Spring 2010

Vol. 2, No. 84

Publication of the Northeast Organic Farming Association

1077-2294

NOP Issues Strict Two Revolutionary Leaders to Speak

at NOFA Summer Conference
Pasture Rule

On February 12 the USDA released new rules

for the National Organic Progarm (NOP) requiring that dairy cows and other ruminants be
out on pasture for the entire growing season, but
for not less than 120 days. It also requires that
the animals receive at least 30% of their feed,
or dry matter intake (DMI), from pasturing. In
addition, organic livestock will be required to
have access to the outdoors year-round with
the exception of temporary confinement due to
mitigating and documentable environmental or
health considerations.
The 120-day/30% DMI benchmarks were
negotiated reference points agreed-upon by
organic community stakeholders and arrived
at after a series of meetings and discussions,
nationwide, over much of the last half dozen
years. The rules were also a carefully crafted
consensus aimed at ensuring that legitimate
organic dairy operations could truly provide
meaningful pasture for their herds across the
wide range of climatic zones in the U.S. It is
estimated that the rule will impact upwards of
2000 organic dairy farmers.
I am so pleased to know that the process
of rule change that will ensure that organic
livestock will consume a significant amount of
pasture during the grazing season is coming to
a successful conclusion, said Kathie Arnold,
an organic dairy producer in Truxton, NY who
has a 130 cow herd in partnership with her
husband and his brother. Arnold, a respected
leader in the organic dairy community, has been
intimately involved in the stakeholder dialogue
for the past six years and was the point person
for collating comments from farmers around the
country that were submitted to the USDA as the
consensus agreementnow largely adopted in
the USDA regulations.
We are delighted by the new rules, said
Mark Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst at the
Wisconsin-based Cornucopia Institute. The
organic community has been calling for strong
regulations and its enforcement for much of the
past decade. Cheap organic milk flowing from
the illegitimate factory farms has created a surplus that is crushing ethical family farm producers.
The issue has been a lightning rod for controversy in the organic community. At least
five times during the last decade, the National
Organic Standards Board a key USDA advisory panel made-up of industry stakeholders
passed guidance or recommended regulatory
changes clarifying the requirement that dairy
cows and other ruminants must be allowed to
exhibit their native behavior and consume a
meaningful amount of their feed from grazing
on pastures.
I am confident that the new rule, along
with a commitment to rigorous enforcement by
certifiers, will put an end to these abuses and
restore fairness to the organic dairy sector, said
Kevin Engelbert, a dairy farmer from Nichols,
NY who milks 100 cows. Consumers will be
able to purchase organic dairy products with
confidence,knowing that regardless of the label, the animals who producedthe milk were on
pasture, as nature intended, Engelbert added.
The new organic livestock standards will go
into effect 120 days after publication in the Federal Register, or approximately June 16, 2010.
source: Cornucopia Institute press release,
http://www.cornucopia.org/2010/02/new-usdarules-establish-strong-organic-standards-forpasture-and-livestock/

Sally Fallon, as well as the father of the Cuban

organic agricultural movement, Fernando
Funes.

As the mother of two children, and a small

grass fed dairy manager, I had read Sally
Fallons book, Nourishing Traditions and
really enjoyed its basic premise. Good, healthy
food makes good healthy people. My kids were
relatively healthy from the get go. As was my
family, and most of my friends. As such, I was
always amazed by the stories about the many
positive effects drinking that milk had on my
milk customers, especially those that suffered
from chronic illnesses or allergies. To hear that
the simple act of drinking something real, alive
and full of good fats had made such a difference
to people who were very sick was revelatory.
by Carol Lake
Plans are well underway for the 36th Annual
NOFA Summer Conference, held this year
from August 13-15, 2010 on the U/Mass
Campus, in Amherst, MA . Our Keynote
Speakers this year include Nourishing
Traditions author and community activist

The NOFA summer conference is blessed,

once again, to have journalist, chef, nutrition
researcher, homemaker and community activist
Sally Fallon Morell as our keynote speaker,
and as a workshop presenter too. Sally is the
co-author, along with Mary Enig, Ph.D, of
the cookbook, Nourishing Traditions. This
well-researched, thought-provoking guide to
traditional foods contains a startling message:
animal fats and cholesterol are not villains but
vital factors in the diet, necessary for normal

USDA Scraps
NAIS
Inside This Issue
(continued on page 39)

Faced with stiff resistance from ranchers and

farmers, the USDA has decided to scrap the
National Animal Identification System, a
national program intended to identify and track
livestock in the event of an animal disease
outbreak. In abandoning the program officials
said they would start over in trying to devise
a livestock tracing program that could win
widespread support from the industry. The
officials said that it would be left to the states to
devise many aspects of a new system, including
requirements for identifying livestock. New
federal rules will be developed but the officials
said they would apply only to animals being
moved in interstate commerce, such as cattle
raised in one state being transported to a
slaughterhouse in another state.
NAIS quickly drew the ire of many
farmers and ranchers objecting to the cost of
identification equipment and the extra work
in having to report their animals movements.
Others said that it was intrusive and that
the federal government would use it to pry
into their lives and finances. The old system
received $142 million in federal financing, but
gained the participation of only 40 percent of
the nations livestock producers, according to a
report by the Congressional Research Service.
It was just overwhelming in the country
that people didnt like it, and I think they
took that feedback to heart, said Mary
Kay Thatcher, public policy director of the
American Farm Bureau Federation.
source: NY Times, Feb. 5, 2010

Features

Food Safety Regs and Farmers

10
Domestic Fair Trade Ass. Progress Report 43
Agric. Justice Project Progress Report
44

Supplement on
Alternative Organic
Animal Feeds

Why Pasture Livestock?

11
Why Replace Soy?
13
Making Your Own Poultry Feeds
15
Forages for Swine
19
Feed the Flock from Homestead Resources 21
Organic Chickens in Japan
26
Hog Production Alternatives
27
What Can Replace Soy in Organic Feeds? 29
Sprouting to Enhance Poultry Feeds
30
Black Soldier Fly, White Magic
31
How to Culture Mealworms
35
Whey-Fed Pigs: Lard as a Health Food! 37

Departments

Letters to the Editor

Editorial
NOFA Exchange
News Notes
Book Reviews
NOFA Contact People
NOFA Membership
Calendar

2
2
4
6
39
46
47
47

Letters to
the Editor

To the editor,

Hi, its hard to believe that you take ads for
organic yogurt and have article on Nutrient-dense
foods in the same issue. Ive not said anything till
now, because the Nutrient-dense article is so right
that the organic yogurt ad looks so out-of-place.
The organic milk has such a high load of bacteria
that regular pasteurization cant handle it, so they
ultra-microwave it, which means HIGHER THAN
MICROWAVE TEMPS!
Peace, Lily Robbins, Stonington, CT
Dear Lily,

Thanks for your feedback, and glad you
liked the nutrient dense articles. As for bacteria and
organic milk, I know of no evidence that organic
milk has any more bacteria in it than conventional
milk. The reason Organic Valley milk has been
ultra pasteurized (which means it is exposed for
a very short time to a temperature twice as high
as normal pasteurization) is to extend shelf life,
not because of a higher level of bacteria. Neither
process kills all germs, but ultra pasteurization
kills more, so that the milk, when kept cool, will
be drinkable for a much longer time. (Of course it
probably also kills more enzymes and other healthy
components of the milk, which people are seeking.)

The reason Organic Valley requires this
is that historically its milk has not moved through
the store as quickly as conventional milk, waiting
longer for the occasional organic buyer. That is
changing now with increased interest in organic
milk, and I was told recently by an Organic Valley
employee that they are considering dropping ultra
pasteurization because their milk moves off the
shelf faster now, and there are so many people upset
by the process.
-- Jack Kittredge

The Natural Farmer

Needs You!

The Natural Farmer is a quarterly membership

journal of the Northeast Organic Farming
Association.
We plan a year in advance so those who want to
write on a topic can have a lot of lead time. The
next 3 issues will be:

Summer 2010:

Small Farms & Govt Regulation

Fall 2010:

Organic Farming and Money

Winter 2010 - 2011:

Organic Farming and Co-ops

If you can help us on any of these topics, or have

ideas for new ones, please get in touch. We need
your help!
Moving or missed an issue? The Natural Farmer
will not be forwarded by the post office, so you
need to make sure your address is up-to-date if you
move. Those who regularly send us a subscription
fee should send address changes to us. Most of
you, however, get this paper as a NOFA member
benefit for paying your chapter dues and should
send address updates to your local NOFA chapter
(listed at the end of each issue).
Archived issues from Summer 1999 through Fall
2005 are available at http://www.library.umass.
edu/spcoll/digital/tnf/. More recent issues are
downloadable at www.nofa.org as pdf files.

Jack Kittredge and Julie Rawson

411 Sheldon Rd., Barre, MA 01005
978-355-2853, fax: (978) 355-4046
tnf@nofa.org

ISSN 1077-2294
copyright 2010,
Northeast Organic Farming Association, Inc

Spring 2010

The Natural Farmer

Another case in point is those among us who

raise pork and poultry. Although these animals
certainly benefit from being raised on pasture, it is
difficult for them to reach market weight without
supplemental nutrition. In most cases for this
purpose we supply them with high quality organic
feed. But the most practical organic feeds include
corn for energy and soy for protein. These are not
usually raised in the northeast, so we are importing
thousands of pounds of feed into the region in order
to supply a market for local food. Not perhaps what
our buyers are expecting?

Alternative
Organic
Animal Feed
by Jack Kittredge

Many of us in the business of raising animals

organically in the Northeast are looking for a
better way. The movement for local food has
been a tremendous boon to us, bringing us
regular customers and loyal supporters who travel
considerable distances to find food not raised
in a food factory. Their dollars and enthusiasm
have meant a rebirth of energy among organic
and sustainable farmers. But their questions and
concerns have also alerted us to a number of issues
some of us perhaps have not been taking seriously
enough.
There is a lot of interest, for instance, in grassfed beef and dairy among these customers. While
there are lots of excellent grass-fed operations in
the Northeast, for some of us that is particularly
difficult. Especially for those near cities, the cost
of land is so high that devoting it to hayfields and
pasture, rather than vegetable crops, bedding plants,
and other high return ventures, is not realistic.

Even worse, many of our customers are now

concerned about the human health concerns of
excessive soy in their meat, milk, and eggs. Are
there adequate supplies of alternative high protein
feeds available to us at a price our customers can
afford? What alterations in our operations are
necessary to change to these feeds?
Julie and I are among the pork and poultry raisers
mulling over these issues. We pasture our pigs,
chickens and turkeys their entire lives, but also
make available to them substantial quantities of
certified organic feed primarily composed of corn
and soy. We have made phone calls to our feed
dealer, put pressure up the line to get suppliers to
develop soy-free feeds, are looking at what we can
produce on our limited land base that would make
suitable protein available to our animals, and are
scouting local sources that would eliminate the need
for long haul trucking.
We were in the infancy of getting commercial
organic feeds available to organic farmers in the
northeast back in the 1980s, and I guess we are in
the infancy now of trying to move that business
toward sourcing soy-free and local feeds produced
in the northeast. The articles in this Special
Supplement explore that issue. We look at why
people are concerned about the issue of animal feed,
what alternatives have been tried both historically,
before commercial grains were standard and now,
by ingenious and thoughtful farmers and what
sources might be available to you on your own farm
right now. There is certainly a lot more to be found
out on this topic, and we hope to be involved in that
discovery in the future. But we thought it a good
idea to open the discussion now, even though we
dont yet have all the answers. We hope you agree.

Advertise in or Sponsor The Natural Farmer

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Spring 2010

The Natural Farmer

Offering Natural Fertilizers, Soil Amendments,

and Environmentally Compatible Pest Controls
*Many of our products that are not OMRI listed may be allowed for use on a
certified organic farm. Check with your certification representative to be sure.

Visit us on the Web: www.norganics.com or call for

the location of your nearest wholesale distributor

Many NCO products are:

Depot Street, Bradford, VT 05033 Ph. 802.222.4277 Fax 802.222.9661 info@norganics.com

Please help us thank these

Friends of Organic Farming
for their generous support!

Supporting a Food Culture that is

Regional
Sun-based
Grass-roots
Kim Q. Matland

NOFA
Exchange

The Natural Farmer

Spring 2010

Want to buy used bed former for our tractor, to

make roughly 4-foot wide raised planting beds. Call
Jack at 978-355-2853 or Email Jack@mhof.net.
Need black locust fence posts in quantity (100
or more). Contact Jack at 978-355-2853 or jack@
mhof.net.

Seeking Advisors for Organic Farming Initiative

in Rural Western Kenya Ileho Community
Centre for Social Services (ICCSS) is the leading
proponent of organic farming in the Kakamega
district of Kenya. Director Oscar Mmbali: Organic
farming provides women and youth who do not
own land with an opportunity to participate in the
community agricultural production. Our project
has captured over 10,000 interested potential small
scale land owners. They would like to grow from
subsistence agriculture into having organic farming
as an economic base. A pdf with more information
and an invitation to visit Kenya is at www.cydabatt.
com/ICCSS.html Oscars email: mmbali7@yahoo.
com .Oscars phone: 011-254-7-24-675762 (cell).

