DS Family Farm
Worried about what you are "really" eating? Have peace of mind with pasture grazed meats.
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.
Good Fats Checkup
We are all bio-chemically unique and thankfully so! Consuming a balanced healthy diet to match our uniqueness is a challenge in today’s fast paced and highly processed world. Pasture grazed meats can benefit everyone’s diet. Whether you are low-fat or low-carb, source pasture grazed meat from animals raised in nature’s image as part of your balanced diet.
FATS, CARBS and PROTEIN (Macronutrients)
We need all three macronutrients. Doug is always enjoying a diet higher in fats, Sheila prefers more carbs. DNA results from one of the popular testing companies confirmed Sheila’s preference. Sheila just has more trouble digesting fats. The key, balance and sourcing quality macronutrients.
When it comes to sourcing healthy fats, for any diet, pasture grazed meats really shine. At DS Family Farm we are diligent in tracking our harvested beef fatty acid profiles. In 2016 we wrote extensively about our 2015 harvested pasture grazed beef as analyzed by Midwest Labs, Omaha. It’s time for an update on our 2016 and 2017 pasture graze beef analysis results.
Tracking Omega 6:3 Ratio
One of the main beneficial claims of grass-fed beef is the improved Omega 6:3 ratio in the fat. A low Omega-6:3 ratio in grass-fed beef provides better balance of pro-inflammatory Omega-6 fats and anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fats in our diets. Both Omega-6 and 3 are essential fats for overall health! The modern American diet, heavy in highly processed vegetable oils, results in over consumption of pro-inflammatory Omega-6 fats. Some believe over consumption of Omega-6 fats has contributed to chronic inflammation within our bodies and partly accounts for the recent rise of autoimmune diseases in the USA.
An Omega 6:3 ratio of around “3:1” or lower is a key indicator we check to make sure our animal care is resulting in a “True 100% Grassfed” product. Beef fed corn or any type of typical grain products leading up to harvest simply cannot have low Omega 6:3 values. Our earlier 2015 Omega-6:3 research displayed data from two conventionally raised beef that averaged an Omega-6:3 ratio of 14.5:1. We use this 14.5:1 average Omega-6:3 value for “conventional grocery store beef” in the chart below.
There are some “known” differences in the 2015 – 2017 samples:
- 2015 = Rib steak, October harvest
- 2016 = Regular ground beef, October harvest
- 2017 = Extra fat ground beef, August harvest
Beef cut and time of harvest are some “known” variables in each the samples. There are many other “unknown” variables that went into raising these pasture grazed beef. We can only focus day by day on the overall health of the herd. Weather, forages and movement for the herd are constantly changing. If all these variables result in a healthy herd and an enjoyable product for our customers, we get the opportunity to try it again next year.
Chart Summary
The decision to harvest beef earlier in 2017 (August) was for a number of reasons. We look to the lab results as a check in deciding future harvest dates. We are always looking for opportunities to improve overall herd health and management of the resources on the farm. Based on the feedback from the lab results, we are still meeting our goal of raising healthy pure beef!
Health Summary
When it comes to our diets:
- Avoid cooking in typical vegetable oils (omega 6 fats), when heated = oxidized (cyclic aldehydes)
- Reduce simple carbohydrates (white bread, sugar)
- Eliminate highly processed “so called foods” (eat traditional foods)
- Spend health dollars on quality whole food!
Simply, try to source ALL macronutrients for high quality, low processing. This ensures a complete package of nutrients as nature intended. When sourcing meats, look for animals raised their entire life on pasture and harvested off actively growing forages.
We have found the FASTEST way to improve our health from the Standard American Diet is to first drop the bad (steps 1, 2 & 3 above). After doing research, replace a bad with good healthy option (step 4). This holds true for every aspect of our lives, eliminate the bad stuff first!
Mothers On Mission (MOM)
We had some AWESOME visitors to our farm in 2017! When the group of folks pictured below showed up one cold Saturday morning in November, we were a little over whelmed. So what brought this large group out for a visit?
Mothers On Mission
The three Mom’s in the photo above had done their homework. They care about what they feed their families. The questions they brought to us were to the point:
- How do we care for the animals?
- What else do the cattle eat besides grass?
- How do we manage the pastures?
