• Princess had her calf this past thursday.  It was a heifer.  Milk supply should be back to normal by Wednesday of this week.
• I am feeding hay to the milk cows.  There is no pasture left.  It is fried.  I have never seen it this bad.  I was on my way to mowing down my corn and noticed a cow in the corn.  That meant the electric fence was not working.  I finished mowing down the corn (it was done due to the extreme hot and dry weather) and  I then started checking the fence for a short or whatever.  After thirty minutes checking all legs of the fence I realized that I had a grounding problem.  It has never been this dry.  I drove a new ground rod in and that fixed the problem.  It went from 0 volts to 10,000 just by having it properly grounded.   Driving in the rod that first two feet was tough.  I had to drive it in about 5 feet to get to enough moisture.
• The weather forecast was just on and they are forecasting the next 7 days at 106 to 108.  I don't know how much longer we can keep watering to just keep things alive.   We have given up on some items.  They are toast.
• Wheat is done and those people that ordered it can pick it up.  We baled about 70 bales of nice clean straw.  That's enough for bedding and mulching in the garden.    We have our 150 pounds of wheat for bread, pancakes, etc. for the coming year.
• It is so dry that I was able to combine clover seed in July.  It grew up after the early haying and since it has been so dry, the grasses did not grow. so it was easy to combine it without cutting and windrowing.  I cleaned it yesterday and now I know about all there is to know about operating my antique seed cleaner.  The"new" old combine is slowly paying for itself.
• Since there is no corn for this year, the chickens will be getting a lot of wheat.  We will supplement that with some oats and milo.
• Those wanting a "Dirt" hog will be getting their hog in August.
• I took six  beeves to be processed this past Tuesday.  I was complemented by the butcher on the quality of the carcasses.  I have sent emails to all that are involved in this harvest.  Some have responded and some have not.  If you have received an email please send me your address and a phone number.
• Any one that ordered cod liver oil, it is here for pick up.

Cows Fed "Chicken Litter" May be Indirectly Eating Parts From Cows

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/30/chicken-litter-causes-mad-cow-disease.aspx

 *************************************************************

How High Fructose Corn Syrup has Decimated Human Health

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) entered the American market in 1975. Food and beverage manufacturers quickly began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup when they discovered that it could save them a lot of money. Sucrose costs about three times as much as HFCS. HFCS is also about 20 percent sweeter than table sugar, so you need less to achieve the same amount of sweetness.

Around that same time, dietary fats were blamed for heart disease, giving rise to the "low-fat craze," which resulted in an explosion of processed nonfat and low fat convenience foods—most of which tasted like sawdust unless sugar was added. Fructose was then added to make all these fat-free products more palatable. Yet as the low-fat craze spread, rates of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity skyrocketed...

Clearly, this plan was seriously flawed from the get-go, and it's not difficult to see that trading fat for sugar is not a wise move.

We now know, without a doubt, that it's the excessive fructose content in the modern diet that is taking such a devastating toll on people's health.

At the heart of it all is the fact that excessive fructose consumption leads to insulin resistance, and insulin resistance appears to be the root of many if not most chronic disease. Insulin resistance has even been found to be an underlying factor of cancer. Fructose also raises your uric acid levels—it typically generates uric acid within minutes of ingestion, which in turn can wreak havoc on your blood pressure, insulin production, and kidney function. So far, scientific studies have linked fructose to about 78 different diseases and health problemsⁱⁱ .Here is the entire article, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/30/excessive-fructose-causes-obesity-and-cancer.aspx

that's it from the hill for this week.  Art and Debra

• Milk is in short supply.  I turned Novelty dry.  I am milking only one cow, Sweetpea.  Princess is due this week which will help.  Pastures are some brown stuff and a weed here and there.
• The freezer beeves are on some pretty good pasture for now.  We need 4-5 inches of rain.  We have some cracks in our yard so wide the guineas have to be careful not to fall in.
• We are ordering from Green Pastures, so if you want coconut oil, Ghee or cod liver oil let us know.
• We have one freezer chicken (rooster), $8. Anyone need a young Dominique rooster?
• Do you need some guineas? ($5)

