18 Jan Wed 2012
Some Truth About Manure
The article starts out "Under the best conditions, raising livestock is a dirty, smelly business."
The truth is under the right conditions, raising livestock is not dirty or smelly.
Until last year I let my hogs spread their own manure 24 hrs a day throughout the pastures. Then I decided I needed to keep some for specific applications. So I have been bringing hogs into the barn for winter to collect the manure.
As long as the carbon ratio is right there is no smell or mess. In my case, wheat or oat straw. Lots of it.
By keeping a good bed of straw in the barn I tie up the manure right along with the smell and mess. Anytime you're smelling manure you know right away your carbon is low.
If you don't tie it up with a carbonaceous material you are losing valuable nutrients that you can use on your soil to fertilize it.
The nutrients either evaporate, which you smell, or leach away which wastes the nutrients by fertilizing the lawn around the barn. Or worse yet, running of into a waterway somewhere and polluting the water.
The whole idea of a huge amount of animals in one place (for long periods of time) is so unnatural it's no wonder big Ag had to come up with all these nifty, yet environmentally unfriendly ways, to store it or get rid of it.
Big Agriculture spreads manure that is usually 100 percent raw manure. Nothing added like straw or sawdust. Heck just put those critters on concrete or slatted floors and let the pure manure pile up and then we can overload the soil with it.
Bad idea all the way around in my opinion.
If you read any old books they tout the benefits of manure as a fertilizer. But that manure was loaded with straw or other material which added to the organic material in the soil.
The combination of the manure with the organic material in my opinion is far superior to just raw manure you get from a factory farm.
As sustainable farmers we have to make sure we are doing things right. No manure running off into waterways or overloading the soil.
The American public is getting tired of factory type farms ruining the environment with all these unsustainable ways. I don't blame them I'm tired of it too.
The best way to send the message is to stop giving the factory farms your money. Give to a farmer who is acting responsibly towards the environment and the animals or crops they raise.
At Spring Hill Farms we think that's the right thing to do...
Until next time!
13 Jan Fri 2012
USDA Budget Cuts...You Mean We're Paying For This?
The USDA recently announced they are going to lose 150 Million dollars in a budget cut. Listen to what Tom Vilisack mentions in his announcement.
I'm always amazed at the waste found when somebody actually looks for it. He mentions office buildings and equipment that are vacant, 700 hundred different cell phone contracts, 70 crop reporting days cut back.
The things we find necessary when the money is flowing!
13 Oct Thu 2011
Is This Tricking Your Body to Stack on Pounds?
The consumption of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) has been on the rise for several years now.
If you get in the habit of reading labels you see it in everything from bread to ketchup. Why? Because it's the cheapest way to replace sugar or other sweeteners in a recipe.
I ask myself all the time why we need sugar in so many things but the truth is American's consume so much sugar on a daily basis that they are desensitized to the taste. They think things don't taste right without sweeteners of some kind.
Add to that, the increasing evidence that these sweeteners can be addicting and we see why the industrial food system relies so heavily on High Fructose Corn Syrup.
It actually tricks your body into creating and storing excess fat.
Check out this article and see a good strategy to eliminate it and lose the weight you've been trying to lose.
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08 Oct Sat 2011
Save Your Own Seed - Grow Open Pollinated Corn
Once the hogs grazed the grass down and then began to root it up and eat the roots off the grass we got ready to move them. In this case we moved them the trailer for a short trip to see the butcher.
I then tilled the fieldand waited about a weekfor any seeds to germinate. I then cleaned out one of our buildings we had kept hogs in all winter. We kept them in a building all winter so we could collect the manure for this project.
I kept them deeply bedded with straw. Two reasons for this; one was to keep the nutrients in the manure locked up with carbon, and two, I think hogs laying around in mud and manure is a recipe for sickness not to mention poor farming.
So we ending up with a bunch of manure with lots of decomposing straw mixed in. I then spread this on the previously tilled soil and worked it in.
This gave the soil a big nutrient boost and a good amount of organic matter or humus. We then planted an old variety of open pollinated corn.
