Welcome to the Ranch!

I saw the trailer for Fresh this past week as part of the Real Food for Rookies cooking class that my children and I are taking together.  I was so intrigued that I have sought out more information.

There is a movement afoot.  A movement to get back to the basics.  A movement to grow and/or raise our food naturally without herbicides, antibiotics, etc.  Cross Creek Cattle Company is part of that movement, too.

As producers of grass fed beef, we have transformed the way we raise cattle.  Some ranchers call it re-inventing ranching.  That might be the most appropriate term; however, we don’t need to re-invent the wheel.  American ranchers/farmers need to find our way back to the way God intended our food to be raised, which is what we are trying to do with our ranching business.

Cattle were created to eat grass.  They were created to stay in a multi-generational herd.  Since we raise cattle, it only makes sense that I discuss beef all the time.  But today, I want to use a different animal to illustrate this point.

When you cram thousands of chickens into a facility in tiny cages, you are simply creating problems because chickens are supposed to forage.  They roam around eating bugs, worms, and grass.  They will peck at each other in these tight quarters so to remedy that problem farmers have to clip their beaks.  The stress of their lifestyle lowers their immune system so farmers regularly administer antibiotics.

The way our country has been raising animals, fruits, and vegetables has created problems that have led us to our current food system.  Scientists have genetically modified many of our vegetables as they look for ways to grow disease resistant, fast growing, new and improved produce.  According to many experts, the most commonly modified foods are corn and  soybeans.  We consume hormones, antibiotics, steroids, pesticides, and/or herbicides as we eat our “healthy” grilled chicken, salad, and corn on the cob.

Joel Salatin, a fellow grass fed rancher, says that he is “in the redemption business: healing the land, healing the food, healing the economy, and healing the culture.”  From this statement, I gather that Joel Salatin feels a strong need to heal our country.  Again, the theme is not necessarily re-invent, but instead restore.  Mr. Salatin was made famous in Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Delight. He also appears in Fresh.

I really want to see this movie, but alas there are no showings anywhere near our ranch.  The public should be able to purchase the video soon for personal use.  If you are lucky and live in an area where there are showing of Fresh, please write and let me know your thoughts and impressions of the movie.

Until I hear from you or Fresh comes out for sale, I have the trailer to watch.  I am including it here at the end of this article for you to view as well.  Whether you see the movie or not, a movement is occurring in our farming and ranching communities.  Consumers want better, healthier foods.  Together we can all work to improve the state of our food supply.  Together we can restore and heal the practices in our country.

Beef often gets a bad rap from doctors.  Patients have been told time and time again to cut back on their consumption of red meat.  People relate heart disease and cholesterol to beef as well.  Chicken farmers certainly appreciate this phenomena because chicken is then seen as one of the few healthy alternatives to beef.

My husband grew up in a home with three women.  His dad passed away when he was young; therefore, he was surrounded by his mother and two older sisters.  When I met him, he was relieved that I liked beef and knew how to prepare it.  He told me that all they ever ate at his home was chicken.  After all, chicken as everyone knows is much better for you or so his family thought.

This is just an example to illustrate the need to educate yourself.  It is difficult to question your doctor.  They have spent years learning about health and your body.  Who are you to question their expertise?

The cookbook that will change the way you eat.

Well, I question everything.  I read and research for myself.  I am certainly drawn to information in which there seems to be no incentive except for finding the truth.  This is one of the reasons that I appreciate Sally Fallon.  She is the President of the Weston A. Price Foundation and author of the cookbook, Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.

I wrote a Review of Nourishing Traditions for Texas Homesteader.  If you are interested in learning more about her book, please check it out.  Ms. Fallon has written an interesting article entitled, “It’s the Beef.”  It is a lengthy article full of information, but I wanted to give you a taste by including a small section in this article.

Is Beef Good For You?

What a shame we have demonized red meat because this is one modern food, enjoyed by almost everybody, that is rich in nutrients. Red meat provides complete protein, including sulphur-containing proteins like cysteine. Beef is a wonderful source of taurine and carnitine, needed for healthy eyes and a healthy heart. Beef also provides another key nutrient for the cardiovascular system—coenzyme Q10.

Beef is an excellent source of minerals like magnesium and zinc—you need zinc for clear thinking and a healthy sex life. The fuzzy-headedness that vegetarians mistake for heightened consciousness is really the fog of zinc deficiency. Vitamin B₆ is abundant in meat, especially rare meat. Red meat is one of the best sources of vitamin B₁₂, which is vital to a healthy nervous system and healthy blood. Vegetarians are especially prone to vitamin B₁₂ deficiency. One of the first signs of vitamin B₁₂ deficiency is a tendency to irrational anger-—so much for vegetarian claims that we will have a more peaceful, harmonious world if we all just stop eating meat.

As much as I would like world peace, I do not want to give up the health benefits of grass fed beef.  How boring would that be at dinner time?

I try to post health and diet information on this site as it pertains to beef and/or grass fed beef.  If learning more about health and nutrition interests you, read more on the Weston A. Price Foundation, buy the book Nourishing Traditions, or enroll in the Real Food for Rookies cooking class.

The latter is a new course held by Kelli the Kitchen Kop.  For years she has studied Sally Fallon’s book and methods in addition to being a member of the Weston A. Price Foundation.  She is offering a 12-week cooking course about real food.  To see the class schedule, click here.  Class #4 is all about “Choosing the Right Meats.”

You can take the course on your own time and at your own convenience.  Registration is on-going until September 15th.  Then the first class begins on the 16th.

Whatever you decide to do, educate yourself about the real foods, especially about beef.  You don’t want to miss eating such a versatile and flavorful option for your dinner plate.  You can then say with confidence, “Beef, It’s what’s for dinner.”