• Anyone taking the low dose aspirin may want to read this article.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/17/is-low-dose-aspirin-causing-an-epidemic-of-intestinal-injury-and-bleeding.aspx

  ********************************************************* 

  Here are 30 reasons why GMO’s need independent testing for human safety.  http://www.nationofchange.org/genetic-engineers-explain-why-ge-food-dangerous-1340544600

  ********************************************************** 

  Thanks to J. Cosens for the following.  http://www.ktvq.com/news/gm-grass-linked-to-texas-cattle-deaths/ 

   **********************************************************

  Want more evidence to refute your neighbors claim that GMO’s are safe? http://www.nationofchange.org/syngenta-corporation-faces-criminal-charges-covering-livestock-deaths-gm-corn-1340811738
  
  that's it from the hill for this week.  Art and Debra

• Happy Birthday Marlies!
• The chicken day went really well.  Everyone was here on time and that was great due to the hot weather.  We decided last year not to have any large birds during the hot weather. Boy did we blow that.  One thing for sure, in farming there is nothing for sure.  Our milk production is finally starting to fall due to the lack of grass.  No water-no grass.  Missouri's governor has filed for diaster relief for the drought.  That won't help the grass farmers, only the commodity farmers. 
• For the milk customers, supply is shrinking.  You may not be able to get your full amount for a while.  I have referred several new customers to the Andrews and Hooks.  They have started to duplicate our effort in producing high quality raw milk.
• We have two roosters for $8 each from the the chicken day.  They make great chicken salad and the carcass is great for broth/soup stock.
• We will be placing an order for Ghee/cod liver oil this week.  The price on the last order was $53.25/gal for ghee, including shipping.
• We got the combine this past Saturday. Now we need to get some parts, grease and oil it, and hopefully get the wheat harvested.
• We had our  first "new potatoes" for dinner today.  Just like home grown tomatoes (of which we are getting lots) they are far superior to what the stores have to offer.
• I talked to one of my "dirt" hog raisers and he will have some ready in August.  I have several people on the list.  I will contact another source, maybe he will have some sooner.

• Wow!! This is a must read for all pregnant mothers.  “ If a child with abnormal gut flora and damaged digestive tract receives a vaccine, the added toxic burden may prove too great to bear. Keep in mind that this toxic burden is NOT necessarily limited to thimerosal (mercury-based preservative) or aluminum-based adjuvants found in some vaccines. The MMR vaccine for example does not contain thimerosal or aluminum. Instead, it appears the measles virus in the vaccine may contribute to chronic inflammation of the bowel, thereby unleashing a cascade of harmful effects on the brain.

  "... If the child's brain is clogged with toxicity, the child misses that window of opportunity of learning and starts developing autism depending on the mixture of toxins, depending on how severe the whole condition is, and how severely abnormal the gut flora is in the child," Dr. Campbell-McBride explains.

  It's important to understand that the gut flora your child acquires during vaginal birth is dependent on your—the mother's—gut flora. So if your microflora is abnormal, your child's will be as well. Autism isn't the only potential outcome in this case. “ Here is the link to the entire article.  Notice she did not say what happens with a c-section. Where does a c-section baby gets its initial microflora??   http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/25/mmr-vaccine-caused-autism.aspx