Here's a definition of open pollinated corn from openpollinated.com
“Open Pollinated” is a horticultural term meaning that the plant will produce seeds naturally. When these seeds are planted they will reliably reproduce the same plant as the parent. On the other hand, hybrid corn is the result of controlled pollination of inbred plants. These seeds are often sterile, and if they do germinate, will not reliably produce the same plant as the parent. This means the farmer has a perpetual reliance on the seed companies.
Being able to save seed is a big plus in my book however the good news doesn't stop there, open pollinated corn is typically 11 to 14 percent crude protein whereas hybrid corn comes in at around 6 to 7 percent.
I have read claims that open pollinated corn picks up substantially more minerals than conventional corn. I've not seen any scientific evidence to support this claim but perhaps it exists. I have had several farmers tell me it can deplete your soil of nutrients as it is a "heavy feeder" which tells me it's taking nutrients from the soil andI think that's a good thing.
The crop is almost ready and doing a quick and dirty yield test tells me the yield is around 193 bushels per acre. Now keep in mind this test pot is about a 1/4 of an acre.
I would be pleased with 100 plus bushels per acre on a larger scale.
Along with the manure, I also placed the equivalent of 3 gallons per acre ofGrowers Mineral Solution in the seed band when planted and then foliar sprayed it twice before it tassled.
Over all, I am very pleased with the Growers Mineral Solution and open pollinated corn. We plan to plant enough corn to eliminate purchasing corn from off farm sources.
Until next time....
Spring Hill Farms
03 Oct Mon 2011
Judge Says You Do Not Have the Right to Consume Foods of Your Choice
A Wisconsin judge has ruled that owners of cows do not have the right to consume milk from their own cow.
The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund reported on this in detail and you can find the link at the end of this blog.
Among other things, Dane county Judge Circuit Court Judge Patrick J. Fiedler clarified his rulings by stating Plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to produce and consume the foods of their choice.
I want to use this crazy ruling in Wisconsin to once again say if you are a farmer that values the right to produce and direct market your goods, you need to join the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund.
If you are a consumer who believes you have the right to consume foods of your choosing, you need to support the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund.
The FTCLDF is on the forefront of helping small farms keep, and take back, our rights to produce and consume foods of our choosing.
Take some time and read the article here and then either join or donate to the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund.
Until next time...
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30 Sep Fri 2011
Don't Use Antibiotics for Poultry and Resistant Bacteria Levels Drop
American consumers are becoming aware of the practices of large commercial farming operations and they don't like what they learn.
Here's a great example of proof. Not using sub-therapeutic antibiotics can quickly lower the anti resistant bacterias found on these farms.
You can read more about just how dangerous antibiotic use can be to all of us here: "This development of drug resistance scares the hell out of me," says Kellogg Schwab
(From the Union of Concerned Scientists)
A blockbuster new scientific study shows that a transition to organic animal production methods that don’t use antibiotics can reduce levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria on farms.
This is the first U.S. study to provide on-farm data on the impacts of removing antibiotics from large-scale poultry CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations).
Researchers from the University of Maryland and the Food and Drug Administration measured levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in poultry litter, water, and feed samples from 10 conventional poultry operations and 10 newly-organic operations of similar size. (Under organic certification rules, producers are not allowed to use antibiotics.) The newly antibiotic-free organic farms had much lower rates of resistant bacteria compared to the conventional farms, demonstrating that the reduction in antibiotic use can immediately lower the levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria found on the farm.
The study was released in the midst of a massive food safety recall of ground turkey contaminated with antibiotic-resistant salmonella. That incident, involving 36 million pounds of ground turkey produced by agribusiness giant Cargill, sickened some 111 consumers. Read the full study here, and learn more about the turkey recall here.
22 Sep Thu 2011
Coming to a Grocery Near You - Pesticide Laden Corn
One of the many reasons I oppose the use of genetically modified corn is one of the modified traits is to make it resistant to pesticides.
