The Upside: Making the Switch to Pasture-raised Eggs

The average consumer has had no other option but to eat eggs from battery-caged hens. In recent years, a number of poultry producers have chosen to raise their chickens in a pasture as concerns over the quality of market-produced feeds have posed a threat to their animals. Pasture-raised hens end up being more productive and laying richer and more nutritious eggs compared to their caged counterparts.

Caged hens are usually nutrition-deficient. They have lower levels of Vitamin E and Omega-3 required for their own sustenance. This is often attributed to genetically modified soy that comprise a huge percentage of their feeds.

Image source: Modernstead.com

On the other hand, pasture-raised chickens thrive on nutrients, as they are free to consume all grain, grass, worms, and insects in the inherent ecosystem of the farm. Thus, the eggs end up having 20 percent less cholesterol, 25 percent less saturated fat, twice the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids, thrice the amount of Vitamin E, seven times the amount of beta carotene and four times the amount of Vitamin D. It’s no wonder those who use these kinds of eggs for cooking have noticed richer and redder yolks.

Image source: Originegg.co

The other advantage to this is that the eggs weren’t given antibiotics and other supplements that could adversely affect the human body upon consumption. In the recent years, consumption of genetically modified foods led to an increase in allergic triggers. Now that many farms are advocating silvopastoralism, people now have an access to all-natural and all-organic poultry products.

Geoffrey Morell knows the importance of naturally grown livestock. They grow up healthier when raised the natural way, which makes them a better source of nutrients for the community. People can purchase his organic meat and dairy products in his farm, the P.A. Bowen Farmstead, and other select farmer’s markets. Visit the farm’s website for more information on the products.

The Wonders Of Rotational Grazing

One of the biggest problems farm owners encounter is the failure of their greens to keep up with the foraging of their livestock. Most often, when this happens, entire fields go bald, and farm owners will need to wait a few days, maybe even weeks, before plant life returns. Enter rotational grazing, a practice where livestock is moved from section to section of the land to allow grass and other plants to grow back.

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It sounds simple, right? No, it isn’t.

Rotational grazing requires a lot of research. Farm owners should also take into account the needs of their animals. How much green can they consume? How often should they feed? How much land should be allocated for the first phase of rotational grazing? And so on and so forth.

But when successful and well-managed rotational grazing is achieved, it can work wonders on a farm. The quantity of forage will increase, and the quality of the green will improve as overgrazing is reduced. The quality of the soil also improves as it becomes more fertile and less susceptible to drought and its effects. Since it follows that livestock walk less over the ground in rotational grazing, soil is not as compacted as when the animals are overgrazing. Compacted soil is less fertile since it absorbs less water. And farm owners have control on giving the best grass to the best of the livestock.

Image source: onpasture.com

Geoffrey Morell shares with people the healthy way of eating. Co-founding the P.A. Bowen Farmstead with Sally Fallon Morell, Geoffrey has used rotational grazing to greatly improve the produce of his farm. In fact, all of the livestock are pasture-fed to attain the highest quality meat and dairy products. To find out more about farming, visit this website.

Pasture-raised, Free range, and Grass-fed: Clarifying Confusing Terms in Animal Husbandry

There exists a broad array of confusing terms surrounding meat and dairy not grown on conventional factory farms. Among these include pasture-fed, grass-fed, and free range. Often, one hears of the virtues of consuming meat, dairy, and eggs, ranging from health benefits to ethical concerns.

Unlike organic produce, animal product labels are not as well regulated. Hence, there is a very real danger of them being co-opted by less scrupulous individuals to mislabel deliberately their products to imply that they were a lot more humane than they actually are. In general, however, the terms are understood to refer to a number of practices on raising the animals widely considered best practice among animal-welfare advocates.

Image source: homegrown.org

Free range refers to a method of raising animals that have them periodically go outdoors. This implies a lot of things but often farmers simply let the animals roam for part of the day and leave it at that. Some free-range animals are pasture-fed, which refers to animals raised outdoors all their lives allowing them to feed on food they foraged for themselves.

In the case of grazing animals like cattle, goats, sheep, and chickens, this can be partially synonymous with grass-fed. Pigs, meanwhile, are not grazers, and should appropriately be labeled with pasture-raised.

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Grass-fed animals, however, do not have to be raised outdoors as their pasture-raised counterparts. Likewise, in places with heavy winter, pasture-fed animals are fed an assortment of foods such as grain. Certain animal products may be labeled grass-fed but actually, come from animals that have eaten grass up until the last three months of their lives, upon which they are “finished” with grain to increase their weight.

Geoffrey Morell and P.A. Bowen Farmstead are dedicated to raising grass-based livestock to produce both high quality meat and fine artisan raw cheese. Visit this website for more on the farm and its products.