Last week we went to Central High School in Kenosha County to present to a Freshmen AP Geography class about Sustainable, Organic, and Regenerative Agriculture.  It was super fun for Paul and I to talk to kids, who are the future of this country, about what is possible with Regenerative Ag.  Something that is catching on in mainstream as a better, healthier way to farm for the environment and for our health.  

After introducing ourselves and talking about who we are and what we do, we gave a background about the history of modern/industrial agriculture.  Starting with "Old MacDonald", who use to do everything and integrated plants, crops, and a variety of animals, to industrialization bringing machinery, pesticides and fertilizers, specialization and "getting bigger" for efficiency.  These were all things that were welcome by overworked farmers and actually did improve the lives and work of farmers at the time.  However, nobody was able to foresee the consequences of these.  Today, we know what these are- for our health and for the environment.  Read about these in slides #16-#17.

We then talked about what Organic farming, Animal Welfare, and additional certifications we pursued, given that organic standards have gotten relaxed (especially when it comes to animal welfare) once Big Ag got into it.  Lastly, we talked about Regenerative Agriculture as a system of principles and practices that is not only "sustainable" but actually increases biodiversity, enriches soils, improves watersheds, and enhances ecosystem services.

We talked about the importance of SOIL health.  It ALL starts with healthy soil, something I found interesting and contrasting coming from a nutrition world when Hippocrates said "all disease begins in the gut".  in human health, we have discovered most disease starts with an unhealthy gut.  Similarly, we are now realizing, a healthy environment, and healthy food, starts with healthy soil.

We explained the differences of grass fed vs. grain fed cows for beef and dairy.  There are numerous health benefits of grass fed beef vs. grain fed, which includes less saturated and overall fat and more of the good fats like Omega 3s and CLA's in grass fed beef and dairy.

We touched on the economics of farming, a sad reality of our broken food system that pays more for cheap, processed, and industrialized food than it does for "real food".  It is more profitable for many farmers to grow commodity crops like soy and corn, sell them to the market where they get processed into your packaged food, and sold for very cheap at the store- than it is to grow healthier vegetables or pastured animals.  

Lastly, we provided a number of resources of local and some national organizations that have a wealth of information on these topics, and also some interesting books and documentaries we thought the kids (or anybody!) might like.

At the end, we took in questions... with many very thoughtful and interesting questions coming from the kids.  

We welcome questions from you too! Please leave a comment, emil us, or contact us if you have any questions about anything you read in the presentation, what we do, or anything you'd like to ask us! We are happy to answer as best we can!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for some more "educational" posts coming in the next few months.

In the spirit of “new year, new you health resolutions”, I figured I’d talk about one of the healthiest products we have at our farm.  Beef liver.
Now hold on, don’t go… I know many of us didn’t grow up eating liver, and maybe you are disgusted by it (I was!), but I beg you to please stay with me and at least read the rest of this post.
 
Health Benefits:
While studying nutrition, I heard so much about the health benefits of beef liver- it was even sometimes called a “super food”! Interestingly, it was once a popular and treasured food source, but liver has fallen out of favor. This is unfortunate because liver is possibly one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, and inexpensive too!
It is rich in protein, low in calories, and packed with essential vitamins and minerals. People often look to fruits and vegetables for vitamins and minerals, but liver far surpasses them all in terms of nutrient content. A small amount of liver provides well over 100% of the RDI for many essential nutrients.
 
Here are some nutrients found in a 3.5-ounce serving of beef liver:

• Vitamin B-12: 3,460% of the RDI. Vitamin B12 helps the formation of red blood cells and DNA. It is also involved in healthy brain function.
• Vitamin A: 860: 1,100% of the RDI. Vitamin A is important for normal vision, immune function and reproduction. It also helps organs like the heart and kidneys function properly.
• Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2): 210–260% of the RDI. Riboflavin is important for cellular development and function. It also helps turn food into energy.
• Folate (Vitamin B-9): 65% of the RDI. Folate is an essential nutrient that plays a role in cell growth and the formation of DNA.
• Iron: 80% of the RDI, or 35% for women of menstruating age. Iron is another essential nutrient that helps carry oxygen around the body. The iron in liver is heme iron, the kind most easily absorbed by the body.
• Copper: 1,620% of the RDI. Copper acts like a key to activate a number of enzymes, which then help regulate energy production, iron metabolism and brain function. The body also cannot maintain normal magnesium levels in the blood if copper is low.
• Choline: Liver provides all of the Adequate Intake (AI) for women and nearly all of it for men. Choline is important for brain development and liver function.

 
How to Include Liver in Your Diet:
I admit it, liver has a unique taste, which some people love, and others hate.  I know it was tough for us to stomach it the first time we tried it, so I’ll give you that, BUT… here are some suggestions on how to include it in your diet and get these great nutrients:

• Pan fried. This is the most traditional way. You probably have heard of  sauteed "liver and onions". Liver does work well when pan-fried with onions and other nice, strong flavors like bacon.
• Spaghetti Bolognese, or Burgers? You can use your food processor to mince the liver into very, very tiny pieces, then freeze it in ice cube trays. Whenever a recipe asks for ground beef, add a few cubes – only 1-2 to start! Suddenly your Bolognese sauce, burgers, chili, and meatballs have a LOT more nutritional oomph to them!
• Add plenty of seasoning. Adding lots of spices and strong flavors can help disguise its taste. Think garlic, rosemary, wine, cayenne pepper, etc.
• Soak the liver in milk or lemon juice before cooking. This will reduce its strong flavor and helps with tenderness.