  ******************************************************** 

  Anyone taking the low dose aspirin may want to read this article.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/17/is-low-dose-aspirin-causing-an-epidemic-of-intestinal-injury-and-bleeding.aspx
  
  that's it from the hill for this week.  Art and Debra

• Still dry.  We had .70 inches and it didn't phase the two inch cracks at all.  With 90-100 degrees days it's gone.  Pastures are toast.  We still have some that have not been grazed and I have my reserve warm season pastures that I normally never need. 
• We have the combine situation solved and will get the wheat this next Saturday.  As soon as I get it cleaned, I will notify those who have reserved it.
• I am inclosing a link to a product for fermenting that works really well.  I'm sure after listening to the NPR interview I included last week that some of you are ready to make your own kraut.  http://www.pickl-it.com/blog/331/sauerkraut-tips/
• Novelty has been so reliable, never a problem.  This past week one of rear quarters showed some mastitus.  I had made up my mind to treat it based on information I had leard in an ACREs lecture.  The only problem the person did not give the amounts of the various ingredients.  Here is what I tried and it worked; in just three days it cleared completely.  I mixed 8 drops of oil of oregano and 8 drops of peppermint oil with about 5 cc of grapeseed oil (carrier).  I infused that up the teat canal after milking out the quarter.  The lecturer also mentioned oil of borage, but I didn't have any.  The other two proved to be very antibiotic and safe.
• Anyone wanting cheese making items should check out this site.  http://www.cheesemaking.com/

• If your child were diagnosed with a very serious, very rare form of brain cancer, what would you do?

  Where would you turn?

   

  We have this film if you would like to check it out.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/10/dr-mercola-on-ric-schiff.aspx

   

   ***************************************************

  But restricting academic freedom is not the only problem with corporate-funded education. Legislators want, and indeed NEED well-executed research to base rules, policies and regulations on. However, it needs to be independent research—not the corporate fairytales passing for science that you get when the industry pays for the research of their own products. Every time research tainted by corporate interests is used to pass laws and regulations, it affects everyone, and the ramifications can be enormous.

  Staying with biotech as the example, genetically engineered crops were brought to market based on industry-funded research and are now present in all kinds of processed foods—yet the safety of such ingredients has never actually been established; environmental damage is now beginning to become apparent; and, in the US, consumers are prevented from knowing what's in their food due to the industry's tactical influence over our political process as well!   The revolving door issue is a major problem in more than one respect.

  Read the entire article here.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/16/monsanto-funding-future-farmers.aspx

   ***************************************************

  Want to know the story behind the “fourth meal”?  I have seen that commercial a jillion times and  I didn’t put two and two together.  Ads are so slick.  Probably should mute all of them for your own safety!!

  The campaign is called "fourth meal" and was originally launched in a series of Taco Bell spots telling kids that "everyone is a fourth mealer — some just don't know it yet." Now, new "fourth meal" ads are once again popping up all over television, insisting that "sometimes the best dinner is after dinner." The ads are backed by an eponymous website and a "cravinator" smartphone app that helps binge-eaters select their junk food of choice.

  Here is the link to the entire article.  http://www.nationofchange.org/revolutionaries-feeding-obesity-crisis-1339945676

   ********************************************************

  Here is a calm, logical approach to the GMO labeling issue.  The Health Ranger does a good job without getting  into any science aspects.  http://www.naturalnews.com/036209_GMO_labeling_ballot_measure_California.html

   ******************************************************

  How many of you have done these things?  I'm sure most have learned through  your own research that these things  can be hazardous to your health.  Note the one on fermented foods.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/18/nine-health-risks-habits.aspx
  

  
  that's it from the hill for this week.   Art and Debra 

   

• Anyone interested in some guinea keets, we have some.  They are $4 each.  Eight have already been spoken for. 
• If you have contacted me recently wanting raw milk, please send me an email.  I may be able to either add you on, or refer you to a young high school student who is working with his grandfather.  They, too, have Brown Swiss cows.
• I am still adding names for pork.
• Beef is still on hold.  I can add your name to a tentative list and should know for sure in Sept. 
• I have some orders for wheat and can add a few more, so send me an email.