Establish Organic Farming Demo Farm in

Nepal. After graduating in Farm Course from UWMadison, WI, I continued my agricultural career
in Nepal. I started to educate farmers for organic
Farming. However, farmers do not know and believe
how it works. So I wish to establish an Organic
Farming Demo Farm under our NGOs leadership as
a Resource Center where national and International
Farmers can visit, exchange and learn about Organic
and Bio-Dynamic Farming Methods. Any interested
ones please contact me <surya_nafisa@yahoo.com>
for further discussions for joint venture efforts.
Thanks. Surya Nath Adhikari, (Chairman) Rural
Exchange & Sustainable Development Nepal

Blow Your Own Horn

Farm Manager, Field Crew Opportunities and

CSA shares available for 2010 season: Tracies
Community Farm, Fitzwilliam NH. Werein our
12th year of diversified organic (not certified)
vegetable production with a 250+ family CSA,
onsite farm-stand and restaurant sales. Looking
forhardworking, enthusiastic, self-motivated team
players, serious about farming, with a positive
attitude, stamina to work 10+ hour days, move 50#
bags.Ability to repair equipment,run a chainsaw,
carpentry skills a plus. We provide long-term
employment opportunities, hourly pay, potential
housing, and healthy, hearty lunches Monday
through Friday.Contact Tracie, 603-209-1851,
farmertracie@hotmail.com, www.traciesfarm.com

Farm for Sale: 230.5 acres in Fulton County, New

York. Currently an organically managed vegetable
and livestock farm. Pastures, gardens, forest, ponds.
Excellent soils, great views, great location, great
schools. Passive and active solar systems. Contact
(518) 332-5718 for more information. $599,000.

For Sale - Off the grid, solar home on 10.8 acres

in Guilford, New York with well. 2 stall attached
barn. 25x25 home consisting of 1st floor storage,
2nd floor kitchen with gas/wood Glenwood
cookstove and living room with catalytic Jotul
woodstove, and 3rd floor loft. For details, contact
Jean at 607-967-7845.

Opportunity sought by middle-aged man to

become year-round part of a small, low-tech home
team responsibly involved with diversified farming
(plant production, livestock, etc.) Responsible,
well-organized, creative and adaptable, with oldfashioned values. Broad background in crop/fruit/
flower/shrub production, and experience with most
domestic livestock. Special interests preservation
of heirloom/medicinal herbs, and many handicrafts.
Originally from the northeast would love hearing
from anyone with similar values/interests, especially
if you have ideas/advice to share. Please write, and
tell me about yourself/interests/needs.. Thanks. Gary
J. Meli, PO Box 1081, Silverton, Oregon 973810026

Used Self-Propelled Compost Turner for Sale:

Fully transportable, 80 hp, self-propelled compost
turner for sale. Turns windrows 8.5 ft wide by 4.5
ft tall 500 to 800 cu yd/hr operating capacity. In
great condition with only 1,300 hrs. New hydraulic
pump and drum motor. Includes 16 ft trailer,
spare hydraulic wheel motor, and extra set of
flails. $32,000 OBO - additional specifications
and photo can be seen at www.cvcompost/
?p=ccovers. Steven 802-425-5556.

Newsletter Editor. NOFA NH is looking for

a newsletter editor to produce our quarterly
newsletter. The editor will be responsible for
selecting, soliciting, writing and editing content for
each issue. The editor will also be responsible for
soliciting advertising. Experience is required, and
knowledge of organics is desirable. This is a paid
position. Assistance will be available. For more
information, please contact Elizabeth at:
603-224-5022 or info@nofanh.org.

Amherst, MA

413.695.8123

www.thepeoplesacupunctureclinic.com

Ashland, MA

508.881.1208

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Cambridge, MA

617.499.9993

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Fitchburg, MA

978.342.4400

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Medway, MA

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Stoneham, MA

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Manchester, NH

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Spring 2010

3 pt. hitch disc, some new blades, 6 ft. wide - $400.

Ferguson 9 3 pt. hitch cultivator, BO20, 7 shanks
with 2 springs per shank, $400. H. Ronald Bush, 463
Middle Rd., Bayport, NY 11705, 631-472-0530
Apprenticeship: The Hickories. Ridgefield,
CT. Certified organic fruit and vegetable CSA
farm looking for apprentice to learn all aspects of
organic farm management and take on, in particular,
responsibilities for animal husbandry. Housing
included + $800 a month stipend. May-October
contract.www.thehickories.org. Send cover letter
and resume to info@thehickories.org
Internship at Millstone Farm - Full-Season (April
to October): 2 positions available - Application
Deadline: March 15, Half-Season (June to August):
1 position available Application Deadline: April
15. Millstone Farm (Wilton, CT) is a working farm
and a hub for outreach and education, where we
strive to use best farm practices, encourage their
implementation, and promote awareness about their
positive impact on local economies, the community
and our quality of life. Through action-learning,
interns will become fully immersed in the farms
activities and gain a strong foundation in sustainable
agriculture. For program details and application,
please email us at: interns@millstonefarm.org.
D Acres of New Hampshire, a nonprofit organic
farm and educational homestead committed to
promoting a more sustainable future through farmbased workshops, internships, and public access is
looking for a committed, hardworking person to be
the Garden Coordinator. This individual will work
with staff and interns under the direction of the farm
manager in all facets of the garden operations for
the 2010 growing season; including: planning out
the garden, mapping, starting seeds, transplanting,
planting out, irrigation, weeding, harvesting, seed
saving, record keeping, and closing the gardens. For
full job description please visit www.dacres.org, or
contact us: 603-786-2366, info@dacres.org.
Wanted: Web Gurus, Videographers & Design
Mavens. The Real Food Campaign (RFC) works
to increase the nutrient density of food. Our
efforts impinge on, and focus, the intersection of
environmentalism, sustainable/organic/biodynamic

agriculture, and health. We ambitiously envision

a website to serve our movement. Please let us
know if you are in the know when it comes to
internet solutions and services and have time
to help. Specific roles needed include: Website
Development Team, Web Servant / Drupal Content
Manager, Videographer / Audio Visual Editor,
Graphic Designer, Social Networking Specialist.
We are on shoestrings, so this is volunteer.
Contact: delia@realfoodcampaign.org, http://www
RealFoodCampaign.org.
Wanted: Board Member and General Counsel.
The Real Food Campaign (RFC) is working
to increase the nutrient density of food, at the
intersection of environmentalism, sustainable/
organic/biodynamic agriculture, and health care.
We seek a board member with legal expertise. Tasks
include a legal audit, defining employee/volunteer
relationships, nonprofit status, government
regulations, copyright and IP. This is a pro-bono
position. If you are a farmer/gardener who also
happens to be an attorney, your association with
the RFC will be fun & educational. Send resume
to: dan@realfoodcampaign.org with personal/
professional philosophy, and why the RFC is a
fit for you. For more information: http://www.
RealFoodCampaign.org.
Farm Jobs Available at Mighty Food Farm:
Mighty Food Farm produces certified organic
produce and eggs on 25 acres in Pownal, VT (South
of Bennington). We market through CSA, farmers
markets, and wholesale. We are seeking farmers
with at least 1-2 years experience for CSA manager
andtransplant manager positions.Pay is $8-12/
hr, depending on experience and performance.
Wealso have 4 summer crew positions available
starting in May and continuing through October
($8/hr). Please visit mightyfoodfarm.com, or email
farmers@mightyfoodfarm.comfor more info.
Position available on organic farm for person with
interest in vegetables, flowers, bees, chickens, etc.,
planting, growing, harvesting and selling, Private
quarters, food, stipend, possibly year round work.
Contact George Hall, Simsbury, CT 06070. 860280-4476, 860-658-9297, www.georgehallfarm.
com, georgehallfarm@att.net

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izers and soil-building
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News Notes
compiled by Jack Kittredge

Replace Soy With Duckweed?

Farms in the Netherlands are investigating the
possibility of using duckweed as a replacement
for soy in animal feeds. Duckweed contains up to
40% protein, which composition is similar to that
of soybeans. Duckweed is a collective name for
water plants that float on the water. At favorable
circumstances the biomass volume can double in
two days time.
Grown on fermentation residue, under Dutch
conditions a harvest of 20 to 40 tons of duckweed
(dry matter) per hectare should be feasible.
Naturally grown duckweed is suitable as a cattle
feed, but needs to be processed. Cows do not like
raw duckweed. The current study is supported by
the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture. source: http://
www.allaboutfeed.net/news/study-on-replacing-soywith-duckweed-id3910.html

Euro-Leaf Picked As New European Union

Organic Logo
The winning logo, which got over 60% of some
130,000 votes, was announced on Monday 8
February. The successful logo was the star leaf or
Euro-leaf. Discussions in the months during the
voting period generally concluded that the star leaf
logo, i.e. the winning logo, was the best option of
the three proposals, or as many said the least bad
option. It is stated in the EU-legislation that the
new logo must be used from 1 July 2010 for new
packaging material.
source: The Organic Standard, February, 201011/25/09
12764_HO_NOFA_NaturalFarmer_Spring10_Ad.pdf

The Natural Farmer

India Halts Release of GM Eggplant

The Indian minister for the environment has
imposed a six-month moratorium on the launch of
a genetically modified variety of eggplant, known
locally as brinjal, saying that further scientific
research was needed before permission could be
given for its commercial cultivation. Jairam Ramesh
said he had taken note of tremendous opposition
from state governments within India, broad public
resistance and the lack of a scientific consensus.
This would be the first GM vegetable crop anywhere
in the world so I have been very sensitive and I
have arrived at this decision which is responsible to
science and responsible to society, he said.
The decision comes at the same time as the
retired managing director of India operations for
Monsanto, creator of the Bt eggplant, alleged
that the company used to fake scientific data
submitted to government regulatory agencies to get
commercial approvals for its products in India. The
former Monsanto boss said government regulatory
agencies with which the company used to deal in
the 1980s simply depended on data supplied by the
company while giving approvals to herbicides. The
Central Insecticide Board was supposed to give these
approvals based on the location and crop-specific
data from India. But it simply accepted foreign data
supplied by Monsanto. They did not even have a test
tube to validate the data and, at times, the data itself
was faked, Jagadisan said.
source: guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 9 February 2010
and India Today, 9 February 2010

Spring 2010

systems presented through the lenses of history,

anthropology, the natural sciences, philosophy,
business, economics, and art.
source: Green Mountain College press release, Feb.
4, 2010

USDA Offers In-Depth Look at Organic Farming

The nations organic farms and ranches have
higher average sales and higher average production
expenses than U.S. farms overall, according to
survey data released by the U.S. Department of
Agricultures National Agricultural Statistics
Service. The survey counted 14,540 U.S. farms and
ranches that were either USDA certified organic or
were exempt from certification because their sales
totaled less than $5,000. These operations comprised
4.1 million acres of land, of which 1.6 million acres
were harvested cropland and 1.8 million acres were
pasture or rangeland. While there were organic
farms or ranches in all 50 states, nearly 20 percent
of the operations were in California. California also
led the nation in organic sales, with $1.15 billion
or 36 percent of all U.S. sales. Nationwide, 2008
organic sales totaled $3.16 billion, including $1.94
billion in crops sales and $1.22 billion in sales of
livestock, poultry and their products. The nations
certified and exempt organic farms had average
sales and production expenses that were higher than
those of U.S. farms overall. Organic operations
had an average of $217,675 in sales, compared
with $134,807 for all farms as reported in the 2007
Census of Agriculture. Production expenditures
averaged $171,978 per organic farm, compared
Sustainable Agriculture Major Launched at
with the nationwide average of $109,359 for all
Vermonts Green Mountain College
farms. Most U.S. organic producers sold their
Green Mountain College, in Poultney, VT, has
products locally, with 44 percent of sales taking
announced the creation of a new Sustainable
place less than 100 miles from the farm. Nearly 83
Agriculture & Food Production major. GMC
percent of organic sales were to wholesale channels,
will present the major concentration as part of
including processors, millers and packers. Just over
its curricular offerings beginning in the fall 2010
10 percent of sales were direct to retail operations,
semester. The major has been developed out
including supermarkets. Only 7 percent of sales
of a highly successful sustainable agriculture
were direct to consumers, via farm stands, farmers
concentration in the Colleges environmental studies markets, community supported agriculture and other
program. The new Sustainable Agriculture & Food
arrangements. More than 78 percent of respondents
Production major will be based at Cerridwen Farm,
indicated that they plan to maintain or increase their
the Colleges 22-acre working farm, with office
organic production over the next five years.
and classroom space at the adjacent Solar Harvest
source: http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/
1:45:40 PM
Center. Students will learn about agriculture and food Publications/2007/Online_Highlights/Organics/

Horizon Organic joins with

the Federation of
Organic Dairy Farmers
in support of regulatory
changes to require that all
dairy cows be raised
organically from the last
third of gestation.

www.HorizonOrganic.com

Montagne Farm, St. Albans, Vermont

2009 Horizon Organic Photo by Keri Pickett

Spring 2010

Raw Milk Court Victory In Canada

Michael Schmidt, operator of a raw milk cow share
in Canada was found not guilty of all 19 counts
against him in a Canadian court on January 21,
2010. This is a major victory for raw milk and caps
years of harassment by Canadian authorities and a
long court case. For details and followup, see http://
hartkeisonline.com/
source: Weston A. Price Foundation press release,
January 24, 2009
Supreme Court To Take Up Monsanto Alfalfa
Case
The Supreme Court said on January 15 that it
would consider overturning a court order that has
blocked Monsanto Co. from selling alfalfa seeds
that are genetically modified to resist its Roundup
weed killer. The courts decision in this case also
could affect a second ruling involving the biotech
companys modified sugar beets.
Monsanto filed the petition with the U.S.
Supreme Court in October, arguing that the 2007
injunction by Judge Charles Breyer should not have
been ordered without first holding an evidentiary
hearing. As a result, the ban imposed unnecessary
restrictions and costs on alfalfa hay and seed
growers, Monsanto said. Prior to the injunction,
Roundup Ready alfalfa was planted by 5,500
growers across 263,000 acres. Alfalfa is the fourthlargest crop grown in the U.S. with 23 million
acres grown in 48 U.S. states annually, but about 1
percent of that is currently Roundup Ready.
Opponents claim that Monsantos genetically
engineered seeds contaminate other crops. The
Center for Food Safety filed a 2006 lawsuit on
behalf of a coalition of non-profits and farmers who
wanted to retain the choice to plant non-modified
alfalfa. CFS won the case and two appeals by
Monsanto in the Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit in 2008 and 2009. Now the Supreme Court
has agreed to hear the case.
source: St. Louis Business Journal, Jan 15, 2010
EPA Approved Pesticide Illegally
A pesticide that could be dangerously toxic to
Americas honey bees must be pulled from store
shelves, says a December court order. A federal
court in New York invalidated EPAs approval of

