Good vs Lame Turkey
Happy Thanksgiving to all. Not eating meat myself, I missed out on any actual turkey consumption yesterday (the pumpkin mushroom lasagna was incredible, though), but I still participated in the process as my 3 carnivorous children would not stand for a missed opportunity to eat meat.
Being somewhat sensitive to factory raised meat (understatement), heading down to the local grocer to purchase a “generic” bird was out of the question. I have also become increasingly skeptical of commercially produced “organic” solutions offered with more frequency in local stores as these “organic’ products tend to involve the shipping of products thousands of miles before they are consumed, which does not strike me as a sensible or sustainable process.
So on the advice of a local organic farmer (over at Bouler Belt Farm), we took a drive to West Alexandria, Ohio to the farm of Dale Filbrun and his family where we picked up a 24 pound bird, grown under organic and traditional circumstances.
We found Dale to be a genial guy and more than willing to share his opinions as to why the animals he raises on his farm are better for you and your family than the meat coming out of the meat industrial complex. The kids loved it and we felt good about giving it to them. Anyway, when was the last time you had a conversation with the farmer who raised your Thanksgiving bird?
So that’s the “good turkey” from the title, the lame turkey you can read about in the Detroit Free Press today, where the paper editorializes against plans by the “lame duck” Congress to push through regulations to exempt CAFO’s from some of the nations most important environmental regulations, including the Superfund law, and the Clear Air Act:
CAFOs produce millions of tons of manure nationwide, and the industry continues to grow, including in several Michigan locations. Air quality has become an increasing concern in addition to the worries about fouling local wells and surface water throughout the watershed.A series of reports earlier this month in Environmental Health Perspectives catalogued some of the health damage and called for even more intense studies. Researchers also have increased concerns that CAFOs, which make heavy use of antibiotics, play a substantial role in rendering those antibiotics useless as germs become resistant to them.
November 25th, 2006 12:46
Thanksgiving weekend seems like the perfect time to take a moment and thank Mr. Kemp for this blog.
I am just one of many who use KEMPLOG to keep up with the latest CAFO news each week. I appreciate the consistent clarity with which the information is presented and the thoughtful insights.
So thank you, Mr. Kemp, for taking the time to put together and maintain this blog. I, too, am a vegetarian. Vegetarianism and veganism do seem to be a growing trend in this country, particularly within the last 5-10 years.
Whether we eat meat or not, we all can and should think about where our food comes from and make good choices for ourselves, our families and our environment. Also, a person who wants to make a difference can help without becoming a vegetarian/vegan: for example, if everyone would just cut their CAFO meat consumption in half, billions of animals could be spared from factory farming–and the result would have a great effect on the industry.
November 25th, 2006 21:30
NW:
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I agree with your point: ultimately it is the market that will determine whether CAFO’s stay or go. I can only think that once people come to understand the circumstances in which their families’ meals are being bread, they will choose to avoid CAFO meat and dairy products.
November 25th, 2006 22:12
I get all my vegetables from a CSA program I’m enrolled in and purchase only natural, grass-fed beef from a local farmer. Even if one is not a vegetarian, I agree it’s very important for consumers to understand where there food comes from and how those choices affect them and the environment.
For those of you interested, I would recommend Joe Salatin’s book Holy Cows and Hog Heaven - The Food Buyers Guide to Farm Friendly Food.
November 26th, 2006 00:25
I too am thankful for this blog. As an aside, pumpkin mushroom lasagna sounds delicious!
I don’t have the confidence that market forces will determine whether CAFO’s survive. The food industry that supports CAFO’s and other large-scale farming is too entrenched in both state and federal government for there to be large-scale change anytime soon. Meanwhile, the air we breathe and the water we used is being damaged daily.
Furthermore,for many people, it is just not realistic to choose to drive to an organic farmer to get turkey for Thanksgiving or to join a cooperative to get organic vegetables. Living sustainably is not simply a matter of “getting priorties straight” and/or making “tough choices.” It is often a matter of having resources–namely, time, money, and information–to make sustainable choices. I applaud those who can make those choices, and I do what I can, but it is not nearly enough. (Sorry for breaking my own rule, yet again!)
November 26th, 2006 19:59
Pila,
Just out of curiosity have you checked to see if there was a CSA program in your area? I wasn’t aware of the one in this area until I found the following website
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
November 29th, 2006 17:12
glad to hear the turkey was a success. the Filbruns are good people and farmers.
The best food in the world is food you grow, the second best is food from people you know.
Industrial organics is not what we think of when we think of organic food. It is just a new way to grow industrial food.
What we need is a return to local and regional foodsheds but this is hard to do what with more and more laws and regs from the USDA and state Ag depts that hinder the farmer from making a living (this is really true with farmers trying to provide raw milk to customers right now) and the fact that the infrastructure for local/regional ag is pretty much been destroyed by industrial ag.
The good news is there are more and more people opting into the local/regional food idea and good things are happening.
December 1st, 2006 00:00
Thomas, this story of locally purchased food brings back good memories. The day before Laura and I were married, while the bride-to-be and the bridesmaids were doing some preparations, my groomsman and I drove out to Lucy and Eugene’s farm (Boulder Belt Organics) to purchase chickens for the rehearsal dinner BBQ. We learned how the birds were raised (I recall they were a hybrid) and were given a tour of the farm by our welcoming hosts. What a great experience. The chicken was fantastic.
December 1st, 2006 12:40
Jeff Pruitt:
Hi! In response to your question, I grow a lot of my own vegetables, flowers and herbs, during the growing season. I’m not interested in finding a CSA at this time. I am a one-person household, so it would be wasteful for me, although I could see how a CSA would be great for couples or families with children. I have neither the need nor the income for food from a CSA. And, in case you are wondering, I don’t do a lot of freezing or canning of things from my garden. I’m trying to learn to live with the fact that there will be an abundance of fresh produce and herbs in spring, summer, and early fall, and a less abundant period during the winter. I dry some of my herbs and freeze pesto, but mostly have learned to live without tender herbs such as parsley, basil,and chives, during the winter.
I wasn’t writing about myself in the previous post, so much as writing about others who do not have the resources (particularly time and money) to obtain all or most of their food from small farmers. I agree with Lucy. While I’m not an advocate of raw milk, the food production system as it currently operates is not one of that will change any time soon due to consumer demand for more humanely raised meat or for more locally grown food. The industry is too entrenched and the systems too large and complex to experience rapid change. Maybe I’m wrong. I hope I am.
January 23rd, 2007 02:31
The government should organize easy access to Medline and Health topics, medical dictionaries, directories and publications. WBR LeoP