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Eatwild News ArchivesMilk from Grass-Fed Cows Higher in Vitamin ECows that get all their nutrients from grazed grass—their natural diet—produce milk with 86 percent more vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) than cows fed a standard dairy diet, according to a recent study. The standard dairy diet consists of large amounts of “concentrate,” which is typically a dry mixture of corn and soy. Some organic dairies raise their cows on pasture and supplement them with organic concentrate; others keep their cows indoors and feed them organic concentrate and stored grasses. The more freshly grazed grass in a cow’s diet, the more vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, and CLA. Organic Valley is a nation-wide organic dairy that emphasizes grazing. Leiber, F., M. Kreuzer, et al. (2005). Lipids 40(2): 191-202. Eggs from Pastured Hens Better for Your EyesA new report reveals that eggs from hens raised on pasture are higher in lutein and zeaxanthin than eggs from chickens raised in confinement. Lutein and Zeaxanthin are natural substances similar to beta-carotene that protect your eyes from cataracts and a common cause of blindness called "macular degeneration." They may also protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease. Commercial egg producers add synthetic colorants to their feed to mimic the bright yellow yolks of eggs from pastured hens, A widely used additive is "canthaxantin." Canthaxantin can cause eye problems in humans. Farmed-raised salmon and trout are also fed canthaxantin to add more color to their pallid flesh. Due to public outcry, labels on farmed Atlantic salmon must now include the words "artificially colored" or "color added," in ¼ inch or larger letters. The same cautionary remark should be added to most egg cartons. Where can you find eggs from pasture hens? Most of the premium or "natural" eggs in your supermarket are not from chickens raised on pasture. The term "cage-free" simply means that the hens are free to roam on a barn floor; typically, the hens have no access to grass. Organic eggs come from chickens fed organic ingredients. Typically, they, too, are raised in confinement. The same is true for chickens fed "vegetarian" feed. Grass makes the difference. It is rich in the natural carotenoids that are important to your health. You will find eggs from pastured hens at your local farmer's market and from producers listed in Eatwild.com. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. 2006, 54, 2267-2273.
More than 1,700,000 people have visited Eatwild.comAs of March 6, 2006 we have logged over 1,700,000 visitors to Eatwild.com. We are pleased that so many of you are finding your way to our site and that so many of you provide links to Eatwild on your own websites. We are part of a growing "Web Family" of people who are committed to healthy food, healthy animals, strong rural communities, and sustainable agriculture. Go grass! Japan Concerned about Safety of U.S. Feedlot Beef“We’d like to ask for an explanation as to what is going on,” Japanese Vice Farm Minister Mamora Ishihara told reporters on February 12, 2006. The delegation wants to investigate claims that downer cattle are still being slaughtered for human consumption at U.S. plants. It is also visiting a Tyson Foods facility in Kansas to follow up on reports that banned parts from beef are included in processed beef. Because of these and other concerns, Japan has banned the import of beef from the United States. Micro-Dairy Advocates in Washington State Protect Right to Sell Raw MilkRules for selling raw milk for human consumption vary from state to state; some states ban it outright. One way that health-conscious consumers obtain raw milk is through "cow shares"—an arrangement in which "one or more individuals purchase one or more shares in a milk-producing animal in return for a portion of the milk that is produced." A bill proposed to the Washington State legislature in January 2006 specifically includde cow shares in the definition of a "sale," and required that all such distributors to become licensed Class A dairies or face class C felony charges. Eatwild supplier Kelsey Kozak, the teenage operator of a one-cow dairy in Vashon, Washington, testified against the bill. While Kelsey welcomes more oversight and testing to insure that milk is safe, she felt that the bill didn't recognize the special circumstances of small producers and that the cost of meeting Class A dairy requirements was prohibitive for those who are not trying to make a living as a dairy. In her case, she would need to provide a separate room for processing—pouring the milk from a stainless steel pail through a filter and stainless steel funnel into a half gallon jar—for the 4 1/2 gallons of milk a day that her cow produces. According to a survey she conducted of the state's licensed raw milk dairies, it cost them from $6,000 – $60,000 to become licensed. A coalition of individuals opposed to this bill lobbied heavily with their legislators over the last two months. The result is an amended bill that will help to ensure the survival of raw milk micro-dairies in Washington state and increase the safety of all raw milk produced in the state. That bill was passed on March 6, 2006. Follow the links to see the bill's history and the final version. Mother Earth News leading the way
