September 17, 2010

Inspired...

This Wednesday night, my hubby and I traveled an hour away from our home to see speaker and farmer, Joel Salatin.

If you are like us, and have some land, own animals and want to do better, want to be more natural, more organic... Joel Salatin is your go to guy.

In the speaking engagement Wednesday night at Albion College in Michigan, Joel showed pictures of his homestead and explained how not only most farms in the U.S. are not only smelly and many times breeding grounds for disease, but how these animals aren't being allowed to do things to their full potential, or being able to express their "animal-ness", as Mr. Salatin says.



For example, instead of having a farm where you raise cows for beef and then having to scoop poop and feed them grain everyday, and on top of that having the distinctive SMELL of a cow farm... you could allow cows to do what cows LIKE to do... They could be put on a pasture, able to forage for their own food, then each day move the cows to a new grazing area (via SIMPLE electric line). THEN, allow something like meat chickens, layer chickens or turkeys to come behind the cows , dig around in the soil, spreading around manure, and making MORE manure. After a day moving them also, following the cows... Then in a few weeks time, you won't only NOT be able to tell the animals were there, you will have more beautiful and lush grasses then you had before! Even better, unless you are sittin' with your nose over a fresh pile of poo, you won't even be able to SMELL the couple hundred animals that are on your farm!

And, oh! This CAN get better!

No disease!
HEALTHIER MEAT, EGGS, and DAIRY!
LESS WORK!!!



So, our trip was great. I am HOPING to someday go visit Mr. Salatin's Polyface Farms. I am looking forward to reading more books by him in the future, like my next one coming from Amazon.com (free with all of the Swagbucks I've earned!), Pastured Poultry Profits!



I'm a farm geek...

I ain't ashamed.

4 comments:

anotherkindofdrew said...

I am so jealous. I would have loved to hear Salatin talk. What a great topic(s) he typically covers. I think he is right and so glad you picked up on the notion that animals just aren't allowed to display "animal-ness." Thanks for sharing y'alls trip with us!

Sonja said...

Jealous here too! Love, love, love his books. I'm fairly new to your blog and love it. I'm a farm geek to and proud of it. I think we should have a button or t-shirt made! lol

Toyin O. said...

Wow, good for you.

http://youcanfacetodaybecausehelives.blogspot.com

Mrs Pretzel said...

I am BEYOND green right now. Took a look at Joel's site. I may be taking a 4+ hour drive next feb... lol