Monday, January 28, 2008

Meat Has Feet


Just a quick heads up on a nice piece in the NYTimes' Week in Review by Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, entitled "Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler." As you might guess it focuses on the current state of meat production and consumption in America and in doing so raises a number of issues that we are concerned about here at WHRI. Here are a couple of quotes of note:

Though some 800 million people on the planet now suffer from hunger or malnutrition, the majority of corn and soy grown in the world feeds cattle, pigs and chickens. This despite the inherent inefficiencies: about two to five times more grain is required to produce the same amount of calories through livestock as through direct grain consumption, according to Rosamond Naylor, an associate professor of economics at Stanford University. It is as much as 10 times more in the case of grain-fed beef in the United States. . . .

Another suggestion is a return to grazing beef, a very real alternative as long as you accept the psychologically difficult and politically unpopular notion of eating less of it. That’s because grazing could never produce as many cattle as feedlots do. . . .

Perhaps the best hope for change lies in consumers’ becoming aware of the true costs of industrial meat production. “When you look at environmental problems in the U.S.,” says Professor Eshel, “nearly all of them have their source in food production and in particular meat production. And factory farming is ‘optimal’ only as long as degrading waterways is free. If dumping this stuff becomes costly — even if it simply carries a non-zero price tag — the entire structure of food production will change dramatically.”

One of the ideas that we seek to both practice and preach around here is the global reality that meat is a luxury in most cases and that when it is eaten it should most often be a side dish - a tough concept for most of us Americans to come to grips with. For that reason meat doesn't make many appearances at our community lunches and when it does it is meat that we have raised, butchered and cooked ourselves. It is also one of the things that we emphasize in the meal preparation portion of our LOTOS program. The concept that animals have intrinsic worth totally disconnected from the utilitarian value that we place on them is one that we think visitors to the farm should wrestle with and in this case quite literally. If they want to eat meat with their LOTOS meal then they have to decide as a group to do so and as as group they have to go through the process of catching (usually a chicken), killing, butchering and cooking the animal. Groups always point to this process as being one of the most powerful of their experiences because it impacts them on so many levels: the reality that every time they choose to eat meat it involves both an animal losing its life and a person bearing the burden of taking that life; the recognition that in most of the world people are much more intimately connected to their food and where it comes from; and for many the ethical struggle of realizing that if it were incumbent upon me to kill all the meat I think I need to eat then I probably couldn't do it and therefore should I be eating so much meat - all of which are good, hard things to work through.

Anywho, give the article a read and then if it makes you depressed at the current state of affairs come visit our animals here at the farm and see what a contrast there is in local food production. Oh yeah, and for those meat eaters amongst us who are looking for a little more conscience in their burger or steak keep checking the blog and website to see when we'll have our own grass-fed beef for sale in the next month or so!


Also worth a look:
Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.
The Meatrix - can not be explained, must be experienced.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Farm Libs Pt. II

All right! You all know the drill...

Word List

1. verb (past tense)
2. adj.
3. adj.
4. adj.
5. plural noun
6. verb (past tense)
7. plural quantity
8. noun
9. adj.
10. adj.
11. verb (past tense)
12. noun
13. verb (+ ing)--that's called a gerund, kids!
14. active verb
15. plural noun
16. adverb
17. verb
18. noun



"The Great Goat Escape"

As Will and I __(verb)__ down the cold road early Saturday morning, I knew it was going to be a __(adj.)__ weekend. Our __(adj.)__ intern Will and I were __(adj.)__ to be milking the __(pl. noun)__ four times in two days. All seemed well until Vivian, my favorite goat, __(verb)__ over my milk pail, spilling __(pl. quantity)__ of milk all over the __(noun)__! Later that morning, Will ran the Farm Stand while I took a __(adj.)__ nap. But it was not our fate to have a restful afternoon, for the goats had a __(adj.)__ plan against me. As I __(verb)__ out to water the __(noun)__, I noticed eleven goats __(ger.)__ next to the garden, where no goats were supposed to be. And then, when I __(act. verb)__ to let in the dry goat herd, only three __(pl. noun)__ were there! I __(adv.)__called Will and Jocelyne, wondering how eleven goats had vanished, but then I remembered the renegade garden goats! Will and Chris and I had to __(verb)__ all eleven of the naughty goats back into their proper __(noun)__. What a weekend!