• Grassfed Flavor -- What Makes the Difference?

  by Marilyn Noble, AGA Communications Director

   

  "Every once in a while, I hear a comment about the flavor of grassfed meat being off-putting or gamey. That's usually followed by an "ick" and "I won't be eating THAT again." I always feel sad when I hear that, because there's a person who's going to miss the enjoyment and health benefits that come from eating grassfed meat. I've tasted lots of grassfed, and with the exception of one bison burger about 15 years ago, I've never encountered an off or gamey flavor. Minerally? Sometimes. Grassy? Occasionally. Meaty? Always."

   

  "Bob Perry of the University of Kentucky's Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Working Group compares the variations in the flavor of grassfed meats to those found in wine, and he's absolutely right. In the wine world, terroir is the influence of place on the characteristics of the wine -- the geography, soil, and climate where the grapes are grown all impart a complexity to the flavor and body of the wine. The same is true for meat. While grainfed, feedlot beef is uniformly bland because it's all raised on pretty much the same feed, grassfed flavor varies from region to region and even from farm to farm. Tasting products from different producers can be an eye-opening, palate-changing experience."

   

  "Just as the variety of grape plays a major role in the eventual characteristics of the wine, so does the breed of animal influence the flavor and texture of the meat. In addition, the rancher must be able to recognize when the animals are at their peak for harvest -- too young and small and the business loses money, too long past their prime and the meat isn't as tender and delicious. Other factors -- animal stress, time of year, processing methods, dry or wet aging -- can also have an impact on the flavor."

  " Most legitimate grassfed producers care about the quality of their products and are constantly looking for ways to improve the eating experience for their customers. If you're a consumer, shop around until you find the meat that most appeals to your taste buds. Ask questions of the producer and, if something doesn't taste right to you, let the farmer know. Keep the lines of communication open. No one wants an unhappy customer spreading the word about a bad experience."

    

  "The other day I made a meatloaf for one of my private cooking clients, a woman in her 80s who likes her food a bit on the traditional side. She called me the next day and wanted to know what I had done to make the meatloaf so good. She said it reminded her of one her own mother used to make. I told her it was no secret -- it was the grassfed beef. She said she had forgotten how meat was supposed to taste. We can all talk about the health benefits and the animal welfare aspects of grassfed production, but when it comes right down to it, the flavor is what will win people over."

   

  "So get out there and taste, educate your palate, and support your local farmers by buying their grassfed products. Most of all, enjoy!"

    

  Mom's Traditional Meat Loaf

   This is such an easy dinner when you serve it with some steamed seasonal vegetables or a baked potato and a salad.  My mom tops it with Chow Chow, a mustardy condiment, and it makes a great sandwich the next day, if there's any left.

   

  Serves 6

   

  1 1/2 pounds grassfed ground beef

  2 pastured eggs

  1 small yellow onion, finely diced

  1 cup tomato sauce

  3/4 cup fine bread crumbs

  1 teaspoon salt

  1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

   

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

   

  In a large bowl, mix with your hands the ground beef, eggs, onion, tomato sauce, bread crumbs, and salt and pepper. Make sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.

   

  Place the meat mixture into a loaf pan, smoothing and making sure there aren't any air bubbles in the mixture.

   

  Bake for 45 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to sit for about ten minutes. Slice and serve.

   *******************************************************

  Watch this video and you will  be aware of the dangers of fluoride. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/12/the-hard-to-swallow-truth-documentary.aspx

   *******************************************************

   

  'Fermentation': When Food Goes Bad But Stays Good.  This interview was on NPR.  I think you will enjoy it and learn about Kraut, Yogurt etc.  http://www.npr.org/2012/06/13/154914381/fermentation-when-food-goes-bad-but-stays-good
  

