• Chicken day was this past Saturday.  I have ten extras.  Anyone interested?  They average about 5 pounds.
• Hogs go tomorrow, so be watching your email for instructions on who to call.
• We had 1.3 inches of rain.  It came down so slowly that there was no runoff.  My spring is still not running.
• I have borrowed three goats to help in training Coach,our new  Border Collie.  Goats are an experience. 
• Our granddaughter found a possum,"something spikey" in one of the chicken nests this morning.  I had to take the necessary step to insure no loss in the flock and eggs.

• Remember reading about the GMO study I linked to recently in an UPDATE?  Well, Russia read that study and is taking action.  http://www.nationofchange.org/russia-bans-use-and-import-monsanto-s-gmo-corn-following-study-1348759383

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  Here is a great video on health.   She doesn’t advocate animal products including milk, but I don’t either given what is available in the store.   http://www.hungryforchange.tv/kris-carr

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

  If Monsanto and DuPont were willing to lie about the safety of DDT and Agent Orange 50 or so years ago, what is to stop them from lying about the safety of GMOs today? And why are these two companies spending millions of dollars to oppose GMO labeling if GMOs are supposedly safe, as they both continually claim? The public needs to know the truth about what is actually going on here, and the Yes on 37 campaign is trying to tell them with its new television ad:
  http://youtu.be/Szq2GFYktG8
  
• that's it from the hill for this week.  Art and Debra
  
  

• If you ordered chickens and DID NOT receive an email about this coming Saturday's pick up, please let me know as soon as possible. There may be some extra chickens.  If you did get the email, be sure to let me know ASAP that you will make the pick up on Saturday and also let me know the number of chickens you requested.
• DIRT HOGS.  I also sent an email regarding hogs.  I need to hear from you so I can get the exact number.  I have to know by Tuesday of this week.  If you have already responded, thanks.
• My laptop was compromised and Robert is working to get it back on line.  It has all my beef information.  I have a half of beef at the processor and I am not sure who is next in line.   Someone is going to get a quick email this week, so watch your email.

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

• Chicken day planning was well done and then Bob the main guy had to work overtime solving KCP&L problems.  The water was not started soon enough and that put us about 30 minutes behind.  We try to time it pretty close so you can get your chickens home and in your freezer.  Trying to hold them with ice is marginal at best.  It is absolutey necessary with the temperatures are extreme, but at 70-80 we have more of time.  I will make arrangements tomorrow for those that came early.
• The ground beef pick up went very well.  Thanks to all that got their ground beef.
• Milk has picked back up somewhat and we are filling most of the older existing customers.  We replaced that cow that had too much testosterone with a new cow,  Her name is Karen and she is due to calf at the end of November.  That should get us thru the Winter.
• We have an apple tree  in bloom.  The grass went dormant during all that hot weather and it has come back with a dark green typical of Spring.  I guess plants have got it figured out, be it cold or hot, to protect themselves so they can exist.

• We’ve talked about this regarding the pharmaceutical compainies, but if is rampant with ag corps as well.

  “Does all this funding have a direct influence on researchers? Absolutely. According to the report, more than fifteen percent of university researchers acknowledge having “changed the design, methodology, or results of a study in response to pressure from a funding source.” If fifteen percent readily acknowledge it, how many more have been influenced but are reluctant to admit it?

  We’ll conclude with the troubling story ofSouth DakotaStateUniversity. According to the report, David Chicoine, president of SDSU, joined Monsanto’s board of directors in 2009. That year he received $390,000 from Monsanto, more than his academic salary. Just a few weeks before Chicoine joined the Monsanto board, the company sponsored a $1 million plant breeding fellowship program at SDSU.

  Immediately SDSU started suing farmers for patent infringement because they were engaging in the time-honored practice of “saving seed” (farmers have historically saved the seed from their strongest crops for the next year in order to share and sell in future harvests, instead of purchasing an entirely new batch of seeds). SDSU joined Monsanto in identifying farmers who saved seed by using private investigators and toll-free anonymous hotlines.”