 
Recipes to Try:
While our recommended way to start eating liver is the "mince, freeze, and add to ground beef" method, here are a couple of good recipes if you want to try.

This might be the best Liver and Onions Recipe we've found:
http://ediblearia.com/2009/07/23/not-your-average-liver-and-onions/
 
Beef Liver Pate:
https://autoimmunewellness.com/bacon-beef-liver-pate-with-rosemary-and-thyme/
 
P.S. Beef Heart has a much, much milder flavor than liver and has some of the same nutrients. It’s a lot like ground beef, but I would classify it as “sweeter.” Whereas you’d only add 1-2 cubes of liver to any dish, it’s pretty easy to add up to a quarter pound of heart to a pound of ground beef, even in grilled hamburgers!

***Both Beef Liver and Beef heart are FOR SALE on our web store- so give it a try and REALLY get healthy this new year!***

Last week a friend of ours reached out to us for beef.  He has been very supportive of our farm business, but had never bought any of our meats.  He had a “mild” heart attack and open-heart surgery some years ago and decided then to “go off beef” as much as possible .  Whenever we get together with him we are always super sensitive to his disciplined eating routine of “no fat” and “no cholesterol”.  

As you can imagine, it came as quite a surprise when he said he needed to buy some of our beef.  His doctor told him he has too low cholesterol (yes, it's a thing!) and some anemia, and he recommended he started eating more beef.  The good news was the doctor was clear in specifying - not just ANY beef, but GRASS FED beef!

As we grow our farm business, we are encouraged to see the health benefits of pasture-raised animals become more mainstream. 

Mayo clinic says, Grass-fed beef may have some heart-health benefits that other types of beef don't have. When compared with other types of beef, grass-fed beef may have:

• Less total fat
• More heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids
• More conjugated linoleic acid, a type of fat that's thought to reduce heart disease and cancer risks
• More antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin E

One of the first proponents of pasture base meats, Dr. Mercola, says,
Conventionally raised beef can’t begin to compare with lifetime grazed 100% grass fed beef for health benefits. Here are just some of the ways grass fed beef is superior:

• A healthier ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (1.65 vs 4.84)
• Higher in the B vitamins thiamin and riboflavin
• Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium
• Higher in beta-carotene and vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)

Here’s something else you may not know about grass fed beef: Conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, is a naturally occurring fat found in grass fed beef and dairy.

CLA has been shown in studies to provide important support for weight management, immune function, normal cell growth and normal blood sugar levels.  Animals that graze on pasture have 300 to 400 percent more CLA than those fattened on grain in a feedlot. 

Once a cow begins to eat grains, it loses its ability to produce this valuable fat. Just one more compelling reason to choose grass fed! 

It really makes us feel good at Starry Nights Farm when we promote better health, it is part of our mission to deliver a delicious, healthy, and nutritious product to our customers. 

So have your cake and eat it too!

Springtime at the farm is a busy time.  We get ready to transition the cows from eating hay (that we harvested last year) to the new fresh grass that is growing in our pastures.  

One of the “dirty” jobs at the moment is to spread manure that built up during the winter over the fields (manure: a nice way of saying cow shit mixed with straw and hay).  Coming from my previous career in finance, where I was a sales person, I feel right at home spreading the manure.  In sales I could “shoot the shit”, “spread the shit”, and “bull shit” with the best of them, so how appropriate that I get to lay it on thick in our fields now!

Some of you may be thinking it is disgusting, or ask why the heck do we do that?!?….. Well, I will try to answer those questions.

Cow "caca", to organic/sustainable farmers, is brown gold!  This dookie is what makes our sustainable business work.  The dung increases the fertility on our land.  It adds organic material (humus) to the soil, which helps buffer the drying effects on soil during a drought by holding more water, essentially becoming a sponge.  

Unlike conventional farmers, we don’t have to use chemicals to fertilize our farm.  The manure provides the food for our plants, animals, and the other micro organisms (fungi, bacteria, earth worms, insects and many other invertebrates) that work in our circle of life environment.  It’s a cycle of birth, growth, plateau, decline, death, decomposition/decay, and rebirth.  Nature rules! She uses everything by recycling it, making our soil rich and full of life.  The cows give our farm an advantage, we are able to close our farm to any outside inputs.  We create a closed circle where the soil, plants, and animals work together and continue to build soil health.  Through this interaction we have a diverse set of nutrients and micronutrients in our soils, and by that in the food we produce.  Soil scientist J.I. Rodale said it best, “ Healthy soil, healthy food, healthy people.”

Farming is a humbling endeavor.  We have no control over Mother Nature, she has the final say.  It is humbling working with cow pies, but it is so important to being sustainable.  And think about how many different words we have for crap… when a word has that many synonyms, it has to be important! Changing my kids diapers and now having cows, I am over my poop phobia!  

With my new perspective as an organic/sustainable farmer, I like it when someone says, “have a shitty day!“