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Animal Welfare Approved | November 30, 2009
Bill and Sharie Leibold raise Animal Welfare Approved cattle on their 4,000-acre ranch, the L6 Cattle Ranches, in Corona, New Mexico. L6 Cattle Ranch was formed in 2006, with the Leibolds’ vision of creating a healthier, more wholesome lifestyle. All of the ranch’s cattle (Angus bulls and Jersey/Angus heifers) are strictly grassfed; they are never placed in feed lots or fed any grain because, according to the Leibolds, “The introduction of grain to the cattle diet diminishes the quality of the beef resulting in reduced health benefits.”
In a major move for the Obama administration, the US Department of Justice (Antitrust Division) and the US Department of Agriculture have opened an investigation into whether any illegal monopolies exist among the dominant agricultural companies. The focus is primarily on three sectors: seed companies, beef packing and dairy.
With a history of exemption from antitrust regulation the industry as a whole has become extremely concentrated. For instance, the the top four beefpacking companies currently control 83.5% of the market. As part of this investigation, a series of public workshops will be held across the country. Read on for dates and locations, as well as information about submitting comments online or by mail.
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Animal Welfare Approved | November 24, 2009
Andre and Magda Heydenrych raise Animal Welfare Approved beef cattle on Heydenrych Farms in Canajoharie, NY. Both Andre and Magda come from farming families in their native South Africa. They moved to Heydenrych’s Farm in 2004 with the intent of establishing a successful, pasture-based operation where animals are treated ethically and humanely. Their cows are born and raised on 125 acres of pasture and are never given grain feed, growth hormones, or unnecessary antibiotics. The philosophy at Heydenrych’s is that if you provide for your animals and allow them to express their instinctual behaviors in their natural environment, then the animals will provide for you and the earth in return.
Guille Yearwood and his family know quality grassfed beef inside and out. They have been raising cattle continuously since 1975, and put it to the test at their own dinner table regularly. In fact, only producing beef that they themselves would eat is the top priority on the farm. This means that no artificial growth hormones are used, and that the cattle have access to fresh pasture daily. Rotational grazing not only keeps the cattle happy, but supports a renewable landscape and the herd’s health.
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Animal Welfare Approved | November 23, 2009
We at Animal Welfare Approved are privileged to work with some of the most amazing farmers in the world. They are leading the transition back to pasture-based farming, and pioneering a new agriculture that seeks to heal our planet while providing healthy, nutritious food to all.
This year, as you prepare for a holiday that celebrates the bountiful harvest farmers have provided, we ask you to take a moment to thank a family farmer for the good food that nourishes you. Join us in celebrating National Farm-City Week by using the comments section of this blog to tell us about the farms that will fill your Thanksgiving table this holiday season and throughout the year, and why they matter to you.
Take a moment to write a few words of thanks to your neighbor farmers, farmers from your farmer’s market, your CSA provider, and any family farmer you appreciate.
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Emily | November 19, 2009
In a recent post we discussed the ruling currently under construction at the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) which would allow certain state-inspected slaughter plants to perform federal inspections on meat and poultry. The comment period has been extended, and we invite anyone who has an interest in this to add your two cents to the discussion (read full post for instructions). This ruling could have tremendous implications for livestock farmers using independent, state-inspected plants who are now limited to selling product within state lines, and could dramatically expand their marketing capabilities. Cooperative inspection has the potential not only to benefit independent farmers and slaughter plants, but could have positive animal welfare implications through reduced transport time.
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Andrew | November 16, 2009
On November 5, a “news article” appeared word-for-word across countless livestock-related websites – including Drovers, Dairy Herd, Cattle Network, AgWired, DairyLine, Beef Magazine, and so on. No journalist is cited as the author on any of the sites where it is published, an indication that the piece was not a ”news article” at all but a press release issued by an unidentified source.
Entitled “Environmentally Friendly Food Myths Debunked,” the news article provided coverage of a presentation given by Dr. Jude Capper at the 71st Cornell Nutrition Conference in October 2009. Her presentation reported findings from a recent paper co-authored with R.A. Cady and D.E. Bauman, entitled, “Demystifying the Environmental Sustainability of Food Production.”
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Animal Welfare Approved | November 12, 2009
Jean-Paul Courtens and Jody Bolluyt run Roxbury Farm in Kinderhook, NY where they raise Animal Welfare Approved pigs and sheep. They also run a successful vegetable CSA with 17 locations in New York State including four New York City distribution sites.
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Amy | November 11, 2009
Dr. Mohan Raj, a world-renowned expert in humane slaughter and farm animal welfare, has been tapped to lead Animal Welfare Approved (AWA)’s newly formed Scientific and Technical Advisory Board, AWA Program Director Andrew Gunther announced today.
Raj is currently the Reader in farm animal welfare at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. He is one of the foremost authorities in the field of humane stunning and slaughter and the developer of a novel and humane slaughter system for poultry and pigs using inert gases. Raj has published over 40 original scientific papers and authored chapters in textbooks and reference books.
The Animal Welfare Approved program has experienced tremendous growth over the past year, Gunther notes. The creation of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Board is the next step in aiding the program in retaining its reputation as being driven by practical science while still grounding the standards in the everyday reality of farm life. “Dr. Raj will be instrumental in ensuring AWA standards respect and reflect the needs of the animals and farmers while not compromising good care,” Gunther says. “We are honored and fortunate to have Dr. Raj at the helm of our new Board. His experience and knowledge is second to none in the field.”
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Amy | November 9, 2009
Not that we like to gloat, but….
Grassfed beef from two Animal Welfare Approved farmers has gone head-to-head with conventional beef in separate taste tests. The results are in and, well, to be modest, SMACKDOWN!
This past summer, AWA supporter Chef Bill Telepan issued a challenge to Mark and Dr. Patricia Whisnant of American Grass Fed Beef—bring him some grassfed beef that he deemed worthy of using in his famous burger and he would make the switch from the beef his customers had come to love. And so, on a muggy New York City afternoon, a small crowd gathered to see the gloves come off as 100% grassfed took on heavyweight conventional grain-fed. In a stunning upset, Chef Bill declared the upstart 100% grassfed beef the winner, bestowing the crown of onion rings and French fries that top the famous Telepan burger on the Whisnant’s American Grass Fed Beef.