  Here is the link to the entire article,  http://www.anh-usa.org/big-food-trying-to-control-universities/

   

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

  Just to keep you current on the fluoride issure. 

  http://www.naturalnews.com/037313_fluoride_lower_IQ_Harvard.html
  
  
  That's it from the hill for this week.  Art and Debra

• Ground beef will be this Saturday around noon.  I will know how much is available on Monday.  I will send an email to those getting beef.  You will need to respond as soon as you get the email to let me know if you will be able to pick up your ground beef.  If, by Wednesday I have not heard from you, I will have to go to the next person on the list.
• Chicken day is Sunday.  Likewise, I will be sending an email notice to those getting chickens. Pick up will be in the afternoon.  I will include the time in the email.
• I was noticing labels recently at the grocery store.  In the meat case the label read, Product of USA, Canada and Mexico.  I thought the law regarding Country of Origin Labeling, COOL, was "Country" and not "Countries".  Oh well, if the corporations don't want you to know, they simply skirt the law. 
• Last weeks beef deliveries went very smoothly even though I was a day early for the local deliveries.  Thanks again.
• Gilbert's meat locker has some extra smoked pork shoulders.  They  usually sell a lot of them during their fall street fair.  This year they sold mostly "porkage" burgers and have several shoulders left over.  He is letting me have first dibs on them.  He usually sells them in his market for over $3/#.  I can get them for $2.50/#.  They are 8-10 #'s.  We had one today.  We smoked it on our pellet grill for about 6 hours and it was delicious.  When you respond  for the ground beef and chickens, if you want one be sure to include your request when you RSVP. 
• We will be making a Green Pastures order this week.  If you need Cod Liver Oil, Coconut Oil, or Ghee let me know.

•  I sure hope everyone took advantage of the free offer for the DVD this past week.

  • The metabolism of fructose causes most of the same toxic effects as ethanol, such as visceral adiposity (belly fat), insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome; but when consumed excessively fructose may actually be more damaging to your health, having over 70 documented adverse effects

  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/09/09/ethanol-alcohol-and-fructose.aspx

   

  We have told you about this numerous times.  Remember,  we no longer buy Blue Bell ice cream once our granddaughter (7 years )  told us that HFCS is used in the ice cream.

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

  From Jason M

  “I will send the rest tomorrow.  Not sure what is different, but the sirloin we ate tonight was the most flavorful and tender streak we have had.”
  

  It may be our genetics.  We have been slowly changing them for the past 9 years.
  
  
   ********************************************************

  Tammy A.

   

  “Hello Art!  We are certainly enjoying the beef from the 1/2 side we purchased from you this summer.  I wanted to see if you take orders year round for beef, or is it just for summer?  We want to keep our supply plentiful and see about securing another order from you.  Hope all is well with you!”

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

  Monsanto has directly supported at least 65 candidates for federal office in the 2012 elections, with significant dollars "donated" to the chairs and leadership of the House and Senate Ag Committee.  Here is the link, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/09/13/california-gmo-labeling.aspx?e_cid=20120913_PRNL_art_HL1
  
  *******************************************************
  
  I was suspicious of the recent bashing of organics by the Stanford University "study".  As always, "follow the money".
  
  http://www.naturalnews.com/037108_Stanford_Ingram_Olkin_Big_Tobacco.html
  

   

  
  **********************************************
  
  I heard this interview and in the context on the recent “uproar” over the 47% issue, I thought all would benefit learning about how the 99%’ers subsidize the corporatocracy.  Noone is talking about the government handouts to corporations.  It is at about the 12-13 minute point in the interview.   http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=161477162&m=161489993

   

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

   

  I wish we could produce enough milk for everyone.  It is truly a wonderful FOOD.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/12/Choosing-Between-Raw-Milk-and-a-Dead-White-Liquid.aspx

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

• We watched the latest DVD on GMO's ,Genetic Roulette.  You are lucky as it is being made available on line this coming week.  It is a must see expose' on the ongoing debate.  http://farmwars.info/?p=9237&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FarmWars+%28Farm+Wars%29  REMEMBER IT IS FREE FOR THIS WEEK ONLY.
• Ground beef is now available.  I have a list compiled from requests this past summer.  As soon as I know how many pounds are available I will send an email to notify those that are included in this particular batch.   SO WATCH FOR THAT EMAIL.  Ground beef is now $6/# at Whole Foods.  We will beat that.  We've got to see how many pounds and what the processing costs will be.  I am going to have 30# of summer sausage made.  I will have to provide the seasoning as Gilbert's can't get seasonings for summer sausage without the nitrates/nitrites. 
• Milk is very short.  The cow that I thought was going to freshen turned out to be open and as I suspected she had too much testosterone.  The pasture is much more relaxed without her bullying the other cows.  I have been forwarding customers to a neighbor who still has an ample supply.  If you have been a customer and want milk, let me know and I can provide the name, phone number and directions.
• I got our wheat planted on Wednesday just before the rain.  Timing was great.  I will be weaning my spring calves this week.  I need to get the cows' condition improved before winter.  The summer heat and drought with nursing a calf have been stressful.
• I plan to get some pasture mix seed to fix some of the spots that don't appear to have recovered from the drought. 
• We dug out the perimeter of two more ponds, since they are so low. Now we need to get them fenced to keep the cows out.