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Farm Libs

Word List:

1. adjective
2. verb (past tense)
3. noun
4. adverb
5. exclamation
6. verb (past tense)
7. adjective
8. verb
9. verb (ending in -ing)
10. verb
11. adjective
12. adjective
13. adverb
14. plural noun
15. plural noun






"New Beginnings"

It was a(n) __(adj.)__ January Saturday as T.J. and Will __(verb)__ up the road to the goat dairy. With bearded chins facing the __(noun)__, the two shared their excitement about Spring's imminent arrival on the farm. "Did you know that the goats will be having kids next month?" T.J. asked __(adv.)__. "__(Exclamation)__!" Will replied, "I've never __(verb)__ a goat kid before. I can't wait to pet one." After they had finished morning milking, T.J. said good-bye to his favorite goat, Vivian, and the two boys made their way toward the __(adj.)__ barn. It was time to __(verb)__ the rabbits. "Look!" Will exclaimed, "This rabbit is pregnant." "You're right, soon there will be bunnies __(verb)__ all over the farm," T.J. added. Once the rabbits were given their food and water, Will reminded T.J. that they still had to __(verb)__ the baby chicks. "Have you seen them yet, T.J.?" Will asked. "They're only three weeks old." Will opened up their cage and there were all 88 chicks, all __(adj.)__ and __(adj.)__. When all the animals were fed and the morning chores were complete, T.J. and Will walked __(adv.)__ back to the dorm. They had __(pl. noun)__ for breakfast, while they relaxed on the dorm couches. Neglecting the rest of their weekend duties, both T.J. and Will drifted off to sleep, each of them dreaming of the __(pl. noun)__ Spring would bring.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Spring is in the air....maybe not quite!

Well, as I was riding a bicycle down the dirt road on the farm, the sun warming my back and a soft breeze floating across my face, I was contemplating what I might like to share for my very first WHRI blog entry.... Hmmm. Jon did such an excellent job last week going into detail about all the exciting things we get to do here on the farm! He is also far superior to me in the skill of writing, or blogging, for that matter. While he will look for the crossword puzzle in the newspaper, I search for the sudoku...numbers are the thing for me!!

Animals are even better though. One discovery I have made in the months I have been here as the livestock intern, is that animals (goats in particular) have a mind of their own and can be downright stubborn sometimes! Does this remind you of someone? I do declare that I am getting a taste of what motherhood is all about and therefore have a greater respect for all the mothers in the world, mine especially! But, despite all the troubles, they really are fun and I enjoy working with them and caring for them.

So, on this beautiful Saturday there were lots of things going on around here. No spectacular stories though. Thankfully everything has gone smoothly today: there were no escapee goats from the pasture (or cows for that matter), the rooster didn't attack anyone, the chicks are safe and sound in their brooder by the rabbits, the goats are getting along, I found a stash of eggs in the goat hay trough(sneaky little hens won't get the best of me!), the garden is growing beautifully...and so on. Let me just share with you a few photos from today. By the way, I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weather outside. I know I did and so did many of God's creatures here on the farm! The sunset was absolutely gorgeous and I hope to see a beautiful sunrise tomorrow morning through the dairy window.

This is an exciting time of the year for me because we are expecting lots of new additions to the farm. Already we have baby chicks that are about 1 week old now. They are our future egg-producers so we have high hopes for them! =) In a few weeks we are expecting our mamma rabbits to deliver some healthy litters of cute baby bunnies. Then, starting in February, our does will start kidding and we will have baby goats running around bleating at the top of their lungs. Needless to say, it will be an exciting place around here! I might have to start sleeping with ear plugs though.
Maybe I should also mention the garden...I get so wrapped up in the animals, the vegetables end up on the back burner for me. I am amazed, having come from Colorado, that we are still growing things in the middle of winter!! Look at that swiss chard!! I just want to sink my teeth into it, not to mention the kale, beets, spinach, lettuce, carrots...need I go on?! It is great to have fresh produce, and it tastes even better when it is your own hard work that has gone into helping it grow. I have muddy boots today to prove what I have gone through for the new beds of carrots and peas.

Well, if you ever want to come and stop by the farm, please do! It is a great place to be, you can meet the goats, wander through the garden, maybe you will even stumble upon the secret laying spot of a hen! But no worries if you don't. We have an abundance of eggs in our fridge and you are welcome to purchase a dozen, or two, or three... I made quiche for lunch a couple of days ago (for about 18 farm-hungry people) and it didn't even put a dent in our supply! Thanks for dropping on by and enjoy your Sunday. Take a few moments to step outside your door and take in the beauty, or go to the park for a walk, or, of course, come by the WHRI farm! It refreshes you right to the bones! Just for clarification, I did take this photo, but it is not from the farm. I do hope it cheers you up some though!