DS Family Farm
Worried about what you are "really" eating? Have peace of mind with pasture grazed meats.
Sardines of the Plains
Sardines are a great source of omega 3 fatty acids but hey, why not enjoy some great tasting Pasture Grazed Beef from DS Family Farm?
Omega 3 fatty acids are important because (prior posts):
- Omega 3 is the anti-inflammatory fat
- Fatty acids are “essential” to our health
- (there are no ‘essential’ carbohydrates)
- A Standard American Diet (SAD) = high inflammatory Omega 6 fats
- Combat the SAD diet by sourcing low omega 6:3 food, such as Pasture Grazed beef.
Yes, salmon and tuna provide an even better source of omega 3 fats but (1) no ocean’s on the plains of Nebraska and (2) fish have mercury issues. Dr. Mercola recommends Sardines over large fish as sardines are lower in the food chain where mercury has not yet accumulated.
Pasture Grazed Beef vs. Sardines
DS Family Farm “Pasture Grazed” beef matches the omega 6:3 ratio of sardines at 2:1 (omega6:omega3). We have not tested beef for mercury because beef are low on the food chain just like sardines! Our pasture grazed beef only consuming what nature provides, forages. And yes, Dr. Mercola endorses pasture raised meats for both the omega 6:3 ratio and higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
Why we test Omega 6:3 each year
Providing a true “grassfed” product for you, our customer, is why we do what we do at DS Family Farm. Based on current research, testing the fatty acid profile of beef will give a good indication of what the animal consumed leading up to harvest. If the animal only consumed forages, the omega 6:3 ratio will be low. The lowest 6:3 ratios will be from cattle harvested when the nights are cool and pastured on growing legumes. Based on our test results from 2015 – 2018, you can rest assured when purchasing Pasture Grazed Beef from DS Family Farm you are receiving a true “grassfed product”.
Looking for additional assurance that our beef only consumed forages for their entire lives?
- Visitors are welcome to inspect our operation at any time.
- Please call ahead to schedule your visit!
- DS Family Farm is annually “Certified Grassfed by AGW”.
- Learn more about the certification process at A Greener World.
Is the omega 6:3 ratio really an important health claim?
- Again, we test the Omega 6:3 ratio after harvest to ensure our customers that our beef is what we claim, a true “grassfed” product.
- For your health, please do your research. We believe anyone can improve their health by eliminating any bad items from our diets. Eliminating highly processed foods common to the Standard American Diet will improve ones overall intake of omega 6 vs. omega 3 fats (see last year’s omega 6:3 update).
- For further reading consider this issue of Mark’s Daily Apple.
Other recent findings concerning omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids and diet:
Dec. 2017: Impact of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on the Gut Microbiota
“In summary, based on conducted studies, the omega-3 PUFAs can be considered prebiotics. Therefore, the consumption of an omega-3-rich diet has been thought to be beneficial for health, but the gut microbiota changes in humans associated with omega-3 PUFAs are poorly understood. Future research with well-conducted clinical trials is needed to analyze the relationships between omega-3 PUFAs and the gut microbiota.”
Nov. 2017: Omega-3 Index and Anti-Arrhythmic Potential of Omega-3 PUFAs
“Recently published papers included in this review suggest that there is a permanent interest of both clinical and experimental cardiologists, to explore the anti-arrhythmic potential of omega-3 PUFAs. Although apparent progress is observed and the majority of findings suggest benefits of omega-3 PUFAs, there is still not enough evidence for their routine implementation into the clinic.”
Mar. 2016: An Increase in the Omega-6/Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio Increases the Risk for Obesity
“Obesity is a preventable disease that can be treated through proper diet and exercise. A balanced omega-6/omega-3 ratio 1–2/1 is one of the most important dietary factors in the prevention of obesity, along with physical activity. A lower omega-6/omega-3 ratio should be considered in the management of obesity.”
Apr. 2018, Abstract: Increasing omega-3 levels in meat from ruminants under pasture-based systems.
