HEIRLOOM BEEF AND HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
by Dr. Lawrence Wilson
© February 2019, LD Wilson
Consultants, Inc.
All information in
this article is solely the opinion of the author and for educational purposes
only. It is not for the diagnosis,
treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.
Contents
Definitions Of
Heirlooms
Topics
Beginnings
What Went
Wrong?
The Green
Revolution Today
Advantages Of
Heirloom Cows
Disadvantages
IV.
RECOVERY – HEIRLOOM PLANT VARIETIES
Advantages Of
Heirloom Plant Varieties
Disadvantages
- Are
Heirlooms The Same As Organically Grown or Grass Fed?
- Are Heirloom
Cows Finished?
- Must
Heirlooms Be Grown Or Raised Only On Small Farms And Small Ranches?
- Why Not
Socialism?
- Limiting The
Size Of Farms, Ranches And Agricultural Companies
*****************
General
definitions.
1. An older, less hybridized variety of plant or breed of animal.
2. Something of special value that is handed down from one generation
to the next.
Specific definition as used in modern agriculture. An heirloom plant variety or animal breed is one
that existed prior to the so-called green revolution in agriculture. This is explained below.
Topics. This
article discusses two large areas of agriculture, heirloom cows and heirloom
plant varieties. These will serve
as examples of how heirloom varieties and breeds are involved in modern
agriculture and ranching.
In
order to understand the need for heirloom varieties and animal breeds, one must
understand the green revolution.
This was a set of sweeping innovations in agriculture and other
technologies that began 150 years ago in the late 19th century,
mainly in the United States. These
included:
- Enormous
strides in understanding nutrition and plant and animal physiology. For example, most of the vitamins were
discovered early in the 20th century. The development of accurate mass spectrometers made possible
detailed soil analysis to assess the mineral needs of the soil and livestock.
- N-P-K chemical fertilizers, also called superphosphates. Along with the increase in scientific
knowledge came the development of potent farm chemicals. The most important are the
superphosphates, still widely used today, even on organically grown food.
These are really just growth stimulants that contain what we call the
irritants or ÒamigoÓ forms of several minerals. However, especially when they were first introduced, they
increased crop yields tremendously.
When first used, farmers could suddenly produce up to ten times the
tonnage of crops compared to the past!
This has decreased, however, as the soils of the planet have been
depleted by continued use of these chemicals.
- Modern
drug-based veterinary care for livestock. This included the new
Òmiracle drugsÓ such as antibiotics, new vaccines, hormones used to fatten
cows, and more.
-
Synthetic (and highly toxic) pesticides and insecticides. These
promised to end the scourges of plant diseases and pesky weeds that kept
popping up in the corn fields and elsewhere. These caused expensive crop losses and
took up farmersÕ timere moving them.
- Gasoline-powered farm implements such as tractors, combines, and
others. These were costly, but
made possible enormous, mechanized farms that could produce food much more
cheaply than smaller family farms.
They allowed farms to grow to sizes unimaginable to earlier generations.
Million-acre farms began to appear. Many small farmers were forced off their land and had to
move to the cities to look for work.
- The
development of the railroads, and later, the highways of America.
Without these, large farms were impractical because the products could
not be easily transported to the millions of consumers, mainly in the large
Eastern American cities.
- The
growth of large, transnational agricultural corporations.
These companies manufactured the fertilizers, pesticides, tractors and
other equipment needed for the mega-farms. Soon they also gained ownership of the farmland and grazing
land, as well.
They include such giants as Cargill, ADM, Monsanto and others. Terms used to describe them are agribusiness
and CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations).
-
Intensive breeding of plants and cows, in particular, that were better suited to
the new agriculture. For example, the new agriculture
demanded plants that could thrive on the superphosphate fertilizers and
tolerate the toxic pesticides. The
products had to be able to withstand mechanical harvesting machines and long
train rides to faraway markets.
