This article is a piece written by my “local” farmer, Cody Holmes. It is a piece about the importance of how we raise the meat we eat. Enjoy!

Today almost all livestock have been bred to perform on high starch diets and confinement feeding for the last 50 years or more.  What this means to farmers that desire to graze livestock on the farms they live on, which grow primarily forages, or grasses, is that most grazing animals have been bred to not do well on their farms.  This may seem like an impossibility as one drives across states like Missouri and we see cattle grazing out on pastures.

What one has to understand is that almost all the calves from those cows will wind up in a CAFO, (concentrated animal feeding operation) or feedlot, the last half or so of their life standing in mud/manure at a feed trough eating a TMR (total mix ration) of GMO corn and soy beans with no access to pasture.  Because of this system of fattening cattle, just about all seed stock breeders are raising cattle that perform well on this grain feeding regiment because of all the emphasis placed upon corn.  These breeders are in the business of selling bulls, raised in this manner eating a huge corn based diet, to the guys that own the cow herds we see out grazing on the farms.  The farmer grazing his cow herd on grass purchases these breeding bulls and breeds his cows.  Most of the calves from these cows will eventually wind up in the CAFOs but many of the heifer calves will stay on the farm and be raised to grow and become the farmer’s cows as replacements for older cows that leave the herd.

Now remember, these bulls have been purposely raised in an environment that is a very unnatural environment and are fed huge quantities of grains in order to put weight on very fast and are given practically no grass at all.  And in this world, the bulls that do the best in this situation are considered the best animals and are promoted as such.  Some people may ask, “What is wrong with this situation?”

The problem is one that becomes compounded to the real grass farmer on his farm.  Those heifers born from those expensive corn fed bulls have a genetic propensity to do well on grain and not do so well on grasses.  But we know that the most economic feed system the farmer has is his farm-raised grasses.  And during the time of year when grass is very high in quality, those young animals perform about average.  But when conditions change, as in winter time, or hot dry summers when forages have lower levels of quality nutrients, or other times stress or demands are put on the cow, the farmer must begin a feeding program in the form of grain or those animals will not perform.  And with the low margins that most of us farmers work with, once we begin feeding grains to our grazing animals just to get them to stay in good shape we soon will have more costs in supplemental feed than what our profits will be from that enterprise.  And if we don’t feed grains to these animals they simply will not perform.  So, as years pass the grass farmer inadvertently is breeding within his own cow herd animals that will only perform well when fed very expensive grains.  And thus he perpetuates a herd of animals that are no longer profitable on his grass farm.

Please visit our website “NEW” www.cdrnaturals.com for more information on this and other great health topics.

Remember this article is for information only. Do not make any changes in your diet or lifestyle without first consulting with your preventive health care provider. We always pray for your prosperity and health, 3 John 2, blessings, Donna.