A New Life
By Gearld Fry

Some time ago, an article came to my attention describing the birth of a baby. Like many of you, I had always assumed that there was some mechanism in the mother that triggered the process of labor. But that’s not true. The fascinating real story is the same … whether we’re talking about a human baby or a cow and her calf.

At a very precise moment nine months after conception, a hormone leaves the unborn fetus’ brain. It travels across the placenta, enters the maternal circulation, and makes its way to the mother’s pituitary gland. Although this hormone is a very complex chemical, its message is quite simple: I am ready, start the delivery process. My lungs have matured enough to breathe on my own, my heart is strong enough to assume control, my gastrointestinal tract is prepared to process food, and my brain is eager to start learning about this world and environment I will live in. My ten trillion cells are poised to work together.

So it is the unborn fetus, not the mother, who makes this decision. Then, the mother and unborn fetus orchestrate the journey.

This journey is often cited as the most dangerous moment in the developing mammal’s life. Indeed it might be, yet every aspect of the process is well-coordinated, prearranged, rehearsed for millennia, and designed to bring a new life into being. Even the seams in the fetus’ skull bones have not yet fused, so that its unusually large head will be pliable enough to make it through the birth canal. As the process unfolds, the adrenal glands even add a blast of stress hormones to help the fetus cope with the stress.

The new-born baby will not breathe until it has cleared the birth canal. Anything sooner would lead to certain suffocation. It also will not tarry too long. Rising carbon dioxide levels and falling oxygen concentration will prompt that first breath. Otherwise, there could easily be permanent brain damage. The inner working of the newborn knows precisely when to breathe, how deeply to breath, and how to clear the debris inhaled from the amniotic sac.

Moments before the mother and newborn baby completely disconnect, the newborn receives a last-minute blood transfusion from the umbilical cord. The placenta, which has been purposefully storing nutrients for this moment, infuses extra nourishment. And there is evidence that the fetus sends some of its own stem cells into the mother’s blood stream. These newly discovered microchimera stem cells seem to be purposefully left behind to help maintain the mother’s health. The newly born babies’ survival might depend on it.

It is a beautifully choreographed moment; one that never fails to move me.

Worry About GMO Plants
by Ridge Shinn

Even grass-farmers now have to worry about the exposure to GMO plants. Write to your congressmen and express your concern about GMO crops compromising 100% grass-fed beef.

In a May 3, 2007 article by the Associated Press, it is reported that a federal judge "barred the planting of genetically engineered alfalfa nationwide, ruling that the government didn't adequately study the biotechnology crop's potential to mix with organic and conventional varieties. ... The ruling is a major victory for anti-biotech crusaders, who have been fighting the proliferation of genetically engineered crops. It is the first ban placed on such crops since the first variety--the Flavr Savr tomato--was approved in 1994.

Read the entire article in Horse.com: "Judge Prohibits Planting of Genetically Modified Alfalfa" by The Associated Press

The Debate Over Organic vs. Local Foods

by Ridge Shinn

The debate about local, organic, industrial or small farms continues to heat up. Recent debates between Michael Pollan and John Mckay, CEO of Whole Foods indicates tremendous consumer interest in food and food politics. A large segment of the market, sometimes described by the acronym LOHAS (Lifestyles Of Health and Sustainability), is beginning to really dig in to the issues that are confusing at best. The general public has been plied by the corporate marketing campaigns for years such as: Shaw’s slogan “Good Food Costs Less,” Target’s “Expect More, Pay Less,” and Wal-Mart’s “Always the Lowest Price” (or as I explain to my daughter “Someone Always Gets Screwed”).

Today many pople understand how ridiculous these marketing claims are and many want to “do the right thing’ with their food dollars. But what is “right”? Here is the link to another interesting article in the debate from Time Magazine.

Eating Better Than Organic from Time Magazine

Take the time to read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan, because your customers are. Now is the time to learn and then explain all the points of the story of 100% grass-fed and finished beef, specifically the health to the consumer, the farm, the environment and the local economy.

Returning dollars to the local economy is critical for our survival. We know that each dollar spent at the farm gate expands 7 times through the local economy. “Local” is the current buzz word, perhaps replacing “organic” since organic has been seized to some extent by industrial agriculture.