FDA bans use of antibiotic Baytril in poultryThe Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of the poultry antibiotic Baytril, made by Bayer. Many farmers treat their whole flocks with the antibiotic in order to treat or prevent respiratory disease in the birds. The use of Baytril, claims the FDA, makes it difficult for doctors to treat human patients with food poisoning. When bacteria are repeatedly exposed to antibiotics, they become resistant. When humans eat or handle contaminated meat, they may pick up the drug-resistant bacteria. Baytril is a member of the class of drugs called fluoroquiolones. This class of drugs, which includes the drug Cipro, is considered valuable for treating serious infections in people. The FDA first proposed the ban against Baytril five years ago. Mother Nature knows better once againThe concentration of carbon dioxide in our air is rapidly rising, a condition that contributes to the greenhouse effect and potential global warming. The more of the carbon that can be contained in the soil, however, the less that escapes into the air. A report released by the USDA's Agricultural Research Service finds that soil stores 2 to 3 times more carbon when the grass was grazed than when it was harvested for hay or not harvested at all. Another benefit of grazing, the researchers noted, was that grazing also reduces costs by lowering needs for herbicides and producing income from the livestock. They estimated that even putting as little as 10 percent of existing cropland into rotation with grazing would produce significant cost reductions. More information is available online at http://ars.usda.gov/is/pr. It's no yolk, tests show free-range eggs more nutritiousMother Earth News magazine has announced the results of its research comparing eggs from four free-range flocks to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for eggs from confinement production systems. Their findings showed that the eggs from free range chickens were up to twice as rich in vitamin E, up to six times richer in beta carotene (a form of vitamin A) and four times richer in essential omega-3 fatty acids. And, the free-range eggs averaged only half as much cholesterol. Data and graphs are available in the August/September 2005 issue of the magazine or at the Mother Earth News Web site: http://www.MotherEarthNews.com/eggs First native-born case of BSE in US reportedOn June 24, 2005, Mike Johanns, US Secretary of Agriculture, announced the discovery of the first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow disease) in an animal born in the US. The animal was over 8 years of age and born before the 1997 ban on ruminant byproducts in feed for ruminants. In addition to raising concerns about the safety of American's food supply, the case also brought to light issues about the USDA's protocol for detection, handling and testing of suspected BSE cases. Johanns disclosed that during the testing process on this animal, body parts from five animals were stored together, a departure from accepted protocols, and also conceded that the USDA's test procedures may be out of date. To learn more about BSE, read Grass-fed products are clean and safe. Grass-fed meats: News that's fit to printPastured products have made the New York Times this year on both the first of May and the first of June. A story reported on the cover page of June's first's Dining and Wine section, reports that New York's Greenmarkets, a well known source for locally grown fruits and vegetables, are now becoming the place to go for pork, beef and lamb from local pastures. This influx of grass-fed meat producers to the greenmarkets heralds a new dietary trend back to meat, according to reporter Kim Severson. People who have shunned factory-raised meats are adding pasture-raised products back to their diets, not only because they make for healthier and more flavorful eating, but also because they care about humane treatment of the animals and the benefits of sustainable agriculture. Give 'em a Chance, Steers Will Eat Grass, Kim Severson, The New York Times, June 1, 2005 Meat protein does not compromise bone density