The Natural Farmer

the pesticide spirotetramat (manufactured by Bayer

CropScience under the trade names Movento and
Ultor) and ordered the agency to reevaluate the
chemical in compliance with the law. The courts
order goes into effect on January 15, 2010, and
makes future sales of Movento illegal in the United
States.
In June 2008, EPA approved Movento for
nationwide use on hundreds of different crops,
including apples, pears, peaches, oranges, tomatoes,
grapes, strawberries, almonds, and spinach. The
approval process went forward without the advance
notice and opportunity for public comment that is
required by federal law and EPAs own regulations.
In addition, EPA failed to evaluate fully the potential
damage to the nations already beleaguered bee
populations or conduct the required analysis of the
pesticides economic, environmental, and social
costs.
source: National Resource Defense Council press
release, Dec. 29, 2009
New Study Confirms: Organic Food is Far
Healthier Than Conventional
Organic produce is nutritionally superior to socalled conventional produce, according to a
comprehensive review conducted by researchers
from the University of Aix-Marseille for the
French food agency (AFSSA) and published in the
journal Agronomy for Sustainable Development.
This critical literature review indicates that
organic agriculture, as developed until now, has
the potential to produce high-quality products
with some relevant improvements in terms of antioxidant phytomicronutrients, nitrate accumulation in
vegetables and toxic residue levels, the researchers
wrote.
Recently the United Kingdoms Food Standards
Agency (FSA) reviewed existing research on the
nutritional content of organic produce concluded
that there was no difference, nutritionally, between
organic and non-organic produce. The AFSSA
review calls the FSAs conclusions into question.
After conducting an up-to-date exhaustive and
critical evaluation of the nutritional and sanitary
quality of organic food, French researchers
concluded that organic produce is clearly
nutritionally superior. Organic produce contains

more minerals, such as iron and magnesium,

than non-organic produce, and higher levels of
antioxidants such as phenols and salicylic acid.
Organic plant food overall contain double the
amount of phenolic compounds, the researchers
wrote. Animal foods produced organically contained
significantly more polyunsaturated fat than nonorganic animal products. In addition, organic
vegetables contained 50 percent less nitrates than
non-organic produce. No more than 6 percent of
organic produce tested contained pesticide residue.
source: http://www.naturalnews.com/027854_
organic_food_nutrition.html
Lifeless Prion Proteins Are Capable Of
Evolution
Scientists have shown for the first time that
lifeless prion proteins, devoid of all genetic
material, can evolve just like higher forms of life.
The Scripps Research Institute says the prions
can change to suit their environment and go on
to develop drug resistance. Prions are associated
with 20 different brain diseases in humans and
animals. The scientists say their work suggests new
approaches might be necessary to develop therapies
for these diseases.
In the study, published in the journal Science,
the scientists transferred prion populations from
brain cells to other cells in culture and observed
that the prions that adapted to the new cellular
environment out-competed their brain-adapted
counterparts. When returned to the brain cells, the
brain-adapted prions again took over the population.
Charles Weissmann, head of Scripps Floridas
department of infectology who led the study, said:
On the face of it, you have exactly the same
process of mutation and adaptive change in prions
as you see in viruses. This means that this pattern
of Darwinian evolution appears to be universally
active. In viruses, mutation is linked to changes in
nucleic acid sequence that leads to resistance. Now,
this adaptability has moved one level down- to
prions and protein folding - and its clear that you do
not need nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) for the process
of evolution.
source: BBC News, Jan., 1, 2010, http://news.bbc.
co.uk/2/hi/health/8435320.stm

Amending with Compost Plus

Generally, when growing in Fort Vee or Fort
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At the point of root ll, plants should be uppotted or transplanted. When it is not feasible to
up-pot, amend the media with Compost Plus,
our container and transplant booster mix. Apply
8 inch to the surface of the container by broadcasting, even through dense foliage, and water in.
Compost Plus should be added before complete
root ll of the media. Do not wait to see evidence
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The Natural Farmer

Spring 2010

Spring 2010
Large Organic Livestock Operation Decertified
by USDA
One of the largest organic cattle producers in the
United States, Promiseland Livestock, LLC, was
suspended from organic commerce, along with
its owner and key employees, for four years on
November 25, 2009. Promiseland, a multimillion
dollar operation with facilities in Missouri and
Nebraska, including over 13,000 acres of crop
land, and managing 22,000 head of beef and dairy
cattle, had been accused of multiple improprieties
in formal legal complaints, including not feeding
organic grain to cattle, selling fraudulent organic
feed and laundering conventional cattle as
organic.
Promiseland sold thousands of dairy cows to
giant factory dairy farms owned by Dean Foods
(Horizon Organic), Natural Prairie Dairy in Texas
and Aurora Dairy based in Colorado. Aurora and
Natural Prairie supply private-label, store-brand
milk for Wal-Mart, Costco, Target and major
supermarket chains such as HEB, Safeway and
Harris Teeter. Promiselands improprieties were
uncovered as a result of complaints filed by
Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin organic watchdog
group, into practices by Aurora Dairy. Now new
documents have prompted Cornucopia to prepare
additional legal complaints asking the USDA to
focus attention on Quality Assurance International
(QAI), the certifier for Promiseland when many of
the alleged abuses took place. QAI also certifies
portions of Auroras operation and Dean Foods
corporate-owned industrial dairies.
At a recent industry meeting in Washington,
D.C., Miles McEvoy, USDA Deputy Administrator
and the new director of the National Organic
Program, stated emphatically that we were now
entering the age of enforcement at the NOP.
source: Cornucopia Institute press release, Dec. 2,
2009
GM Growth Expands Pesticide Use
Genetically-engineered corn, soybeans, and cotton
now account for the majority of acres planted to
these three crops. A model was developed that
utilizes official, U.S. Department of Agriculture
pesticide use data to estimate the differences in the

The Natural Farmer

average pounds of pesticides applied on GE crop
acres, compared to acres planted to conventional,
non-GE varieties.
The basic finding is that compared to pesticide
use in the absence of GE crops, farmers applied
318 million more pounds of pesticides over the
last 13 years as a result of planting GE seeds. This
difference represents an average increase of about
0.25 pound for each acre planted to a GE trait. GE
crops are pushing pesticide use upward at a rapidly
accelerating pace. In 2008, GE crop acres required
over 26% more pounds of pesticides per acre than
acres planted to conventional varieties. The report
projects that this trend will continue as a result of
the rapid spread of glyphosate-resistant weeds.
The full report is 69 pages and is accessible at
the address below.
source: http://www.organic-center.org/reportfiles/
EXSUM_13Years20091116.pdf
A1 and A2 Milk Concerns Cited
A recent book Devil in the Milk: Illness, Health
and The Politics of A1-A2 Milk by Keith
Woodford and Tom Cowan claims that a genetic
mutation in cattle thousands of years in the past
altered the beta-casein amino acid configuration
of some cows, resulting in a change of proline
to histidine at the 67th amino acid in the bovine
beta casein amino acid chain. The effect was that
whereas all cattle originally belonged to the A2
milk group, some now belong to groups which
may collectively be referred to as A1. A1 milk
is more difficult to digest and has been linked to a
higher incidence of heart disease and diabetes, and
is of concern for those who suffer from leaky gut
syndrome.
Although all breeds of cattle contain animals
with both A1 and A2 milk, some breeds have far
more of one than the other, Guernsey cows, for
instance, are heavily A2 producers, and Holsteins
heavily A1. No one can tell which type a particular
herd is, however, without genetic testing (about
$100 to $125 per cow) and a herd can be switched
from one type to the other in a few years by
engaging the services of an A2 bull.
source: NODPA News, January 2010 and Acres,
USA, December, 2009

Orchids Without Chlorophyll

Researchers have found that three types of orchids
native to Thailand lack any chlorophyll and depend
on ectomycorrhizal fungi colonizing their roots to
enable them to take carbon from the soil. The fungi
also associate with the roots of nearby trees, where
they collect the carbon.
source: Acres, USA, December, 2009
BPA In Canned Foods
According to tests by Consumer Reports, a wide
variety of name brand canned foods including
soups, juice, tuna and green beans showed signs
of Bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is a manmade product
contained in many plastics, including in the lining of
cans used for food. It is an endocrine disruptor and
has been linked with many human health concerns,
even at very low levels. The group also tested foods
in cans labeled organic BPA-free, and even in
alternative kinds of packaging. These tests showed
lower levels of BPA in most, but not all, cases.
source: Acres, USA, December, 2009
Organic Valley Takes Over Milk Procurement for
Stonyfield Brand
On January 1 Organic Valley took over sourcing
fluid milk for the Stonyfield brand, and HP Hood
will continue as the primary processor of that milk.
Producers who have current contracts to supply
Stonyfield fluid milk can join Organic Valley in
a special reserve status, continue to supply milk
for the remainder of their contract under Organic
Valley management, or sign with another organic
processor. This announcement ended weeks of
speculation about the future of HP Hood in the
organic milk industry. Over the last 9 months
Hood has been slimming down its producer base
by ending contracts or giving 180 days notice,
There are still 270 farms supplying organic milk to
Hood, however, and Organic Valley will take over
managing these.
source: NODPA News, November, 2009

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10

The Natural Farmer

Spring 2010

How Will Food Safety Regs Affect Farmers?

by Steve Gilman
NOFA-IC Policy Coordinator

Theres no question that food safety oversight in this

country is badly broken and has long needed fixing.
Oversight by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) has been rendered toothless through decades
of food industry-backed congressional funding cuts
and the massive meat and grain sectors of the ag
economy have been shunted off into agribusinessfriendly USDA jurisdiction. But when unrelenting
outbreaks of contaminated meat, produce and
processed foods regularly sicken some 76 million
citizens a year, hospitalizing (and sometimes
permanently incapacitating) 350,000 and killing
5,000 -- clearly its time that food safety is fully
addressed.
Pressure for legislation has been spearheaded by
national consumer groups who periodically usher
delegations of victims through the House and Senate
office buildings. After 8 years of stifled activity
during the G.W. Bush Administration theres plenty
of pent up demand for creating stringent regs and
producing the funding to implement them. And in
flurries of bipartisan activity (for once) its political
suicide for legislators to vote against food safety.
Facing a phalanx of legislative, FDA and USDA
activity for small farmers the question is not
whether they will become impacted by multiple
governmental regulations but how, and by how
much.

Safe food is the bottom line in the marketplace and

farmers well realize that no producer is exempt
from the mandate of practicing food safety at every
stage of production. Theres tremendous personal
incentive for them to get it right. Many farm
families are the preliminary eaters of their farms
output, for example, and direct marketers are only
as good as their last sale in face-to-face exchanges
with their customers. Practices that are appropriate
for giant industrialized operations who co-mingle
and mass-process produce from multiple (including
foreign) sources for nation-wide distribution have
little in common with the small scale of family
farmers. Yet a lot of the impending legislative
and agency mandates are taking a one-size-fits-all
approach that discounts risk and could impact small
farmers very ability to stay in business.
At this writing at the end of January, 2010 the
Senates Food Safety Modernization Act (S.510) has
yet to go to the floor for a vote, although it could
happen any time now. Using definitions and powers
already slipped into law under the Bioterrorism
Act of 2002, S.510 broadens FDA regulation on
farms that minimally process crops during harvest
and packing operations for sale to food coops,
restaurants, grocery stores, schools or wholesale
markets legally redefining them as facilities.
If S.510 goes through without our proposed
amendments, farmers would also be subject to
registration, onerous traceability requirements,
expensive food safety plans, on farm FDA
inspections and annual fees.

This is not at all a done deal at this point, however.

Amendments are being prepared and alternative
language modifying the impact on farmers is taking
place behind the scenes. After the Senate votes, the
legislation will go to a conference committee to
resolve the differences with the House Bill HR 2749
that passed at the end of July 09 and this provides a
further opportunity for input and modification. Once
the final bill is passed by Congress and signed by
the President then the rule-making process begins
with further opportunities for public comment.
Here too the intent of Congress colloquies that
NSAC and NOC staffers managed to insert as
backup language in the bills will determine how the
actual final regulations are worded. And finally, this
mega-billion dollar annual initiative will have to
compete with everything else on the table for scarce
congressional dollars affecting the on-the-ground
scope of inspection and regulation.
As the situation deepens, more badly needed allies
are realizing the threat to family farm value-added
production and on-farm processing operations.
Our top heavy agricultural system resembles an
upside down pyramid with a very small number
of farmers at the bottom supporting all us eaters
stacked up on top. And an even smaller subset
of family farmers is the basis for all the hopes,
dreams and intentions of our burgeoning alternative
agriculture world as well. Without a vibrant and
viable family-farm scale sector all the local,
sustainable, organic, fair, nutrition, farm-to-school,
food security, healthy food, slow food, farm to chef,
Farmers Markets, CSA, rural regeneration, land
stewardship, etc. initiatives are left in the lurch.
Without careful consideration of the unintended
side effects of this legislation it is entirely possible
that Congress will create food safety rules that
will strangle the movement toward eating healthy
fresh local food, as well as shut down farms due to
excessive costs of compliance or place a lid on their
further growth and expansion into larger markets.
Such impacts on farmers further affect their role
as a primary driver of rural revitalization and rural
economic development. And by not focusing their
regulatory zeal on the riskiest industrial food sector,
our antiquated food safety system stands to be
modernized in name only.

