Temple Grandin, www.grandin.com, was speaking at Olds College last week.

For those of you who may not know, she is the world’s foremost expert on animal behaviour.  She is almost singlehandedly responsible for changing how people interact with animals – especially in feedlot and slaughterhouses.  And the woman is autistic…

As you can see from the picture, it was really well attended.

She gave a very informative talk.  I have read one of her books so alot of the info wasn’t new to me.  When you have a chance to hear info from the worlds’ best, you go!  I even took the 3 boys along.  They all listened well and I think they all learned something from Temple.

I am sitting at my desk thinking today.

The topic bouncing around my head is “Where will I be one year from today?”.

I do not believe in destiny anymore. I do not believe in some cosmic plan that operates against my free will.

My future is what I plan it to be, and is dependant on how hard I work and push my will towards that goal.

Hoping that there are no Black Swan events in my life in the upcoming 12 months, on Dec 31 2012, I will be a better man living my life according to my guiding principles.  I will be operating a bigger farm, selling more organic products to families at the best possible value for them.  I will be in better health, be happier, and live life with a smile on my face. I will love my wife more than I do today.  I will teach my sons and daughters to live their lives to the full and to enjoy every precious minute of their lives. I will find new ways to better serve my customers and as a result, I will have more $$ in the bank (or owe the bank less $$… depending on how you look at it).

Now to do it….

Organic beef costs more because I do not feed my cattle chicken manure.

Remember: Right now, the practice of feeding chicken feces to cow herds continues. So there is a risk of mad cow disease infection in U.S. beef right now. Very little testing is currently being conducted for mad cow disease, meaning an infection could very easily go undetected for years. Meanwhile, the average hamburger contains beef parts from as many as 1,000 different cows.

Do the math. Unless cattle feeding practices are significantly reformed, eating beef products made from conventional beef – hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks – is like playing Russian Roulette with your brain cells. So do yourself, your family and the industry a favor and instead choose ethical, sustainable animal products, ie organic and pasture fed.

Courtesy of Food Matters  http://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp_503806/What’s_Really_In_Your_Hamburger

 

This is it.

Snow is here to stay.

But for me, I am in the office filling out government and accounting forms for my taxes.

I would rather be out in the cold.

http://fearlessrevolution.com/blog/gmo-infographic-love.html

]]> http://organicbeefguy.com/2011/11/what-gmos-are-in-your-food/feed/ 0 http://organicbeefguy.com/2011/10/building-bridges/ http://organicbeefguy.com/2011/10/building-bridges/#comments Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:18:22 +0000 Tim http://organicbeefguy.com/?p=763

About 12 years ago, we fenced off the creek that flows near the house.

Cattle and sheep had been allowed to graze the area for 100 years or so.  As a result, the creek had become a bog.  There was no defined stream bed.  The silt and manure buildup stopped the water flow and it became like the Florida everglades – a wet blog of slowly moving water.

After we fenced it off, the water started to cut a stream bank – slowly.  Now after 12 years, the stream is cut back far enough that I can’t walk from the house to the sorting pens without having to jump a 8 foot gap that is about 4 – 6 feet deep.

The New Hoven Bridge

One of my goals this year was to fix that problem.  So after having that on my to-do list for 6 months, yesterday I was finally able to cross it off.

I used some old drill stem pipe for the structure and some old fence pieces for the wooden walkway.  8 cinder blocks provide a bit of a base that will hold the drill stem in place.

As you can see, it is quite strong and can hold a lot of weight!

My only concern is how it will hold up during the spring runoff.  The drill stem extends about 15 feet on each bank so when the water is flowing strong, the ends of the drill stem should be frozen in ice.  I am hoping that keeps the pipes in place.

I will see what happens to the wood structure.  The wooden part of the bridge is only temporary as I will need to make a stronger and more sturdy crossing next year so if the ice and water destroys it in the spring, it won’t be the end of the world.

I was in Calgary yesterday to attend the grand re-opening of the Community Cafe at the Community Natural Foods store on 10st.

It is quite a beautiful little place.  You can see all the great thought that went into the location.

First of all, the desire to promote local food.  The cafe is here to promote local food.

Local organic beef, local pork, local turkey, local veggies, local cheese, locally produced breads…. and the list goes on.

Salad Bar….

Is Pizza Bar a word?

Cold salads….

Smoothie Bar

And lastly…. the food.  This is a plate of some of the samples that were available to eat.

It tasted wonderful, and Lisa, the head chef, does a wonderful job to take these local ingredients and turn them into something wonderful!

You should head down to Community Natural Foods and check out their new cafe!