“There is mounting evidence that regular consumption of n-3 FAs is beneficial for growth and development as well as the health and welfare of humans of all ages. The dietary background of ruminants significantly influences the concentration of n-3 FAs in red meat. Meat from forage- or grassfed ruminants has a greater concentration of n-3 FAs than that from their feedlot or grain-fed counterparts and can also offer a favourable n-6:n-3 ratio in the meat. Scientific literature shows that the advantages of consuming n-3 FAs enriched meat (foods) outweigh the disadvantages.”
New Pasture for New Year
Ready for the new year?
Do you have goals or ideas to try something new in 2019? We hope you do! At DS Family Farm we are always in change mode or trying to be.
When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.
Benjamin Franklin
Over the past few months we have developed some new pasture area right around the house. This area has been in the USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) for over 30 years. In 1987 it was seeded to a native grass mix. When we moved to the site in 1997 we planted a number of trees as windbreaks or what is known in the area as a “shelterbelt”. After the dirty 30’s dust bowl there was a huge effort across the Great Plains to plant shelterbelts to help slow the wind. Many of these old shelterbelts have been removed but we bucked the trend and actually planted one. Shelterbelts provide a number of benefits beyond slowing the wind including:
- Wildlife habitat
- Pleasant views
- Block noise (road traffic)
- Trap snow
Bringing in the herd
It is our guess that this land has not had any significant animal impact for over a hundred years now. With the new fence in place we can begin the process of rotating the herd across this area. Yes we will graze through the trees along with the grass! The shelterbelt has grown up with all kinds of diverse vegetation over the past 20 years, the cattle will love it. Using proper grazing management, the herd impact will only improve the entire area.
The grasses are in desperate need of beneficial animal impact that the cattle herd will provide. With lack of grazing, the grass stand is stagnant with bare crusted soil areas between individual grass plants. Cattle hooves are designed to break this soil crust and stomp the stagnant grass making a more desirable seed bed to grow new grass.
A key monitoring site was established east of the house several years ago. We are photo monitoring and recording basic grass species composition at this site. In addition we have taken soil samples and will track the changes to the grass and soil as the animals return and make their impact.
Again we wish you the best for the new year and urge you to get out there and make the change happen that you have dreamed about.
If you are in the area, please stop by and check out the herd that is always on the moooove.
Grateful
Thank You Kiwanis Clubs of Lancaster County!
As the 2018 Honor Farm Family we are grateful for the recognition. It truly was an honor to join 150 other guests at the 52nd Annual Farm City Breakfast early morning November 20, 2018.
We have great respect for the Kiwanis organization and their work in our community:
“Improving the World One Child and One Community at a Time.”
The event was hosted by the Lincoln Center Kiwanis club with many Kiwanis members attending from the Lincoln area. Also attending the event were FFA students from the Waverly, Raymond Central, Norris and Career Academy Chapters. Two local FFA members presented reports on their chapter activities.
It was my pleasure to provide a Keynote speech during the breakfast. This was the first formal public presentation of DS Family Farm and Pasture Grazed Beef. We entertained some great questions from the audience after the presentation. Based on the questions, the message of Pasture Grazed and Raised Animals hit home with some folks.
I did get choked up as the speech closed. When I showed photos of the families who have visited and purchased meat from our farm, the feelings took over. We receive true honor from the families we have met and built friendships with over the past few years. When our journey to raise healthy animals, meets people on a journey to find healing food, that is WHY we do what we do. That is when Doug gets choked up.
It certainly is nice to be recognized by others! Especially by a respected organization such as the Kiwanis. Again thank you Kiwanis Clubs of Lancaster County for the opportunity to speak about Pasture Grazed Beef and for the Honor Farm Family award.
Fake Meat vs Weird Beef
A scary topic for Halloween… fake meat vs. weird beef (in this past blog post, we call our Pasture Grazed Beef “Weird Beef”, read the post to see why).
Veggie burgers and Tofurky have been around for 35+ years but recently there is renewed interest in fake meat and companies are stepping forward. Just last month we were invited to exhibit our farm at a showing of the Eating Animals movie/documentary. The movie emphasized the downside of the industrial ag meat system. The movie focused on the environmental and animal welfare issues. Scientists will dispute the above two points but you can watch the movie and decide how well these ideas were presented.