  
  that's it from the hill for this week.  Art and Debra 

• We are not taking any more beef orders until later in the fall.  We have a couple of invoices out and have not received the deposits yet.  We are very close to selling our inventory for this year.  There are a couple of smaller steers that may be ready later, but I don't want to commit and not be able to fullfill an order.
• Next chicken day will be in two weeks, but there are three or four with large orders, so there will not be many picking up.  After this harvest we have more of the small orders, so most will get theirs filled.
• Still very dry.  The pastures look like July or August.
• We got our hay done this week. 
• The wheat is ready to harvest.  Normally, we don't combine wheat until the fourth of July.  It is non GMO, hard white winter wheat.  We will take orders for those wanting it for bread.  It will be $1.25/pound.  Decide how much you will need for the entire year.  We have no way of storing it.
• The commodity wheat harvest this year is now contaminated with Round up ready GMO wheat.  It will be in your bread shortly.  That reminds me, go to Walgreens and buy some soap/shampoo made by Dr. Bronner.  Read the label and you will not find any chemicals, just various oils.  And Dr. Bronner has contributed $500,000 in California to help in getting the GMO labeling intiative on the ballot.
• Remember, each dollar you spend is a vote for what you want to change or support.  Corporations are buying your political vote and they have been buying your votes through advertising of their products.  If you don't like the way a corporation or business is operating, don't support them.  It is just that simple.  What do you think would happen if just ten  percent of the consumers didn't buy bread for a month?  What about 50 percent?  Remember, bread is made with just four ingredients, flour, yeast, salt and water.  And using our quick bread recipe on our website, it is so easy to make. 

• Debra and I watched this film on Free Speech TV,  FSTV on dish.  It is a film that will cause you to think about the various things you do each day.  It is a wake up call for this planet.  It is here in segments, so you can watch it 10 or 15 minutes at a time.  Once we started, we couldn’t stop until it was over.  http://www.whatawaytogomovie.com/watch-the-movie/  .Those picking up milk can borrow a dvd of this documentary.  I purchased my own copy to support the producers efforts.  That is my way of voting to hopefully affect change.

   ********************************************************

  Learn how the industrial food producers are “making” your neighbors food.  This was on NPR’s Fresh Air.   

  http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=3&islist=true&id=13&d=06-09-2012   scroll to the 29 minute part.  Here is the main link,  http://www.npr.org/2012/06/07/154504565/assessing-consumer-concerns-about-the-meat-industry
  
  that's it from the hill for this week.  Art and Debra

• It is dry.  The cracks in the ground  are approaching 2 inches.  The pastures are starting to show some stress.
• I sorted the cattle yesterday and have the cows with calves and new heifers in a separate pasture.  The bull will join on the 10th.  It is time to start the process all over again.
• The steers for this year are looking very good.  They are in a new pasture and we will start the harvest in July.  It looks as if I have two more beeves to sell for this year.  If I have sent you an invoice and you have not yet returned it, you need to make it a priority.  When the beeves are gone, they are gone.  I don't go the sale barn and get a couple of extras.
• The new owners of Maribell are very excited.  She had a heifer calf this past week.  We have two that are due next month.  One is a new heifer and she will be a test to get her going.  She has a mind of her own.  The other is a repeat and is fun to milk.  We may be able to add some new customers when they freshen.
• Our garden is looking good, but requires a constant watering. Sure was a good idea to install our irrigation system using the pond for water.

• We have four roasting roosters at $8 each.
  
  ***************************************************
  In a program called AFIX (for Assessment, Feedback, Incentive, and eXchange)ⁱ, the Incentive part refers to lucrative "gifts" the CDC offers your doctor for pushing vaccines on patients.  Read the entire article here, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/02/bribery-affects-vaccination-rates.aspx?e_cid=20120602_DNL_artNew_2

   *********************************************************************** 

  Ignore This Essential Habit and Your Health Will Eventually Decline

  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/02/can-sleeping-affect-immune-system.aspx?e_cid=20120602_DNL_artNew_1

