Ruminations

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, one of Great Britain’s top chefs on television, is advocating a philosophy that goes beyond eating organic and local. His mission is changing peoples’ relationship to food production, and his philosophy is “plow to plate” or a deeper connectedness between people and land. Ideally, the consumer is self-reliant, acting as the grower of his/her food, or failing that, the grower’s neighbor. The chef calls it “food integrity.” At his restaurant, all wine is local, and bottled water is banned.

The article appears in the Nov. 30 issue of the New York Times.

Filed by admin at 12:47 am under Nutrition, Diet & Food Politics
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The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety has published the results of a long-term study, carried out by Veterinary University Vienna, in which mice were fed with genetically modified (GM) corn developed by the Monsanto Corporation. The study found that GM corn led to lower fertility and body weights. The principle GM crops are soy, corn, cottonseed and canola. GM sugar from sugar beets will also be introduced before year’s end.

Of course, 100% grass-fed and finished beef does not have any exposure to genetically modified (GM) crops of any sort.

Here is a link to the study.

Filed by admin at 9:31 pm under GMO Issues
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In an Oct. 31 article from the  NY Times about contaminants in food in China, I must point out it seems so simple. We must eat animal protein from animals raised without introduction of any feedstuffs, thereby eliminating Mad Cow Disease, E. coli contamination, GMOs, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, and on and on.  Can this be any clearer?

Fears on Animal Feed Widen Food Inquiry in China

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Abe Collins is a Vermont farmer who practices good grass farming. He also believes in carbon sequestration, defined as “one of the most promising ways for reducing the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere … and is likely be essential if the world is to stabilize atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases at acceptable levels.” [U.S. DOE definition] A recent article about Abe Collins in Ode Magazine sums up many things about meat production and carbon sequestering.  Abe will be a featured speaker at the North American Devon Association conference October 18. Don’t miss a chance to hear this pioneer of the 21^st century.

Down and Dirty in June 2008 Ode Magazine: How carbon farming, the practise of putting CO2 back into the soil, can help fight global warming.

Filed by admin at 4:40 pm under Sustainable Agriculture & Policy
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Scott Gold’s The Shameless Carnivore: A Manifesto for Meat Lovers celebrates meat-eaters and the meat-eating life. He defines a shameless carnivore as someone who knows where his meat comes from, and who eats high-quality fantastic meat less often  than eating mediocre meat daily. A shameful carnivore, on the other hand, “is someone who only consumes meat and refuses to acknowledge where it comes from. … It’s completely disassociated from the animal.”

He continues, “Americans are gluttonous, and we overconsume, and eat way too much meat. You don’t need a lot. It’s very good for you but eating too much bad meat that’s made from poorly raised animals pumped full of growth hormones and antibiotics is bad.”

He advises, “Visit a family farm or any small producer that really conscientious about how they raise their animals. This is in and of itself very important, not just for the animals’ welfare, but for our welfare and the welfare of the planet. And obviously, for flavor, which is what it ultimately boils down to, the happiest animals make the best meat.”

Read the entire interview here. Note that Ottomanelli’s butcher shop, which he recommends, sells Hardwick Beef, our sister organization.

Filed by admin at 6:48 pm under Nutrition, Diet & Food Politics
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More and more attention is now being focused on the quality of the food that we produce and eat. This issue affects not only human health, but also the health of our animals, our soil, and every other part of the agricultural system. Slow Food Nation hosted a very successful and well-attended (by some 60,000 foodies) conference over Labor Day weekend in San Francisco and featured the new 10,000 square foot urban garden in front of City Hall; panelists urged a complete overhaul of our food system and a return to healthy and locally produced food.

This month’s issue of O Magazine prints a call to action by Celia Barbour: “If you want to dodge obesity, avoid chemicals, and reawaken your taste buds, take a pass on industrial food and think flavorful free-range chicken; lean, grass-fed beef; tomatoes that still smell of the garden. There’s a growing movement that’s transforming what we put in our mouths.” Read it here.

Filed by admin at 6:35 pm under Nutrition, Diet & Food Politics
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by Ridge Shinn

We were shocked to see that Whole Foods needed to recall fresh ground beef from all of its stores Friday. As reported in the WashingtonPost.com, it was the latest retailer affected by an E. coli outbreak traced to Nebraska Beef, one of the nation’s largest meatpackers. We ask, When will Whole Foods catch up to the reality that only grass-fed beef from known producers (like Hardwick Beef) will be safe for consumers?

Read the article here.

Filed by admin at 1:03 am under Beef Marketing
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by Ridge Shinn

I mention an interesting article in the July 31, 2008 issue of the New York Times, explaining China and India’s interest in being”food secure.” The article goes on to report:

China allied itself with Indian negotiators in insisting on safeguard rules for agriculture, and sought to require that developing countries be allowed to impose prohibitively high tariffs on food imports from affluent countries to halt increases in imports that might put farmers in poor countries out of business.

U.S. policy still subsidizes enormous crop production for export while neglecting our own “food security” or producing adequate amounts of food close to the population centers and in a system that is accessible to consumers.

Read the article.

Filed by admin at 11:42 pm under Sustainable Agriculture & Policy
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Welcome to Ruminations, where we discuss news relating to grass-fed beef, nutrition, soil, and anything else that strikes our fancy.

Filed by admin at 7:22 pm under Uncategorized
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How did we end up in this “tainted” food crisis? Here’s one perspective on how it has happened. Paul Krugman, writing in the New York Times June 13, 2008, writes, “. . . there always seems to be at least one food-safety crisis in the headlines — tainted spinach, poisonous peanut butter and, currently, the attack of the killer tomatoes. The declining credibility of U.S. food regulation has even led to a foreign-policy crisis. …

“… failure to regulate effectively isn’t just bad for consumers, it’s bad for business. And in the case of food, what we need to do now — for the sake of both our health and our export markets — is to go back to the way it was after Teddy Roosevelt, when the Socialists took over. It’s time to get back to the business of ensuring that American food is safe.”

Bad Cow Disease By Paul Krugman

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