Plea to limit antibiotic use in animal feedOn April 7, 2005, five medical and environmental groups petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the use of seven kinds of antibiotics in animal feed. The groups maintain that using the antibiotics goes against the FDA mandate to protect human health. The antibiotics singled out by the groups are either “critically important” or “highly important” to human health. They are given to cattle to speed their growth and to reduce the problems associated with excessive grain feeding. Read more. The five groups requesting the ban are the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, the Environmental Defense, the Food Animal Concerns Trust, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, 70 percent of the antibiotics used in the U.S. each year are fed to livestock and poultry. The fear is that the unnecessary use of these potent medications will result in more antibiotic-resistant bacteria and an undermining of human health. Animals that are raised and finished on pasture are not given antibiotics in their feed because they are allowed to grow at a natural pace and do not have the diseases and complications that come from being fed grain in crowded and stressful feedlots. Be wary of spring chickensDid you know that standard poultry producers feed trace amounts of arsenic to their broilers? In small amounts, the well-known poison stimulates the birds’ appetites and helps fight certain diseases that can spread rapidly in confinement facilities. A survey published in Environmental Health Perspectives sheds light on how much arsenic makes it to our dinner plates. The researchers determined that there was 0.39 ppm of arsenic in the meat of young broiler chickens, the type of chicken that fills the meat cases at your local supermarket. They calculated this was “3–4 fold higher than in other poultry and meat. People who eat typical amounts of chicken may ingest 1.38–5.24 mcg a day from chicken alone.” They concluded that “These concentrations are higher than previously recognized in chicken,” and went on to say it may be wise to recalculate how much of the poison that consumers are ingesting on a daily basis. Pastured poultry are not treated with arsenic or any other toxic substances. Lasky, T., W. Sun, et al. (2004). "Mean total arsenic concentrations in chicken 1989-2000 and estimated exposures for consumers of chicken." Environ Health Perspect 112(1): 18-21. GMO Salmon – Coming to your market soon?
Will GMO salmon be safe to eat and safe for the environment? “The fish would be no different from a soybean plant or cheese,” said Lisa Dry, public relations officer for Aqua Bounty. “We’re in our 10th year of eating these products…They’re just so prevalent in our diet. I think that speaks to safety.” Pizza dough and tetracyclineIn a recent interview with a former manager of a Nebraska feedlot, Eatwild has learned of an extreme example of raising cattle on junk food. In this particular feedlot, the cattle were fattened on stale pizza crust that the owners purchased from a wholesale bakery for only a penny a pound. Feeding junk food to animals is regarded by many as a win-win situation: it keeps waste food out of the landfills and provides low cost food for the animal industry. The pizza dough was then mixed with powdered tetracycline. Why add the antibiotic medication? Because low levels of antibiotics make cattle eat more and put on weight more rapidly, further cutting the cost of raising them to maturity. Tetracycline is not approved as a feed additive in cattle, so the owners purchased the drug under the false pretense that they were using it to treat disease in poultry. On this junk food and drug diet, the cattle put on as much as four pounds a day, a remarkable rate of growth at a very low cost. The end result was more money for the feedlot, more abuse of medications that are important for human medicine, and more meat of questionable quality for an unsuspecting public. The degree to which American cattle are being fed junk food and off-label drugs is not known. Teresa Heinz Kerry goes grass-fed
Grass-fed beef can qualify as a "good source" of omega-3Grass-fed animals have 2 to 3 times more omega-3 fatty acids than grain-fed animals. But is this enough of a difference to enhance your health? Yes, according to a recent Australian study. The researchers sampled meat from three groups of animals: 1) cattle raised on pasture alone; 2) cattle raised on pasture and then switched to grain for a short period of time, and 3) cattle raised on pasture and then switched to grain for a longer period of time, the typical American feedlot model. The researchers determined that the 100 percent grass-fed animals had higher levels of omega-3 than both of the other groups. There was enough of two types of omega-3s—EPA and DHA—to qualify the meat as a significant "source" of these healthy fats. Meat from the rump had enough to qualify as a "good source." As other studies have shown, the grass-fed meat also had less total fat and less saturated fat, making it a healthier choice all around. Mann, NJ et al, "Feeding regimes affect fatty acid composition in Australian beef cattle," Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 12 Suppl, S38, 2003. Women lose more weight on a diet high in red meatOne hundred overweight women were randomly assigned to one of two different diets. One was high in red meat (34% protein diet) and the other was low in red meat (17% protein diet.) The two diets had the same number of calories. At the end of the three-month study, the women on the red-meat diet had lost an extra one and a half pounds of fat. They also held on to more of their lean muscle mass, which helped them maintain their strength and metabolic rate. Women who had high triglycerides at the beginning of the study fared even better on the red meat diet, losing four and a half extra pounds. There were additional benefits to the carnivorous diet. The women had a 14% greater reduction in triglycerides, and a 9% increase in vitamin B12. (The women on the low meat diet had a 13% loss in B12) The conclusion of the researchers? "A low calorie diet high in red meat seems to provide a weight loss advantage [for women] with no adverse effects on bone metabolism." APJournal of Clinical Nutrition, 12(S):10, 2003 Grazing better for the soil than growing grainSix Minnesota pasture-based ranchers asked researchers to compare the health of their soil with soil from neighboring farms that produced corn, soybean, oats, or hay. At the end of four years of monitoring, researchers concluded that the carefully managed grazed land had:
Depending on the way that cattle are managed, they can either devastate a landscape or greatly improve the health of the soil. To be listed on our Eatwild Pastured Products Directory, producers must certify that they use best management practices. "Managed Grazing as an Alternative Manure Management Strategy," Jay Dorsey, Jodi Dansingburg, Richard Ness, USDA-ARS, Land Stewardship Project. Rogue proteins and mad cow diseaseA study published in the July 30th, 2004 issue of Science magazine reveals that mad cow and similar brain diseases can be caused by proteins alone. For a number of years, scientists have theorized that misshapen proteins or "prions," are the underlying cause of mad cow disease. Now there is compelling proof. This finding overturns the long-held notion that only bacteria and viruses transmit disease. To test the prion theory, Researchers at University of California at San Francisco created a protein that was folded into an abnormal pattern. They injected this misshapen protein into the brains of lab mice. Over time, the mice developed a disease very much like mad cow disease. When tissue from these infected mice was then injected into healthy mice, they, too, developed the disease. How can a misshapen protein spread disease? For reasons not yet known, healthy proteins in the vicinity of a prion reshape themselves into replicas of the rogue protein. (Think of a prion as a rowdy child who gets an entire classroom of children to misbehave.) Soon there are millions of defective proteins in the brain, disrupting brain function and creating a characteristic spongy appearance. After a period of time, a person or animal infected with prions begins to behave abnormally and dies a premature death. The leader of the study was Dr. Stanley Pruisner who received the 1997 Nobel Prize for his work on prions. An article about the study appears in the July 30th, 2004 edition of The New York Times. One hundred percent grass-fed ice cream
Cows on pasture produce healthier, bigger calvesPasture, not grain or "concentrate," is the native diet of cattle. It stands to reason that cows that eat nothing but pasture would have healthier calves. Researchers have found this to be true. In a controlled experiment, 24 pregnant cows were divided into two groups. Both groups grazed pasture, but one was supplemented with a grain-based product. The calves from the grass-only cows were heavier, taller, and had a larger chest circumference. The researchers concluded that "the adoption of new management practices" such as feeding grain to pregnant cows should be undertaken with caution. Bergamaschi, M. A., W. R. Vicente, et al. (2004). "Effect of grazing system on fetal development in Nellore cattle." Theriogenology 61(7-8): 1237-45. Consumer watchIn the past year, a number of producers of grain-fed meat have created slogans and labels that capitalize on the growing interest in grass-fed meat. Without making any false claims, their ads create the illusion that their animals spend their entire lives on pasture. Currently, a Washington State producer of premium, grain-fed meat is using the slogan, "From our pastures to your plate—naturally." MIssing is the part about the months the animals spend eating grain in an Eastern Washington feedlot. If you know of any misleading advertising, please let us know! (To read an essay about the deceptive "greening" of feedlot meat, click here)
How much garbage is being fed to our livestock?As a way to lower costs, millions of tons of municipal garbage are being fed to our livestock. Understandably, this practice is not widely advertised. Nor is the volume of the garbage in animal feed being monitored by the USDA. Perhaps the only way to track the amount of waste being "recycled" through animals is to review the records of waste management bureaus. In 2002, in the city of Los Angeles alone, records show that more than 276,000 tons of garbage were diverted from landfills and turned into animal feed. Grazed pasture is the best land use for storing carbonGrowing plants take carbon dioxide out of the air and "fix" it into the soil as organic matter. The more carbon dioxide that's taken out of the air, the lower the rate of global warming. Until recently, forested land and ungrazed grasslands were thought to be the best "sinks" or storehouses for carbon. The study iillustrated below concluded that well managed grazed pasture may be far better.