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

Well most of you knew there was more to this recent “news” story on organic food.  And the timing?  Most know from the news we have been reporting in our updates that Prop. 39 in California is the probable reason. If you don’t know about Prop. 39, review some of our recent updates.  The last ten are always available on our web site, www.breezy-hill-farm.com .  Here is the link,  http://www.naturalnews.com/037208_organic_foods_study_Stanford_Cargill.html

Mounting Evidence Suggests Coffee May Actually Have Therapeutic Health Benefits

Here’s the link.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/09/16/coffee-health-benefits.aspx

If you need great coffee, stop in at Java Junction (Warrensburg)and taste the difference when you get coffee that is freshly roasted on site.

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

• I have a new source for "dirt" hogs.  Also, I can get them processed at Higginsville.  They are one of the few processors that still scald.  That is important for me since I cure my own bacons.  It makes it alot easier.  Oct 15 is the date when I will be able to get them scheduled. 
• I am recommending a BBQ sauce.  It is Curley's made in Hutchinson, KS.  If your store carries it, it will be on a lower shelf as it is a small company and doesn't pay for shelf space as the big companies do.  It is good and it has no HFCS and no MSG. 
• Thanks to our granddaughter(7 years old) we read the label on Blue Bell ice cream and discovered it contains HFCS.  Also, their add on TV with the cute Jersey cows is a phony as a $3 dollar bill.  NO MORE VOTES ($) FOR THEM.  Looks like more home made ice cream.
• Our milk supply is dwindling.  I thought I would have another cow to freshen, but she has not and the vet is coming Tuesday to see what is her problem.  One of the cows we are milking has trailed off considerably.  I am not sure she will be coming back even with the grass growing again.  If you are a new customer this year, you should call on your pick up date to see if we have milk.  Hopefully, we will have enough for our older customers for a couple of more months.  We have another contact (farmer) who we have already referred several of our customers to.  If we continue to have a limited supply, we will provide you their phone number.

• Energy Medicine – the New Frontier of Medicine

  Whereas conventional medicine is mostly chemical-based, new forms of medicine using energy, based in quantum physics, are rapidly gaining ground in certain parts of the world.Germany is one of the leaders in the approved use of various forms of energy medicine.

  We are indeed moving towards a model of medicine that employs physics rather than chemistry. It’s a whole new paradigm that is bound to change the practice of medicine forever.

  This transition is already occuring.

  To read the entire article go to this link, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/02/27/what-to-do-when-doctors-and-naturopaths-fail-you.aspx

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

  Here is a must read on GMO’s.  This is a dated article in that it mentions taking action to stop GMO alfalfa.  Well don’t bother. Our USDA has already approved it, and if  you want to buy some seed stop by your local farm seed provider. They have it.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/02/27/10-reasons-why-no-one-needs-gm-foods.aspx

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

• Wow.  Thanks Isaac.  We got a little over 4 inches of slow rain.  We still have cracks, so we are ready for some more rain.  The grass, believe it or not, is starting to grow.  There is some green starting to show.  A couple of warm days and we will be starting to recover.  Hopefully, it will continue and we will have fall grasses going into winter.
• My neighbor, Ryan, was able to fill his "rain barrel".  It holds a think, 1500 gallons.  It all came off his roof.  Pretty good idea.
• I need to know about the orders for "dirt" hogs.  I think we will be able to fill all the orders this coming week.  Here are the names I have; Watson, Young, McMahon, Ray and Sinning.  If this is incorrect let me know by Wednesday.  Anyone else wanting pork needs to let me know by Wednesday.
• I will be delivering beef on Tuesday.  I have alerted those getting their grass finished beef.   Those that received notice to call the processor will be getting theirs next week.
• I have tried to notify the following people who were interested in purchasing beef and I have not been able to contact them.  They are Morris, April, Sullivan and Strahtman.  Some have company email addresses and may no longer work there.  If you change your email address and don't notify me, I have no choice but to move on to the next person.  I did find Derek by calling his former employer in Texas and since he left on good terms, they had his phone number and he is getting his beef next week.
• Our timing was perfect.  We took advantage of the extreme dry weather and had another pond and our big lake dug out.  We took out a lot of mud around the edge.  That should increase the capacity a whole lot.  It was so dry that the track hoe was able to sit on the actual, normal lake bed and reach out and dig out the mud and then move forward and dig out the dry stuff where it had been sitting.  We got our final cutting of alfalfa baled.  What an amazing plant.  Despite the drought,  it kept growing.  Must have extensive roots.
• No milk pick up tomorrow.  You can come on Tuesday. We are going to KC and help Marlies with a sink hole in her backyard.  An old septic tank needs to be capped and the hole filled in.  A knife needs sharpening and a door needs adjusting.  And then Art Jr and I are going to the ball game. 
• Very interesting interview on Science Friday on NPR.  An interesting approach to global warming.  Be sure to listen to the part on grass finished beef.  http://sciencefriday.com/playlist/#play/segment/8898

