+ CORN + SOY CAUSE MORE SOIL EROSION

Growing corn and soy causes six times more soil erosion than pasture.
Farming cannot be sustainable if the topsoil is continually being eroded. Currently, the United States is losing three billion tons of nutrient-rich topsoil each year. The graph here shows the results of a new study from the University of Wisconsin Discovery Farms Program. Compared with grazed pasture, gently sloped land devoted to soy and corn production lost six times more topsoil each year. According to Dennis Frame, director of Discovery Farms, if the trend of selling cows and moving to grain production doesn't cease, soil erosion and nutrient losses will continue to climb.

+ “Omega-6 is like a fat producing bomb”

Omega-6 fatty acids are essential for health, but the amount consumed by most Americans increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, and cancer. Omega-6s are most abundant in vegetable oils such as corn oil, safflower oil, and cottonseed oils. (Olive oil is low in omega- 6 fatty acids.)

Few people realize that grain-fed animals are also a major source of omega-6s. Meat and dairy products from animals fed a high-grain diet, which is the typical feedlot diet, have up to ten times more omega-6s than products from animals raised on their natural diet of pasture. This study suggests that if we switch to food with a healthy balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, we will be leaner and healthier, and so will our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

(Massiera, F; Barbry, P; Guesnet, P; Joly, A; Luquet, S; Brest,, CM; Mohsen-Kanson, T; Amri, E and G. Ailhaud.)

A Western-like fat diet is sufficient to induce a gradual enhancement in fat mass over generations.

(Journal of Lipid Research. August 2010. Volume 51, pages 2352-2361.)

+ COMMON WEED KILLER IS DISRUPTIVE

Common Weed Killer Used in Modern Agriculture: The most biologically disruptive chemical in our environment?

Here is the Conclusion of the study:

This paper presents an exhaustive review of the toxic effects of the herbicide, glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup®, in humans, and demonstrates how glyphosate’s adverse effects on the gut microbiota, in conjunction with its established ability to inhibit the activity of cytochrome P450 enzymes, and its likely impairment of sulfate transport, can remarkably explain a great number of the diseases and conditions that are prevalent in the modern industrialized world. Its effects are insidious, because the long-term effects are often not immediately apparent. The pathologies to which glyphosate could plausibly contribute, through its known biosemiotic effects, include inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, depression, ADHD, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, multiple sclerosis, cancer, cachexia, infertility, and developmental malformations. Glyphosate works synergistically with other factors, such as insufficient sun exposure, dietary deficiencies in critical nutrients such as sulfur and zinc, and synergistic exposure to other xenobiotics whose detoxification is impaired by glyphosate.

Given the known toxic effects of glyphosate reviewed here and the plausibility that they are negatively impacting health worldwide, it is imperative for more independent research to take place to validate the ideas presented here, and to take immediate action, if they are verified, to drastically curtail the use of glyphosate in agriculture. Glyphosate is likely to be pervasive in our food supply, and, contrary to being essentially nontoxic, it may be the most biologically disruptive chemical in our environment. (Source)

+ COSTLY TO INDUSTRY & dangerous to animal welfare

Ascites—a common condition in factory-raised broilers—causes severe distress

Forcing meat chickens to grow quickly, which is standard industry practice, can result in heart failure or "ascites." The underlying problem is that the chickens develop so rapidly that their heart muscles cannot keep pace. Ascites kills millions of birds worldwide and costs the industry an estimated $500 billion per year.

The toll is not just financial. Canadian researchers investigating the course of the disease determined that during the final stages of ascites, birds are severely distressed. "In advanced stages, the birds are unable to reach the drinkers and become dehydrated. Death is usually preceded by prolonged agony, and is likely a result of dehydration, starvation, respiratory failure, and heart failure. Given the severity of symptoms and chronic nature of this condition, the ascites syndrome must be addressed as an animal welfare problem."

("Ascites in Broiler Chickens from a Welfare Point of View" A. A. Olkowski and H. L. Classen. Department of Animal & Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B5, Canada)

+ Soy Alert

Read the Weston A Price Foundation article here.

+ The whole soy story

Read Dr. Kayyla Daniel article here.