"Soil Organic Carbon in fields of switch grass and row crops as well as woodlots and pastures across the Chariton Valley, Iowa." Final Report. Lee Burras and Julie McLaughlin, Iowa State University, January 25, 2002. Growing corn and soy causes six times more soil erosion than pastureFarming cannot be sustainable if the topsoil is constantly being eroded. Currently, the United States is losing three billion tons of nutrient-rich topsoil each year. The graph below shows the results of a new study from the University of Wisconsin Discovery Farms Program. Compared with grazed pasture, gently sloped land devoted to soy and corn production lost six times more topsoil each year. According to Dennis Frame, director of Discovery Farms, if the trend of selling cows and moving to grain production doesn't cease, soil erosion and nutrient losses will continue to climb.
Article originally available on MyCattle.com Ready for the transgenic cow?(2/04/04) Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital are contemplating inserting a worm gene into our livestock. The reason for the genetic manipulation is that earlier studies determined that inserting a particular worm gene, "Fat-1," into lab mice, the animals' tissues had more omega-3 fatty acids. According to the scientists, the "obvious follow-up" would be transferring the gene to dairy cows, chickens, cattle, and pigs so the animals would produce meat, eggs, and dairy products high in Omega-3s. Regular visitors to this site know that raising livestock on grass, which is rich in omega-3s, accomplishes the same goal. What's more, following nature's model offers a multitude of other health and environmental benefits as well. "Transgenic mice: Fat-1 mice convert n-6 to n-3 fatty acids" JING X. KANG*, JINGDONG WANG*, LIN WU† & ZHAO B. KANG, Nature 427: 504 - February 5, 2004 Alpine milk may be the healthiest of allMilk from one hundred percent grass-fed cows is healthier than milk from grain-fed cows because it contains more of a number of key nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene, and conjugated linoleic acid or CLA. New research shows that cows that graze at relatively high altitudes may produce the healthiest milk of all. Compared with lowland grazers, milk from high altitude grazers (3700-6200 ft) has even more omega3s and CLA and significantly less saturated fat. Why? Plants growing in higher altitudes have more omega-3 fatty acids, fats which solidify at lower temperatures than other fats and therefore act as a form of anti-freeze. The cows eat this enriched pasture and pass the nutrients on to their milk. Hauswirth, C. B., M. R. Scheeder, and J. H. Beer. "High Omega-3 Fatty Acid Content in Alpine Cheese: The Basis for an Alpine Paradox." Circulation 109, no. 1 (2004): 103-7. Pasture reduces topsoil erosion by 93 percentCanadian researchers are confirming recent U.S. findings that grazed pasture helps reduce soil lose. According to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, growing corn and soy for animal feed using conventional methods causes a significant amount of this soil loss. Compared with row crops, grazed pasture reduces soil loss by as much as 93 percent. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Robert P. Stone and Neil Moore, Fact Sheet 95-089 Scientists are trying to clone cows that are resistant to mad cow diseaseAided by a $300,000 federal grant, researchers at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech are attempting to clone cattle that are incapable of developing mad cow disease. Presumably, these cloned cows could then be fed contaminated feed without coming down with the disease. We at eatwild.com would rather see those tax dollars spent on researching grass-based production. Pasture-raised cows are naturally free of mad cow disease. What's more, this natural mode of production is better for the environment, the animals, small scale farmers and consumer health. Don't clone them. Graze them.
