Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Happy Cows

Cows on pasture...our pasture...in November

It's crazy what is happening out there in the food world. Fights over labeling, growing, feeding, preparing. Government agencies neck deep into peoples personal lives. The organic and sustainable want-to-bees cashing in where they see cash to be made. Farmers struggling to hold out to their land, their future, their children's future. False advertising, false labeling, false farms.

Yes, False farms.

A scary trend of the future. As folks have decided they are tired of spending hard earned money on food that is indeed making them sicker and instead adjusting their budgets in order to buy food with healthy origins...the doors for cheaters has swung wide open.

There have always been a few of them around, those who don't raise their own animals but pretend they have and rake in the benefits of such. We used to see it in 4-H but at the smallest and most innocent level. A child wanted to show a beef steer and would have grandpa raise it on their farm.

Not so bad if indeed the child was actively involved in raising it. But it worsened over time with the kids never laying eyes on "their calf" until it was unloaded at the fair grounds. Then injuries happened as kids who knew nothing about those animals they supposedly raised, got stepped on, drug around at the end of the lead chain or worse.

Now its seen on a bigger scale. The farmer who has decided they want a piece of the sustainable pie, the organic opal, the farm fresh free for all. So sad that a farmer will brag about his pasture raised cows when its a known fact his animals are raised in a feed lot a couple counties over. Or the pig lady who claims organic status at the farmers market but buys her grain from a conventional farmer we know.

10 years ago I was all up in arms about these practices often contemplating whether or not they should be reported to the agencies that regulate such. But sadly the agencies themselves have slid downhill in their ethics, looking the other way when massive dollars are at stake. Like with the huge organically certified poultry farms whose birds meet the "access to outdoors" by sniffing the earth's smell as it wafts through the employee doorway.

THAT is only a slight exaggeration.

So with our government being majorly corrupt in so many areas and our people as a whole looking only for what is best for THEM, not their livestock or their customers, what are a couple of middle aged totally jaded farmers to do?

The same thing as always. Feed the cows, milk the cows, call the cows by name and let the cows into new pasture and repeat. Our animals know we are real and that is all that matters.





PS In the midst of this blog post, Keith brought me a bag left in the farm store. A gift from ??? No signature. Inside some adorable green socks with happy dancing cows. Note how the post it note has the same title as my blog post.

You people are creeping me out!
Thank you for that.

14 comments:

  1. Cute socks.

    Catching up on the blog world as we just put a new post in over 5 months. Hope all is well with you.

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  2. I'm afraid this is a world-wide problem. We have one local farmer who was growing about 4 hectares of Organic Wheat, and selling about 20 hectares worth. I could go on...

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    1. That is one amazing farmer Cro! We are so inefficient here in the states.

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  3. Cow socks, how cool is that! We have power again, which after living with a cranky generator for the last 3 days means I could sit down and catch up on your posts. Wow, Donna you have been one busy girl and now I see you and Keith are movie stars. See what happens when I turn my back for one second. Looking forward to seeing you guys and of course Bananna on the big screen.

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    1. 3 days. Man how did you do it? I didn't see anything about it on your blog. Yet. Will you post more details soon? My sister lost here power (Lexington) and they brought all their meat to us being told it would be out for 3-4 dys. But just 12 hours later it was back on and they made the 45 miles BACK OUT to us to get their meat. Bummer for sure man.

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  4. Donna, i have to hang on to some cock-eyed optimism or i shall go off my trolley. I have to believe that more and more people will seek out real farmers like you and Keith and pay real farmers for real food.

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  5. Farms from my childhood 50+ years ago bear no resemblance to the farms of the present. It is so very sad that most people will never know the taste the farm-fresh products as I knew them.

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    1. Sadly, soon, I believe it will be illegal to own a farm that produces less than $200,000 a year in sales...which is why we intend to go...underground. Oops did I just tell that to millions of followers?

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  6. We are big advocates of educating folks. Honestly, as irritating as the laws and crooks could be, I try not to let it bother us too much. I figure if we are honest in our dealings, our reputation will spread. Reputation spreads quickly in the country! When your milk is the only one without an off flavor, folks notice. When your egg yolks are a dark orange color vs. a pale yellow, folks notice. It may take a bit longer than a perfect society, but then again, in a perfect world, everything would be different.

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    1. You nailed it on the head RG. Reputation is everything. The results are as you say...in the yolk. I believe I would get less fired up if it were just me but I feel protective of my husband who works so hard.

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  7. We are big advocates of educating folks. Honestly, as irritating as the laws and crooks could be, I try not to let it bother us too much. I figure if we are honest in our dealings, our reputation will spread. Reputation spreads quickly in the country! When your milk is the only one without an off flavor, folks notice. When your egg yolks are a dark orange color vs. a pale yellow, folks notice. It may take a bit longer than a perfect society, but then again, in a perfect world, everything would be different.

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    Replies
    1. You nailed it on the head RG. Reputation is everything. The results are as you say...in the yolk. I believe I would get less fired up if it were just me but I feel protective of my husband who works so hard. (Sorry, I couldn't resist)

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