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

Is carrageenan, a common food additive in organic and conventional food, giving you intestinal distress?

Gastrointestinal disease, including catch-all diagnoses like “irritable bowel syndrome,” is widespread. Some medical researchers suspect that carrageenan in the diet may play a role.

Many individuals who suffered from gastrointestinal discomfort or disease have reported that eliminating carrageenan from the diet led to improvements, often eliminating symptoms completely.

Carrageenan is typically used as a thickening or stabilizing agent in foods. Its use is widespread in dairy products, soymilk (and other dairy alternatives), lunch meats, beer, and many other foods and drinks.

Cornucopia's shopping guide offers a list of organic and conventional foods with and without carrageenan, helping consumers find carrageenan-free alternatives.

Research has linked carrageenan to gastrointestinal inflammation in laboratory animals and human cell cultures. Doctors and medical researchers are now interested in collecting data to better understand the link between carrageenan in our food supply and gastrointestinal disease in the general public.

We encourage anyone who suffers from gastrointestinal symptoms to remove carrageenan from the diet and see whether symptoms improve or disappear. If symptoms improve, we hope you will let us know about it by filling out the questionnaire. Your participation will help advance this field of medical research.  Go to their web site at, www.cornucopia.org

Please help us spread the word!

If you know someone who suffers from gastrointestinal symptoms, please share this information with them. Cutting carrageenan out of their diet may improve or eliminate symptoms, which could significantly improve their quality of life.

The Food and Drug Administration has so far failed to act on the petition from a leading scientist requesting that carrageenan be removed from foods. And the food industry continues to claim that carrageenan is harmless.

If your personal experience proves otherwise, please let us know by filling out the questionnaire.

Depending on how many people respond, the data may also be crucial in building the scientific case with the FDA that carrageenan, which has repeatedly been linked to cancer in laboratory animals, should be removed from all foods.

The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit farm policy research group, is dedicated to the fight for economic justice for the family-scale farming community. Its Organic Integrity Project acts as a corporate and governmental watchdog assuring that no compromises to the credibility of organic farming methods and the food it produces are made in the pursuit of profit.

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

We have had several posts on this subject.  If you are planning to do this be sure to read this article.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/08/25/biological-dentistry.aspx?e_cid=20120825_PRNL_art_1

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

• Just got home from the fair.  Granddaughter Olly loves chickens and that was the first stop.  Couldn't leave until we had walked down EVERY aisle and seen EVERY one.  Our Dominique rooster would have placed first.  The prettiest one was a double rose comb Buckeye rooster.
• Still no rain.  We got 0.06 tonight.  That would not wet a thin t-shirt.
• Abigail's calf still thinks I am mom.  He tried this morning to nurse, but was not successful.  Hopefully, this week he will get it figured out.  Milk is still in short supply.  It is hard to keep production up with just hay.  We have an alternate source, so if you have been on our waiting list for raw milk, let me know.
• We are taking advantage of the extreme dry weather and are getting three more ponds enlarged.  We use a track hoe and clean out the accumulated dirt around the edge.  This increases the volume considerably and then if it ever rains, we will have more stored water for the next dry time.  We cleaned two last year thinking we would never have such an opportunity.  We were wrong.  It is even worse this year.  There is no government help for such long range planning, just money to hook on to rural water and drill wells.  Typical short term fixes to bail out guys that have rented pasture land.  The rule of thumb is to have about 3-4% of your acreage in water storage.  If they had that much there would be no shortage in stored water. Typically rented pasture land has not been maintained since the retired farmer has not invested for the future.  It is time to rethink our approach in water useage.  The USDA has programs for terraces, but what are the two concepts associated with terracing?  One, slow the flow to conserve topsoil and two,to GET RID OF THE WATER.  In permaculture the concept is to slow the flow and keep ALL of the water, using swales, not terraces.  If you mention that to a technician at the USDA office, you will have to explain what a swale is.