New breeds of cows had to be able to grow fat quickly, tolerate a diet
of mostly cheap grain, and thrive in crowded and filthy feedlots. These were the secrets of inexpensive,
mass-produced meat.
- Much
greater government involvement in the agricultural industry. An agricultural division was established within the US Patent Office
in 1839 to distribute new seed varieties.
A larger Department of Agriculture was established in 1862.
As agribusiness grew, the large corporations gained more and more
political power and influence in the Department of Agriculture. Today they continue to influence the
standards and regulations imposed by this government agency upon all farmers
and ranchers.
A
TRUE REVOLUTION
The combination of these changes caused a literal revolution in
agriculture that many heralded as truly amazing. Many believed it would end world hunger, and it has helped
to do this.
However, it also brought problems including widespread contamination of
drinking water supplies with toxic chemicals, ruination and even extinction of
hundreds of animal species, destruction of topsoil and grazing lands and a
sharp increase in human and animal diseases.
Most agricultural scientists and the public were amazed by:
- all the new technologies
- the massive scale of the new agriculture
and ranching
- the advent of cheap, plentiful food. Even today, many people do not
understand the devastation brought about by the green revolution.
WHAT
WENT WRONG WITH THE GREEN REVOLUTION?
Briefly, the problems are:
- Weak, sickly hybrid farm animals, particularly cows, who can hardly survive without constant drugging, vaccines
and other medical interventions and procedures.
- Much lower mineral and protein content of food grown with growth
stimulants. Much more food is
grown per acre, but a corresponding amount of natural mineral-containing
fertilizers were not put on the soil to replenish it. This results in Òsoil miningÓ and the decline of the
farmland.
- Additional damage to the soil from toxic farm chemicals. The combination of this and the loss of
minerals resulted in the famous dust bowls of the 1930s and loss of millions of
acres of topsoil, which continues today in some parts of the world.
- Devastation of other animal species such as birds who eat tainted
seeds and plants.
- Contamination of most water supplies in the United States and
elsewhere with farm chemicals.
- Contamination of the food with medical drugs and toxic pesticide
residues.
- An increase in sickness among farming and ranching families who live
among and handle the toxic chemicals needed for the new agriculture.
THE
GREEN REVOLUTION TODAY
The green revolution continues at a fast pace today, often called the biotech
industry. It is the invention of
newer chemicals, new plant seeds, and new animal breeds that fit the feedlot
and chemical agriculture model. It
also includes new pesticides and insecticides to replace older ones that donÕt
work as well or are so toxic that they must be removed from the
marketplace.
It often takes 20 to 40 years for the horrors of new farm chemicals to
become known enough to cause their banning. For example, this is the situation today with glyphosate or Roundup‰.
Recent technologies are genetically-modified
organisms or GMOs and patented seeds. Breeders continue to try to breed cows
and other farm animals that can thrive on nutrient-depleted corn and other
unnatural feed that often contains residues of the toxic insecticides the sick
plants require. The animals must
also tolerate the vaccines, other drugs, and dirty, crowded feedlot
conditions. This is the green
revolution in a nutshell.
III. RECOVERY AND HEIRLOOM COWS
A few doctors and plant scientists sounded the alarm about the
destructive effect of the green revolution early in the 20th
century. Among these were
William Albrecht, PhD at the University of Missouri and others.
They began a counter-movement that is variously called the organic,
sustainable, regenerative or eco-agriculture
movement. These words do not all
mean exactly the same thing, but are all part of an effort to restore sanity
and sustainability to modern agriculture.
In some ways, it is a return to earlier methods of farming. However, it also incorporates the
latest in scientific knowledge to grow food without needing the toxic chemicals
and other destructive practices of the green revolution.
A part of this movement is the revival of older, less hybridized
breeds of animals and older plant varieties. These are called heirloom or sometimes ancient
varieties. The Livestock
Conservancy uses the word Heritage to define a number of these breeds of livestock.
