Colonel's Blog, Earthdate 23 March 2023...
Hey Y'all! We just posted a new YouTube Video of us loading pigs, check it out!
Good morning and Happy Thursday from Air2Ground Farms! Shelley snapped a pic of me writing this and said I have to add it--so, top pic. We enjoyed the warmer weather this morning but can't quite figure out how to dress for rounds. It was in the mid 60s when we went out on its way to mid 70s today with thunderstorms this afternoon. I put on my coat, overkill, just to keep from having Jersey hair all over my shirt for the rest of the day. The warmer weather triggered the Jerseys to begin shedding their winter coat so hair is flying like dust off of Pigpen. We'll get it figured out. Update on the beef chicks and their curling-feet vitamin deficiency: It appears we have at least slowed the problem. This morning there was one chick that seemed worse than last night so I moved it to the "hospital" brooder--bottom pic. SO much better than the 11 yesterday morning. The intensive vitamin dosage hasn't caused any problems with the hospital group and they might be getting a bit better?? The big group seems to be more active today after 24 hours with vitamin supplements. I received a message yesterday from our pig/poultry mentor confirming our diagnosis of vitamin deficiency. Thanks for the confirmation, Rick! The other animals are very good. We moved the hog troughs out of the loading pen this morning. It was getting quite muddy in front of the feeders and we are forecast to have flooding rains starting mid-afternoon through Friday night. With that amount of rain, it would be difficult for the hogs to get to their feeders the way it was. We worked on our newest YouTube Video yesterday and spent quite a bit of time researching and learning YouTube. We are having fun doing it and this is actually something with which you can help. Number of views is the most important data for the YouTube algorithms. The more views, (especially those that view to the end--or even into the second viewing) the more YouTube will offer the video up to other viewers as something they might enjoy. Thumbs up, comments, and subscriptions are all helpful, but views rule the YouTube world so check it out and share it with your friends! Today we are going to make cheese and work some more YouTube.
PRODUCT OF USA--or--MADE IN THE USA. What does that mean to you? I'll be more specific, if you pick up a package of beef and it says "PRODUCT OF USA," where do you think that beef came from? Obviously, I am baiting you because it isn't necessarily what you think. Background: In the 2008 Farm Bill, Congress enacted Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) requirements with the support of 92% of the American population. The Bill did just what it sounds like, it mandated a label on all meat with the country of origin of that meat. That bill pissed-off the Canadian and Mexican governments and they challenged our law with the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO agreed with the challenge and, after years of back and forth, in May of 2015 the WTO "ordered US to gut Country of Origin Meat Labeling policy"--emphasis added. Instead of dealing with WTO-authorized trade sanctions on the US by Canada and Mexico, the US watered down the COOL requirement for beef, poultry, and eggs. As it stands today, the only requirement for "Product of USA" or "Made in the USA" for beef, poultry, and eggs is that it is "processed or repackaged" in the USA. For example, a cow can cross the border from Mexico this morning, be delivered to a US processing plant, and that beef can be labeled "Product of USA." Even worse, packaged beef, already processed and packaged, can cross the border into the USA, go to a US processing plant, be repackaged, and then legally labeled "Product of USA." This is ludicrous! In an effort to shut up farmers, on March 6, 2023, the USDA released a proposed rule with new requirements for the voluntary "Product of USA" label claim. The new rule states the claim can only be used on animals that are born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States. Here's the weasel-clause (how you can get around the rule): the label doesn't have to be pre-approved before it can be used. It simply requires "supporting documentation to be on file for agency inspection personnel to verify." A few weeks ago, I discussed the fact that the USDA just enacted new regulations on the "Organic" label due to so much fraud in the documentation. So now unscrupulous processors just have to have "supporting documentation" and the American Public is appeased that they know where their beef originated. I will continue to beat the drum in front of me. If you really want to know where your beef originated, buy it from a local farmer and they can show you the field it grew up in.
Our newest YouTube Video: How to Load Forested Pigs
Local Farm Report for 22 March 2023:
Harvest:
27 Chicken eggs
8 Duck eggs
0 Goose eggs
5 1/2 Gallons of milk
Sales:
2 Gallons of milk
2 Dozen chicken eggs
Cheers!
Psycho & Shelley
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