- What kind of grass is this?
- What about the fat profile of the meat?
- Do you spray the pastures?
- How do you move the cattle?
- What about the water for the herd?
- Do the cattle get any medicine or shots?
- When are the calves born?
- What are the best ways to prepare the meat?
We did our best to answer each question. The Pass – Fail test comes when our guests visit the herd.
- It doesn’t take long for anyone to decide if the animals are calm & satisfied versus stressed or lacking care.
- You don’t need to be a range scientist to see if the pasture is overgrazed.
- A simple walk across the pasture will tell you if the land and water is protected.
Seeing the pasture and herd is KNOWING. Know Your Farmer Know Your Food.
Back to our visiting Mom’s
We applaud the Mothers and Grandmothers that visited our farm over the past few years. The impact THEY are having on the “food industry” is a welcome change. Successful Farming noted this change on this February 2016 Magazine Cover.
Real change is happening
After the families pictured above left our farm, we had another visitor scheduled this same cold November Saturday. Our next guest was a woman who works for one of the largest food processing manufactures in the world. She was interested in what was happening in our pasture. As with all our visitors, we had a great time discussing farming, food, environment and “the herd”.
When she disclosed who she worked for and what she did, we asked about any changes her company was going through. Our guest was quick to point out that her “customers” were demanding the removal of many processed food ingredients. Her company is responding to these Mothers, change is happening!
- The number one priority of her company, removal of artificial food colors and dies.
- Often times dies are hormone-disruptors implicated in many health issues such as ADHD.
Change starts one bite at a time
Years ago when Sheila and I first felt the need to change our food buying options, it seemed overwhelming. The first farmer we purchased clean food from locally was quick to discuss our feelings. He told us to just keep it simple. Make easy changes to your food purchases. Grow into the change where it makes sense when the timing is right.
This advise was spot on. Slow and steady wins the race. We all vote for what kind of “food industry” we want with each bite. We are moving the food industry one bite at a time!
What about our visiting guys?
We really need to talk about the guys pictured above. These husbands had taken the wives out for a special Friday evening the night before visiting our farm. Where did the ladies take the guys? HA, I had to laugh, the ladies get a night out on the town and the guys get a cool morning walk in a pasture! Way to go Men, supporting the ladies! What a fun group.
What about the kids that came along?
The kids pictured above had a sense of wonderment that us adults need to stop and recapture more often. They had some great questions also. What can these kids learn from their parents?
My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them always on your heart; fasten them around your neck.
Proverbs 6:20-21
When these kids become the next wave of food purchasers, all we can say is, watch out and Thank You MOMs!
Subzero Frost Free Tank
Recently we posted a short video (YouTube link) to the DS Family Farm Facebook page showing how we provide fresh water to the cow herd in subzero weather. Late December 2017 through early January 2018 we had a 17 day stretch with temperatures below freezing (32 degrees Fahrenheit) and many stretches below 0 degrees F (-18 degrees Celsius). The system worked fine and we finally sold the propane tank heater we were keeping around for backup.
The secret is to keep the water surface protected from the WIND! Since the video generated some questions on how the system exactly works, below is our “How To install a Subzero Frost Free Tank”:
Step 1: Start with a heavy-duty tire from your local shop. A few years ago we were able to get a used tire for two-dozen donuts! The tire shop workers were glad to see us coming.
Step 2: Place and level tank in pasture. We place the tire tanks on a ridge, in a fence line dividing two pastures. We also drill a hole near the bottom of the tire and insert a pipe with a valve. From the valve we run poly pipe over the ground and gravity flow water to portable tanks throughout the pasture (not during winter).
Step 3: Bring water source (trench in pipeline) up through the bottom of the tank and also add overflow outlet tube/pipe if you like. Next add concrete to plug the bottom of the tire hole to create a “tire tank” that holds water.
Step 4: The tank pictured below serves as our freeze proof tank (see diagram at end of this blog post). The pump only runs when we have sunshine! The photo below was taken during a long cloudy stretch of weather a few years ago. A series of 12 volt batteries connected to the controller will run the pump without solar power. Just once or twice a year we may run out of stored water before the sun shine’s again. (Solar panel in background of photo below).