Their website lists the following breeds of Heritage cows: White Park,
Ankole-Watusi, Ayrshire,
Belted Galloway, Canadienne, Red Devon, Dexter, Dutch
Belted, Florida Cracker, Galloway, Hereford Shorthorn–Native, Highland,
Kerry, Lincoln Red, Milking Devon, Pineywoods,
Randall Lineback and Red Poll. They all date back
before 1925, and some date back to the first settlement of America in the
1400s.
They can help the planet return to more sustainable farming and
ranching practices.
ADVANTAGES
OF HEIRLOOM COWS
Advantages of heirloom cows compared to modern hybrid cows are:
-
Heirloom cows are more yang. Yang
is an Oriental word used in the science of macrobiotics. It is a physics concept that means
faster moving particles, warmer and more compact. It also means much healthier. For example, heirloom cows and vegetables tend to be smaller
in size and more nutrient dense.
All bodies today are too yin, and need food that is more yang to
become balanced. Most food is too
yin, worsening human and animal health.
Heirlooms are part of the answer!
-
Heirlooms are better suited to living on grass rather than grain, and will eat
many more types of native grass. This is very important because grass is
the proper food for cows. It makes
them healthy and yang, and enables them to produce the healthiest meat.
The hybrids have been bred to survive on grain, which is not the
natural food for cows and which produce sickly and more yin cows.
The hybrids do not do as well and are picky eaters of the native
grasses. This reduces the health
of their meat and dairy products if a farmer chooses to feed them their natural
food of grass.
-
Heirlooms are much healthier. The two facts above cause heirloom cows
to be much hardier and healthier animals.
This is very important because sick animals require a lot of medical
care, which is costly for farmers.
Also, residues of antibiotics, vaccines and other drugs needed to
allow hybrid cows to survive remain in their bodies. This taints their meat and dairy products and makes it less
healthful.
-
Heirloom cows eat and drink less than hybrids. This
is because the heirloom cows have better digestion. This is important because grazing land is becoming scarce in
most areas of the world. Heirloom
cows help conserve the land and cost less to raise.
-
Heirloom cows are more profitable for farmers to raise. This
is because they require fewer drugs and vaccines, and they consume less food
and water. This is helpful to
control the cost of meat so that more people can afford it.
-
Heirloom cows are healthier to raise for ranching
families. This is because the ranchers are not
exposed to as many toxic drugs and chemicals when they raise heirloom
cows. This is very important
because we depend upon ranching families for our food.
-
Heirlooms are more drought-resistant.
This is important because
many areas of the earth are experiencing drought conditions, which is very hard
on cows and other livestock animals.
-
Heirlooms are generally smarter animals. This is important
because livestock animals can be difficult and even dangerous to handle if they
are upset. Heirloom cows are
generally calmer, more relaxed, and therefore easier to handle. This is an important benefit for
everyone who needs to interact with them.
- Hybrids
promised cheap, plentiful beef for the world. They have delivered on
this promise. However, with this
cheap meat has come widespread sensitivity, intolerance or ÔallergiesÕ to beef
because it is an irritating and poor quality product.
As a result, hybrid cattle production is much less sustainable
for our planet, our ranchers and for those who consume the products.
- The
health of the people who consume hybrid foods is declining. For
example, the lifespan in America has dclinined for
the past two years (2017 and 2018) and medical costs are soaring.
People are sick and tired of tainted meat and the demand for more
healthful meat and dairy products is increasing. Heirloom cows are better at meeting the demand.
-
Heirloom cows are much happier animals than hybrid cows. This
also improves the quality of their meat and dairy products.
This fact may seem strange, but it is true. Reasons for it are that heirloom cows live a healthier
lifestyle and do not require toxic drugs and vaccines nearly as much as hybrid
cows. Feedlots are crowded, filthy
places that breed disease and discontent among cows. Living on grain makes cows fat and sick, just as living on
too much grain makes human beings fat and ill.
Disadvantages.