that's it from the hill for this week.  Art and Debra

• We have 10 roosters for sale at $8.  They will make excellent crock pot meals.
• Be sure to read this article  on Mother Earth News,  http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/grass-fed-meat-zm0z12jjzkon.aspx.
• Anyone heard of the China Study?  Well, before you chase the latest thing be sure to read the article by Denise Minger in Wise Traditions, Spring 2012 on page 23.  This looks like another case of "cherry picking " the data to sell a book.  Read the article and you decide.  Wise Traditions is published quarterly by the WestonAPrice foundation.  Here is the link, http://www.westonaprice.org/vegetarianism-and-plant-foods/the-china-study-myth
• We are  placing another order for coconut oil and Ghee from Green Pastures.  The prices have increased, but we only charge what we pay for the items.  We want to keep our customers healthy.
• I am not sure when the next chicken day is.  I will have that information in the next UPDATE.
• We had an excellent chicken dinner yesterday.   That recipe is [posted on our web site.   To make it easier cut the chickens into its parts, wings, breasts (cut these in half) and the thighs and drumsticks.  Debra doubles the amount of butter.  After you have chicken prepared this way you will never eat fried chicken again.  Cook the carcass for chicken stock and/or soup. 
• We are not acceping any new milk customers for awhile.  We have just enough to honor the orders of our existing customers. We have two cows due to freshen in mid July.  We will be adding new customers then.

• The following is from Dr Mercola.  The role of epigenetics in health and disease is becoming ever clearer, and I firmly believe this field of study will eventually supplant the current medical paradigm. The conventional belief has been that genes controlled their own expression and were therefore the direct cause of certain diseases. This laid the groundwork for the idea that your genes predetermined your health.

  But genes are in fact NOT self-regulating. Having "bad genes," does not at all mean you're doomed to suffer some inevitable fate like cancer!

  Genes are merely blueprints, and these blueprints are activated and controlled by something else entirely, namely their environment. This environmental information—which includes diet, toxic exposures, as well as thoughts and emotions, and more—can create more than 30,000 different variations from each blueprint, allowing for an astounding amount of leeway in modifying the expression or "read-out" of each gene. As a result of these findings, we're now finally seeing science alter its course to investigate the power of optimal nutrition to improve health and prevent chronic disease from occurring in the first place.

  Here is the link to that article, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/16/antioxidant-resveratrol-on-cancer.aspx?e_cid=20120516_DNL_artNew_1 ..To learn more about epigenetics get the lecture from the Acres website and look for the cd by Graham and the Pottenger Cats.

   *******************************************************

  Here is some more about epigenetics. http://www.naturalnews.com/035965_epigenetics_inheritance_synthetic_chemicals.html  

   

  And there is still more. 

  http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=81C330EC0311060BEB98A7C005C57B3A
  
  
  Here is  some interesting information.  Women need to be careful.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/24/parabens-on-risk-of-breast-cancer.aspx?e_cid=20120524_DNL_artNew_1

that's it from the hill for this week.  Art and Debra

• Let's start with a customer's comment.  "Art--
      Picked up the hog from Gilberts.  That has to be the best pork I've ever had.  Smoked some ribs and chops yesterday and both were incredible.  Thanks".  Thanks, Doug.  Anyone wanting a "dirt" hog, email me and I can put you on a list.  I'm not sure when they will be available yet.
• The first chicken day went really well.  Bob filled in for me and I appreciate that everyone came during the scheduled time.
• We have had several requests for more coconut oil.  We usually wait until we can order a full case.  It saves quite a bit and the shipping is a lot less.  If you want to be put on the list, let me know.
• We finished our first hay crop and it was the earliest we have ever had our first cutting of alfalfa. I have been working on improving one of my pastures.  After two years of timely mowing of weeds (they were horrible), applying lime, feeding hay this past winter (lots of manure and its associated soil bacteria) and overseediing with red clover, it is waste deep in grass and knee deep in clover.  As soon as Ryan and I get a pond fence repaired I will turn in the cows. 
• If you are raising hens and occasionally lose one it may have been the result of a "peck out".  I would suggest getting the lecture by Mattlock and learn how easy it is to prevent peck.  I had the link in the last UPDATE. (http://www.acresusa.com/tapes/thumbnail.asp?catid=87&pcid=3
• There is another excellent lecture by Mayhew on "The Science of Complex Carbons."  After listening to this lecture you'll know why high fructose corn syrup is not "just like" natural fructose.  And for anyone on our mailing list that raises corn and soybeans (I doubt we have any), they should get Martindale's lecture on "Redefining Tillage."
• Affecting the legislative process takes a lot of effort if you don't have millions to buy influence, but we succeeded this past session in Jefferson City.  We had a pretty much do nothing bunch, and they have been unpredictable and dangerous, but we prevailed for now.  I'm sure they will be back with more money backing their attempts to stymie the small farmers.  Here are  the results.   