USDA gives consumers a false sense of security about U.S. beef1/4/04. Ann Veneman, Agriculture Secretary, made the following statement in a recent news conference: "scientific evidence shows that only nervous tissue like brain and spinal cord can carry the infectious agent" for mad cow disease. Not so, according to Dr. Stanley Prusiner, the neurologist who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1997 for first describing prions, the misshapen proteins believed to cause the devastating disease. "We don't know where and how prions move through the [cow's] body before they show up in its brain," he told a New York Times reporter. This means that the disease may be transmitted by eating other parts of a cow besides the nervous tissue—including the meat. Dr. Prusiner has devised a test to find out exactly where prions are located, but according to the New York Times article, "That experiment has not been done..." The USDA's new safeguards requiring that "specified risk material" be removed from the food supply do not appear to be broad enough. The New York Times, Sunday, January 4th, "Jumble of Tests May Slow Mad Cow Solution," Sandra Blakeslee, p. 10. Grass-fed beef goes mainstreamWithin the span of two days, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal recommended that consumers who are looking for safe meat choose either organic or grass-fed beef. This is a testimony to the nation's growing awareness of pasture-based farming. Most of the recent publicity has focused on the safety of grass-fed beef, one of its many virtues. Visitors to www.eatwild.com can get the whole story. The New York Times, "Warily Searching for Safer Beef," by Marian Burros, December 31, 2003. The Wall Street Journal, "Why Blaming Canada Isn't Enough: U.S. Mad-Cow Inspections Lack Teeth," by Tara Parker-Pope, December 30, 2003. A confirmed case of "mad scientist disease"Mad cow disease can cause a frightening and fatal illness in humans, justifying the public's present concern about modern livestock practices. To many Americans, the fact that diseased cattle were being fed to cattle—whether in the United States or Canada—is an appalling revelation. This practice is now banned in the United States. But, behind the scenes, feedlot cattle are still being fed a long list of other objectionable ingredients, including chicken manure, stale candy, chicken feathers, recycled newspaper, and municipal garbage. The concept "garbage in, garbage out." has yet to be applied to industrial animal production. The use of each of these ingredients is backed by at least one scientific study proclaiming its benefits. It makes one wonder—perhaps the scientists and the meat industry are mad, not the cows. See studies about some of the "cost-efficient feedstuff" recommended for our cattle. Grass-fed cows are not mad cowsThe United States had its first confirmed case of mad cow disease, technically known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy” or BSE, in December of 2003. The leading theory is that cattle contract BSE by being fed meat and bone meal made from other cattle infected with BSE. Choosing products from 100 percent grass-fed cattle is a safer choice because the animals are not fed any animal products. Their entire diet consists of water, pasture grasses, hay, grass silage (a form of fermented grass) and, in some cases, mineral and vitamin supplements. These products are safer in other ways as well because the animals are not treated with hormones, low-level antibiotics, or other pharmaceutical drugs. Read more about the SAFETY of grass-fed products. More good news about the health benefits of milk from grassfed cowsIn recent years, researchers have discovered that some fats are very good for your health, including omega-3 fatty acids, oleic acid (found in olive oil and meat) and conjugated linoleic acid CLA. Now, attention is focusing on the health benefits of a little known fat called butyric acid (byoo' tric). Like CLA and omega-3 fatty acids, butryric acid is a cancer fighter. Lab studies have shown that it can slow the growth of tumor cells and prompt all cells to develop more normally. According to a newly published study, feeding grain to dairy cows "reduced the contribution of butyric acid to milk fat, from 4.5 to 3.9 g/100 g milk fat, on average." Compared with milk from cows fed grain, grassfed cows have more omega-3s, CLA, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and butyric acid. Stockdale, C. R., G. P. Walker, et al. (2003). "Influence of pasture and concentrates in the diet of grazing dairy cows on the fatty acid composition of milk." J Dairy Res 70(3): 267-76. 1) The future of farming is hereAccording to the latest US census data, the average age of the US farmer is 54. Young farmers, under the age of 35, account for only 8 percent of the farming population.