Spring 2010

11

The Natural Farmer

Special Supplement on
Alternative Organic Animal Feeds

Why Pasture Livestock?

by Jack Kittredge

As readers of this paper certainly know, the

dominant U. S. system for feeding livestock is based
on cheap grain. Under current U. S. agriculture
policy, the government provides subsidies to
farmers who produce grains, particularly corn and
soybeans. Livestock raisers use corn and soy as a
base for their animal feed because these protein-rich
grains fatten up their animals and because theyre
incredibly cheap as a result of those government
subsidies. Livestock consume 47% of the soy and
60% of the corn produced in the U. S.
Although commercial organic animal feed is not
what most farmers would call cheap (being certified
organically grown), it is still largely based on corn
and soy. And, in general, grain-fed meat, eggs
and dairy are nutritionally deficient. They have
higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids than products
from animals raised with access to pasture and are
lower in omega-3 fatty acids (the good fat), and
Conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA (CLAs help to
fight against cancer and cardiovascular disease),
Pasturing Cattle, Sheep and Goats
Cows, sheep and goats are ruminants, and as such
are designed by nature to digest grass rather than
grains. They digest it first by eating it raw and
then by regurgitating it and chewing it again in a
partially-digested form known as a cud. Ruminants
stomachs are divided into four chambers in which
digestion takes place, aided by microbes that enable
cellulose to be broken down by fermentation. As a
ruminant digests, the food moves slowly from one
chamber to the next.
Ruminants dont digest grains such as corn or soy
well, however. Designed to eat fibrous grass, a
grain-fed ruminant will build up excess acids in its
rumen because there is not enough fiber in grain to
absorb the acids produced in fermentation. Thus
animals that are fed grain can develop severe health
problems, including ulcers, liver abscesses and
sudden death syndrome.
Why are so many cattle raised on grain, then? The
answer is that grain, being artificially cheap, makes
money faster for the livestock owner. It takes longer
to raise a beef cow to market size on grass than
grain. You can get more milk per milking from a
grain-fed than a grass-fed cow. Never mind that
feeding the cow grain may be stressing her and
result in more disease, trouble breeding back, and a
shorter life span.
Raising cattle on pasture not only makes sense for
their digestive systems, but makes sense for humans
too, by turning something we cant eat grass
into something useful to us meat and dairy
products. Cattle raised on grass result in meat leaner
and lower in calories, and higher in omega-3s and
vitamin E, than grain-fed cattle. Grass-fed dairy
products also have five times more CLA than their
grain-fed counterparts.
Pigs on Pasture
Pasture-raised hogs are happier and healthier than

hogs raised in confinement as they are able to

engage in their natural tendency to root in the soil
for food. They also have higher levels of omega-3
fatty acids in their meat, and more vitamin E than
confinement-farmed hogs. They do, however, need
to find adequate supplies of protein in their pasture.
One study shows how instinctively pigs will search
for high-protein feed. Pure stands of white clover,
alfalfa, tall fescue and buffalo grass were studied for
suitability for grazing by pigs. The pigs initially had
access to all four forages for a two-day adjustment
period. They were then to be randomly assigned to
one of the four forage stands. The pigs preference
for white clover, however, was so strong that they
largely destroyed the stand during the adjustment
period by first grazing the top growth and then
rooting up the plants. As a result, white clover
was dropped from the subsequent two-day grazing
trial. When next turned loose, the pigs grazed the
alfalfa but did not root it up to the extent they had
done with the white clover. They showed very little
interest in grazing the two grasses so long as the
legumes were present.
The conclusion? When it is available, pigs show a
clear preference for protein-rich foods like legumes.
A variety of crops like turnips, kale and fodder beets
are also excellent protein-rich food sources one can
plant for pastured pigs.
In addition to their value for pork, pigs also bring
an extra benefit to the farm when raised on pasture.
As Newman Turner, British farmer and author of
Fertility Farming says about pigs:
There is no quicker or more economical contributor
to soil fertility. Coarse roots or weeds, which are

extremely difficult to eradicate on rough land by

any other means, are dug up by the pigs to provide
food and at the same time they clean the land more
effectively than is possible with a machine.
His system for rotating pigs through several fields to
provide both pork and crops is simple:
When the field is completely turned over and
well cultivated by the pigs, they are moved on to
start ploughing another field, and the first field is
leveled and a rough seed-bed prepared with the disc
harrows.
Kale is then broadcast over the field. Once the kale
is up, the pigs are returned to the field:
The kale is grazed by the pigs at a young leafy
stage and they clear the whole crop down to the
ground, leaving at the most only small stumps. Then
the disc harrows go in again. Once or twice over the
field with disc harrows prepares a seed-bed ready
for sowing wheat. On the poorest land, following
this double dressing of pig manure, part of which
has advanced in its decomposition, good crops of
wheat have always been harvested.
Forest Feeding of Pigs
Until World War II, foraging pigs in the forest in the
summer was a common Southeastern practice. The
park-like, oak savannahs that covered the Piedmont
and Appalachian region of the Southeast in the 19th
and early 20th Century were largely created by
pigs, which were then brought back to the farm in
the winter to forage on remnant corn and other crop
residues. The hardwood trees provided mast crops
for the pigs to fatten on, and protected the heat-

12

intolerant pigs from the Southeasts broiling summer

sun. Chestnut finished woodland pork was reported
to be the sweetest of all pork and was highly
prized. In Spain, pigs forage on acorns from corkproducing trees. This pork has largely unsaturated
fat, is high in healthful oleic acid, and sells for $40
a pound. In addition to mast, forest forage that pigs
relish includes roots, tubers, moles, snakes and
lizards.
Forest floor pig grazing, however, was frowned
upon by the Forest Service and publicly discouraged
as poor forestry management. Domesticated pig
grazing was eventually prohibited by law on federal
lands. Recent research by Dr. Charles Talbott at
North Carolina A&T, however, has shown that
controlled hog grazing in the forest may actually
improve hardwood timber stands by removing forest
floor competitive vegetation and improving acorn
regeneration.
Virginia farmer Joel Salatin says that pigs are
excellent at taking forest land on which trees have
been recently cut and converting it directly to
pasture:
The successional sequence after logging is to
quickly go to briars and brambles - not grass. The
stumps and steep aspect prevent us using mowing to
control this lush regrowth.
He found that pigs love the roots of these early
succession plants, however, and could largely clear
cut-over land by gnawing tree roots and the bark of
young saplings. It is very important to get the pigs
on the cutover land as quickly as possible, he says,
because pigs are ground oriented and will ignore
anything that is taller than 24 inches.
Joels oldest pig pastures have put forth a mixture of
perennial ryegrass and crabgrass. He doesnt know
where the seed came from, and says the pig pastures
are the only paddocks on the farm with perennial
ryegrass. He grazes his pigs longer than most hog
farmers:
The unfair advantage of grazing pigs is that after
200 pounds they can get more of their feed from

The Natural Farmer

the grass. I figure I get a 350 pounder on about the

same feed as a commercial finisher gets his to 250
pounds. Its in those last 50 to 100 pounds where
your advantage lies.
Joel favors Berkshires, Hampshires, Yorkshires and
Durocs. Poland Chinas get too fat and Tamworths
wont root, he says:
Tamworths are great as a follower pig with
cattle because they wont root up the pasture, but
this makes them useless for turning compost and
clearing land. Also, just as with chickens and cattle,
fresh grass is important. With pigs, it is the grass
that creates the special flavor.

Spring 2010

are removed. For hens with plenty of scratching,

which is productive of an unlimited supply of
worms, will have neither the time nor the desire to
peck one another. And a large proportion of their
food of a kind far more valuable than any that can
be bought or even grown on the farm is provided
free of charge.
Turkeys

Joel Salatin has found that turkeys are far more

efficient converters of pasture to meat than chickens:

Pastured Poultry
Chickens

Turkeys can get up to 45 to 50% of their diet from

young, leguminous pasture versus only 25 to 30%
for chickens. Turkeys are very mobile and this
makes them good foragers. They are bred to walk
and dont get tired.

Approximately 98% of the worlds eggs are now

produced by caged hens. There has been a small
recent move toward cage-free eggs, primarily on
humanitarian grounds, and those eggs typically sell
for three-times what the caged ones do.

Joel said turkeys in his area of Virginia were once

walked 30 miles to market. On the farm they can be
herded, similar to sheep, and taken to vineyards or
orchards where they can be day-ranged to help keep
harmful insects under control.

But whether eggs are from caged or cage-free

hens, they taste the same and have the same
nutritional profile. Michael Hamm, a professor
at Michigan State University, said the only eggs
with a nutritional difference are those that come
from pastured hens with daily access to green
grass. Free-ranged chickens without access to grass
do not show any nutritional improvement over
conventional eggs, whereas pasturing hens on green
grass produces eggs higher in healthy omega-3 fatty
acids and vitamin E.

Unlike chickens, turkeys do not scratch holes in the

pasture -- which can create pasture weed problems.
Also, if run at very low stocking rates, turkeys can
get 100% of their diet from the pasture and the bugs
it contains:

This, of course, was the way Newman Turner

raised his birds, finding much of their own food in
the humus and weeds of the fertile farm. But even
this system has its snags, he says, of which two are
feather pecking and the high cost of protein foods.
His solution?

Heritage breeds grow half as fast, have a smaller

body, are more expensive to buy and harder to clean
due to their dark feathers. But they would do well
as a totally bug-fed animal.

I figure you could run 200 turkeys on 100 acres of

pasture and not have to feed them anything.
He said such a no-feed system would lend itself well
to the Heritage turkey breeds:

Add the compost heap to the hen yard, with its

abundance of earthworms -- deliberately cultivated
for the purpose if possible -- and both these snags

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Why Replace Soy?

Spring 2010

13

The Natural Farmer

(and How Phytoestrogens May be a Plot by Plants)

A third class, zearaleonones, is produced by fungi

and considered a mycotoxin.

by Jack Kittredge

Soy is high in protein, relatively cheap, and

grows well in the US. Why in the world would
anyone raising animals look for alternatives to this
wonderful legume?

Some phytoestrogens are extensively metabolized

in the rumen, so their significance in forage for
cattle and sheep depends on their metabolic fate. In
some cases the compounds are enhanced and rapidly
absorbed through the rumen wall, in other cases
they are broken down and have a reduced effect.

Originating in China, soybeans have been consumed

by humans for thousands of years. But they were
not eaten as a primary food. They were used as
a side dish to compliment and flavor the main
meal. In addition, because raw soy contains toxic
compounds, the beans were not eaten directly.
Instead, they were fermented into products like
miso, tamari, tofu or tempeh.
These days most soybeans become ingredients
in livestock feeds, with chicken feed containing
the highest proportion (almost half of the beans
processed for livestock feed end up as chicken
feed). Thats because soybeans contain 38% protein,
an essential nutrient for poultry and livestock.
But soybeans also contain compounds called
phytoestrogens. These are chemicals that mimic
the reproductive estrogen hormones. Estrogens
themselves (especially estradiol-17) are critical
to vertebrate animal reproduction and required for
female reproductive physiology. Estrous itself (the
state of a female being in heat or available for
breeding) is critically dependent on the presence of
estrogen.
Phytoestrogens have been linked with infertility
in animals who eat them. They are synthesized in
legumes such as soybeans, clover and alfalfa, as
well as many grains. Their production is increased
by plant stress as well as by fertilization with
materials such as sewage sludge that contain
estrogens or their precursors. Phytoestrogen
production is greatest during rapid plant growth.

Studies show that livestock and poultry fed plants

containing phytoestrogens retain them in their
meat and eggs (particularly the yolks of eggs). This
raises the concern that feeding domestic animals
soy-based fodder produces animal-based foods
rich in an active form of phytoestrogens. Since soy
is the human choice for animal feed, this gives it
a clear avenue into our daily diets and the human
consumption of soy estrogenic compounds.

Soy beans, ready to harvest.

Foliar diseases and mineral deficiencies in the plant
can also cause higher levels of phytoestrogens,
Four classes of phytoestrogens (and over 20
different compounds) have been identified. Alfalfa,
for instance, produces coumestans. They suppress
estrus and inhibit ovulation, and in heifers can result
in premature mammary and genital development.
Infertility induced by coumestans, however, is
usually temporary and does not persist if animals are
moved to non-estrogenic pasture.
Isoflavonoids, on the other hand, are produced by
a variety of subterranean clover. In some cases
up to 5% of the dry matter weight of the clover
can contain these compounds. They can cause
permanent infertility in sheep. The mechanism
seems, according to some studies, to be interference
with sperm transport and fertilization, and early
embryonic death.