To me it only stands to reason that if you know the poison won't kill your corn you would be more apt to use plenty enough to kill the weeds.
If you end up with some weed pressure when the corn is up high but still able to drag a boom sprayer through it, why not spray poison again? After all it can't kill the corn plants they are genetically resistant. And if you're the seed modifier why not make the seed resistant to the poison you sell?
Great ideas from strictly a marketing standpoint.
But common sense tells me I don't want to eat food that has been hosed down with pesticides maybe more than once.
The latest: Monsanto’s new GMO corn, intended for the frozen and/or canned corn market. This experimental corn will not be labeled, so consumers cannot know when they may be eating a GMO food that contains a toxic pesticide in every bite
Let the food giants know you don't want to eat pesticide laden corn.
Go to The Center For Food Safety and click the "Take Action" button.
till next time...
13 Sep Tue 2011
Hard Core Sustainable Farmer or Lunatic?
12 Sep Mon 2011
Free Range Eggs - A Top 10 Superfood
Eggs get a bad rap many times but the truth is they are a great source of:
- Nine essential amino acids
- Lutein and zeaxanthin (for your eyes)
- Choline for your brain, nervous- and cardiovascular systems
- Naturally occurring B12
I routinely eat my eggs raw but for many that is not something they are ready to do unless they are really a committed health fanatic!
It's very handy though, I can have two or three raw eggs and some fresh vegetable juice for lunch and be back to work in ten minutes.
If I'm in a hurry in the morning I can crack a couple of eggs into a mug and two swallows later my breakfast is over and I'm out the door!
I would not recommend doing this with store bought eggs regardless of pastured, free range or otherwise. The risk of salmonella is very real.
Here's a list of the top 10 super foods for your health. How many are you consuming?
The Top 10 Best Superfoods
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06 Sep Tue 2011
Tamworth Pig or Funny Looking Chicken?
A few weeks ago I noticed a pig running through the yard. I watched as she zipped down past the house and disappeared. I was sure she belonged to our oldest sow Droopy. But how did she get out?
Over the next few days I noticed as soon as we were all in the house she would sneak out and head for the laying hens which were being fed outside. She would charge right up and take her place at the trough!
Since the troughs have a bar that runs through the middle it was hard for her to get feed so she began upsetting it and eating the feed off the ground.
This became her daily ritual. Watch us feed the chickens and then run over and start eating. As with any bad habit (or so I'm told) it kept getting worse. Pretty soon she was waiting with the chickens when we went to feed them.
The boys would chase her back to the pasture and she would squeal as loud as she could to let them know she was not happy.
A few days of that and I caught her sneaking out of the hen house! Turns out she wasn't laying eggs she was climbing into the bottom box and eating eggs.
I resolved to fix the fence the next day and put a stop to her antics. I got up the next morning and went to the garden to check things out to find little pig had beat me to it and rooted out a bunch of sweet potatoes for her breakfast.
My next stop was the barn for some fence wire and thus ended the pig who only wanted to be a chicken because they roam around and get all kinds of goodies.
Until next time...
01 Sep Thu 2011
Joel Salatin - Folk's This Ain't Normal
Love him or hate him, Joel Salatin is leading the charge when it comes to small farms.
I can't wait to read his new book coming out in October. I love the fact that Joel has got the ear of a portion of America that is big enough to help bring about change.
Watch the video to get a glimpse into what he'll be covering. While you're at it if you don't know about the Farm to Consumer Legal defense Fund check them out!
until next time...
25 Jul Mon 2011
Eating Grass Fed - Increases Blood Levels of Omega 3's
I have long been a proponent of Grass fed beef, pastured pork, and poultry.
It always thrills me to see studies as they emerge proving out more positive benefits of eating grass fed meat.
A recent article discusses the fact that eating grass fed meat for just a short period of time can raise your blood levels of Omega 3's. Read it here
19 Jul Tue 2011
Lard: The Truth You Need
I have several breakfast selections I rotate through depending on what I feel like eating, how much time I have, etc.
