Organic Beef Matters

According to Wikapedia, “Roundup is the brand name of a systemic, broad-spectrum herbicide produced by the U.S. company Monsanto and contains the active ingredient glyphosate.” (Read more). (Read more.) In 2007 a federal court ruled that the USDA failed to adequately address the risks and banned the planting of any additional acres (thousands of acres of RR alfalfa had already been planted, and those fields were allowed to remain). USDA continues to work to approve RR alfalfa.

The Western Farmer Stockman magazine ran a story in its July issue about RR sugarbeets (bet you can’t wait), and a farmer with a RR alfalfa field. The alfalfa grower now applies Roundup annually to this field, and it is quite productive. What I found interesting, however, was that the article said:

His enthusiasm for the technology is tempered with concerns. Unlike corn and other annuals, alfalfa plantings last several seasons with numerous opportunities for flowering and seed production by plants missed in harvest. Bees and other pollinators can carry the RR alfalfa pollen to other alfalfas. The escaped RR pollen can transfer glyphosate tolerance to seed produced by alfalfa plants, often miles from the source…..
In Idaho, conventional seed growers aren’t convinced the buffer the state’s ag department mandates between varieties of alfalfa is enough (900 feet).

As organic producers, RR alfalfa is a big concern. Our commitment to you is GMO free food. If a neighbor plants RR alfalfa next to us, how will we protect our fields, and maintain our commitment? I get so frustrated with agriculture as an industry. More and more people want GMO free food, why is American agriculture continuing headlong down this path of genetic modification, especially when it is so difficult to contain (avoid contamination on a broad scale as has happened with corn)?

It seems that American Agriculture, as an industry, has forgotten who the actual consumer is. We farmers produce food for people. We feel that very acutely here at Alderspring. American agriculture should produce the food people want. Instead, the industry tries to convince people its OK to eat GM food, or irradiated food, or cloned meat, or any of the other things that agriculture, in its drive for efficiency, has come up with. Why do other countries refuse American beef? They don’t want hormones! Let’s grow what they want–beef without hormones–instead of trying to convince people that beef grown with hormones is perfectly safe (I know I’m not convinced!).

I’m thankful every day that we can grow our own food, but I’m frustrated for so many of our customers who cannot find the food they want because American agriculture refuses to produce it for them.

Last week I had a town trip planned. Town trip days are a big deal because we live over an hour from town, and a town day pretty much shoots the whole day.

I like to plan ahead, but Glenn often can’t…so, as happens not infrequently, he told me the night before the town day to expect another 9 people for dinner the next night. And these people weren’t going to be small appetite types. They were going to work hard outside all day, and they were going to be hungry.

I made All Day Short Ribs for a crowd:

6 packs of short ribs (about 2.5-3 lbs each)
2 cans Italian diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste
1 cup strong coffee
1 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 onions, diced very fine
8 garlic cloves, diced fine
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons mixed Italian herbs
lots of coarse ground pepper

I mixed all the tomatoes, sweeteners, and seasonings (except the pepper) with enough water to make it pour-able. (I would have liked to brown the ribs, but I didn’t have time. It still turned out great.) I single-layered the ribs in glass baking dishes, and poured the tomato mix over them and ground a bunch of pepper over everything. I covered the dishes tightly with foil (don’t let the foil touch the tomato-covered ribs–the acid will start to eat the foil-yuck). I put them in a low oven (about 180′F). The ribs baked at that temperature for around 9 hours. About 2.5 hours before dinner, I had a kid put into the oven about 25 baking potatoes. About 2 hours before dinner, I had one of the kids take the foil off the ribs and turn the oven up to 350′F for 30-40 minutes until the ribs started browning. They had to add a bit of water before turning up the oven, but this will be variable depending on your oven convection, and how well you covered the ribs with the foil. You want the sauce around the ribs to be liquid enough to not burn, but not watery like soup. After the top surface browned, they turned the oven down to warm and waited for me to come home.

We added a giant tossed salad and there was plenty of food for everyone.

You might think running Alderspring Ranch is about rural bliss: kicking back with a tall, cool lemonade, watching kids play in the spring sun, listening to bees buzzing in the apple trees. Unfortunately, we don’t have much time to kick back in the spring! Here’s what we did last week:

• Started up the new irrigation system (hooray!). After some problems and delays on the part of the partners installing the system, and after we spent two anxious weeks hoping the weather didn’t get too hot before we had an operational system, we finally turned on the water Tuesday. Spent two days cleaning clogs and fixing kinks, but some 400+ acres of pastures are now turning a glorious green. The long ditch we used from the river for water supply has been abandoned to keep more water in the river for spawning salmon and steelhead that migrate up to our valley from the Pacific some 900 miles downstream.
• The contractor finished installing the new cattle waterers. These are needed because the new irrigation system no longer relies on open ditches, which had also served as livestock water.
• Fed our last load of hay (hooray!). On a normal year, we would have been done feeding over a month ago. But this hasn’t been a typical spring. Plant growth is nearly a month behind normal (in some ways a blessing because we didn’t have water anyway until the new system was operational). We had to feed hay for about 3-4 weeks longer than we planned, a daily 3 hour job.
• Still calving. While the bulk of the mother cows have calved, we still have about 1/5 of them yet to go. We check them at least twice a day to see if anyone needs help. Thankfully, no one did.
• Got a family milk cow. We’re wondering if this was a good idea. We’ll try to write about why later.
• Turned out about 1/3 of the mother cows with the oldest calves on the range. This involves making sure the cattle are paired (don’t want to send a calf up there without a mamma), and up to date on their vaccinations. We also made sure all the water systems were operational on the range (to keep the cattle from stream water sources), the fences tight (about 30 miles worth) and closed about 20 gates that were left open by fall hunters.
• Took down the hay corral that protects stored forages from deer and elk through the winter. This hay corral is in the way of the new pivot path so had to be removed. We stored the materials away to use for a new corral this fall when we figure out where to put it. Then we cleaned up the area so it could be farmed.
• Cleaned up debris and garbage left by irrigation system installation.
• Filled in, leveled and seeded old ditches that are no longer needed because of the new irrigation system.
• Removed old fences that were in the way of the new irrigation system path (a pivot tangled up in an old barbed wire fence is an expensive proposition). Salvaged potentially useable wire, prepped the rest for recycling, and stored old wood posts in the firewood cutting area. Nothing goes to waste around here!
• Turned out the finishing yearling cattle on pastures. This required ensuring water is available, fencing a paddock with electric fence and moving cattle to the paddock. The kids did most of moving on horseback, and even had a friend to help.
• Removed sod from the new garden spot. We’ll put composted manure on it and finish working it up this week.
• Worked on house plan designs and layout to try to increase solar efficiency without compromising the magnificent views. Our log builder needs final plans soon.

A big project we’re working on this spring is a complete irrigation upgrade on the ranch. The project closes a long irrigation diversion ditch that sourced out of the Pahsimeroi River that we shared with about 4 neighbors. All of us have agreed to close the ditch to better ensure sufficient flow in the river over critical Chinook salmon spawning habitat. These fish migrate 900 miles to the Pacific where they live for two years and come back to the Pahsimeroi to spawn (lay eggs). Unfortunately, salmon runs are very low, and all is being done to maintain the species.

Our plan is to pump water out of the river below the critical flow areas—about 2 miles below where our ditch used to divert water. The Nature Conservancy, Bonneville Power Administration, local Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Idaho Department of Fish and Game have been very willing partners in the project.

For us, it will mean far more efficient use of water (leaving more water in the river for fish) and better yield and quality on much of our acres due to more uniform water distribution (to produce even better grassfed beef). It also means working daily with the contractors who are installing the system, and coordinating with all the cooperating parties on a nearly daily basis. It’s been very busy.

Spring on the ranch is the busiest time of year! Fields are being readied for spring, fences being mended, irrigation systems are upgraded, and new calves are being born daily (we are averaging 5 new babies a day). They take a large amount of time as we carefully monitor their health, as well as their moms, and occasionally have to intervene to ensure survival. For instance, we had to capture a cow the other day who inadvertently missed pulling the birth sac off of her newborn (the cows usually are very aggressive about licking the face of their calf off first to clear away anything that might interfere with breathing). We wanted to give her a new baby.

We had an extra calf for this because we have occasional twins or abandoned calves who need a mother—in cows, optimal is one calf per cow, as most cows have trouble counting up to two and will misplace one of their kids if left to themselves. To ensure complete bonding, we remove the skin off of the dead calf and tie it on the ‘graft’ calf so the mom can smell the scent of her original baby. While this sounds grisly, it is actually rather clinical. The dead calf isn’t objectionable, because it has been dead only a short time, but the skin still smells to the cow like her calf.

We catch the cow in the barn or corral, so she cannot run off, and start the new baby on her milk bar. This all sounds very quiet and sweet, but often our wild range cow will put up one incredible western rodeo fight before it is all over, even sending Glenn over the corral fence…

But in the end, mom has a baby. It might take a few days, but it works (don’t try this on a goat, though; Glenn worked on a goat for nearly 3 weeks to take an orphan kid, and finally was met with success). And there is great satisfaction in creating a new bond out of two sad losses: a motherless calf now has a mom, and a cow missing her calf now has a new one to care for.

The Capital Press today reported that a Federal District judge in California has ordered an impact study on Roundup Ready alfalfa, a genetically modified organism (GMO).

As producers of organic alfalfa pasture for our organic grass fed beef, we are relieved here at Alderspring Ranch.