Soy is a prevalent ingredient in almost all processed

foods. Its in fast foods, baby food, processed
meat, breads, etc. Unless you are very conscious
of everything you eat, it is easy to consume an
unregulated amount of soy products every day.
Because soy is a prolific food allergen (among the
top eight human food allergens), the FDA requires
it to be listed clearly as an ingredient in processed
foods. At this time, however, the FDA does not
require meat raised on soy feeds to be disclosed.
People highly allergic to soy are affected by this
failure.
Even if you are not allergic to soy, some other
findings may be important to you. Soy is not a
complete protein (as commonly believed), lacking
some important amino acids. Soy foods can cause
deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D. Because soy
increases levels of estrogen and decreases levels
of testosterone, it has been related to simulating

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Spring 2010

The Natural Farmer

the growth of tumors, pre-mature sexual development in females, and delayed

development in males.
And about that plot
More than 300 different plants produce some level of phytoestrogenic compounds.
Why is this phenomenon so widespread? What benefit do the plants get from
producing compounds that interfere with animal reproduction?
Some scientists speculate that plants produce phytoestrogens because the plants
directly benefit by reducing the numbers of the herbivores who are preying upon
them. We have all heard of such direct plant defenses as sharp thorns, offensive
odors and tastes, and even toxic compounds. But could plants be so subtle as to
actually try to reduce the fertility of those grazing upon them?
Such a plan is supported by the fact that phytoestrogens primarily affect the
fertility of females, not males. While reducing the fertility of males might have
some benefit for plants, they can get far more bang for their metabolic buck by
reducing that of females. For most herbivores, there are no instinctual constraints
preventing fertilization of many females by one male. So even a few fertile males
can keep a population strong, whereas every female rendered infertile results in a
direct reduction in the next generation.
The take away lesson for animal raisers is to avoid feeds with a high percentage
of estrogenic compounds. The best practical way to do this is to manage pastures
as polycultures (much as nature does) so that there is a variety of grasses, legumes
and other broad-leaf plants. Monocultures lead to the possibility of nutritional
disease and adverse reactions, including susceptibility to phytoestrogen issues. And
if you feed grains or other concentrated feeds, make sure that they are not heavy on
the soy.
Some Plants Containing Estrogenic Compounds:
Alfalfa, Anise, Apple, Barley, Beet, Black tea, Blue grass, Cabbage, Carrots,
Cherry, Coffee, Date palm, Fennel, Flax seed, French beans, Garlic, Grapefruit,
Green beans, Green tea, Hollyhock, Hops, Kudzu root, Ladino clover,
Liquorice, Marijuana, Oats, Orchard Grass, Palmetto Grass, Parsley, Peas, Plum,
Pomegranate, Potato, Rape, Red beans, Red clover, Red wine, Rhubarb, Rice,
Rye, Rye grass, Sage, Sesame, Sorghum, Soy beans, Soya sprouts, Strawberry,
Strawberry clover, Subterranean clover, Sunflower, Tomato, Wheat, Willow

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Making Your Own Poultry Feeds

Spring 2010

by Harvey Ussery

Copyright Harvey Ussery 2006

First published in the Aug/Sep 2006 issue of
Backyard Poultry Magazine
I would like to see some space dedicated to
feeding poultry without using commercial
feeds, that include the various mixtures and
proportions that people use. I read often that
people do it, but no one seems to be willing to
share their formulas. I would love to get away
from manufactured feedI grind my own flour to
make my own bread, I roll my own oats, I never
buy processed foods for our consumption
feeding my chickens manufactured feed goes
against everything I believe in, but neither am I
going to experiment with my birds. Guidelines
to follow from someone who has been successful
would certainly be a great help.
NanWisconsin
On Experimentation
I find it odd that Nan in Wisconsin is so willing to
experiment with her own diet, but is unwilling
to do so with that of her chickens. Against the
assurances of most of the expert opinion in
our country that our national diet of processed
convenience foods is the safest, most nutritious, and
wholesome in the world, she has learned to distrust
that advice enough to go to the considerable trouble
of grinding her own flour, making her own bread,
and avoiding industrial foods. There is no more
worthy experiment she could be doing, in my
opinion, to further her health and that of her family.
I wonder why she is reluctant to take the same
approach with the feeding of her flock.
If Nan is appealing for a source of expert opinion
from homesteaders making their own feeds, I must
bow out. I have been making all my own feeds going
on ten years, with results more than satisfactory to
me, but cannot pretend to be an expert in the field of
poultry nutrition, and indeed consider every one of
my formulations a snapshot of a moving targetthat
is, an ongoing experiment. As a matter of fact, I have
to interrupt my writing shortly to run out and make a
100-lb batch of feed, and Ive been thinking, maybe
with a dry summer coming on, I should change the
ratio of. . .
The truth is, if you are feeding commercial feeds,
you are taking part in the most radical feeding
experiment of all, one designed to answer the
question: Just how unnatural a feed can we get away
with?
Reflections on my Grandmothers Flock
The most revolutionary change in my own
perspective on feeding my flocks came when
I started thinking about my old grandmothers
management of her flock of chickens. Contrary
to all advice from the ag college crowd, the labcoated poultry nutritionists, and all other recognized
experts in the field, she simply threw a little scratch
grains to her birds once a day (more to keep them
fixated on the coop as the place to return home
than for nutrition, I suspect)and allowed them to
free-range over a 100-acre farm. This apparently
haphazard approach allowed the chickens to mostly
feed themselvesthe way Chicken would have fed
herself before Homo sapiens and Gallus gallus first
cosied up to each other, striving for a more perfect
union.
So what were Grannys chickens eating?
Green plants We do not think of chickens as
grazers, but actually, if they have access to them,
a significant portion of their diet will be grasses,
clovers, and broadleaved weeds.
Seeds Wild seeds of all sorts.
Animal foods Earthworms, insects, slugs, etc.
And what are the defining characteristics of these
self-gathered feeds? They are alive. And they are
raw. In other words, they are the polar opposite of

15

The Natural Farmer

the scientifically formulated feeds the experts tell

us we should be feeding our birdsmade from
excessively heat-treated ingredients, some of which
are already stale (rancid) at the time of processing,
to say nothing of when they are sold, perhaps
months later, to the hapless homesteader.

While my grandmothers chickens didnt produce

as many eggs as a modern egg-factory hen, the eggs
had viscous whites and deep yellow-orange yolks
that would stand up and salute. While her birds were
not ready for slaughter after a 44-day grow-out, her
chicken n dumplings was not to be believed. Her
birds maintained the best of health without benefit
of a daily dollop of antibiotics. And they reproduced
their kind easily and naturally.
The modern homesteaders dilemma
Do I feed my flocks the way my grandmother fed
hers? I do not. I homestead two-and-a-half acres,
with close neighbors all around. Letting my flocks
totally free-range the way hers did is not an option
for me. So I try to get as close as I can to the feeding
paradigm in Grannys flock. That is, as much as
possible I try to make sure that most of what my
birds eat is alive, and that it is raw. I pasture the
birds the entire green season, using electronet
fencing. I constantly seek ways to give my birds
more feeds produced here on the homestead, both to
achieve more feed independence, and to afford them
an ever-greater proportion of live foods in their
diets.

Ingredients

One of the challenges for the homesteader making

her own feeds is finding high-quality primary
ingredients close by, at a reasonable price. I
encourage like-minded homesteaders to band
together, sharing orders and delivery chores. Such
co-ops are especially desirable if they expand to
include local farmers willing to grow specifically to
meet their needs. In such arrangements the greatest
obstacle, typically, is that of storage. Go on, try
ityou need a challenge to your creativity.
I am lucky to be within the delivery area of
Countryside Natural Products in the Shenandoah
Valley of central Virginia, and receive monthly
deliveries of certified-organic feed grains and
legumes, as well as supplements. I buy the greatest
diversity of primary feedstocks CNP can supply,
which fortunately has steadily expanded over the
years. The following are the ingredients I am now
using in my feeds, or have used in the past.

I will present here my approach to making feed

mixes designed to substitute for the conventional
feeds of commerce.
Note that my prepared feeds are based primarily on
whole seeds, untreated in any way. Hence they are
indeed alive. (As someone whimsically observed:
A seed is a tiny plant, in a box, with its lunch.)
Any one of my feed grains can be planted to grow
into vigorous plantsindeed, when I need a cover
crop, I most often draw the desired seeds from the
feed bin and sow.
Also note that I make feed in small batches. As soon
as the seed coat is crushed, oxidation of enzymes,
fat-soluble vitamins, and other perishable nutrients
begins. I therefore grind in small batchestypically
only a few days worth of feed at a time.
Equipment
Unless you are feeding very few chickens, making
your own feeds requires a serious grinder. While
it is true that I started out making feeds using a
Corona hand mill, thats more a testament to my
stubbornness than to my good sense. I now make
about four tons of feed a year, which requires a
grinder a good deal more macho than I am. My
heavy-duty feed/flour mill I bought from Lehmans
(www.lehmans.com Key in the search word mill.
The model I bought is their Item # 2360), powered
by a 1-1/2 hp electric motor I purchased locally. It
will grind a 25-lb batch of feed grains in a couple of
minutes flat.
Some sort of catch basin beneath the grinder is
needed to catch the feed. I like a heavy plastic, 15gallon utility tub.
I recommend making a chute of some sort to
channel the feed from the grinder to the catch basin,
in order to minimize dust while grinding.
Storing the quantities of grain Im using in 50-lb
bags is not practical. I used materials left over from
a house addition to build a storage bin, capacity
about three-quarters ton. Interior partitions divide
it into four separate bins, each with a sliding gate
at the bottom for drawing off the grains. By adding
new deliveries at the top and drawing from the
bottom, I continually rotate the feedstocks. Once or
twice a year I schedule a complete draw-down of
the bin, and get inside the empty bin with my shop
vac to vacuum out accumulated seed meals, weavils,
and their eggs. Following that practice, I rarely have
a serious infestation.

Aragonite Mined from mineral deposits. High in

calcium, needed by the hens for good shell quality.
Feeding limestone can be used interchangeably.
Note that hens on pasture have less need for such
supplementation, but it can always be added for
insurance.
Nutri-Balancer Fertrells (www.fertrell.com) broadspectrum mineral supplement, now in an organiccertified formulation. Though Ive used it for
years, more and more I question its necessity.
I am feeding the highest quality natural foods I
can buy. If in addition the birds are getting plenty
of enzymes from green forage and (in summer)
insect foodall of which help achieve a more
complete absorption of the minerals in the diet
why am I spoon-feeding them basically nonfood mineral supplements, however natural? I
am experimenting with a gradual reduction of
mineral supplementation, other than that of kelp
and salt.
Salt An essential nutrient for chickens, but usually
supplied in sufficient quantity in commercial
mixes or a supplement like Nutri-Balancer. I am
currently using a high quality livestock feeding
salt that includes many trace minerals in addition
to sodium chloride.
Kelp Dried seaweed meal from the coast of Iceland or
Maine, an excellent natural source of minerals.
Probiotic Live cultures added in very small
amounts as a supplement to boost the flora in
the gut, making it theoretically more efficient.
This is another area where the science has
been formulated with reference to a seriously
flawed paradigm: chickens in high confinement
without green forage or live animal foods, eating
instead stale feeds based on highly questionable
ingredients, birds with compromised genetics
to begin withwell, duh, perhaps the digestive
tracts of such birds need as serious a boost as we
can provide them. But birds eating more natural
foods are likely to have more healthy, abundant,
and diverse intestinal flora to begin with, and
perhaps need little additional boost from us. I no
longer use probiotic supplements.
Incidentally, I recently met someone online
who is feeding her birds raw milk cultured with
kefir, as a part of her flocks daily diet. Probably
her birds get far more benefit from the cultures in