Heirloom cows do not like living crowded together in feedlots and living
on grain. If this is the only way
to raise cows, then the hybrids survive better in these crowded, filthy
conditions.
In other words, heirloom cows generally require at
least some grass in their diets and do not do as well eating just grain and
supplements.
Cheating. An
important problem is that some ranchers sell their beef labeled as grass-fed or
organic when it is not true. At
this time, (March 2019) we donÕt have a simple remedy or test that one can do
to ascertain whether grass-fed beef is really grass-fed, or what percentage of
the food was grass. Taste is not a
good enough indicator.
ADVANTAGES
OF HEIRLOOM PLANTS OVER MODERN HYBRID PLANT VARIETIES
-
Heirloom plants are more yang. As
with the cows, this is very important because our bodies are too yin and we
need food that is more yang to balance ourselves.
- Heirloom
plants are hardier. This means
they require less chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides. This is important because it saves
farmers money. Even more
important, avoiding the use of these chemicals improves the quality of the
food.
- Heirloom
varieties plants are far more nutritious than hybrid plants.
This is due to a combination of the two factors above. It is a critical factor for the health
of those who will eat them.
-
Heirloom varieties of plants are often more drought-resistant. This
is because they are healthier.
It is a great advantage that saves the crop if the weather becomes
dry. It saves a lot of money and
effort for farmers.
-
Heirloom plants also handle other stressors better than many hybrids. These
include cold weather and storms.
-
Heirloom plants save the land. All
of human life on planet earth depends upon about six to 12 inches of fertile
topsoil upon which our food is grown.
The use of superphosphate fertilizers and pesticides has damaged and
destroyed millions of acres of precious farmland. The use of heirloom crops helps restore farmland and helps
maintain topsoil by reducing soil erosion.
-
Heirloom plants are happier, and this improves the quality of their food
products. This is true, even if it sounds unusual.
Disadvantages.
Heirloom varieties formerly produced less tonnage per acre than the
hybrids. This was the appeal and
selling point of the hybrids that caused many farmers to switch over to
them. However, over the past 50 years,
several critical changes have occurred:
1. The
price of superphosphate or N-P-K fertilizers has tripled. This
has made the hybrids much less profitable.
2. The
soils of the earth have been damaged and in some cases destroyed by the use of
hybrid crops and pesticides and insecticides needed to keep the hybrid crops
alive. As a result, more and more fertilizers and pesticides are
needed, and crop yields have fallen quite dramatically. Hybrids no longer provide better yields
in many crops.
3. Farming
families are now among the sickest in every nation. This is due to exposure to the chemical fertilizers and pesticides
required by hybrid crops.
This affects all of us because we depend upon these families for our
food and our health.
4.
Consumers are waking up to the fact that hybrid crops are much less nutritious
and they want clean, pure, healthier food. This is increasing the
demand for pure and organically grown food throughout the world.
Hybrid crops cannot meet this demand nearly as well as heirloom
varieties of crops because only the heirlooms do not require the superphosphate
fertilizers and pesticides to survive.
In summary, the advantages of heirloom animals and plants are:
-
Healthier, hardier and happier animals and plants.
- More
nutritious and less toxic food.
- Healthier
and more prosperous farmers and ranchers.
- Healthier
consumers
- Conservation
of grazing land
- Cleaner
water supplies due to the use of fewer toxic chemicals and fewer medical drugs
ARE
HEIRLOOM VARIETIES THE SAME AS ORGANIC OR GRASS-FED?
No. In fact, they are not
related ideas. Heirloom only has
to do with the genetics
of the plant or animal. It has
nothing to do with how an animal or plant is raised or grown.
ARE HEIRLOOM COWS FINISHED LIKE OTHER
COWS?
Yes, in many instances. Finishing
is the feeding of beef cows near the time of slaughter. It is a method of altering the taste of
the meat to make it sweeter and less ÔgameyÕ. The meat will contain more fat and is also more tender for this reason.
