Nature’s Efficiency
Abraham Lincoln once famously said that “Every blade of grass is a study, and to produce two, where there once was but one, is both a profit and a pleasure.” And so it is at Tall Grass Bison. We manage our bison in socially structured extended family groups, which are so important to bison health and wellbeing. Our farm is a study in progress: we never stress the herd by breaking up families or ship them to a sale barn…
A Change of Heart
For the last six decades or more, government dietary advice in the U.S. and across much of the world has been to eat a diet rich in vegetable protein and fats, avoiding beef and other sources of animal proteins and fats. Yet recent studies suggest this advice may be wrong and may have led to the explosion of obesity and obesity-related disorders since the late 1970s after vigorous public health efforts to convince people to abandon meat and substitute plant…
A Pesky Problem
Through consistent observation, you always noticed which herd members were more susceptible to internal and external parasites. Fecal sampling helped you identify a few silent carriers: heavily infested animals spreading parasites on your pastures even though they showed no visible signs of disease. Over time you selected only disease-free, low-burden stock for breeding. Today, your animals graze diverse pastures replete with a variety of bioactive forages. Dung beetles thrive, dispersing manure piles and destroying many eggs, while predatory insects devour…
Truly Grassfed – The Glanbia Ireland Farmer Cooperative
The Glanbia Ireland farmer cooperative raises Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (AGW) dairy cattle on independent farms across 21 counties on the eastern seaboard of Ireland. The network of 4,800-farmers annually processes over two billion liters of milk, almost one-third of Ireland’s milk pool, into a range of ingredients—from branded cheese and butter through to the infant, sports, clinical and nutrition markets. Glanbia Ireland brings Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW cheeses and butters marketed under the…
It Wasn’t the Cows After All
While the cattle industry is repeatedly accused of being the main culprit for increased global methane emissions (and a leading cause for climate change), a new study shows that the fertilizer industry is the root cause. The report by researchers from Cornell and the Environmental Defense Fund, published in Elementa, shows that emissions of methane from the industrial fertilizer industry have been dangerously underestimated (and, it turns out, based on self-reporting) and the production of ammonia for fertilizer may result in…