This morning I elected to fry my eggs. The bulk of the pastured eggs I consume are raw. You hear all kinds of things about eating eggs raw and in another article I'll discuss why I eat raw eggs, but for today let's look at using pig lard as a ingredient in your everyday cooking. Like frying eggs.
I dropped about a half a tablespoon or more lard from our pastured pork into the skillet and in a couple minutes I was eating two eggs with real cheese and no bread. I have practically eliminated bread from my diet. Not completely, as I love whole wheat bread, but it happens to be one of the things that adds inches to my waistline so I keep my urge to eat a loaf at a time subdued.
Lard, like most animal fats, have gotten a bad wrap for many years now. I still marvel at the effectiveness of the "low fat" advertising mantra. Today there is so much confusion about fats and oils that many people are sabotaging their health while believing they are doing the right thing.
In 1956, an American Heart Association (AHA) fund-raiser aired on all three major networks. The MC interviewed, among others, Irving Page and Jeremiah Stamler of the AHA, and researcher Ancel Keys. Panelists presented the lipid hypothesis as the cause of the heart disease epidemic and launched the Prudent Diet, one in which corn oil, margarine, chicken and cold cereal replaced butter, lard, beef and eggs. But the television campaign was not an unqualified success because one of the panelists, Dr. Dudley White, disputed his colleagues at the AHA. Dr. White noted that heart disease in the form of myocardial infarction was nonexistent in 1900 when egg consumption was three times what it was in 1956 and when corn oil was unavailable. When pressed to support the Prudent Diet, Dr. White replied: "See here, I began my practice as a cardiologist in 1921 and I never saw an MI patent until 1928. Back in the MI free days before 1920, the fats were butter and lard and I think that we would all benefit from the kind of diet that we had at a time when no one had ever heard the word corn oil."
So what type of fat is lard?
According to Mary Enig, author of Know Your Fats, lard is about 40 percent saturated, 50 percent monounsaturated, and contains 10 percent polyunsaturated fatty acids. It is also one of our richest dietary sources of vitamin D.
(Research is showing vitamin D to be one of the foundational vitamins to good health.)
Foods containing trans fat sell because the American public is afraid of the alternative—saturated fats found in tallow, lard, butter, palm and coconut oil, fats traditionally used for frying and baking. Yet the scientific literature delineates a number of vital roles for dietary saturated fats—they enhance the immune system,are necessary for healthy bones,provide energy and structural integrity to the cells, protect the liverand enhance the body's use of essential fatty acids. Stearic acid, found in beef tallow and butter, has cholesterol lowering properties and is a preferred food for the heart. As saturated fats are stable, they do not become rancid easily, do not call upon the body's reserves of antioxidants, do not initiate cancer, do not irritate the artery walls.
We have always used lard here at Spring Hill Farms. A growing number of customers are requesting it. At this point the best we can do is give them the actual fat so they can make lard for themselves.
It's a simple process and can be done on the stove in smaller amounts.
If you would be interested in purchasing lard from us let me know. If the demand is large enough perhaps we will add it to our products.
You can buy lard at some grocery stores, but it can have hydrogenated lard it, BHT, Propyl Gallate, and Citric Acid.
You can bet the pig it was made from wasn't on pasture and worse yet probably fed all kinds of things to practically negate the benefits of the lard.
Keep your eye out we may have a lard rendering here at the house this fall so you can try some for yourself.
If you're thinking there is no way you are eating animal fats because they aren't healthy for you. I urge to do some research and see for yourself. A good place to start is The Oiling of America.
Until Next Time...
18 Jul Mon 2011
The Beef You Eat - Cancer Fighter?
It took a long time to convince me that grass fed beef was better for you than grain fed.
The research that is coming mainstream these days though will convince the most skeptical person.
It's hard to describe the feeling you have sitting down to dinner with those you love and knowing they are eating foods that help keep them healthy rather than making them sick. That is one of our main priorities here at Spring Hill Farms.