Step 5: During winter, add a cover with flaps and cattle simply raise the flap to reach water. In southeast Nebraska we are blessed with consistent sunshine during winter. Even on cloudy winter days the solar panel will usually generate enough power to pump water and keep the tank recharged with fresh warm water. If the air temperature reaches near or above 32 degrees F, this system works without any problems. If temperatures are well below freezing, a layer of ice may form overnight on the water surface. Cattle usually break the ice on their own and drink but the float switch may be frozen in the ice layer above the water surface. We have to break the small layer of ice and allow the float switch to fall to the “ON” position for the pump to run.
Overview of entire system:
One last note on our system:
We actually run two tanks from this single well/pump setup. A valve near the well (below the frost line) allows us to direct water to either tank pipeline. With a float switch in each tank, we inserted a three-way switch to the controller.
- With the controller switch in the top position, the float switch at the top tank controls the pump.
- With the controller switch in the bottom position, the float switch at the bottom tank controls the pump.
- With the controller switch in the middle position, neither float switch controls the pump! Pump is always “ON”.
What is the advantage of being able to switch the pump to always “ON”?
- Answers:
- In very cold weather, with the switch always “ON”, when the sun shine’s, the pump is running water.
- Any extra water just runs into a pond at the “overflow tube” outlet (to daylight on diagram).
- If a layer of ice forms overnight, the new fresh “warm” water will thaw the ice layer.
- This gives us one more option to make sure the cattle always have access to fresh water.
In summary, protect the water surface from the wind and recharge fresh (warm) water daily. Do your research, information from Canada is very helpful. We also like these ideas:
- Add a thermal “heat tube” under the tank
- Based on our experience, not necessary if you have adequate recharge in our environment.
- Frost free “nose pump”
- Yes, cattle pump water when they need it with their nose!
Overview Worth A View
We urge you to take four minutes to watch “NRCS: Pasture Management“. It really does a nice job describing some activities we practice here at DS Family Farm. These practices work for both pasture health and animal health and ultimately your health!
- The depiction of Rotational Grazing at 1:20 into the video is excellent.
- There is a discussion of excess manure at 3:00 which is not an issue in our pasture grazed only system.
- We are not “organically certified” but follow organic practices in much of our operation.
Overall, a nice video by the folks at USDA.
Graze or Browse the Leaf Drop?
We all enjoy the beauty of trees in fall colors. What does this season change mean for the land and animals? What is nature doing? How would large herbivores such as buffalo respond to the annual leaf drop? These are the questions to think about when working with nature.
Grazer or Browser?
Cattle are primarily grazers, preferring grass over broad leaves. Sheep will generally eat about half grass and half leaves. Goats are primarily browsers, meaning they prefer leaves (broadleaf weeds and trees) over grass. All three are ruminants, they have a special stomach called a rumen. The rumen is full of bacteria that digests the incoming vegetation. As vegetation is broken down by bacteria, nutrition is released and made available to the animal.
The broad wide mouth of a cow is obviously designed to grab swaths of forage, such as grasses swaying in the prairie and probably one main reason cattle prefer to graze. Since the main incoming vegetation is grass, the bacteria that best thrive on grass will be dominant in a cow rumen. It is best to feed the dominant bacteria population in their rumen what they want, and not sending down something the bacteria is not used to, resulting in an upset tummy.
Grazing Leaves?
If a leaf drops on the ground before it is eaten, is that considered Grazing or Browsing?
Cattle aren’t much for climbing trees! Goats are known to climb somewhat (warning don’t park your car where a goat can climb it). The cattle herd will browse the lower branches of trees creating a “browse line”. This time of year the leaves come to the cows!
So why eat leaves if you are a grazer?
- Tannins
- These somewhat toxic compounds, mainly found in tree leaves, can actually help animals balance digestive problems.
- Nutrients
- Leaves contain different nutrients than grasses.
- Other
- Reasons the cattle only know.
You will find warnings to not let cattle have access to this tree leaf or that weed leaf. These warnings imply cattle are dumb? Luckily we have smart cattle. As long as the herd has adequate foraging opportunities, we do not worry about poisonous plants.
- Our Momma cows teach their calves.
- If someone gets an upset stomach from something, lesson learned!
We do avoid poison hemlock patches during the winter when hemlock leaves are green and everything else is pretty much brown.