I think what is most important about the local concept is the part about Source Verification. The consumer wants to know exactly where their food comes from and who the farmers are and how they grow and produce the food they offer. In France, a consumer can go into a butcher shop looking for lamb from one of their top brands (Label Rouge), and the butcher can tell you exactly which farm the lamb came from. Many times there is a digital printout above the meat case with the farm name, address and phone number of the producer of the product in the case that day. Distance of production, cost of transportation in environmental or caloric terms, and production protocols are critical ingredients of a consumer’s decision to buy. In some of the largest markets of the world like New York City, how local can the beef be? How many head of cattle can graze in Central Park? It’s my contention that Source Verification is the most important part of the “local” concept. With transparency of location, production protocol, and a connection to the farm, the consumers can and will decide with their dollars.

Link to John McKay’s letter

Michael Pollan’s Response

Food Politics in 2006

A New York Times article of Dec. 27 by Marian Burros begins: “The headlines about food this year read like a remarkable replay of Woody Allen’s “Sleeper,” in which the things Americans think they should eat more of — lettuce and spinach — were suddenly the ones that could make them sick, or even kill them.”

In the article, Marian Burros discusses the various crises in our food supply of the past year and interviews Marion Nestle, Eric Schlosser, Michael Pollan, and other food experts about the implications for the future.

Read the entire article: “You Are What You Eat: 2006 and the Politics of Food.”

Read the article in PDF format.

Devon Beef a la Beef Wellington
An Article in Forbes Magazine

The December 22, 2006 issue of Forbes magazine carries an article and recipe for individual Beef Wellingtons, using the chef's beef of choice: Devons. The chef is Mark Budd, who works at the restaurant in the Stafford, an old English hotel in London's St. James's Place.

Here is the link to the article, or you may read it in PDF format: http://www.bakewellrepro.com/forbesarticle122206.pdf

http://www.forbes.com/2006/12/21/perfect-pairing-stafford-forbeslife-cx_sb_1222perfectpairing_print.html

National Animal ID System
by Ridge Shinn

There has been a lot of discussion about the USDA’s proposed National Animal Identification System as a way for both producers and officials to respond quickly when there is a foreign animal disease outbreak. The controversy concerns the intent and the implementation of such a program. This program is ambitious and involves the enormous task of inserting a radio frequency ear tag into all animals including chickens.

Recently in a speech touching on this issue, Joel Salatin (www.polyfacefarm.com) commented that in light of the fact that our government seems to be struggling with controlling illegal immigration, how can they think they can possibly implement a program of this scale? The federal government has already back-peddled from the position of making this program mandatory and is leaving it to the states to implement or not.

At the recent Acres USA conference (www.acresusa.com) Chuck Walters, the grand old man of eco-agriculture, encouraged all of us to circulate his recent article entitled "Mark of the Beast." Here we present the 4-page PDF version.

"Mark of the Beast" by Charles Walters

Brix and Quality Meat
by Ridge Shinn

We at Bakewell have spent a lot of energy finding the right cattle genetics for grass-fed production. The Rotokawa Devons and other subsets of English breeds produce great quality beef on a grass-only diet in various different environments. These cattle do better on some farms than others.

In an effort to figure out why cattle with the same genetic potential do better on certain farms, we have begun to measure the quality of forage on various farms. Doug Gunnink from MN conducted a seminar for Bakewell in July and started us down this fascinating learning track.

Brix is a measurement of nutrient density. A ruminant, of course, is defined by its rumen. A rumen is a unique part of a bovine digestive system that actually ferments forage and transforms it. It is really equivalent to a compost pile — although it is an anaerobic pile in that this takes place without a lot of air. The rumen works optimally when it has the right balance of ingredients just like a compost pile: the right Carbon Nitrogen ratio, the right pH, and the right amount of protein and energy. The quality and make up of the forage that the bovine eats becomes quite important as we focus on how to optimize rumen function.

Forage can be tested in a laboratory for the various elements that are present and Doug Gunnink suggests that this is more important than the soil test since if it’s not in the forage it never gets to the rumen. Actually he says, “Once the cattle start eating dirt, we will start testing soil.”

Another method of spot testing forage quality is with a refractometer or Brix meter. This is used for a field assay of “nutrient density.” It is a measure that is used often in the fruit business and especially in the wine industry to measure the sugar content of wine grapes. We find we can use it to measure the quality of forage. To change the quality of forage requires a forage analysis and then a prescription to change the mineral and sugar content of the forage (which we will address in a later bog article). To learn more about forage quality testing, read this series of articles explaining Brix, meters and optimal values for various crops:

USING A REFRACTOMETER TO TEST THE QUALITY OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES by Rex Harrill