16

The Natural Farmer

that milk than those receiving a commercial probiotic. If you have access to
high quality farm milk or its byproducts (skimmed milk, whey), by all means
experiment with culturing it and offering it to your flock.
Fish meal Dried, ground menhaden, a species taken in quantity by commercial
fishers, but not valued as a human food species, so converted to a potent
protein supplement (60% protein).
Most people I know who are making their own feeds do use fish meal
its hard to make feeds that are high enough in protein without it (at least
if you want to avoid highly refined/processed alternatives like pure lysine
from corn)especially for growing birds, whose protein needs are higher
than for mature fowl. Also, eating fishmeal, like eating insects, boosts the
Omega 3 content of egg yolks. However, I am increasingly uneasy over the
question: How sustainable is turning countless thousands of tons of fish into
feed supplements? Furthermore, though a potent source of protein as said,
fishmeal is not a fresh, live food, so will never be as good a food as possible
alternatives which the homesteader or small farmer is in a position to supply,
especially in the warm season.
Crab meal Dried, crushed shells from commercial processing of crab meat, a
good source of protein (about 25% or so), and of needed minerals like calcium.
Though a good source of selenium as well (an essential trace mineral in which
many of the nations soils tend to be deficient), it should for that very reason
be fed in modest amounts: Selenium is one of those vital minerals needed in
trace amounts, which actually become toxic at greater concentrations. I limit
crab meal to 1-1/2 lb per hundredweight of feed. [Kelp also boosts selenium,
incidentally, both as feed supplement and as addition to soil.]
Cultured yeast Supplements not only protein (18%) but a number of minerals
and vitamins, especially the B complex. It is particularly useful for waterfowl,
whose needs for B vitamins, and especially niacin, are greater than for
chickens. Contains live cell yeast cultures which become active in the gut.
Together with digestive enzymes in the dried yeast, the live cultures enhance
feed digestion.
Flax seed Flax has become something of a buzz word because it boosts Omega 3
fatty acids in egg yolks (as does eating live animal foods such as earthworms
and insects). In our modern diet we tend to get far too much Omega 6 in
proportion to Omega 3, thus any way to get them into better balance is
desirable. I only feed flax seed whole. Flax oil is highly perishable (i.e., goes
stale/rancid readily when exposed to oxygen), so feeding flax meal is in my
judgment not a good idea. It is important that the birds have free access to grit
if you feed flax seeds, which are small and hard.
Alfalfa meal I start with 100% alfalfa pellets (17% protein), the kind fed to rabbits
and horses. The chickens resist eating the pellets whole, so I grind, along with
the corn and peas. I include alfalfa only in the winter, when green forages are
less available.
Corn A high-energy feedstuff which I store whole and grind as needed.
Peas I no longer use any soybean in my feeds. I cant get into a long discussion
on the subject here, but there are schools of thought I am influenced by [if
interested, check out http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/index.html to get
you started] that find use of soy highly problematic, starting certainly with
humans, emphatically for ruminants, though I am not as sure about avian
species. Anyway, I havent fed any soybean since being able to substitute with
what my supplier calls field peas (pisum arvense, a relative of the garden
pea, pisum sativum). Peas of the Vigna group such as cowpeas can also be
used if you can get them in quantity. I store the peas whole until ready to make
feed, then grind coarsley along with the corn.
As for soybeans. . . At one time farmers grew many different legumes to feed
livestock. Following the soybean revolution, however, soybeans are
typically the only feed legume available in most areas. If you only have access
to soybeans for your feeds, remember a few important points. Whole soybeans
are the best option if you can get them, but make sure they are roasted. Never
feed raw soybeans to any livestockthey contain growth-inhibiting factors
which are a disaster for the animals who eat them. From commercial sources,
the typical form of soy available is soybean meal as a byproduct of processing
soy oil. Not only can such meals contain residues of hexane (a solvent used

photo courtesy Harvey Ussery

This is no Micky Mouse grinderit will grind 25 lb of feed in a couple

of minutes flat. I purchased it from Lehmansthe 1-1/2 hp electric
motor I bought locally. Ive made three to five tons of feed a year with
it for years now.

Spring 2010

to extract the oil), but the high heat and pressure of the processing rancidifies
whatever fats remainthat is, soybean meal is a stale feed. Finally, most
soybean in the American market today is genetically modified, a fact deeply
troubling to many thoughtful homesteaders.
Wheat, oats, and barley The small grains I never grindjust weigh them out
and stir in when Im grinding and making the mix. If I could get other small
grains I would use them as wellprobably the greater the diversity of feed
ingredients, the better. (Note regarding oats and barley: Do not feed at greater
than 15% of the total diet, either individually or in combination.) During
much of the year I hold the small grain portions out and sprout them prior to
feeding.
Oyster shell and grit Though not listed in my sample formulations, remember
your birds needs for grit in the gizzard to grind their feed, and for oyster
shell as an additional boost of calcium and other minerals needed for strong
egg shells. When the birds are on pasture they usually get enough grit and
mineral on their own. In the winter house, however, it is wise to offer them
free choice.
Technique
For efficiency, I make a premix of the finer, more powdery ingredients,
measuring it out in amounts sufficient for 25-lb batches and storing it until
use. When ready to make feed, I grind (coarsely) the corn and peas, dump in
the premix, and add the small grains whole (if I am not sprouting them). I mix
thoroughly by hand, then feed immediately or store, for a few days only, in a
covered bin.
Sample formulations
I cannot overemphasize that the following sample mixes are for illustrative
purposes only. Feed formulation is a moving target for me, constantly subject
to change, to experimentationI figure that to get it right, a lifetime should
suffice. If you are skilled in the use of electronic spreadsheets, you will find
it trivial to do as I doset up a series of spreadsheets which automatically
recalculate protein, fat, and carbohydrate values, cost, etc. as I plug in varying
amounts of the base ingredients. My spreadsheet is set up on the basis of 100lb lots, since it is easier to think of the ingredients as percentages. However, I
make up my feed in 25-lb batches, since that is easier when mixing by hand.
Thus the tables reflect both the amount of ingredients per hundredweight, and
the amounts per batch.
The numbers following the ingredients in parentheses indicate the percent
protein, and the total protein in each mix is noted. These figures are based
on the best information I can find on the subject, and probably in many
cases reflect averages in typical market feedstocks. Since I have access to
feedstocks produced more organically/sustainably/ecologically than in dominant
agricultural practice, my actual percentages are probably better than the tables
indicate.
By emphasizing the percent protein in the tables, I do not mean to imply that
the other major and minor nutrients (fats, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins,
enzymes) are not importantcertainly they are. I have worked with complex
formulae to determine the correct balance of the various nutrients, and
discovered thatwhen making feeds from whole, natural ingredients as I
largely dothe balances come out right if I simply peg a given formulation
to the percent protein needed. If I were using a lot of processed and byproduct
ingredients, of course, the calculation would become a good deal more
complicated.
A further point about protein: My feeds would be considered short on protein
by people who design poultry feeds. For example, the recommended percent
protein for broiler chicks is 22%, I believe, and you will notice that my Starter
Mix may be around 17.5%. I am not growing one of the souped-up, fastgrowing hybrids such as the Cornish Cross, nor am I growing broilers for a
market. Those who are would perhaps do well to increase the percentages of
protein in my sample mixes. For traditional homestead breeds, however, Im not
sure its a good idea to push growing birds for maximum rate of growth. It
may be that best long term health and reproductive success are achieved through
a growth curve which is somewhat slower, but more balanced.

Spring 2010

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The Natural Farmer

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The Natural Farmer

Spring 2010

Finally, it may surprise some poultry owners to know that my home-made feeds
are actually more expensive than commercial feeds. I buy certified-organic
ingredients, and pay a fee to have them delivered from almost two hours away.
While I am willing to pay a premium price for superior ingredients, I hope the
growing number of small producers, perhaps joining in cooperative markets,
will gain access to less costly local feedstocks. Certainly it is wise to remember
the old adage: You get what you pay for.
Harvey Ussery writes for Backyard Poultry, Mother Earth News, and
Countryside & Small Stock Journal. He is writing a book, The Modern
Homesteads Poultry Flock, to be published by Chelsea Green Publishing. Visit
his website at www.themodernhomestead.us.

photo courtesy Harvey Ussery

photo courtesy Harvey Ussery

My father and I built the chute to channel the ground corn and
peas into the catch basin (a 15-gallon plastic utility tub). This
arrangement helps keep dust down during grinding. (A further
refinement, not pictured: I also drape an old light blanket over
the chute and catch basin to keep the dust enclosed.)

I built this feed bin, capacity about three-quarters of a ton, from

scrap left over from a house addition. Three interior partitions
provide four separate bins: wheat, corn, peas, and a mix of oats
and barley. Note the sliding gates, which permit drawing off
feedstocks from the bottom of the bin. I add new deliveries from
the top, so am continuously rotating my stock.

Spring 2010

Forages for Swine

by Howell N. Wheaton, Department of Agronomy,

University of Missouri
and John C. Rea, Department of Animal Sciences,
University of MIssouri

Use of good pasture containing alfalfa, ladino clover, and grass can lower sow feed costs, help maintain high level reproductive capacity of boars, and in
many cases increase litter size as compared to confinement raising of hogs. Pasture was formerly an
absolute essential for a successful swine operation.
In recent years, growing of hogs in confinement has
become a reality. But it is still possible to use large
amounts of forage with the breeding herd.
Bred sows and gilts on legume pastures require
much less supplemental protein and only about
one-half as much grain as those in dry lots. An acre
of good pasture should carry 8 to 10 sows. Forages
selected for swine should be succulent and capable
of high production, very palatable, high in protein
and vitamins, and produce over a reasonably long
growth period.
Pastures make possible a good swine sanitation and
disease control program. After swine have grazed
pasture for one season, use the pasture for cattle or
harvest hay from it for two years before using it for
hogs again.
A pigs physical make-up does not lend itself to
using great quantities of pasture or roughage like
sheep and cattle. But a 400-pound sow can handle
relatively large amounts. Good forage can also provide quality protein and certain vitamins and can
reduce total feed requirements.
Research reports on feed savings for pigs on pasture
vary considerably, depending on type of pasture, age
of hogs, and management systems. Data indicate
this will amount to 3 to 10 percent of the grain and
as much as one-third of the protein needed for growing and finishing hogs. Pastures are recommended
for the breeding herd especially. They provide exercise and nutrients needed for sows.
Advantages of pasture in swine production
Lower feed costs on good pasture.
Provides exercise and nutrients needed by breeding sows.
Lower capital investment per production unit.
Good use of land not suitable for cropping.

19

The Natural Farmer

Better isolation and disease control.

Decreases waste management problems.
Decreased cannibalism.
Disadvantages of pasture system
More labor required for handling, feeding and watering.
Possibly greater problems with internal parasites.
More labor in farrowing.
Possible decrease of crop land.
May require slightly longer for hogs to reach market.
Lack of environmental control in extreme weather.
Legumes
The legumes as a group have a higher protein, calcium and carotene content than grasses. They can
furnish an adequate supply of most vitamins with
the exception of vitamins D and B12.
Alfalfa, ladino, sweet clover, red clover and lespedeza are legumes that may be used for swine pasture. Alfalfa and ladino are probably the best of the
group and where possible should furnish the basis of
any perennial forage mixture for swine. Ladino clover will not produce as much forage per acre as will
alfalfa, but it is somewhat superior in nutritive value. Where adapted, the use of the two together has
increased yields and improved the nutritive value.
Annual lespedeza may also be used during the summer months with approximately the same results
as alfalfa. However it must be faulted for its lower
yield per acre, its shorter grazing season, and its
need to reseed in the fall.
Perennial grasses such as orchardgrass, endophytefree tall fescue, timothy and bromegrass, while not
as high in quality as the legumes, should be used
in mixtures with them. Mixtures of grass-legume
have performed as well as legumes alone and have
the advantages of increasing total yields, providing
a superior sod, and reducing the risk of losing the
legumes through heaving and stress kill.
Temporary pastures
Sudan grass, sorghum-Sudan crosses and small
grains may also be used as hog pastures. But rape
is the best annual crop in Missouri for swine. It
contains around 28 percent protein on a dry matter
basis, compared with 30 percent for alfalfa, and an
acre will handle about 20 shoats.
Stocking rates
Stocking rates will depend upon soil fertility, quality
of pasture and time of year. Recommended pasture
stocking rates are:
Sows with litters
6-8 per acre
Pigs from weaning to 100 pounds 15-30 per acre
Pigs from 100 pounds to market
10-20 per
acre
Gestating sows 8-12 per acre
These recommendations assume the use of good
quality legume pasture under conditions of adequate
moisture.

Feeding recommendations on pasture

Gestating sows will usually maintain their body
weight on excellent ladino-clover pasture with no
additional feed. General recommendations on average to excellent pasture would be to provide around
2 pounds of grain daily for sows and 3 pounds for
gilts on pasture, plus free-choice access to minerals
and iodized salt during the first two-thirds of gestation. During lactation, 2 to 3 pounds of 15 percent
protein ration per 100 pounds body weight is recommended. Growing-finishing hogs in most cases
should be full-fed with around 20 growing-fattening
pigs to the acre.
Herd management on pasture
It is important to have adequate water and shade
for hogs on pasture. Studies show extremely high
temperatures have an adverse effect on breeding
herds, so it is important to provide adequate shade
for them.
Pigs of widely varying weights should not be run together. Avoid having a range of weights that exceeds
20 percent above or below the average in the herd.
Rape
Rape is neither a grass nor a legume but belongs to
the same plant family as cabbage.
Fertilizing: Rape requires a soil high in available
calcium and responds to high levels of nitrogen.
Fertilize with phosphate, potash and lime as for alfalfa and with nitrogen as for corn.
Seeding: Rape may be seeded with spring oats. Use
a seeding rate of 5 to 6 pounds per acre. When the
oats are drilled, the rape may be seeded through the
grass seeding attachment or may be broadcast after
the oats are seeded. Use a cultipacker or harrow to
cover the seed very lightly. Dwarf Essex is the best
variety and seed is available.
Pasturing: Do not begin to pasture until rape has
reached a height of 9 to 10 inches. With early seedings this should occur about 6 to 8 weeks after seeding.
Rape sometimes causes white hogs to sun scald. It
is caused by the pigs grazing when the rape is wet
and then getting exposed to hot sunshine. However,
this is usually not serious if treated with crude oil
or carbolated petroleum, nor is its occurrence very
frequent.
Silage for brood sows
Silage, either corn silage or high quality alfalfagrass silage, is a practical way of using more forage
in a hog program. However, it must be emphasized
that the nutritional requirements of bred sows is
very exacting and supplementation of the silage is
essential. Both corn and alfalfa-grass silage must be
supplemented with protein and energy, but if done
properly, silage feeding may improve litter size and
pig livability and save up to 25 percent in feed costs.
A swine producer would not build a silo just to feed
brood sows, but if silage is available for cattle, using
it for sows will produce excellent results.