As an alternative to industrial ag meat the movie highlighted a few farms raising animals similar to what we are trying to do here at DS Family Farm. Raise animals in natures image rather than trying to force nature into a factory model. The movie also took significant time to promote alternative meats or fake meat:
- Plant-Based meat
- Plant protein isolates (mainly pea)
- Adding beet juice to give a “bleed” to the product
- Cultured or Lab Grown
- Growing “meat” from animal cell tissue
- This technology is still developing
Why Fake Meat?
Fake meat and Weird Beef (we raise weird beef here at DS Family Farm) are sought out for similar reasons:
- Animal Welfare
- Environmental
- Human Health Issues
We are happy to provide customers an alternative meat product (Weird Beef) just as fake meat companies are doing for their customers. Give the customer what they want.
Unproven (fake meat) versus Proven (Pasture Grazed Meats)
Here’s the bottom line. Folks may seek out fake meat for the above listed reasons, but I would question how highly processed plant proteins or lab produced cell tissues can meet the desired results for the three items listed above.
- Does pressing canola oil and other plant parts and reforming them into a meat like substance aid Animal Welfare?
- Please list a study where cropping systems (without integrating animals) regenerate soil rather than mine the soil.
- Our experience when dealing with health issues, the number one thing to do is eliminate highly processed foods.
Pasture raised livestock can and has been proven to address all three of the above listed concerns. It’s “how” the “cow” is managed that results in positive outcomes for animal welfare, the environment and ultimately human health.
Do you eat fake meat and why? Please comment on the DS Family Farm Facebook page.
Happy Reformation Day!
Eating Animals – Movie
The Eating Animals movie trailer opens with views of shiny metal buildings, manure lagoons, a cattle feed yard and caged poultry. A voice asks, “Is this farming?” and then finishes with “I say no.”
Doug and Sheila will view “Eating Animals” this weekend at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center on the University of Nebraska Campus. The movie is based on the bestselling book by Jonathan Safran Foer. Following the Saturday Sept. 22, 1 PM screening, DS Family Farm will be joining other local farmers for an open reception, 3 – 6 PM.
Looking for something to do Saturday? Stop by, visit us and other local farmers at this unique event. We will have samples of Pasture Grazed Beef!
No Corn, No Soy, No GMO
Of course our Pasture Grazed (Certified Grassfed) Beef is raised without corn or soybeans and GMOs are not an issue. When it comes to chicken, well they need more than grass and forages. Cattle are herbivores, chickens are omnivores. Over the 9 years we have raised pasture chickens, all have been raised with Non-GMO feed.
Why No Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in feed? Pretty simple:
- Customer Demand
It was easy to find GMO free feed with just a little extra work. We also heard there was customer demand for chickens raised without Soybean feed. When we asked for soybean free feed, well that was a little more difficult because soybeans are a cheap source of protein.
Why No Soybean in feed?
- Lots of reading on the soy issue at the Weston A Price Foundation website:
This past spring we decided to develop our own soy free feed. Just as we started to figure out how to drop soy, a potential customer messaged us asking if we had chickens raised without corn in the feed!
Why No Corn in feed?
- Customer Demand?
- Because we like a challenge?
- Everything has corn in it! Why not grow something without corn!
We fed the spring batch of chickens with typical feed that included soybean & corn and then fed our own corn and soy free feed part-time. The chickens did fine and yes, the taste was fabulous according to our customers.
With the extensive use of GMOs in our nation’s corn and soybean crops, it seems that even if you source GMO free corn or soybeans, there is probably some cross contamination? To truly be GMO free, it just makes sense to eliminate both Soy and Corn from the feed mix. As for the overall GMO debate, you might be interested in GMOs and “The Precautionary Principle” website or (PDF).
2018 Fall Pasture Poultry will be corn, soybean and GMO free.
What will these birds taste like?
