Remembering Brian Anselmo
As Thanksgiving draws near and we remember our colleague and friend Brian Anselmo, we want to share this piece that was in yesterday's New York Times. Reporter Kim Severson announced that the Standard-Bred Poultry Institute--which would provide training to farmers who want to preserve the genetic pool of heritage breeds of turkeys, chickens and other birds--would be dedicated as a tribute to Brian Anselmo, who was an auditor for the Animal Welfare Approved program as well as a poultry farmer…
Frank Answers
If you keep up with turkey trends, you've probably noticed a certain word coming up more frequently each year. Now a growing culinary trend, "heritage" turkeys were once the standard at Thanksgiving tables across the United States. With the post-war advent of intensive confinement and industrial breeding techniques they all but disappeared from American farms and tables. Luckily, a few farmers like Frank Reese Jr. of Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch maintained these old breeds and are now able to share…
Michael Pollan asks the President Elect to reform the food system and to encourage more pasture-based livestock farms
The New York Times recently published a letter written by Michael Pollan to the next President of the United States. He begins by pointing out that this is the first time a U.S. President has had to deal with a national food crisis since the Nixon administration. However, the crisis is different this time because asking for an increase in food production would further harm other campaign priorities – the health care crisis, energy independence or climate change. In fact,…
Go Forth and Multiply
A recent article on farm animal cloning appeared in the British Daily Mail. Following the births of eight offspring from a cloned U.S. milking cow, shoppers in the UK are outraged at the lack of information available and the absence of any labeling requirements. A recent survey of 25,000 European consumers found that 84 per cent believe we don't know enough about the long-term health and safety effects of eating food from cloned animals. Though the US Food and Drug…
Open for Business: The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill
The guerilla street artist Banksy has just unveiled a new exhibit in New York City's Greenwich Village. Featuring self-dipping chicken nuggets and other animatronic oddities, this is an artist's take on cultural and utilitarian attitudes towards animals-on the farm and in the home. A sign posted outside the shop proclaims, "Open for Pet Supplies/Rare Breeds/Mechanically retrieved meat." In a statement distributed by his publicist, the secretive artist stated, "I wanted to make art that questioned our relationship with animals and…