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20

Spring 2010

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Spring 2010

Feeding the Flock from the

Homesteads Own Resources
by Harvey Ussery

Copyright Harvey Ussery 2006

First published in the Oct/Nov 2006 issue of
Backyard Poultry Magazine
In the article on page 15 I describe how I make feed
mixes that replace commercial feeds for my flocks.
Remember my two criteria for superior poultry
food: that it be live and raw. For the following
discussion, lets add a third: and produced from the
homesteads own resources.
There are several reasons we might produce more
of our birds food ourselves, from saving money
to the simple desire to be more independent (and
dependence on purchased feed ingredients is a
serious dependency indeed). Some of us suspect
that the era of easy prosperity we grew up assuming
almost as a natural right may soon come to an
end. One way to prepare for a time of economic
constriciton, a time when the way we now do
agriculture in this country will no longer be a
possibility, is to learn to raise poultry with less
dependence on purchased inputs. For me, however,
producing more of my birds feeds is foremost a
quest for higher quality foods, an attempt to get
closer to the way the completely natural chicken
would feed herself.
Pasturing the flock
The best first step we can take toward utilizing the
homesteads own resources for flock nutrition is
pasturing the flock. Whether free-ranging entirely,
or confined where we want them using electric net
fencing, birds on pasture have constant access to
foods the natural chicken would choose for herself:
living green forages, wild weed seeds, and live
animal foods such as worms and insects.
Dont assume that you have to have the perfect
sward of mixed pasture grasses and clovers. Those
plants make wonderful forage for the flock, but
some broadleaf weeds are also quite nutritious.
For example, I recently noticed how thoroughly my
geese had harvested the chicory on my pasture, an
excellent forage plant I had not sowed or cultivated
in any way.

The Natural Farmer

21

Sprouting

Im going to include sprouting in this discussion

even if the grains and legumes we sprout are
purchased, since sprouting is a kind of value
added feeding we can achieve by our own efforts.
Sprouting grains boosts the protein, vitamin, and
enzyme content (while decreasing carbohydrate).
On balance it enhances the starting ingredients and
boosts more thorough utilization of everything we
are feeding.
There are several possible approaches to sprouting.
I experimented with sprouting in trays, and allowing
the sprouts to green up by exposure to sunlight.
(I have also seen pictures of a setup used by dairy
farmers in earlier times, a rack holding numerous
trays of greening sprouts which were fed to the
cows when the sprouts reached 2-3 inches high.) I
found working with trays too time consuming, so
devised a bucket system instead. I cannot produce
green sprouts in the buckets, but that is not a
problem for me, since I have other sources of green
forages. If you do not, you might experiment with
sprouting to the green stage in trays. That method
should work even in cold winters if the trays are
brought inside at night.
Green forages
We do not think of chickens as grazers, but they
actually make good use of fresh green forages as a
small but important part of their total intake. In my
winter greenhouse, I grow grain grasses (wheat,
barley, oats, rye) and mixed crucifers (turnips,
mustards, rape, etc.) as cut-and-come-again greens
for the birds. If you do not have a greenhouse, you
can still grow these cold-hardy species deep into the
chill season. Indeed, cover crops planted to protect
and build garden soil over the winter can do double
duty as a source of cut greens for the birds.
A couple of excellent green feeds for the flock
are dandelion and yellow dock (Rumex crispus).
Though much maligned as weeds, both are
palatable and highly nutritious to poultry, and they
stay green deeper into the frost season than any
other wild forages in my area. As long as I can get
a spading fork into the ground, I dig these plants
by the roots and throw them to the flock by the
bucketful. The birds eat the tops down to the roots,
then (in the case of dandelion, though not yellow

photo courtesy Harvey Ussery

Sunflower, amaranth, and sorghum. All can

be grown for their beauty, to assist beneficial
insect populations, as people foodand to
feed the flock.

dock) eat part of the root as well, after which the

roots generally get buried in the deep litter by the
scratching of the chickens. There the roots put
out new growth (like Belgian endive, forced in a
cellar)when the chickens turn them up again, they
have second helpings.
Two extremely useful plants I recommend to all
homesteaders are comfrey and stinging nettle.
In addition to myriad food (for both humans and
plants), medicinal, and soil-building uses, both
plants are excellent feed for poultry. Comfrey is
amazingly productive, especially if fertilized heavily
(and it will take any form of fertility you throw at it,
including raw chicken manure). Protein content is
high (higher than alfalfa, and can if well grown be
as high as soybean, dry weight basis). I cut and feed
as needed, more at times in the season when the
pasture is less generous. Chickens eat comfrey well.
Geese love it.
I am in the process of greatly expanding my
comfrey plantings. (It is an extraordinarily
easy plant to propagate.) The next big wave
of propagation will feature planting comfrey
patches out on the pasture, where the birds will
graze the comfrey themselves. I plan to keep the
plantings tight, dense, and relatively small. They
are incredibly tough plants, but if they seem to
be suffering from over-grazing by the birds, I can
protect the patches with temporary fencing.
Both comfrey and stinging nettle can be dried and
fed as hay. My experiments with both have been
challenging thus farthey are much more fragile
than a grass hay. My next attempts with both will
feature thorough drying, then stuffing into large
burlap bags, in which the shattering into leaf meal
will not be a problem. I will experiment with
feeding straight, and with adding to ground feeds.

photo courtesy Harvey Ussery

There are many ways waterfowl can help close the circle in the homestead for more
independence of outside inputs and greater food security. My geese and ducks love comfrey,
a nutritious, high protein plant that is easy to grow.

[It should be added that in recent years there has

been some scare talk from official quarters about
pyrrolizidine alkoloids found in comfrey. The
alkoloids are indeed present, and are indeed toxic
to the liver in massive, pure doses. However, my
conclusion from research I have done is that there
is no toxicity problem, acute or chronic, associated
with consumption of whole comfrey, by either
humans or livestock. (See Comfrey Report, by
Lawrence D. Hills.) Whenever I slaughter fowl,
I practice a form of divination I call reading the
livers. As long as the livers of birds who have been
eating comfrey remain healthy and free of abcesses,
I will have no concerns about feeding comfrey.]

22

The Natural Farmer

Spring 2010

Another tremendously productive carbohydrate

source is Jerusalem artichoke. This is a crop to be
careful with, as it can easily get out of hand, and be
difficult to eradicate. I recently read of a Vermont
farmer who lets his large layer flock forage in big
plantings of Jerusalem artichokes. The birds eat
some of the foliage, and feed on the enhanced
earthworm populations at the base of the plants.
There was no mention of digging the tubers to feed
the flock. Jersulam artichoke tubers are good food
for humans, however, and I expect they would be a
good carbohydrate source for poultry as well. I plan
experiments with feeding them, raw and cooked,
when they are ready to harvest this fall.
Tree crops
We have had a big mulberry tree in the orchard
for years, and the chickens have always loved the
abundant dropped fruit. I have just planted two
additional mulberry trees out on the pasture. The
trees will provide shade for the flock, as well as
large amounts of dropped fruits. (In earlier times,
it was common for farmers to fatten both pigs and
fowl from the windfall crops of mulberries.)

photo courtesy Harvey Ussery

Here I have cut buckwheat which has matured its seed to feed the flock. Sometimes I put the
flock on the buckwheat plot and allow them to self-harvest.

Grain substitutes

Of course, the homesteader can grow corn and

conventional small grains as well as anybody.
Growing and storing them on a small scale can be
labor-intensive, however. A labor-saving strategy
with the small grains is to grow to maturity, then
turn the flock in to self-harvest the seed heads.
I grow amaranth and sunflowers, both for their
beauty and for their support of beneficial insects,
and continue to experiment with using the seed
heads as poultry feed. The challenge with the
sunflowers, I find, is catching them at the point at
which the seeds have ripened, but before wild birds
have stripped the heads. Heads can be cut and tied
together in bunches, then hung from rafters under
shelter for use in the winter. The same can be done
with amaranth, an extremely nutritious (and highprotein) seed that was an important food source for
the Aztecs. The seeds are extremely tiny, and its
been hard to determine how well the birds utilize
them when I just cut the heads and throw them to
the flock. I plan experiments with threshing and
feeding them straight to get a measure of how much
the birds like them. I also plan to soak whole heads,
sprout the seeds, then throw the whole sprouting
head to the birds. It may be they will eat the sprouts
better (more visible) than the tiny black seeds.

tubers and those badly damaged by the spading fork.

In an economic crisis, potatoes would be one of the
first alternatives to grain I would turn to. Ducks will
make good use of potatoes, as well as chickens. (It
is generally recommended that potatoes be lightly
cooked before feeding to the flock.)

I have ordered three chestnut tree seedlings, which

I will also be planting out on the pasture. Again, the
trees will shade the birds, who should help control
the chestnut weevil, both in the emergent phase in
the spring, and when going to ground in the winter.
(Multi-tasking again.) Any year that brings good
crops should provide far more chestnuts than we
can eat. I plan to crack the hulls of the surplus in my
feed grinder, then feed the nutritious chestnuts to the
birds.

Pumpkins are usually easier to grow than other

members of the cucurbit tribe. If you have the space
for the big, sprawling vines, you can grow and
easily store large numbers of pumpkins. To feed,
just bust em open and let the flock have at them.
The seeds are a good source of protein.

Persimmons also make excellent feed for

chickensand for turkeys. At the moment I have
three Asian persimmons (Diospyros kaki), and am
not inclined to share their succulent fruit with the
flocks. However, wild persimmons (D. virginiana)
grow prolificly in my area, and I may encourage
their growth in our bit of woods, and make the
dropped fruit available to the chickens using
electronet fencing.

Mangels or fodder beets are also easy to grow,

producing roots up to ten pounds or even more
which store well. (I store them in a clamp, a
simple 24-inch hole in the ground protected by
a sheet of plastic and a couple bales of straw.) I
feed one at a time, raw. In the winter house, the
entertainment value is probably as high as the feed
valuethe chickens really get into pecking away
at them. When one has been consumed, I throw in
another.

Many homesteaders know that in earlier times pigs

were routinely fattened on crops of acorns wherever
there were oak trees. J. Russell Smith points out in
his classic Tree Crops that acorns can be used as
feed for chickens and turkeys as well. He quotes a
report from England during World War II of acorns
being used to replace up to half of the feed ration
for chickens. There are a number of large white oaks
on our property. I plan to experiment with acorns as
feed for the flocks this fall, crushing the acorns in

For the first time, I am experimenting with

growing sorghum. I grow this extremely tall plant
as additional pollen source for beneficials, and
to screen other crops needing shade, but I plan
to harvest the seed heads, tie in bunches, and
experiment with feeding (whole heads) in the
winter.
Double duty cover crops
I use buckwheat and cowpeas as cover crops that
are easy to start in the summer when many of the
cool weather covers will not establish. Buckwheat
is the instant cover cropfrom seed to flower in
as little as thirty days. Cowpeas are legumes, and
set atmospheric nitrogen in the soil in forms plants
can use. If you can leave these crops long enough
to mature their seeds, they do double duty as cover
crop and feed for the birds. Indeed, its possible to
net the area with electronet, and allow the flock to
self-harvest the seeds while tilling in the cover crop.
Thats a homestead version of multi-tasking.
Carbohydrate sources
Potatoes and sweet pototoes can be tremendously
productive crops. In times of war, when people in
England and other European countries had to grow
more of their own feeds, potatoes have satisfactorily
replaced grain feeds, in whole or in part. When I
harvest these crops, I save for the flock the smallest

photo courtesy Harvey Ussery

Cowpeas are an excellent summer cover crop: They start well in the drier, warmer soil of
summer; make a tight cover that cools the soil and suppresses weeds; and set nitrogen in the
soil. They are a great crop to precede fall crops such as brassicas. Once they have matured
their seeds, they may be cut and fed to the flock; or the birds can be released onto the cowpea
patch to self-harvest.

Spring 2010

my feed grinder just enough for the birds to pick out

the contents.

23

The Natural Farmer

Of course, any nuts are highly nutritious and can

be used as food for fowl, to the extent they are not
desired as human food. I am planting a number of
grafted cultivars of nuts for our own use. However,
there are several wild hickories and black walnuts
on our property. I pick out a few nut meats for us,
but the kernels are small and time-consuming to
pick. I have found it easy, however, to gather them,
place on a rock, smash with a hammer, and let the
birds have at them.
And dont forget the orchard as a source of food
for the birds. Getting rid of dropped fruits is an
essential part of orchard sanitation. Either pick them
up and throw them to the flock, or simply give the
birds access to the orchard and let them do clean-up.
I couldnt believe the amount of dropped and cull
apples the geese polished off last year.
Alternative sources of protein
There are several sources of proteins and fats which
many homesteaders can develop for their birds. If
you are in an area of the country blessed with
an abundance of Japanese beetles, you can collect
them for poultry feed. I no longer use the beetle
traps with sex lures, since a friend who studies water
pollution observed that the pheremones used in the
lures are possible sources of hormone pollution in
the environment. I do accept trapped beetles by the
gallon from a neighbor. I also collect by hand. The
secret is to collect early morning or early evening,
when it is cooler and the beetles are less likely to
fly. I put a gallon or so of water in the bottom of a
bucket, hold the bucket under a cluster of beetles
on vine or branch, and shake. Once the beetles get
wet, they do not fly. When I throw them to the flock,
the chickens gobble them up before they have a
chance to get back on the wing. Ducks also gorge
on Japanese beetles, looking like animated vacuum
cleaners as they siphon them up.

photo courtesy Harvey Ussery

I pulled this mangel in mid-season, long before it was full size. Mangels that weigh ten
pounds are not unusual here, and that is nowhere near their top weight.

do not need to heat the milk, as you would making

yogurt), it should be even better for the birds,
boosting the micro-flora in the gut.

Most people with a laying flock at some time have

either an excess of eggs, or have eggs that are
cracked or just too gross (chicken-with-diarrhea
syndrome) to use. Such eggs can be fed to the flock
for a protein boost. I hard-boil the eggs, then crush
coarsely by hand as I throw them to the birds. Even
when I do not have excess eggs to feed routinely to
the flock, I set some aside for just-hatched chicks
to give them a good start. Feeding a little egg is
especially beneficial for hatchlings that have come
through the mail, always a stressful experience.

