Ranch Manager John on the John Deere

Rescued Alpacas

Fall Reflections

GREETINGS TO MY FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES IN HEALTH

Welcomed rain returned to the prairies of Baker Ranch. All varieties of grasses have responded and flourished, and our cows are happily grazing on nature’s bounty. In spite of our recent droughts, our grasses and legumes have continued to improve mostly due to consistently improving the biology of the soil. Our goals continue: sustainable pastures for healthy cows for healthy human consumption, no herbicides, insecticides, GMO products or hot fertilizers, no corn feeding, hormones, prophylactic antibiotics or stockyards for our cows, 100% grassfed beef. Our pastures are as nature meant them to be—animals and plants living together.

Our daily news bombards us with the growing dangers of wars, terrorism, ISIS/ISIL, Ebola, resistant pathologic bacteria, and global warning. Regardless of our political leanings we know we must depend on our government to protect our freedoms and our safety. There is much out of our control. However we are still in charge of our own decisions that affect our own health, our family’s health and our environment. We must all remain vigilant to continue to monitor and support efforts to accurately label food products, stop the increasing use of prophylactic antibiotics to animals in confinement, avoid chemically-laced processed foods by purchasing fresh organic products, decrease the use of petroleum products and support our local farmers and markets.

This fall season heralds in the holidays, a very welcome time. I am pleased to report that our grasses have allowed growth of our Black Angus herd. We can now harvest a 1200-1300 finished steer every three weeks. This should meet the current demand of our loyal customers. I do suggest that if grassfed beef is included as part of your holiday planning, that you reserve cow portions (1/8, 1/4, 1/2) early, or purchase your favorite cuts (briskets, roasts, ribs, steaks) early for your freezers. Our butchering and processing will be tailored to our customer’s demand.

Let’s all enjoy the cooler season and blessings of our free country and concentrate on what we can control. We found great satisfaction in rescuing five alpacas to enjoy our bounty at Baker Ranch.

Dudley Baker, MD

Baker Ranch

            

                                                                                  

A favorite reference

Our favorite cookbook.

2014 GREETINGS TO MY FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES IN HEALTH

My first blog listed concerns over current industrial agriculture practices as they relate to our health and environment. Blog #2 reminded us of the beautiful harmony in nature that faithfully cycles all living things on our Mother Earth. Today we will discuss grassfed beef—what it is and what it is not. Both are very important to consider.  I must also report on “political contamination.”

Has anyone seen a cow in a corn field grazing on corn? I haven’t and don’t expect to. Cows are ruminants that depend on grasses for their nutrition. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), reported as important in cancer prevention, is only naturally produced in a cow’s rumen that is only grass fed, and it is then shared with us. According to Stockman Grass Farmer, Omega 6 (bad); Omega 3 (good) ratio on grassfed beef is 2:1; however, after a cow is fattened on corn the ratio changes to approximately 20:1. Why then are most cows finished on grains (corn)? Could it be for rapid fattening for quick profit?

How would we like to dine on the same food every meal, every day? Not likely. We enjoy a variety of tastes, and we need multiple foods for our total nutrition. So do cows. The term “grassfed” includes providing many types of grasses and legumes so that the cows can “pick and choose” daily—and they do, according to their nutritional needs. They seem to know.

No GMO products or herbicides or insecticides or fungicides are purchased or used at our ranch. However, in today’s agribusiness environment, no one can assure purity. These genetically altered seeds and plants and other multiple toxins now contaminate our air, water, and soils. “Roundup Ready” is the term promoted for these genetically altered products. Are we and our children now “roundup ready”?  Europe has ruled glyphosate as a hazard, a poison. The USDA has ruled “acceptable level of risks” for these genetically engineered (GE) and “cide” products. One must wonder what the risks are when the many “acceptable levels” of additives and toxins are combined, and consider there may even be a synergistic response? Many neutral studies now report scientific evidence of the dangers of genetically engineered foods for humans, animals and the enviroment. I am concerned that our research standard of “precautionary principle” has also been altered by powerful lobbyists in D.C. According to the January 2014 issue of Acres USA, out of state contributions came to over $20 million to defeat the referendum on labeling of food. Monsanto reportedly spent over $5 million, and over $11 milliion came from the Grocery Manufacturers Association and only $550 from Washingtonians. Unfortunately, the vote was 51 to 49 for agribusiness, but legal action for disclosure is pending. After the right to know issue was exposed, it is now predicted that accurate labeling will succeed in many other states. I expect success in Vermont soon. Predicting passage of mandatory labeling in many states, the food industry is now pushing for federal legislation to make labeling voluntary, an attempt to head off state by state efforts to require mandatory GMO labeling. Most companies want to share and promote the ingredients of their product. Makes one wonder.