Kelsey Kozak, an enterprising 15-year-old from Washington State, may be the very youngest of the new crop of grassfarmers. Kelsey has wanted to have her own cow since she was 8-years old and had a fantasy of "making my own Brie." At age 12, she began envisioning "a fridge in our barn full of milk, cream, butter, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream." This summer, Kelsey began realizing her dream by purchasing a Jersey cow, Iris, and raising her on pasture. In addition to attending school full-time, Kelsey does all the milking and makes yogurt, yogurt cheese, mozzarella, and ice cream to sell at her home-based "Fort Bantam Creamery." Customers come from as far away as Seattle, even though it means a two-hour round trip and a $15 ferry ticket. Like other grass-based farmers, she has discovered that "people are thrilled to find real milk in their area." Kelsey is now experimenting with making aged cheeses. Her future goals include "going to France to work with an artisan cheese maker in the Pyrenees and learn how to make really good cheeses!" Brie is likely to be one of the first that she masters. 2) Pasture-raised animals have fewer disease-causing bacteriaRecently, Australians discovered that
raising cattle on pasture reduced their risk of carrying a bacteria
called
"campylobacter." FIfty-eight percent of the cattle raised in
a feedlot carried the bacteria, but only two percent of those raised
and finished on pasture. Campylobacter bacteria can cause fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headache and muscle pain. Most cases are mild, but it can be life threatening if other diseases such as cancer or liver disease are present. People most likely to be affected are children under the age of 5 and young adults from 15-29. Symptoms can occur from two to ten days after eating infected meat.
Much of the grain fed to our conventionally raised
livestock is genetically modified or GM. The only way to keep pollen
from GM crops from "out-crossing" to unmodified plants is to
create a sufficiently large buffer zone. A recent British study found
that bees transport pollen more than 4,000 meters—a much larger
buffer zone than most farmers maintain. This finding "stunned the
Ministry of the Environment, and a spokesman said that existing isolation
guidelines will have to be reviewed." 3) Natural CLA from grazing animals superior to pills
Worse yet, the researchers
found that a kind of CLA found in the pills (CLA (t10, c12) may cause
serious health complications, including an enlarged liver, lower levels
of HDL (good) cholesterol, and insulin resistance. Meanwhile, the main type of CLA found in meat and dairy products (c9, t11 or "rumenic acid") has been given a clean bill of health. Once again, a natural product has been found to be superior to its synthetic counterpart. Larsen, T. M., S. Toubro, et al. (2003). "Efficacy and safety of dietary supplements containing conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) for the treatment of obesity-evidence from animal and human studies." J Lipid Res. 4) Tigers and lions feast on meat from pasture-raised animals
5) You'd butter believe it!
The cube on the bottom is from a well-known commercial dairy. For most Americans, this is the way butter is "supposed to look." Cows have been supplemented with grain for so many decades that people have come to expect the paler color. The fact that conventional butter also has fewer health-promoting nutrients remains a closely guarded secret. To the USDA, most dieticians, and virtually all members of the medical profession, butter is butter is butter. King's dairy is different from commercial dairies in a number of other important ways as well. First of all, the cows are not treated with hormones to boost their production. Second, they are milked only once a day, compared with 2 to 3 times a day, which is standard practice in confinement dairies. Because of these conservative practices, Jako cows produce much less milk than today's "super producers." But this turns out to be a direct benefit for consumers. The less milk a cow produces, the more concentrated the nutrients in the milk. The cows benefit as well.
Because they are in a stress-free environment eating their native diet,
they remain good producers for years. In conventional dairies, a cow
produces for only two lactations before she is either ill, injured,
or ceases to meet her milk quota and is turned into hamburger. A final difference is that King allows the calves to run with their mothers. Typically, a calf is separated from the cow shortly after birth, placed in a "calf hut," and fed milk replacer. King's calves are free to nurse from their moms and romp in the fields. How can the Jako Dairy survive with the cows producing relatively little milk? Part of the reason is that the animals are so healthy that King's vet bills are extremely low. Also, the cows remain good producers for years, saving tens of thousands of dollars a year on replacement heifers. But another reason the dairy prospers is that King's customers know about the many benefits of milk from grassfed cows and are willing to pay higher prices for their milk and butter. Jako, Inc. Dairy Read more about the health benefits of milk from grassfed cows. Read more of the News Archives...
In addition, many of the postings have been sorted into four categories. 1) Grassfarming and human health
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Grassfarmers
seem to be bucking the trend. A 1997 survey of Pennsylvania dairy farmers
found that farmers who raised their cows on pasture were younger, better
educated, more likely to use farm plans, and more interested in expanding
their operations than farmers who kept their cows in confinement. 