  Family Farm Wins--Bad Bills Defeated: “Pollution Protection Act”Senate Bill 490 (sponsored by Senator Munzlinger) was a blatant attack on private property rights. This ill-conceived legislation would have protected corporations at the expense ofMissouri’s independent family farmers and rural landowners by taking away their constitutional right to protect their property through the court system.  Defeated. So-Called “Right to Raise Animals”The so-called “Right to Raise Animals” language that was added to numerous bills during the legislative session would have exempted all existing CAFOs, including some of the biggest ag polluters in the state, from any future state standards.   Defeated. “Ag-Gag” BillThe “ag-gag” legislation, which would have made it a crime to take photos or recordings of activities at factory farms, would have made a criminal of anyone (including neighboring farmers and landowners) who records illegal activities of CAFOs.  Defeated.  Attack on Local ControlA proposal to take away the ability of County Health Boards to pass health ordinances was added to a local government bill.  Language in Senate Bill 692 would have stopped county health boards from passing ordinances to protect the majority of family farmers and rural communities from the negative impacts of factory farms.  Defeated. Thank you again for your hard work!
  
  that's it from the hill.  Art and Debra

• Our first chicken day is next Sunday.  I sent an email to those getting chickens and failed to ask for a return email that you will be able to make the pick up.  So, please send me an email if you can make it.  I just don't trust the email delivery system.  I find emails in my spam and our last UPDATE did not go to some on you with a comcast server.  It you don't get an UPDATE you can go to our website, www.breezy-hill-farm.com and we keep the last ten UPDATES posted.
• All the coconut oil is sold.  We still have some coconut/ghee.
• The bread book is, Artizan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Hertzberg and Francois.
• Anyone raising poultry needs to go this site and order the lectures, Whole-Systems Poultry and Advanced Pastured Poultry, http://www.acresusa.com/tapes/thumbnail.asp?catid=87&pcid=3.  I'll guarantee you will learn more than it you attended any ag university and it will cost a whole lot less than a semester hour.  I think the local university charges about $200/hr.
• And if you want to know why we have so much childhood obesity and diabetics you should order the lecture, Pottenger's Prophecy, by Graham.
• You can get ALL the lectures for the 2011 convention in the MP3 format for $125.  You will learn more from these lectures than a whole year at a university.
• I explained how important Iodine and Iodide is for preventive health and how to test to see if one is deficient.  After I discussed this with one our college aged restaurant employees, I told her that in our town of about 20,000 and 15,000 students she would not be able to find five people that know what she just learned.

• If you live in Missouri, tell your legislators not to support bills that protect factory farms:
  http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=10430
  
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  Here is a great lecture by Wendell Berry.  He is one of our “canaries”.  He has written several very good books.  To be selected for the Jefferson Lecture is quite an honor for him.  I’m guessing that audience had some trouble understanding the depth of his convictions and had plenty to consider after hearing him., so will you.  I'm not sure why the host made the ridiculous comment at the conclusion. http://events.tvworldwide.com/Events/NEH2012JeffersonLecture.aspx?VID=events/neh/120423_NEH_Jefferson_Lecture_KennedyCtr.flv&CAP=events/neh/120423_NEH_Jefferson_Lecture_KennedyCtr.xml
  
  that's it from the hill.  There may be some errors, misspelling s as Debra is in St Louis tonight.  Art and Debra