• In the tank…Pt 2….

    …do you ever wonder how much of the so-called “scientific research” we treat as gospel has been bought and paid for by Big Ag, Big Food, Big Chemical and Big Government?  The other day we posted an article about how the association of nutritionists was essentially a propaganda arm for the likes of Kellogg and Pepsi. Naturally, no one is more active is corrupting what used to be called “research” that our good buddies at Monsanto.  Just the other day we read how soon we’ll be eating what is labeled as salmon, but in reality is a genetically-engineered combination of two types of salmon and…..eel!  You see, this wonder salmon grows…

  • Are nutritionists in the tank….

    ….for Big Food?  You probably aren’t surprised to learn that the answer is “yes”.  Again and again, though, I am stunned by the details of the unholy alliance of industry, bought-and-paid-for experts, and government that have so  thoroughly corrupted our food system and devastated the health of our country. Chris Kresser, a blogger on health matters who specializes in covering holistic health issues was interviewed recently on the sell-out by the professionals we believe are protecting our well-being…and he discussed a press release on the subject: Chris Kresser:   So, the press release was “Public health attorney and author Michele Simon asks: Are America’s nutrition professionals in the pocket of Big…

  • “I’m cutting back on meat”….

    ….I don’t know how often I hear that.  Just the other day, a woman was raving about the taste of Thistle Hill meat but added, just a bit apologetically, that sadly she was “cutting back” for “health reasons”. Of course, I answered that it might well be that, in fact, she might better improve her health by increasing the amount of grass fed beef she eats.  A significant percentage of our customers do indeed buy our meat precisely because they have decided it’s good “for what ails them”. The biggest source of propaganda against eating red meat, of course, is our very own government.  The bureaucrats are still tied to…

  • The chemical arms race…

    …. was going to call this post “GMO Roundup” (pun intended). But it really is chemical warfare right on the farmlands of the United States.  It all started with Monsanto developing a powerful herbicide, “Roundup”.  The trouble was, Roundup not only killed weeds, it killed the corn. Not to worry, then Monsanto developed Roundup-resistant seeds and today most of the major crops come from those seeds—corn, soybeans, sugar beets—in all, about 165-million acres of GMO crops.  But then a new crop developed:  weeds; weeds that were resistant to Roundup. Again, Monsanto was ready with the answer:  more powerful Roundup.  And of course, what happened was the weeds kept up with…

  • What’s in a name – 3

    ….our friend Jim Yancey of Cooney Creek Farm chimes in with some related information about misleading labels.  These things apparently have been around for awhile but I have never focused on them. We “googled” and can vouch for the authenticity of at least these items, starting with the  Jolly Green Giant….I mean, what could be more American than the Jolly Green Giant? “Green  Giant frozen vegetables are from China. Never buy the grocery store garlic  unless it is clearly marked from USA or Canada; the other  stuff is grown in people poop (even worse than chicken  poop). China is the largest producer of garlic in the  world.  Buy only local honey, most  honey is shipped in…

  • What’s in a name – 2

    …continuing our rant about labeling (See What’s in a Name below)… Our daughter, Carolyn, is a cancer surgeon in Texas though her career has moved more and more to nutrition and integrative medicine.  She is now the director of the Baylor Medical Center integrative medicine department and it was in that role she was interviewed on a Dallas radio program the other day. Naturally, she was singing the benefits of grass fed beef and was surprised when one of the callers to the program said he was a grass fed beef farmer and at that very moment was delivering meat to one of his customers.  Almost seemed like a plant,…

  • What’s in a name….

    ….as consumers have become more health-conscious, the nation’s food producers have responded.  But not the way you may think. Instead of making their products better, they’ve changed their labeling to make it seem better.  And the USDA, FDA and the rest of the government from the White House down have been their willing accomplices.  What we used to call “the natural food” sector, until Big Ag co-opted that term, too, is only an infinitesimal part of the total picture.  But it’s existence at any level is apparently considered a threat that the Big Guys and the Government (including our Virginia state government, by the way) are determined to stamp out.…

  • Hay wars….

    …we wrote before about the devastating effect of the drought on our friends who are cattlemen in the mid-section of the country.  Most ran out of grass this summer and were forced to severely cut back their herds and even liquidate. Now that it’s winter, and time to feed hay, the situation has become even more dire.  Hay rustlers have become a serious problem.  And so have the Chinese. The Stockman Grass Farmer reports that the Chinese are able to outbid American cattleman for American hay.  It seems it costs just $30 a ton to transport hay by container ship to the Far East.  Shipping that same ton of hay…

  • The secret ingredient….

    ….in Thistle Hill cows and beef. But it’s no secret, we’ve been saying for some time we think (next to Wooz’ care, of course) it’s our mineral program.  Visitors invariably remark that they have never seen a group of healthier, more vital animals than those at Thistle Hill. We do a lot of experimenting, try various grazing plans, top-seed clover, spray with different natural fertilizer combinations.  But the one thing we’ve held constant is our mineral program. It’s a cafeteria-style approach, where the cows don’t have a mixture of all the essential minerals as designed by “experts” but select from trays of the individual minerals.  They do actually self-diagnose.  Soils vary…

  • A Monsanto take down….

    ….it’s been awhile, but we haven’t forgotten Monsanto.  Still riding high and still wreaking havoc on the earth and its creatures.  Here’s a rundown on the latest from health blogger Dr. Joseph Mercola: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/01/12/ge-crops-affect-soil-fertility.aspx?e_cid=20130112_DNL_art_1