• We have a new project.  His name is Coach, a one year old border collie.  They are truly amazing.  They learn almost faster than you can teach.  I think they can anticipate humans just as they can anticipate a cow or sheep.
  
  The Aftermath of a Bill Gates Vaccine Campaign …

  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/08/06/healthy-foods-not-vaccines.aspx?e_cid=20120806_PRNL_art_2

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

  This is not news to our customers, but you may have a friend that just can’t give up their diet drink.  Feel free to forward this link,  http://www.hungryforchange.tv/are-diet-sodas-making-us-fat

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

  David Korten writes some very thought provoking op-eds. 

  “In current practice, based on the same financial logic that leads us to treat financial deficits as more important than social and environmental deficits, we give corporate rights precedence over the property rights of individuals. We give property rights precedence over the human rights of those without property. And we give human rights precedence over the rights of nature.

  We will continue to pay a terrible price for so long as we allow the deeply flawed logic of pure finance to define our values and frame the political debate.

  There is no magic bullet quick fix. We must reframe the debate by bringing life values and living systems logic to the fore and turning the prevailing rights hierarchy on its head. The rights of nature must come first, because without nature, humans do not exist. As living beings, our rights are derivative of and ultimately subordinate to the rights of Earth’s living systems.”

  For the link to the entire piece,   http://www.yesmagazine.org/blogs/david-korten/americas-deficit-attention-disorder?utm_source=wkly20120810&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=titleKorten

   

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

• This is a day late.  The computor was acting stupid last night and it was getting late.
• I sent an email to those getting a "dirt" hog tomorrow.  I am delivering 5 to Gilbert's.  I have heard from only three people.  I have more on a waiting list, so I will wait until Friday and then if I have not heard from you, you will go to the next date.
• Abigail finally had her calf.  I have had her for almost three years and have had a struggle getting her bred.  Then on Wed at 6:30 pm she went into labor.  I kept checking her until 11 pm.  She didn't look like she was under stress, so I went to bed.  The next morning she still didn't have a calf, and I guessed it was dead and that for some reason she had stopped trying.  I called the vet, and he agreed it was probably dead.  He came after 8 so as not to charge me for an emergency call.  He arrived at 8:30 and proceeded to pull the calf anticipating that it would be dead.  IT WAS ALIVE, a bull calf.  It still hasn't nursed.  I am convinced that if dairy cows raised in a conventional dairy were to "go it alone" there would in a very short period be no dairy cows.  The udders are too large and almost touch the ground with all the swelling, and the calves are so weak and wobbly, not like beef calves.  A beef calf will be up and nursing within an hour.  I am still milking the cow and bottle feeding the calf.  She started out with about a cup of milk, and after two days it was up to two cups.  Now I am getting a gallon and a half.  Without husbandry that calf would have died inside and after saving it, it would have starved.  Oh well, that's the price you pay until you have raised your own.  I haven't had any issues with the cows that I have raised on grass.
• I have 40 pounds of hard white winter wheat that has been cleaned twice.  It is $1/#.  At the Natural Grocery in Overland Park it is $1.69.  Are there any bread bakers out there?
• We have some great looking roosters, and they are great crowers.  We will be keeping a couple.  The rest need a good home, not a crock pot.
• We are out of coconut oil and Ghee.  We will be ordering more this week.
• The beef deliveries went well.  I am sure glad I did it over a three day period.  With the above 100 degree temperatures, it would have been very risky.  Thanks to all who accomodated the delivery schedule.  It sure helps.
• *************************************************************

• Here is something to consider.  Sometimes we need a bad situation to get people to think. Think this happens elsewhere?  Well, it happened here at our local university.  We recently lost a very competent president  as he was not that supportive of the sports programs.  The new guy, I’m sure, answered all the sports questions to the satisfaction of the board.   http://www.nationofchange.org/perversion-scholarship-1343740723

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

  Mammograms May Cause More Harm Than Good

  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/08/06/mammogram-on-breast-cancer-mortality-rates.aspx?e_cid=20120806_PRNL_art_1
  
  
  that's it from the hill for this week.  Art and Debra