Diet and lifestyle are two of the foundational keys to health. Read Dr Mercola's latest blog about the benefits of grass fed beef. [More]
12 Jul Tue 2011
Eat Farm Fresh Food and Take This Super-Nutrient For Optimum Health
Eating fresh, local foods is the foundation to health and longevity but is it enough?
If you have enough discipline to never eat processed foods and have done so for most of your life maybe it would be, but most people I know don't fall into that category!
I'm not a big proponent of nutritional supplements but I do think there is a place for them.
The key word is supplement. They should supplement an already good diet to help maintain good health.
Another good use of nutritional supplements is to help you overcome a health issue you may be facing and diet alone isn't getting the results you need to feel better.
Enter - Astaxanthin, the one supplement I believe no one should be without.
The list of benefits from taking Astaxanthin is growing by the day.
There may be no other single natural substance that performs so many beneficial biochemical functions as this little-known carotenoid. Its scope is truly amazing. Here are just some of the ways astaxanthin can positively impact your health, according to the latest research:
*The following was taken from Dr Mercola's Site read the full article here.
- Boosting immune function
- Improving cardiovascular health by reducing C-Reactive Proteins (CRP), reducing triglycerides, and increasing beneficial HDL
- GREATLY protecting your eyes from cataracts, macular degeneration, and blindness (which I will discuss at length below)
- Protecting your brain from dementia and Alzheimer's
- Reducing your risk for many types of cancer (including cancers of the breast, colon, bladder and mouth) by stimulating apoptosis (cancer cell death) and inhibiting lipid peroxidation
- Improving recovery from spinal cord and other central nervous system injuries
- Reducing inflammation from all causes, including arthritis and asthma
- Improving endurance, workout performance and recovery
- Helping to stabilize blood sugar, thereby protecting your kidneys
- Relieving indigestion and reflux
- Improving fertility by increasing sperm strength and sperm count
- Actually helping to prevent sunburn, and protecting you from the damaging effects of radiation (i.e., flying in airplanes, x-rays, CT scans, etc.)
- Reducing oxidative damage to your DNA
- Reducing symptoms from pancreatitis, multiple sclerosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson's disease, and Lou Gehrig's disease, and neurodegenerative diseases.
I started taking Astaxanthin because I was suffering from severe lower back pain for almost 3 years. I tried everything chiropractors, stretching, exercise, other supplements, nothing got me complete relief.
After just 3 weeks of taking Astaxanthin my back pain was totally gone! It has changed my life. No more asking my wife to help me get my shoes on, no more sleepless nights, no more constant pain...I was a new man!
Another benefit I noticed is it is a great natural sunscreen! Contrary to what most dermatologists say, I believe sunshine is good for you.
You don't want to get sunburned but we need sunshine to optimize our vitamin D levels. The research is proving this and most all suncreens you buy in store actaully contain carcinegenics.
I take 8 mg a day and it seems to be enough. If you're going to be in the sun continuously for a long period I would think you may need to take more through the day. Dr. Mercola sells a great natural sunscreen on his site if you are prone to burning.
Dr Mercola has blogged extensively on Astaxanthin. I would urge you to see for yourself if you want all the technical information.
I have had so many friends and family ask me about Astaxanthin that I promised them I would blog about it so they know where to get it.
You can purchase here and receive $5 off your first order! I signed up for their rewards program and receive credits toward my purchases when you purchase products.
Over the next few blogs I'll delve deeper into exactly what I do everyday to maintain optimal health.
My breakfast every morning, foods I refuse to eat, the best dirt for health, all kinds of fun stuff!
Until next time....
PS -Let me know how Astaxanthin improves your life!
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06 Jul Wed 2011
Ron Paul vs The Raw Milk Police
I started raising Oberhasli dairy goats last year as a way to supply my family with fresh, grass fed, raw milk.
We have many customers who asked about milk and we have to tell them that the ODA and FDA consider it a crime to sell raw milk.
Many times people are shocked that a farmer is seriously restricted as to what and how they can sell off the farm and it keeps getting worse.
