonder seed”.  Even the government’s own advisory panel argued against the product but, of course, the USDA ignored it’s own experts and sided with Monsanto. So now, the expected as…

  • Tummy-aches….

    ….I’ve been feeling for some time that the recent group of pigs that we’ve been fattening were better-behaved than some in the past.  Truthfully, when pigs get about this size, I am on guard.  They’re powerful enough to knock you down.  And they’ve staggered me several times. Certainly, the pigs have been rough on each other as well.  But our newer animals have not been as rambunctious.  In fact, I commented to Wooz the other day that I thought the pigs actually seemed happier. I credited it to our new suppliers, Deb and Curry Parker; and their daily contact with new piglets is probably part of the reason.  But now…

  • Why we do what we do….

    ….because we love it, of course.  But also because we’re appalled by the quality of food Americans consume and want to do a little bit to resist the tide.  The people we know raising everything from organic lettuce to grass fed beef have pretty much the same quixotic attitude. We know we’re a “drop in the bucket”….we know there are easier, more profitable ways to do what we’re doing….but taking a stand is worth it. Sometimes we become bores on the subject.  I manage to contain myself on that score better than Wooz.  There she was at a party the other night showing pictures of our cows and lecturing on the…

  • Move along…nothing to see here, folks….

    ….it’s just those fun folks at Monsanto messing with our food, again. The USDA reports Genetically Modified wheat has been found on an Oregon pasture.  That’s against the law, but the USDA and the FDA tell us not to worry….GM produce is perfectly safe. However, the Japanese apparently are not buying it….literally. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/protests-grow-amid-discovery-genetically-modified-us-wheat