Why did we say “Pasture Poultry” and not pastured chickens? Stop by the farm and check out our latest adventure…
Resting Degraded Land
In a earlier post we pointed out that much of our pastures are in a Degraded State. This is just a fact, most of the agricultural lands of the United States have been “mined” for over 100 years, grasslands included. The first step in fixing a problem is to admit you have a problem. In the 2010 air photo below, we point out some areas that have been “rested” from cropping and grazing for over 25 years. Did “resting” the land help?
Obviously just leaving the land alone is not a solution to our problem. Taking some insights from other regenerative ag folks, we decided to try to bring these “dead” areas back to life. It was obvious that erosion and earlier dirt work in the area had totally stripped the original top soil. Much of the soil surface in this area had “chalk” or limy rocks with very little grass growing.
Our recipe for healing some of this degraded area:
- Bring in carbon (hay)
- Add animal impact (the herd)
Since the site is still in the Conservation Reserve Program, we can only graze the site every other year and pay to graze. Obviously there is not much grazing value here, but we want to add animal impact to start the healing process.
The hay attracts the cattle to the area, otherwise the herd would only briefly walk by. As the herd stays in the area, hay is spread and stomped into the bare soil. The hoof of a 1000 pound cow fractures and breaks up the crusted bare soil. The cattle also add their pee and poop. Everything needed to regenerate a degraded land site.
Fast Forward 2018
In the photo below we have circled the area where hay was placed in 2016. There are very dark green “weeds” growing in this previously dead area. Some of the weeds are over waist-high compared to the very short grass around the rest of the area. Weeds are natures “band-aids”! They arrive to help “heal”. Our cows like to eat most of the “weeds” that grow here on the farm. Weeds are nutrient dense, bringing nutrients from deep under the soil surface. Weeds, natures way to recycle lost nutrients back to the soil surface.
Did I mention that our cattle like to graze weeds?
The above photo was taken shortly after the herd was given access to this part of the pasture. You can see we still have plenty of bare ground between short grass in much of the area, but the system seems to be working. Over the next month we will add some round bales and bring the cows back through for a second graze and hay stomping party.
So, are cows bad for the environment? Cattle just do what cattle do. It comes down to how cattle are managed. We enjoy grazing cattle in the pattern that nature has given us. Graze fresh grass (and weeds) and move! With a little luck and the magic of animal impact, when the herd returns, the grass is better than the last time they visited!
Birds, Bees and Butterflies
What a great time of year to be in the pastures! Butterfly season is in full display. What is your favorite color? Brown, white, yellow, blue, black, orange or yellow? God’s diversity is amazing. To bad butterflies are so difficult to photograph, they just don’t like to sit very long. You are invited to come visit our pastures to watch the butterflies, just let us know you are coming and we can point you in the direction of the best flowers.
Our main concern with visitors is personal safety. “Biosecurity” is not an issue on a farm operating with a regenerative approach. We are trying to build immunity into the animals and overall farm by encouraging nature to diversity from the bacteria in our soil to the trees along the stream.
We hope to see you soon and leave you with a number of photos of past visitors and some of the birds, bees and butterflies you just might see here in the pastures.
BIRDS
On this May 2018 birding adventure we saw:
- Orchard oriole, Dickcissel, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Grasshoper Sparrow, Bobwhite Quail, Brown headed COW Bird, Grackle and our first Monarch Butterfly of the year.
More bird photos on our Instagram feed:
- Baltimore Oriole male and female
- Eastern Meadowlark nest with eggs (hmm, guess we need to get a photo of a Meadowlark!)
- Young woodpecker found in a downed tree
- Young Mourning Doves in nest.
- Brown headed COW Bird (on fence, left side of brown cow).
- Bobwhite quail nest with eggs.
- Bobwhite quail trying to distract Doug from her clutch of chicks.
- Listen for chirping Dickcissel and Bobwhite quail whistle in background of this video.
- OK, not at our farm, but Nebraska Sandhills Cranes during migration.
- No longer at our farm, but boys use to show these at the fair.
- Sure to see these at our farm twice a year and could end up in your freezer 😉
BEES
We love the native bumblebees. So docile, just going about their work. The two pictured above easily caught Doug’s eye driving through the pasture. Could these be Black and Gold Bumblebees? Please email Doug if you can identify. Here is another photo from a different angle on Instagram.
