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November, 2004
Circulation 21,509
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Welcome to the latest issue of the American Grass Fed Beef Newsletter.
In this issue, you will find the following:
* Next Grass Fed Beef Drawing
* Thanksgiving Special
* Holiday Shipping Schedule
* Excerpt from Jo Robinson's New Book Pasture Perfect
* Crock Pot Kettle Chili
* Thanksgiving Greetings
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NEXT GRASS FED BEEF DRAWING
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The next American Grass Fed Beef drawing will be 11/31/04. If you
are subscribed to this newsletter, you are automatically entered
into our next drawing.
If you received this e-mail from a friend, sign up for our newsletter
and enter our drawing at the following web page:
http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/drawing
Good luck to all!
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THANKSGIVING SPECIAL
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Because this is a short month for shipping and last months' special
is perfect for family meals over the holidays, we decided to extend
our Crock Pot Family Meals Package until the end of November. For
$123 you receive:
6# Grass Fed Kettle Beef (3 meals)
4# Grass Fed Sandwich Steaks (2 meals)
2 (3#) Grass Fed Beef Roast (4 meals)
http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/grass-fed-beef-family.asp
If you have a small family and prefer to try smaller quantities
of these items, remember that kettle beef, sandwich steaks or your
favorite roast can be added to a frozen beef shipment. Just add
another frozen beef package to the cart from any page on the site
and then add the item you prefer to the cart from the pulldown marked
ADD YOUR FAVORITE BEEF (OR ROAST) TO YOUR SHIPMENT at the bottom
of this page:
http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/grass-fed-beef-family.asp
Adding an item to your favorite package, is very economical. The
reason is that the initial frozen beef package pays for the packaging
and shipping. Usually a few items added to a package requires little
added shipping expense and we pass the savings on to you. A win-win
for both of us.
Also, we will throw in a free 4 oz dog treat into ANY $50 or more
order from either of our sites:
http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/
OR
http://www.americandogtreats.com/
If you have a favorite pooch that you want to wish Happy Thanksgiving,
just ask for your treats in our special instructions section on
checkout. Both offers end November 30th, 2004.
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HOLIDAY SHIPPING SCHEDULE
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The Thanksgiving holiday is here. Because we ship a product that
must arrive frozen, we can't ship the week of Thanksgiving OR the
week of Christmas. There are just not enough days in the week for
the items to arrive safely without expedited shipping expenses and
we prefer to save you additional shipping fees.
Our little grass farm has 2 day, 3 day and 4 day shipping zones.
Normally, this tidbit of information doesn't matter to our customers
but it is important to know during the holidays.
Because of the United States fuel crunch that has escalated shipping
costs, many other internet companies have increased their prices.
Instead we improved our containers and shipping methods plus use
these shipping zones to keep our costs down.
4 Day Region (packages to these locations only ship on Monday):
Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
3 Day Region (packages to these locations only ship on Monday and
Tuesday): New Mexico, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut,
New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida, Pennsylvania, North
Carolina, Virginia, South Dakota, Colorado, North Dakota, Texas
and California.
2 Day Region (packages to these locations ship on Monday, Tuesday
and Wednesday) - all other states not in a 3 or 4 day region.
Our last day for shipping before Thanksgiving will be this Wednesday,
November 17, 2004. 4 Day Regions require expedited shipping now
for shipments this week. 3 Day Regions have to have their orders
in early tomorrow, November 16th. 2 Day Regions have to have their
orders in early November 17th for shipping this week.
We will resume our regular shipping schedule November 29th. If you
can't wait until the 29th, then call us for special pricing for
expedited shipping.
Christmas will have the same limitations. The last shipping day
for our 4 Day Shipping Region will be December 13th. The last shipping
day for our 3 Day Shipping Region will be December 14th. 2 Day Regions
can ship up to December 15th.
Orders received after this time will be shipped January 3, 2004.
If you make a miscalculation for that special someone on your gift
list, you can pay extra for expedited shipping. Hopefully giving
you a "heads up" will help you avoid any needless expenses.
Our suggestion is to place your holiday orders now and tell us the
day you prefer us to ship. We can keep track of your delivery schedule
for you.
Your gift shopping will be completed early with no hassles. Plus
your friends and family will be thrilled with a gift of gourmet
grass fed beef. What could be a better gift?
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PASTURE PERFECT BY JO ROBINSON
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Jo Robinson is an outspoken advocate of a more natural way to raise
our livestock. She has authored or co-authored 11 popular books,
including Why Grassfed Is Best!
Her new book, Pasture Perfect, offers compelling evidence that taking
our animals out of factory farms and retuning them to pasture is
better for the animals, the environment, family farmers, and consumers.