I believe the raw milk controversy is the fore runner to defining our food rights as American consumers. Even if you have no interest in raw milk (which is a wonderful health food), ask yourself if you want to be told you can no longer buy eggs off the farm that are ungraded. Or, produce has to be inspected to insure it is safe so no on farm sales of produce either.
A large percentage of these laws and regulations are sponsored and pushed by big business to eliminate the competition and maintain the illusion that only food from the "established system" is safe to eat.
Check out Dr Mercola's latest post about Ron Paul standing up and saying enough! [more]
23 Jun Thu 2011
Large Black Crossed with Tamworth Pigs Make Excellent Pork
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After several years of contemplating and researching old heritage breed pigs I have purchased a Large Black boar piglet to cross breed with some of our Tamworth pigs.
I first became interested in these pigs after hearing several farmers experiences with the meat quality of this particular cross.
The Tamworth is a very good heritage breed for meat taste and quality. The Large Black is also known for its delicious pork.
Several producers are crossing Large Black boars with Tamworth sows and they all say the meat is better than either the Tamworth or Large Black as a pure breed.
Large Black can get a bit fat and Tamworth pigs lack marbling in the meat.
By crossing the two you get a leaner hog than the Large Black with the excellent marbling qualities lacking in the Tamworth.
The Large Black is listed as "critical" on the ALBC list. This means there are fewer than 200 annual registrations in the United States and estimated global population less than 2,000. registered each year.
We will have piglets in the Spring of 2012.
I'll keep you updated on how things are going with this great addition to Spring Hill Farms.
Until next time...
11 Jun Sat 2011
GM Crops - Ruining the Future of Organic Crops
I have long been a proponent of crops that are not genetically modified in any way. Regardless of whether you might think GM crops are good or bad, the undeniable fact is they are contaminating organic farmer's crops at an alarming rate. Their is no way to contain them.
If I have bull and refuse to contain him so he ends up at the neighbors farm "imparting his genetics" to the neighbors cows we are going to have trouble!
Just as a farmer must keep his bull, boar, buck, or stud on the farm and contained, so should these seed companies (and farmers) keep their genetics contained or be shut down.
We have no way to refuse GM pollen and so end up with genetics we didn't ask for.
It's time to send a clear message to GM seed companies...YOU ARE BEING IRRESPONSIBLE TO THE ENTIRE WORLD.
Here's an excellent article on the subject [more]
04 May Wed 2011
Pigs on Pasture - How Much Will They Root?
What they are really asking is how much damage are they going to inflict on my pastures?
That's a good question with no correct answer "except that depends."
It depends on how wet or dry the ground might be. What type of soil you're dealing with is another factor. The type and quality of forage available, coupled with how much or how little grain you are supplementing the pigs.
And last but not least, is the breed and age of hog you have running on the pasture.
I have read and spoke to farmers who say Tamworth hogs root more than other hogs they have had in the past. Sometimes they have other heritage breed pigs along with Tamworth and they say they root more.
Tamworth pigs are very active compared to other breeds of swine I have raised. That probably has something to do with it. A hog laying around more probably won't root as much.
I'm not completely convinced they root more but one thing I am convinced of...all hogs root to some degree.
Then add to it that as they increase in weight they are walking around on four pretty small feet! If it's wet they are going to tear up your pasture!
My experience is they root more when it's wet so you're getting a double whammy! Walking around cuts up the sod and then they all have their noses buried about six inches deep!
One conclusion I've come to is you will be reseeding some parts of your pasture from time to time.
The best way to minimize pasture damage is to have a lot or two that you can move them to if it begins to rain long enough to saturate the pasture for a period of time.
Another thing to remember is that you must keep an eye on forage conditions in the pasture. Move them to new grass before they decide there is more to eat below the ground than above it!
A group of pigs on limited feed can take down a significant amount of forage in just a few days so it's critical to be ready to move when necessary. Don't wait to build more fence when they need moved. By the time you get it completed your pigs may have plowed the pasture they are in.
The key to successful pig pasturing is not to run more pigs on your farm than the grass can handle. How many pigs can an acre handle? Well that depends....
Maybe we'll talk about that sometime!
Until next time...