+ Nearly half of US meat and poultry likely contaminated with Staph

Almost half the meat and poultry sold in the US is likely to be contaminated by highly dangerous bacteria, according to research published in April 2011 in the scientific journal, Clinical Infectious Diseases. The study estimates that 47 percent of the meat and poultry on US supermarket shelves contains the bacteria staphylococcus aureus ("Staph"). It is not, however, among the four bacteria—Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli, and Enterococcus—routinely tested in meat by the US government.

The researchers tested 136 samples from 80 brands of beef, pork, chicken and turkey, purchased from 26 grocery stores in five major US cities. DNA tests from staph-infected samples suggest that the farm animals themselves were the major source of contamination. "Densely-stocked industrial farms, where food animals are steadily fed low doses of antibiotics... [are] ideal breeding grounds for drug-resistant bacteria that move from animals to humans," according to the report.

The bacteria is not only linked to a number of human diseases, but is also resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics. Lance B. Price, Ph. D., senior author of the study, stated that “The fact that drug-resistant S. aureus was so prevalent, and likely came from the food animals themselves, is troubling, and demands attention to how antibiotics are used in food-animal production today.” "Antibiotics are the most important drugs that we have to treat Staph infections; but when Staph are resistant to three, four, five or even nine different antibiotics -- like we saw in this study -- that leaves physicians few options," Price said.

+ Life on the Pharm

People who are exposed to farm chemicals have a much greater rate of Parkinson’s Disease, according to recent studies. Whether they are farm workers who are applying the chemicals or people who happen to live nearby, exposure to chemicals such as paraquat or the fungicide “maneb” increases the risk of Parkinsonism by 75 percent. There is no cure for this progressive disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement, mood, and behavior. Buying food that’s pesticide-free is good for you and for people in farming communities.

(Beate Ritz, et al. 2009. Parkinson’s Disease Residential Exposure to Maneb and Paraquat from Agricultural Applications in the Central Valley of California. American Journal of Epidemiology. 169 (8): 919)

+ The European Union refuses to buy U.S. chicken.

Few people realize that the European Union has banned the import of all US poultry since 1997. EU agriculture ministers voted to continue the ban despite aggressive pressure from the United States. The issue? The standard practice in the US poultry industry is to wash the carcasses in chlorinated water to kill bacteria. European health authorities are not convinced that it’s safe to ingest the small amounts of chlorine that remain on the meat and concluded that lifting the ban would “threaten the community’s entire set of food production standards.” John Bowis from the UK was more outspoken. He told reporters that “lifting the ban would be “outrageous” and would degrade EU citizens to the status of “guinea pigs.” Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of US citizens are unwittingly playing that role.

(“EU Ban Remains on US Chickens” December 19, 2008, Meatprocess.com)

+ Not so fast, FDA!

In 1993, when the Food and Drug Agency approved the use of synthetic hormones to increase milk production in dairy cows, the FDA assured a worried public that recombinant bST would not diminish the nutritional value of the milk. In an interview, Commissioner David A. Kessler, M.D., stated that "there is virtually no difference in milk from treated and untreated cows. In fact, it's not possible using current scientific techniques to tell them apart." Seven years later, there is new evidence that synthetic hormones reduce levels of conjugated linoleic acid or CLA in beef, depriving consumers of a naturally occurring and potentially lifesaving substance.

It is not known at this time whether bST has a similar effect on milk products. Nonetheless, this is yet another example of researchers altering a natural product before fully understanding its many benefits.

(Fritsche S, Rumsey TS, Yurawecz MP, Ku Y, Fritsche J. “Influence of growth promoting implants on fatty acid composition including conjugated linoleic acid isomers in beef fat. Eur. Food Res. Technol. 212:621-629 (2001))

+ Agribusiness underestimates the consumer revolt against hormone-implanted meat

Sometimes it helps to look at an issue from the other side of the fence. Here's a paragraph excerpted from an on-line publication of the beef industry about the economic benefits of implanted synthetic hormones. "'There's probably nothing else we can do chute-side with a critter that is as economically important as a quality implant job,' says Gerry Kuhl, extension feedlot specialist at Kansas State University (KSU). For round-numbers perspective, Kuhl explains implanting calves adds 15-25 lbs. to weaning weight. A single implant in the stocker pasture is worth 15-40 lbs., while implants in the feedlot routinely serve up an extra 30-40 lbs. ... 'That's a response we can't afford to ignore, given the narrowing profit margins," says Kuhl.'"