She also has a website, www.eatwild.com which features grass fed
news, the most recent research, and a list of suppliers of grass
fed products. This article was published in "Mother Earth News"
recently. We thought our readers would enjoy Jo's insights so we
are offering it to you in four installments over the next few issues.
Part 4 of 4:
Ruminants are not the only animals being raised on the new pasture-based
farms. Chickens, turkeys, pigs, rabbits and ducks are also being
sprung from their cages and sent out to pasture. Some farmers raise
five or six different species on the same pasture, bringing to mind
the old family farm, replete with the clucking of hens, mooing of
cows, grunting of pigs and bleating of sheep.
Non-ruminants cannot live on grass alone, however. They lack the
highly specialized digestive tract that would allow them to convert
a diet high in roughage and low in energy into a quality meal. They
need some feed in addition to grass, typically a mixture of soy
and grain. But they, too, can get a significant portion of their
calories from grass, ranging from 25 percent for chickens and 50
percent for ducks. The more grass the animals eat, the more omega-3
fatty acids, beta carotene, and vitamin E in their meat and eggs.
Like ruminants, poultry and pigs raised on pasture also get to enjoy
a less stressful life. This is in stark contrast to life in a confinement
operation. In the worst facilities, horrific abuses can occur.
Last year, I toured a chicken "grow-out" operation . . . the industry
term for a facility that raises chickens from day-old chicks to
maturity. The husband and wife who ran the operation were contract
workers for a giant conglomerate poultry producer. The couple dutifully
followed all the rules handed down by the conglomerate. Indeed,
they ran such a tight operation the conglomerate had designated
them the second-best grow-out operation in the state. Yet if consumers
had known their chicken, my guess is that sales would plummet.
I toured the operation just days before the birds were ready for
market. There were 10,000 chickens crammed into each long shed,
taking up every inch of floor space. When I looked down the shed,
I saw a continuous carpet of whiter-feathered birds. I couldn’t
take a step without having to nudge chickens out of the way.
The chickens were sitting on a deep bed of litter. It had been fresh
when the newly hatched chicks arrived, but it had not been changed
in the seven weeks it had taken them to reach market size. The day
I visited, the level of ammonia had risen to almost intolerable
levels. I felt as if my head had been plunged into a diaper pail.
The chickens were breathing air that was less than 6 inches from
the litter, so the fumes must have been far worse for them.
Although I thought the whole scene repellent, the U.S. government
and the poultry industry do not consider these conditions abusive.
It’s simply the most cost-effective way to raise chickens. In a
matter of days, those very birds would be slaughtered, plucked,
cut into pieces, wrapped in glimmering plastic and affixed a label
proclaiming they were "fresh from the farm" and "Northwest Grown."
I no longer buy commercially raised poultry, no matter how attractive
the price. I won’t buy animals that have been forced to breathe
toxic amounts of ammonia. Fortunately I have an alternative.
The chickens and turkeys I now eat come from a nearby farm where
the birds are raised outdoors on organic pasture. As in nature,
the birds are allowed the dignity of breathing fresh air and foraging
for greens. Equally important, they have room to chase bugs, preen
and sprawl outside on a sunny day. In other words, they get to be
chickens. I pay twice the grocery store price for these plump, juicy
birds, and I consider it a bargain.
Raising animals on pasture is far better for the environment. One
reason is obvious. In a feedlot, lots of animals deposit their manure
on a small amount of bare land. When it rains, manure leaks from
the piles and pollutes the nearby land and ground water.
When the manure piles up too high, it has to be trucked from the
feedlot and deposited elsewhere. Given lax government regulations
and the high cost transportation, "elsewhere" is often the closest
available patch of land. Manure in small quantities is an excellent
fertilizer; The lush green grass on pasture-based ranches is a testimony
to this fact. But in excessive amounts, manure acts as a pollutant,
leaching nitrogen and phosphorous into the soil, surface water and
groundwater. It is common for land surrounding large feedlot operations
to be burdened with too much manure.
Some environmental benefits of pasture raising animals are less
obvious. According to Dr. Rita Schenck from the Institute of Environmental
Research and education, raising ruminants on grass may reduce greenhouse
gasses. She says land kept in pasture is carpeted with plants, many
of them growing year-round. As the grass grows, it draws carbon
dioxide from the air and deposits it safely in the soil, a process
called "carbon sequestration." Her calculations indicate a pasture-based
farm may contribute to cleaner air and a healthier planet.
So where do you find environmentally friendly, animal-friendly,
highly nutritious grass-fed products if you can’t grow your own?