BUTTERFLIES
On Instagram:
- Painted Lady and Monarch
- Black Swallowtail!
- Monarch caterpillar on milkweed.
- Monarch on purple thistle with NE State Flower in background.
Hopefully you have enjoyed these photos!
Again, feel free to contact us to take a walk in our pastures for a first hand view of how the herd is actually a key part in the continued health of the birds, bees and butterflies!
We will leave you with a photo of another very key insect we stumbled across recently. We feel that all the pretty photos above are good indicators that we are truly working with nature in our operation. But the appearance and continued abundance of this special friend is a well-known indicator that our management is moving in the direction of Regenerative Agriculture.
Let’s just say Doug was very excited when he saw this guy working with the herd! Watch for a future post for further details. As always, if you have any comments or questions, please write us on our FaceBook page.
Sustainable Agriculture
According to recent marketing (TV, radio and newspapers), about everything is or can be “sustainable”. The word has been used so much one must research how each company or organization defines “sustainable”.
Question: What are you trying to “sustain” (continue, keep or save)?
Just as many of us struggle with health issues, the “health” of our nations farmland is struggling. Do you think there might be a correlation between human health and soil health? If you have a health issue, the last thing you want to do is “sustain” your current state. The same goes for our farmland. Current levels of agriculture production is “sustained” by oil based products such as pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
Many indicators point to the fact that our farmlands are in a “degrading” state.
- Dirty streams, lakes and ground water (aquifers)
- Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’
- Rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere
- Soil erosion from farmland
Our Degraded Pasture
Listening to a presentation by farmer/rancher Gabe Brown (YouTube TedX link, 16 minute video), helped bring this “degraded” landscape message home to me. Below is a soil degradation map of the world, looks like our farm fits in the “Very degraded soil” category.
Gabe’s message forced us to look at our pastures in a new way.
What do you think of our detailed degraded farm/pasture map below?
Yes, we now look at every part of our farm from Degraded to Extremely Degraded.
Since we see our pastures differently now, we are taking steps to “improve” our pastures. Sustaining what we now have is no longer an option in our mind. Many farmers and ranchers in this new movement have latched on to the term “regenerative agriculture” (search FaceBook to see all the different “regenerative” groups).
Here at DS Family Farm, we are fine with the term “regenerative ag” or whatever other name comes along. The main thing is that we approach our farm management in a way to promote the opposite of degrading the soil, pastures and animals. A quick search for the opposite meaning of “degrading” comes up with the term “exalt”.
We say good-bye to “sustainable ag” we are on a mission to “exalt ag” or “regenerative ag” or whatever you want to call it.
In future posts we will try to flesh out this topic in more detail.
Please, if you have a question or comment on this topic (or any other topic), please drop us an email or post a comment to our FaceBook page.
Beef or Carrots
How do you want to get your vitamins? When it comes to fat-soluble vitamins, choose pasture grazed and raised beef! Let’s take a quick tour of the important vitamins found in animal fats A, D3 and K2.
Vitamin A
This vitamins proper name “retinol” refers to its role in supporting vision. Growing up we were told to eat our carrots for healthy eyes, especially to have night vision like cats! Hmm, do cats eat carrots? It is the “carotene” in carrots that our bodies can (with effort) convert into vitamin A. The drawbacks to relying on carrots for your vitamin A:
- We must use a biochemical reaction with bile salts and enzymes to convert the beta-carotene in carrots into vitamin A.
- The conversion rate of beta-carotene to vitamin A in each person depends on many factors and ranges from 4 to 28 beta-carotene units to produce one unit of vitamin A.
- Resulting in about a 3% conversion rate when eating carrots.
For an adult male to meet the daily recommended intake for vitamin A, he would need to consume 2 pounds of baby carrots. (Skipping the baby carrots, he could do one pound of regular carrots, for some reason baby carrots have half the beta-carotene. Chlorine bath anyone?) Don’t want to eat that many carrots? How about 2.3 pounds of kale? If you are like me, kind of lazy, I’ll opt for my vitamin A already formed in some beef liver. Less than 1 ounce of beef liver will do the trick.
