I have been doing a lot of research trying to find the perfect cow for my home farm. I find the breeds I want, Organic farmers I need, but not a lot of no soy organic happy mix.
Organic cows :
These cows are allowed in part to graze on untreated prairies and fields or pastures- most grass raised cows are just that. Grass raised. What is not mentioned is how they usually get grains when they come in to be milked for their "treat" and that they are finished with grains for the last few months of their life to produce the proper marbling- if they are to go to slaughter.
The cheapest way to be organic and to feed grain is to do a soy positive diet.
Lets talk about soy for a minute:
Soy is hugely produced on the cheap. It doesn't have to be fertilized, it replaces Nitrogen for corn rotation the following year and it has Isoflavones (Genistein and Diadzen) installed in it. Its base genetics are already spliced and modified to not poison us (because it is actually deadly), then further altered to grow in all climates and then once again altered to fight any bugs except the super bugs it has in turn created. Now we are basically using Agent Orange to kill these things and then eat what soaked into its "nutrition". Soy is so dangerous and toxic to your body it should absolutely be illegal.
But its not and it is the one way most farmers can afford to get certified and still turn a profit- I have found many farmers only believe what the seed reps tell them...and seed reps seem to speak lawyer.
In short, they are basically cows, fed certified organic foods and never treated with antibiotics. This is not the case. I keep running into certified organic farms that will, on the rare, give a cow with chronic mastitis some antibiotics. Of course, like all standards, the milk for the next week is tossed so that nothing is passed through the milk.
These cows are a heavy investment- usually a few thousand dollars- and if they are suffering from mastitis or an infected cut, most organic cows will be sent to the slaughter since they "can't" be treated. So..... some get treated. Does this break code of certification? Yes. Some farmers will try to sell off their cows to either smaller farms or make a lot more on the hamburger it will produce.
There are alternatives out there to treat infections organically like this product:
I have looked into each ingredient on the label. ewg claims not a single thing has any risk to the human body for topical use or even ingestion. All natural in this case actually means all safe. Safe enough for nursing mothers.
Why the antibiotic issue? The government does not care about us as a human being- they care that they still make sure to turn a huge profit in the cheese department. Antibiotics in a collective tank is called "hot milk". The milk is always tested. If there is any indication some hot milk is being sold off- well it will kill the chance for cheese to be produced. We need bacteria to produce a good cheese- antibiotics=no cheese.
However- Organic farmers and consumers should know that when a cow is treated, even if the milk is tossed, it still alters the cow itself. In turn we get this alteration slowly introduced into our bodies and then we ourselves develop this immunity.
I have let both of my children go on antibiotics a few times for very serious reasons. 3 times collectively- 2x was to save my daughters hearing. We do everything to avoid it- let alone drink it- and this is what brings me back full circle to getting.my.own.cow.
Keeping on the no soy bit for a second... I have rescued a few Pullets (1+ year old female hen) from a neighboring farm. They were in no way organic so I began to do my research to know when the cell life in said chicken has a full cycle replacement- full cell regeneration. Once on an organic, soy free diet- I waited 4 months before using any if its byproduct (eggs) just to be safe. But since any animal that consumes soy is tainted and depending on the generation length of soy eating parents- I just decided to get rid of those said chickens- I won't eat anything that has soy in it- this is why I refuse to buy chicken at the store. Organic labels mean nothing to me unless it says "no soy".
Did you know chicken is now laced with Arsenic to make them look fresh and pink longer in the store?
Sick.
This year I have about 35 chickens for laying purposes- you can save your eggs through the winter in your dry cool storage if prepped properly and then turn a good portion of your birds into stew hens and then can them.
Soon I will be placing an order for my dual purpose meat birds (70) that take about 12 weeks to grow large enough to take to the Amish for butcher....however- since I do soy free and free range my birds- mine take about 4 weeks longer to get to full size. This will supply me with all the chicken breast, legs and wings and full roasting hens I will need for the full year.
There is this horror and intimidation in the beginning of farming- I have always liked to make my own food: butter, peanut butter, mayo etc... but after realizing just how detached from my life and my foods life cycle- there becomes this understanding, appreciation and pride.
I have heard my way of life called primitive- I shrunk away from that title for a little while until I realized that going "back" has pushed me so far forward that I believe the way I live is advanced. Really. If I said you have 2 hours to make me a chicken sandwich and only handed you a bag of yeast and an axe- could you do it?
It is amazing to me how reliant and dependent society is just so that they can be busy with... what? More work? I don't want to look back on my life and realize how ignorant I was, or how how naive I was to believe what is said on FB or commercials and take it for fact. I want to feel my life and actually be apart of it- not apart of some business owners "bigger picture"- to me, that is not life, that is being hindered.
Mostly, I am happy on days like today to go without the new pair of 4 inch stilettos and opt for the Muck boots turned cow stained yuck boots. Because today I get to go to Farm J and walk 100 acres to collect Maple sap then have dinner with some of the best people I have ever been blessed to know.
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