Finishing also fattens the cows so the farmers will make more money
when the cow is slaughtered due to the extra weight of
meat. It works, but is not kind to
the cows. It is done routinely in
commercial ranching operations, including with heirloom cows.
Finishing
methods. Feedlot cows may not need finishing because they may be fed
grain most of their life and become fattened early on.
To finish grass fed cows, the rancher can move them to fields where
they must eat more high-carbohydrate grasses and less high-protein
grasses. This will add weight and can
reduce the gamey grass fed taste of their meat.
Another method is to confine grass fed cows in pens near the end of
their lives and force them to eat grain.
Another method in cold climates is to leave the cows outside in the
cold weather. They will naturally
eat more high-carbohydrate grass in order to gain fat and stay warm. This method only works if one
slaughters in springtime. It doesnÕt
work well on large farms where cows are slaughtered all year round.
We do not recommend finishing.
It harms the animals and reduces the quality of the meat, even if it
tastes sweeter. However, people
have been conditioned to want sweet-tasting and more tender
beef by the feedlot beef industry.
Until this changes, the practice will likely continue.
MUST
HEIRLOOM VARIETIES BE GROWN ONLY ON SMALL FARMS AND SMALL RANCHES?
No.
Smaller is not necessarily better for
raising heirlooms. There is a
need for family farms, but also a need for larger farms to feed the millions of
people who live in cities. Some
oppose any large farm or company.
However, good large companies can do a lot of good. For example, large producers often
spend the time and money to do the best job possible because they have more at
stake.
In contrast, some small farmers live on the land not as much because
they want to produce the best crops possible, but because they enjoy the
lifestyle. This is fine, but it is
not the same as wanting to produce absolutely the most sustainable and
healthiest food possible.
We hope that small farms and small ranches will always flourish. They
are often the best places to conduct research and they can sell their goods in
Ôniche marketsÕ or specialized areas.
However, millions of people need heirloom and healthy food, and
capitalism and beneficial corporations are the best way to organize this
massive effort. This has been
proven many times all over the world.
If capitalism has not worked, it is because it has not been allowed to
work by power-hungry government leaders or by leaders who do not understand it
well enough.
POLITICS - WHY NOT SOCIALISM?
The very worst of ÒlargeÓ is large government, better known as
socialism. It is always corrupt,
infiltrated by special interests.
Yet many back-to-the-land people sing the praises of this corrupt system
and canÕt wait to condemn capitalism.
The truth is that socialist nations tend to starve, including the
former Soviet Union and present-day Venezuela, Cuba and numerous other nations
that today cannot even feed their people.
Socialists always believe that if only they ran the government, everything
would work well. However, this has
been tried over and over for centuries and it never works. To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, Power tends to
corrupt and absolute power, which is the power of the government, corrupts
absolutely.
Freedom or liberty, which require a limited
government, are absolute values.
They must never be compromised, lest we sink into bureaucratic
mediocrity and tyranny – the qualities of socialist and communist
nations.
LIMITING
THE SIZE OF FARMS, RANCHES AND AGICULTURAL COMPANIES
Anything large brings with it possible abuses of power and
influence. Farming and ranching
are no exceptions. In America, for
example, large producers have diluted the organic standards, a terrible problem
today.
They are also behind the insane rule prohibiting mailing frozen beef
unless it is slaughtered in a government approved
facility. These are simply
anti-competitive socialistic rules designed to hurt small farmers. These need to change.
The best answer is a strictly limited government that does not have
the power to pass such rules – and not a socialist ÔbenignÕ dictatorship,
as some back-to-the-land people advocate.
We also think that government should limit the size of farms, ranches
and agricultural companies to promote healthy competition and help prevent
abuses of power. Capitalist
economies require an even playing field to work well. Anti-trust legislation with teeth in it is good idea in
agriculture, as in every area of economic life.
Also, there will always be a need for people of high integrity to lead
in every area of life, including agriculture and ranching.
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