Grass Farmers have a refreshingly different approach to encouraging growth in their livestock. Rather than implant their animals with hormones, they plant their fields with high quality forage. As in nature, the richness of the environment—not drugs—determines the growth rate of grass-fed animals.

+ How Too Much Omega-6 and Not Enough Omega-3 Is Making Us Sick

Read Chris Kresser article here.

+ Feedlot diets are a recipe for animal discomfort and disease

Consumers are beginning to realize that taking ruminants off their natural diet of pasture and fattening them on grain or other feedstuff diminishes the nutritional value of the meat and milk. But what does a feedlot diet do to the health and well-being of the animals?

1. The first negative consequence of a feedlot diet is a condition called "acidosis." During the normal digestive process, bacteria in the rumen of cattle, bison, or sheep produce a variety of acids. When animals are kept on pasture, they produce copious amounts of saliva that neutralize the acidity. A feedlot diet is low in roughage, so the animals do not ruminate as long nor produce as much saliva. The net result is "acid indigestion."
2. Over time, acidosis can lead to a condition called "rumenitis," which is an inflammation of the wall of the rumen. The inflammation is caused by too much acid and too little roughage. Eventually, the wall of the rumen becomes ulcerated and no longer absorbs nutrients as efficiently.
3. Liver abscesses are a direct consequence of rumenitis. As the rumen wall becomes ulcerated, bacteria are able to pass through the walls and enter the bloodstream. Ultimately, the bacteria are transported to the liver where they cause abscesses. From 15 to 30 percent of feedlot cattle have liver abscesses.
4. Bloat is a fourth consequence of a feedlot diet. All ruminants produce gas as a by-product of digestion. When they are on pasture, they belch up the gas without any difficulty. When they are switched to an artificial diet of grain, the gasses can become trapped by a dense mat of foam. In serious cases of bloat, the rumen becomes so distended with gas that the animal is unable to breathe and dies from asphyxiation.
5. Feedlot polio is yet another direct consequence of switching animals from pasture to grain. When the rumen becomes too acidic, an enzyme called "thiaminase" is produced which destroys thiamin or vitamin B-1. The lack of vitamin B-1 starves the brain of energy and creates paralysis. Cattle that are suffering from feedlot polio are referred to as "brainers."

Typically, feedlot managers try to manage these grain-caused problems with a medicine chest of drugs, including ionophores (to buffer acidity) and antibiotics (to reduce liver abscesses). A more sensible and humane approach is to feed animals their natural diet of pasture, to which they are superbly adapted.

+ Feedlot cattle succumb to dust pneumonia

Stripped of all living matter, feedlots can become a mud bath in wet weather and a dust bowl in dry weather. When it's dusty, the cattle are at risk for "dust pneumonia," according to USDA-ARS researcher Julie Morrow-Tesch, PhD from Texas Tech University who studies the behavior and physiology of feedlot cattle. She reports that "The level of dust on feedlots can be high, which springs the cattle's immune system into action and keeps it running on a constant basis." She has found that many of the respiratory deaths in feedlot cattle can be attributed to dust pneumonia.

Animals that are kept on pasture do not have "dust pneumonia" because they are in a natural environment where the dirt is carpeted with a dense mat of nutritious grass and legumes.

+ How much ammonia can chickens tolerate?

Typically, large amounts of ammonia accumulate in confinement poultry operations, peaking when the animals reach market size. The levels can reach as high as 50 parts per million. To see how chickens react to ammonia fumes, scientists exposed them to concentrations of 0, 25, and 45 parts per million. Not surprisingly, the researchers reported that the chickens "foraged, preened, and rested significantly more in the fresh air than in the ammonia-polluted environments." The scientists noted that the hens were equally distraught when the ammonia levels were 25 or 45 ppm, leading them to conclude that "ammonia may be aversive to hens" even at very low concentrations.

(The preferences of laying hens for different concentrations of atmospheric ammonia." Applied Animal Behavior and Science, 2000. 68:307-318.)

+ In the feedlot, it's considered "natural" for cattle to be sick

Feedlot Magazine, a monthly periodical for the cattle industry, offers a candid portrayal of animal welfare as seen from the point of view of the feedlot manager. "Subacute acidosis" is a condition that comes from feeding ruminants an excessive amount of grain, i.e., the amount given to most cattle being raised in feedlots. Animals with this condition are plagued with diarrhea, go off their feed, pant, salivate excessively, kick at their bellies, and eat dirt.