Probably not-yet-in your local grocery store. Perhaps not even in
a virtual food store or co-op. What you will find in these outlets
are "natural" and "organic" animal products, typically from animals
fed a significant amount of grain. One of the largest suppliers
of "natural" meat finishes their animals in feedlots on a grain
diet. The main distinction between this "natural" meat and supermarket
meat is the "natural" animals are not treated with hormones and
antibiotics.
You may have to get your grass-fed product directly from a local
farmer, farmer’s market or from one of the larger suppliers willing
to ship products. There are pasture-based farms in every U.S. state
and Canadian province. You’ll probably find a supplier within a
pleasant country drive of your homes. For a comprehensive list of
suppliers, visit eatwild.com. You’ll also find lots more information
about the benefits of pasture-based ranching.
For the most devout customers, driving a hundred miles to pick up
their food is no obstacle. Recently a farmer who sells eggs from
pastured hens told a customer in a nearby city he was out of fresh
eggs. "I only have a half dozen left," he said. The customer exclaimed,
"don’t sell them! I’ll be there in an hour and a half!" Meat and
dairy producers spend tens of millions of dollars each year in hope
of generating this kind of loyalty. All it takes is a product that
resonates with the customer’s soul.
As awareness of the benefits of grass-fed products spreads across
the country, more and more farmers will have the courage to keep
their animals on the green grass of home. The best way to support
this movement and increase the availability of the products is to
try some yourself. If you find them to your liking, tell a few of
your friends. Good news travels fast.
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CROCK POT KETTLE CHILI
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This is my family's favorite chili. It uses kettle beef instead
of hamburger which gives it a great texture.
4 lb. Grass Fed Kettle Beef
8 Slices Smoked Grass Fed Beef Bacon
3 T Ancho Chili Powder or Chipotle
3 T Red Chili Powder
2 t Cumin Seed
2 t Oregano
1 t Celtic Sea Salt (optional)
3 Lg. Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Lg. Onion, minced
2 T Lemon Juice
2 T Olive Oil
2 T Cornstarch
1 Lg. Can Crushed Tomatoes
Water
Mix together chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt setting aside.
Add oil to pot and sauté garlic and onion until cooked.
Cut bacon slices into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces. Put the bacon and kettle
beef in a large pot.
Add the spice mixture to the meat and toss.
Add tomatoes and lemon juice.
Cook beef on low (200 degrees) for 8 hours.
Mix cornstarch with 1/2 to 2/3 C water stir into the chili beef
return to heat until thickened.
Serve alone or over rice.
NOTE: Small quantities of kettle beef and grass fed beef bacon can
be added to a shipment at the bottom of this page:
http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/grass-fed-beef-family.asp
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THANKSGIVING GREETINGS
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On our grass farm in the southern Ozarks . . . this time of the
year is pretty wonderful. We have finished the majority of our cattle
as winter approaches and our hanging beef cooler is full. The fall
leaves are hitting the ground creating a blanket of cover in the
woods. The bright green of our winter wheat looks like islands of
emerald in a soon to be browning landscape.
With only two frosts so far, the fall rains have perked and greened
our cool season grasses reminiscent of early spring. There is a
cool crispness in the air with warm sunshine in the afternoons.
You find the young calves kicking up their heals in play out in
the pastures.
We look forward to having family and friends at the farm for Thanksgiving.
We lead a very busy life right now managing our time between the
farm and the processing plant and yet the added work of preparing
a Thanksgiving feast will be a labor of love.
Our large family and extended family will gather at our house to
enjoy a time of blessing. As a veterinarian, a grass farmer, a beef
producer and a processing plant manager, I am still primarily a
mother who expresses love to her family by lavishing food upon them.
I suppose it is my southern upbringing!
From our family gathering at our grass farm to you and yours wherever
you may celebrate this Thanksgiving . . . we wish you blessings.
Our family joins all of America in praying for the safety of our
children and loved ones in the armed services who may be away from
home this Thanksgiving.
Patricia Whisnant, DVM
Grass Farmer and Veterinarian
AmericanGrassFedBeef.com
P.S. Feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends, clients
and colleagues.
You can read past issues at:
http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/newsletter
PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from this "American
Grass Fed Beef Newsletter" in your own print or electronic newsletter
as long as the following paragraph is included:
Reprinted from "American Grass Fed Beef Newsletter," a free ezine
published by Dr. Patricia Whisnant. This ezine features health information,
recipes and tips about grass fed beef. Subscribe and enter a grass
fed beef drawing at:
http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com
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We hope you continue to be a part of our American Grass Fed Beef
Drawing and our mailing list. To leave our mailing list at any time
just click the link provided below: http://www.requestedinformation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-un.pl?c=38409&p=2607
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