Still want to get your Vitamin A from carrots? Boost your bodies conversion rate by eating carrots with animal fat such as cooking carrots with a pasture grazed beef roast! In fact, we cannot convert the beta carotene found in plants without fat in our diet as a catalyst.
Besides vision, vitamin A supports our immune system, growth, repairs body tissue, and protects membranes of the mouth, nose, throat and lungs. In addition vitamin A helps build bones, teeth and healthy blood. Dr. Weston A. Price considered this fat-soluble vitamin to be a catalyst for efficient mineral uptake and use of the water-soluble vitamins. Vitamin A supplies are so important, we store large quantities in our liver and other organs. So go ahead and enjoy more than one ounce of beef liver at a time! Vitamin A is depleted during times of stress, physical exercise and periods of growth. Feeling sluggish or having trouble sleeping? Look to vitamin A from pasture grazed animals to help you out.
Vitamin D (sun, beef or cod)
The bone (calcium regulator) and immune system vitamin. When sunlight reacts with a cholesterol precursor in our skin, we receive vitamin D3. The healthy fat from pasture grazed beef will have a small amount of vitamin D3 but the go to animal source for this vitamin will always be cod liver oil. Other good animal sources for vitamin D3 include organ meats, lard, eggs and deep yellow butter from pasture grazed dairy cows.
Vitamin K2 (cheese, butter or beef)
Vitamin K1 is found in rapidly growing green plants. When these plants are consumed by pasture grazed beef, the K1 is powered up and locked away in the animal as vitamin K2. Vitamin K1 in plants is directly linked to chlorophyll and associated with beta-carotene (remember vitamin A). The amount of K2 found in beef will be in direct proportion to the K1 consumed in their forage. Beef harvested from green growing pastures can be identified by the K1 (beta-carotene) which gives the fat a yellowish deep cream color.
Why not just get vitamin K1 directly ourselves while eating plants? We should! Vitamin K1 main role is activating the blood-clotting proteins. Recent research has determined that vitamin K1 and K2 are not simply different forms of the same vitamin, they are two different vitamins.
K2 works together as an activator for vitamins A & D. Vitamin K2 tells calcium where it should go, into teeth and bones, not into arteries. When taking vitamin D (a calcium regulator) consider adding K2 to make sure the calcium is being properly directed. K2 helps us use minerals, protects teeth, is a major part of the brain and protects against calcification of the arteries/heart disease.
Vitamin E
Here is another fat-soluble vitamin found in plant and animal fats. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant, protecting the body against pollutants and free radicals. The fat and especially pasture grazed beef heart will help supply your need for vitamin E. In addition to the fat-soluble vitamins, pasture raised beef also provides vitamin B6 & B12 for healthy nervous system support.
Co Q10 anyone?
Have you heard of the coenzyme Q10? Pasture grazed beef helps provide this key cardiovascular system and energy production nutrient for our bodies. Beef heart (no surprise here) will be your best choice for this key nutrient.
Healthy Fats and More
Previously we have discussed the healthy fats found in pasture grazed beef. Hopefully this post has shed some light on the many other benefits of consuming beef from animals that live their entire lives on pasture and harvested from growing green forages.
Much of the information from this post came from articles found on the Weston A. Price Foundation website. To summarize Dr. Price’s work about the fat-soluble vitamins/activators:
If we compare the body to a house built of bricks and mortar, think of the minerals as the bricks and the fat-soluble activators as the mortar. In other words, we can consume a certain diet of fantastically nutrient-dense foods, but the value of such a diet comes down to what is actually absorbed. Without fat-soluble activator nutrients – namely vitamins A, D3 and K2 – our efforts to consume the “right” foods will be futile.
The above information lists some amazing scientific insights in how food fuels our bodies. In reviewing the most current studies it is obvious there are still many interactions within our bodies that we may never understand. A key takeaway should be to eat whole, real, food as God intended. After that, your body is designed to handle the details.