But according to the industry, this is a normal and expected situation. "Every animal in the feedlot will experience subacute acidosis at least once during the feeding period," the article notes. It then goes on to reassure readers that this is "an important natural function in adapting to high-grain finishing rations..." We beg to differ. There is nothing "natural" about subacute acidosis. It's a chronic belly ache brought about by switching animals from their natural diet of pasture to an artificial, high-grain concentrate.

+ Fattening animals in feedlots increases their risk of heat stress and death

July and August are high-risk months for cattle in Midwest feedlots. The heat, humidity, and long hours of daylight can result in a four percent mortality rate. Inadequate shelter is a primary cause of the heat stress. Another is the fact that the animals are standing on concrete, dirt, and manure which trap the heat, making the ground at least eight degrees hotter than a natural, pasture environment.

+ Let them eat grass!

Although most feedlot diets supply enough nutrients to satisfy minimum vitamin requirements, mistakes do get made. In an incident reported in a veterinary journal, cattle being fattened in a feedlot were fed a diet deficient in vitamin A. (The vitamin had been added to the rations, but had been destroyed by heat and humidity.) Deprived of this key vitamin, the cattle suffered blindness and convulsions. Interestingly, heifers fed this same vitamin-A-deficient diet were free of symptoms, and, when tested, were found to have adequate levels of vitamin A in their blood. The researchers were puzzled until they discovered that the heifers had been able to forage on sparse grasses and weeds found along their fence row. Apparently, the grass was so rich in vitamin A that even these meager gleanings were enough to compensate for the vitamin-deficient feedlot diet.

("Divers TJ, et al, "Blindness and convulsions associated with vitamin A deficiency in feedlot steers." J Am Vet Med Assoc 1986 Dec 15;189(12):1579-82.")

+ Raising chickens indoors under constant light depresses their immune systems

Most of our commercial broilers are raised indoors in crowded sheds with the lights left on 23 hours a day. The constant lighting speeds their growth, getting them to market a few days earlier. But the unnatural light also depresses their immune system by suppressing their production of the immune-boosting hormone, melatonin. A new study reveals that birds with low levels of melatonin are more vulnerable to disease. The response of the poultry industry is to dose the beleaguered birds with more vaccines and antibiotics.

(Kliger et al, 2000. "Effects of photoperiod and melatonin on lymphocyte activities in male broiler chickens." Poultry Science 79:18-25.)

+ Feedlot diets low in vitamin A can cause blindness and convulsions

When cows graze on high quality, fresh pasture—their natural diet—they have ample amounts of vitamin A. When they are switched to an artificial grain diet, vitamin A deficiency is common. Very low levels of vitamin A result in "hypovitaminosis A, which is characterized by poor weight gain, ataxia, convulsions, night blindness, and total blindness. When we eat meat from feedlot animals, we, too, have less than optimal amounts of vitamin A. What is best for the cattle is best for the consumer.

(Booth, A., M. Reid, et al. (1987). "Hypovitaminosis A in feedlot cattle." Am Vet Med Assoc 190(10): 1305-8.)

+ Findings about genetically modified corn

A high percentage of the grain fed to feedlot cattle and bison is from genetically modified (gm) crops. According to an August 22nd article in the New York Times, there is new evidence that gm corn is harmful to beneficial insects. Researchers gathered leaves from plants growing in and around gm corn fields and fed them to Monarch butterfly caterpillars. According to the Times, "Twenty percent of the caterpillars eating leaves bearing genetically engineered pollen died, while all caterpillars eating leaves with regular corn pollen survived." Another good reason to raise animals on grass rather than grain.

+ Even very low levels of nitrate can be hazardous to wildlife

Oregon State University researchers found that tadpoles and young frogs raised in water with low levels of nitrates typical of fertilizer runoff ate less, developed physical abnormalities, suffered paralysis, and eventually died. In control tanks with normal water, none died. "We're looking at levels of nitrates so low we didn't think we'd get any effect,'' said Andrew Blaustein, a zoology professor." Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency regional office in Seattle said they could not comment until they have reviewed the study, published in December 1999 in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

The groundwater in properly managed grazing land has been found to be as free of nitrate and other contaminants as the water from nearby forest land.