 Back to grassfed beef:

• What it is not: GMO, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides or other toxins in the pastures. Not growth hormones, prophylactic antibiotics, corn finishing or stockyard environment or inhumane treatment of the cows.
• What it is: Meat produced from a variety of plants (a prairie salad), resulting in proper fat ratios and CLA and significantly more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.                             

      And, it tastes so good.

Some comments are worth repeating:  First we must have knowledge and shared education and then a coordinated groundswell movement to take back control of our food supply and health of our families and Mother Earth.

Dudley Baker, MD
Baker Ranch

Our ancient Ginkgo tree shedding its butterfly leaves.

 Balance in Nature

  

Hello Food and Health Enthusiasts,

Our Red Oak reaching for the sky.

Happy Holidays to my friends and colleagues.  My first blog outlined my concerns over several contemporary agriculture practices that affect our health and environment. As promised, my second blog will share thoughts and lessons learned as our sustainable prairie and grassfed beef project has grown.

PROPRIOCEPTION: A neurological sense that lets us know where our body parts are relative to each other without seeing. Internal receptors throughout the body inform the brain and are responsible for maintaining our balance and our coordination of movement.                

Let’s expand this definition to eco-agriculture. Proprioception in nature should also let us know where we are. We are part of nature. We live in harmony with all of nature. Bacteria and fungi make the soil bioactive where plants can grow. Plants take their energy and growth from the soil and the sun—and solar energy is free. Food for animals depends on healthy plants, and plants benefit from hooved animals breaking and fertilizing the soil. Human nutrition is then dependent on both plants and animals—and on the soil and the microorganisms—and on the sun and the rain. All life has worked together in harmony for eons. Interruption of the cycles of nature may simply be unintended, or for speed of production, or just for profit. When humans compromise nature’s beautiful harmony, unintended consequences can occur, and consequences are invariably multiple, self-multiplying, long lasting and unforeseeable.

Interference with nature’s harmony can also result in loss of balance, of coordination, of proprioception in our environment, our food supply, our health, our lives. Police officers test for proprioception when evaluating drunkenness. Shouldn’t we all be active in assuring a healthy, sober, proprioceptive eco-culture? First education and knowledge and then a coordinated groundswell movement to take back control of the health of our families and mother earth.

Dudley Baker, MD

Baker Ranch

Sustainable Health and Food

Hello Food and Health Enthusiasts,

Do you feel the movement

·      To take control of your own health?

·      To better understand “organic”?  

·      To know more about processed foods and GMO products?

·      To consider local community gardens and meat markets, and why?

·      To protect our environment by eliminating contemporary petroleum based, genetically modified, herbicide treated agriculture and return to sustainable prairies based on natural biologic processes?

·      To correct current practices of inhumane treatment of cattle in feedlots and stockyards?

·      To consider changing to local markets and grassfed beef?

I have had the privilege of practicing medicine for fifty years in the specialties of  Obstetrics/Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology. Before retiring in 2012, I enjoyed studying and researching the effects of current farming and ranching practices on our health and our environment. After five years we have established a 450-acre prairie of sustainable native grasses, a herd of registered Black Angus cattle and a grassfed beef product available to the Central Texas area.

My blog will share the lessons learned on an exciting, rewarding adventure.

Dudley Baker, MD

Baker Ranch