Annual Leaf Drop
With just a little planning we can MOVE the herd for the opportunity to take advantage of the leaf drop. We let them choose how many and what leaves to graze. Other things to consider during this graze:
- Stream channel stability
- Water quality
- Wildlife needs
When leaves fall in the stream and dissolve, carbon dioxide is released. Carbon dioxide plus water creates carbonic acid. This weak acid breaks down rocks/minerals. The changed mineral content of the water cycles new minerals through plants and animals. The break down of rocks is also part of soil formation.
It is easy to see and understand the process described in the photo of the stream and leaves shown above. But this is the exact same process the cattle herd encourages in our prairie! When cattle stomp and manure a pasture, the dead grasses release carbon dioxide and moisture in the soil or from rain creates carbonic acid in the prairie soil creating more soil! What a wonderful design. Remember the bacteria described in the rumen of the cow? The exact same process is also going on under our feet in the soil! SOIL is one huge RUMEN full of all kinds of microbes. Do you think it is an accident that these processes have a similar design repeated throughout nature?
Grazing and managing cattle in natures image results in:
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SOIL CATTLE!
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Nourished by the soil
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Creating new healthy soil
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Feeding healthy people
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Not OIL Cattle!
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Dependent on fossil fuels (OIL) for:
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Fertilizer and pesticides
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Machine planting, harvesting and hauling
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Please contact us if you would like to visit the herd of SOIL CATTLE always on the Mooooove.
Pesky Bugs on the Outside
Our previous post covered how we deal with bugs that bother our herd on the inside. Everyone is probably more familiar with those pesky bugs that bother our cows on the outside. Yes, cows come with a fly swatter on their hind end, but here we list a few management practices that help our herd put up with these pesky bugs.
Did you know some cows attract more flies?
Apparently the level of testosterone within an animal makes a difference in attracting flies. Usually bulls will attract more flies than cows. So if we have a cow attracting a larger number of flies, that is a red flag. The cow shown in the photo with higher fly pressure is on our list to be culled.
Many cattle owners don’t know there is a difference in fly pressure between cows. The use of insecticide feed, ear tags and pour-on products prevent their cows from displaying fly pressure. If this last sentence is confusing to you, many farms use chemical fly control in the following ways:
- Cows are actually fed larvicide and insect growth regulators! Yuck!
- Ear tags contain insecticides.
- Insecticides are actually “poured onto” the back of cows.
Remember, pests are natures way of eliminating the weak. The use insecticide products on cattle across our land accomplishes two things:
- Allows poor (weak) cattle to stay in the herd.
- Creates super flies that are resistant to chemicals.
Super Files
Since we mimic natures management with our cattle herd, we are not worried about the super flies being created by the use of insecticides on other herds. No chemical insecticides used on our herd. Fly management starts with manure management, flies lay their eggs in cow pies. Our fly management includes:
- MOVE!
- It takes a few days for fly eggs to hatch and mature.
- We keep the herd in front of the flies the best we can.
- Pasture Diversity!
- There are all kinds of critters that feed on flies and their larvae.
- Dung beetles, birds and other creepy crawly things in the soil are encouraged.
- Unfortunately, those using poisons are reducing natural predators in the process.
- Stock Density.
- With tight herd moves cattle will smear their recent manure pats before moving to fresh pasture.
- Smeared cow pies = destroying the habitat for fly larvae.
- Minerals.
- Sulfur seems to be a key mineral for repelling all kinds of pests.
- Pests avoid healthy animals, they are searching for the weak.
- Minerals keep our cattle immune system working properly.
- Natural “organic” repellents.
- Until we can get the animal culled from our herd we have had good luck with “Eco-Phyte” from AGRI-DYNAMICS.
- Contains essential oils such as lemongrass and eucalyptus.
- There are other organic products to consider.
- These type of products are becoming more available as alternatives to Deet based products for humans now days!
- Until we can get the animal culled from our herd we have had good luck with “Eco-Phyte” from AGRI-DYNAMICS.
Recommended Reading
For more on flies and herd health we recommend you search the following sources:
- Will Winter, DVM. Try searching his blog for “flies”.
- Pharo Cattle Company. Try searching the blog for “fly resistance”.