This alfalfa, genetically modified to resist glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, has potential to contaminate our organic alfalfa, and jeopardize our organic certification.  In fact, Monsanto has. in an Orwellian twist of legal logic, successfully sued producers whose crops were contaminated with Monsanto’s patented plant genes for patent infringement.  (See keepmainefree.org/suesuesue)

The Center for Food Safety, the Western Organization of Resource Councils, the National Family Farm Coalition, The Sierra Club, Beyond Pesticides, Cornucopia Institute, The Dakota Resource Council, Trask Family Seeds, and Geertson Seed Farms initiated the legal action against the USDA in February 2006.  The lawsuit argued that the USDA’s approval of deregulating of "Roundup Ready Alfalfa" was illegal because a thorough environmental impact study wasn’t completed.  They successfully convinced Judge Breyer that the USDA had failed to completely assess the potential that GM alfalfa could harm the environment and contaminate organic and non-GMO alfalfa crops.

Anyone interested in pure food should be concerned about genetically modified crops.

Learn more:

NewScientist.com instant expert on Genetically Modified Organisms
Network of Concerned Farmers (in Australia) list of 10 reasons for concern about GMO crops.
U.S. Center for Food Safety’s 2005 report Monsanto vs. U.S. Farmers.  Some highlights:

• "To date, Monsanto has filed 90 lawsuits against American farmers. The lawsuits involve 147 farmers and 39 small businesses or farm companies, and have been directed at farmers residing in half of the states in the U.S.
• The odds are clearly stacked against the farmer: Monsanto has an annual budget of $10 million dollars and a staff of 75 devoted solely to investigating and prosecuting farmers."
• Farmers have paid a mean of $412,259.54 for cases with recorded judgments.
• Farmers have been sued after their field was contaminated by pollen or seed from someone else’s genetically engineered crop; when genetically engineered seed from a previous year’s crop has sprouted, or “volunteered,” in fields planted with non-genetically engineered varieties the following year…"

Today’s announcement of another mad cow in Canada was apparently met with a total yawn by the American press. While the press release, Canadian Food Inspection Agency - News Release - BSE Case Confirmed in British Columbia was picked up by several Canadian outlets (as well as an Australian one), U.S. media appears to have ignored it except in the agricultural press.

It is of interest to American agribusiness because of the current effort to remove the existing restrictions on movement of Canadian cattle and beef into the United States.  All Canadian beef was restricted in 2003 after the discovery of a BSE infected cow in Canada.  In 2005, that ban was partially lifted, and last year, the USDA proposed a rule that would allow importation into the U.S. of any Canadian cattle born after Canada’s 1999 ban of using rendered cattle and high risk material in cattle feed.  Comments for that rule closed in March.  The animal in the current case would have been allowed into the U.S. system under that proposed rule.

Currently, any live cattle imported from Canada must be under 30 months of age and must be going directly to a feedlot or processing facility.

Of course, beef that are 100% grass fed have never eaten any "feed," just grass and hay.  Although no one else seems to care, I’m glad we eat our own beef.

This site doesn’t distinguish grass fed beef recipes, like we do on Alderspring, but All Recipes hosts over 40,000 recipes submitted by home cooks, reviewed by home cooks.  You can search by main ingredient or class of dish.  While many of the recipes are typical church cookbook type (e.g., using canned cream-of-something soup), there is a whole section of healthy recipes, and even a section called "Farmer’s Market" that highlights the most popular vegetable recipes.

All recipes – complete resource for recipes and cooking tips

The spring weather has us thinking of camping and about cooking outdoors. This is a fun steak to make while camping or picnicking because the steak is placed directly on hot coals to cook. You can premix the marinade at home. Use hardwood for the fire to make clean coals.

Large corn or flour tortillas
2 large red peppers
2 large green peppers
2 large mild red onion
Sour cream, salsa and sliced avocados
2 pounds skirt steak cut into a few large pieces

Marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 green onions, coarsely chopped
3 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup lime juice (can substitute lemon)
1/2 teaspoon mild red pepper flakes (can substitute hot)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar or honey

To make marinade, puree all ingredients but the meat in a blender. Marinate meat in a large, heavy-duty, zip top bag for at least an hour, or up to 3 hours. Burn wood or charcoal until gray ash appears. Remove steak from marinade, drain well and then pat dry with paper towels. Blow coals clean of ash. Lay steaks directly onto hot coals for 1 minute per side, turning with a tongs. When finished cooking, quickly place meat in double thickness of aluminum foil, wrap, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

While the meat is resting, heat tortillas on the same coals, and grill red and green peppers and onion quarters on sticks. Remove meat from foil, reserving foil and juices. Slice thinly across the grain of the meat. Return to foil pouch and toss with juice. Wrap the meat and grilled veggies in a hot tortilla with a dollop of sour cream, salsa, and avocado slices.

People are always asking me how to grill a ribeye. Americans pride themselves on being steak eaters, so we ought to be experts, right? In fact, I think folks ruin more steaks than they grill right. Here are some easy hints:

Buy a thermometer. We get quick read digital thermometers for $10.00. One with all the bells and whistles might go $40.00. I’ve seen them as high as $120.00, but the fancy ones still don’t cook the steak for you. Thermometers eliminate all the subjective steak tests like feel. Ever seen the feel test that compares the pressure-respons of the chin to well-done steak, nose to medium and cheek to rare? It can work, but I know people with fat chins. And I’ve seen NY strips that are firm at rare. Subjective. Go with t