If you keep a goat or cow, any surplus whole or

skimmed milk can be used as excellent feed for
Last winter I did a successful experiment in livepoultry inTheNaturalFarmeFINALREV1.12.pdf 1/12/10 11:35:01 AM food winter feeding which I plan to repeat. I dont
almost any amounts. If you culture the
milk first (a kefir or mjolk culture is ideal, since you

allow the winter flock out much onto the pasture,

since they would quickly degrade the dormant sod.
However, I kept a couple dozen chickens in one
end of the greenhouse, and released them every day
onto a heavily mulched area I was developing into
garden. The mulch, six to eight inches deep, kept the
ground from freezing, resulting in active populations
of animal lifeearthworms, slugs, etc.in addition
to germinating seeds in the mulch hayto which
the chickens had access right through the winter.
[The following thoughts on working with
decomposer organisms added February 2010] To
increase the flocks intake of high quality fats and
proteins, we can work with certain decomposer
organisms to responsibly manage organic wastes
for conversion not only to high-fertility soil
amendments, but for live animal feed for poultry
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24

The Natural Farmer

Spring 2010

photo courtesy Harvey Ussery

photo courtesy Harvey Ussery

One option for feeding worms from the bins: Bedding at the halfway
Harvesting worms from the vermicomposting bins. I simply scoop
point is spread on the heavily mulched winter feeding yard out
out bedding (horse manure) that has been largely converted, but still
the north end of the greenhouse (which houses a flock of chickens in
contains large numbers of worms.
winter). The chickens eat the worms and worm eggs, in the process
Earthworms may top the list as a bioconversion ally. Ive installed five 4x8scratching the worm castings into the mulch, which retains their
ft. worm bins, dug sixteen inches into the ground, down the center of my
fertility for the coming garden season. Note that fresh grain grasses
greenhouse, filled with manure by the pickup load from a neighbor with horses.
Not only do the bins furnish large quantities of worm castings (perhaps the
(wheat, oats, rye, etc.) from the greenhouse are also being feda rich
most fertile of all soil amendments), but I harvest as well an abundance of
source of vitamins and enzymes.
earthworms to feed my poultry flocks. This live protein feed helps keep both
the level and quality of egg production higher than ever beforeeven in parts
of the winter when flock owners all around me report complete cessation of egg
production in their flocks.
Truly intrepid readersor those not easily grossed outcould experiment
with cultivating the larval stage of house flies or carrion flies as part of their
home feeding program. (It helps us contemplate the possibility if we think of
them as larvae rather than maggots, doesnt it?) Imagine harvesting a
source of feed for your flock that is up to 50 percent protein, 20 percent fat,
absolutely freeright out of thin air? Inspired by a recipe on the Journey
to Forever site (http://journeytoforever.org/farm\_poultry.html\#flies), I based
maggotuh, larvalproduction at first on kichen castoffs, then began using
carcasses from a friends animal trapping service (mostly beavers).
Though I used this strategy for many seasons to generate abundant live protein

for the flock, a couple of times I had a problem with what the old-timers called
limberneck (botulism poisoning). If you are interested in this option, please
review my methods and cautions at http://themodernhomestead.us/article/
Feeding-Chickens-Maggots.html before proceeding.
Last year I began expermenting with a managed colony of black soldier fly
grubs to convert wastes to live poultry feed (42 percent protein, 35 percent
fat, dry weight). The much more aerobic nature of the feeding medium in a
soldier grub colony makes harvesting protein from thin air with this ally a
more pleasant, and safer, process. (See article on black soldier fly composting
on page 31 of this issue.)

In conclusion, the above ideas do not exhaust the possibilities we will discover
if we learn to look at our homestead the way our chickens doas an expanding,
constantly renewed smorgasbord, a gift we receive simply by cooperating with
what Nature is so eager to do in this little bit of Eden.

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Spring 2010

25

The Natural Farmer

TM

...to your search for

organic and
non-gmo seed

Your Full Line Non-GMO Seed Source

photo courtesy Harvey Ussery
Another option for feeding worms from the bins: Toss it onto the deep litter
in the indoor pens (in this case, inside Harveys greenhouse). The chickens
eat the worms and their egg capsules, and work the castings-rich bedding
into the litter. Periodically, the litter can be removed and used in soil
fertility applications.
An Invitation to the Home Feeding Project

I try harder every year to make my mixed flock of poultry more independent of
purchased feeds. I urge readers who share that goal to tell me about your own
practices and experiments toward more independent home feeding, using the
address below. Sometime this year, I will summarize in Backyard Poultry the
best ideas that have come in.
For those willing to share, please note the following:
Start by reading an overview on this subject, Feeding the Flock from the
Homesteads Own Resources, in this issue.
Send your input to feeding@themodernhomestead.us. (If you prefer
snailmail: Harvey Ussery, P O Box 67, Hume VA 22639)
Some ideas are so obvious and commonly employed (Feed table scraps to
the chickens) there is no need to mention them. Your unique twist on such
widespread strategies may be useful, however. (Ive made an arrangement
with a local diner to take their food wastes.)
It is as easy for us to grow seed crops like corn and small grains as for
farmers, though harvesting, threshing, and storing such crops are likely to be
obstacles. Are there ways to make such options more practical?
If you do recommend growing specific crops to feed poultry, please specify
type (e.g. single-head sunflowers with large seeds, or multi-headed types
with smaller seeds) and/or varieties you have worked with.
Remember to place your practices in context: species of fowl you are feeding,
size of flock, management model, etc.
If you have kept statistics that demonstrate the effectiveness of your practices,
please include them.
Remember that some bright ideas that failed to work out in practice may be
worth sharing as well.
Be sure to include your location and (if you know) your climate/plant
hardiness zone.
Thanks so much if you participate in this project.

~Harvey Ussery

www.themodernhomestead.us

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26

Organic Chickens in Japan

The Natural Farmer

Spring 2010

Shinji mixes all the ingredients in a vat, similar to one he used for
chicken feed, then stores the mix in thick paper bags, with a plastic
layer between the inner and outer layers of paper, for 2 3 weeks to
allow fermentation. The final product smells like yeast.

This is Shinjis recipe for bokashi, the traditional home made

fertilizer Japanese organic farmers use: 94 K rice bran, 46 K chicken
manure, 40 K oilseed cakes, 10K oyster shells. 300 cc molasses. 300
cc EM (Effective Microorganisms), 20 liters water
growers in Japan rely for their feed on imported so-called GM free and Post
by Elizabeth Henderson
When I visited Teikei (Japanese CSA) farms in Japan eight years ago, I noticed
that all of the chickens were kept in large pens. The farmers I spoke to said
they did not have enough land to allow their chickens to range freely or to use
chicken tractors. Hayashi Shiganori, an organic farmer near Tokyo, told me
that he provides domestic feed for his chickens because he fears that any corn
or soybeans imported from the US might be GMO. In designing his ration, he
looked to traditional Japanese practices using a mixture of sea products and
grains like millet that grow better than corn in their wet conditions. The farmer
who started the very first Teikei in the early 1970s, Yoshinori Kaneko feeds
his chickens a mix of ground barley, rice and wheat waste. At the Uozumi
family farm to the north of Tokyo, Michio and Michiko feed their chickens a
combination of wheat, oyster shells, sake waste and rice bran.
Upon hearing the theme for this issue, I emailed Shinji Hashimoto, a Teikei
farmer in Ichijima, near Kobe, and this is what he had to say: We have not
found the solution for organic livestock and most of the free range chicken

Harvest Application (Pesticide) corn. There are some interesting experiments

on a small scale growing rice for livestock feed. The climate in Japan is humid
and it is difficult to grow corn which prefers dry weather. Of course, the area
of cropland is also limited in small islands with many steep mountains. In the
northern part of Japan, farmers have started growing a rice variety that grows
faster and has a good harvest for livestock feed instead of using high flavor
Kosihikari rice, the most popular blend among Japanese customers. Rice has
been grown regionally to feed local chicken and chicken dung has been recycled
for fertilization. The only problems are its price and the color of the yolk. The
price of a 10-egg packet has to be 800 yen while conventional eggs sell for only
100 yen meaning this egg price is 8 times higher. These egg have been sold at a
special department store. The yolk is rather light yellow while many costumers
expect a deep yellowish color in natural grown eggs and corn brings the deep
color. The Teikei group, Tukaishute, in Kyoto, is doing the same experiment. I
tasted one but those eggs are not satisfactory. Rice has fewer calories than corn,
so a different recipe is necessary. I think it is a good alternative to corn and
opens the chance to bring local feed production and consumption by livestock
growers in the future. I also think governmental support will be necessary for
success to fairly compete with international market pricing.

We were surprised by the results.

We maintain our tank SCC down at 80-100,000
by spraying every fresh udder for 4 to 5 days.
Alan Mesman

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MESMAN FARM, Mt. Vernon, Washington

Alan and Vickie Mesman and son Ben and daughter Samantha
Grazing-based Certified Organic Dairy
Milking 140 cows with RHA 19,000 lbs (2x)
SCC: Before 140-170,000 After 80-100,000
The Mesman family (l-r) Alan, Ben, Vickie and Samantha.

We were surprised by our results with Udder

Comfort. We used the new yellow spray,
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how squirting this spray on the outside of the
udder would cut our somatic cell count down
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which relaxes the cow. This helps withedema
and irritation when they come fresh,says Alan
Mesman. He and his wife Vickie and son Ben and
daughter Sammy milk 140 cows at their Certified
Organic dairy near Mt. Vernon, Washington.
At first we sprayed Udder Comfort on the whole
udder of 39 identified cows (out of 140 milking).
As a result, the tank SCC dropped down to
80,000. This boosted our quality premium
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We do not dry-treat any animals here. We are

able to maintain our bulk tank SCC down at
80-100,000 by spraying every fresh udder after
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You must preorder, however, so

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before publication. That is:
Feb. 20 for Spring issue
May 20 for Summer issue
Aug. 20 for Fall issue
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The Natural Farmer

411 Sheldon Rd.
Barre, MA 01005
978-355-2853
TNF@nofa.org

Hog Production Alternatives

Spring 2010

by Lance Gegner
National Center for Appropriate Technology
Agriculture Specialist

Alternative Feeds
Conventional swine rations consist primarily of
corn and soybean mealcorn for energy and
soybean meal for protein. However, diversified
farmers may have other types of grains, crop
residues, and forages that lack a ready market or are
considered waste products. Pigsbeing versatile
omnivorescan eat a wide range of feeds, such
as pasture grasses and other fibrous materials, as
well as alternative energy and protein sources. The
pigs ability to digest fibrous materials increases
as it matures. Since they do not have rumens, pigs
digest fiber primarily in their large intestine through
fermentation. Jim Van Der Polwho grazes and
direct-markets pork, chicken, and beef in Min
nesotasays in his The pastured pig series in
Graze magazine:
Despite being single-stomached animals that
often need some grain, hogs are wonderful pas
ture animals. Digestively, they are durable and
flexible. They do not bloat, founder on grain, or
ingest hardware. They eat weeds readily, even
prefer them. If conditions get tough for the sward
[grass-covered ground], they can be removed and
switched immediately to a grain ration with no
worries about digestive upset.
A three-year study by Auburn Universitys swine
nutritionist Terry Prince proved that as much as
two-thirds of a sows feed needs can be satisfied
by a well-managed pasture program, if vitamin and
mineral supplements are provided.
A 2003 paper presented at the Third National
Symposium on Alternative Feeds for Livestock and
Poultry held at Kansas City, Missouri states:
Fibrous feeds traditionally have not been used
for nonruminants due to their documented de
pression of diet digestibility in pigs and poultry.
However, some types of fiber and fiber sources
do not exert such negative effects on nutritional
digestibility in older growing pigs and sows.
Dietary fiber can have a positive effect on gut
health, welfare, and reproductive performance
of pigs. Hence, nutritionists are attempting to
gain a more thorough understanding of dietary
fiber in swine diets.
Pasture, Hogging Off, and Fibrous By-products
Colin Wilson, who farms with his father and brother
Dan at Paullina, Iowa, has worked the bugs out of
their pasture-farrowing system by trial and error
the past 20 years. Wilson stresses that timeliness
is critical, and that many jobs require two or even
three people. They use a three-year rotation in three
adjacent 18-acre fields. The rotation begins with
corn, followed the next spring with a drilled mix
of 3.5 bushels of oats, 10 pounds of alfalfa, and 3
pounds of orchardgrass. Oats are harvested, leaving
a thick pasture cover for the hogs the following year.
Colin explained that it took a long time to develop a
successful pasture mix. He found that pastures with
too little alfalfa were not as palatable to hogs, and
that pastures with too much alfalfa did not produce a
good orchardgrass stand and tended to be muddy in
wet years.
Fencing the pasture is also important for the
Wilsons operation. As soon as possible in the
spring, they string a two-wire (14-gauge) electric
fence around the perimeter of the pasture; one wire
is 4 to 8 inches high, and the other wire is 18 to 24
inches high. Each wire has its own charger, so there
is always a hot wire if one charger malfunctions.
This pasture is then divided into 150 by 300 foot
pens, also using double wires. Wilson says it is not a
good idea to charge the gates. If the gate is charged,
the hogs learn not to pass that point, and then the
producer will not be able to drive the hogs through
the gate when it is open.
In addition to legumes and grass pastures, nonlegume brassicasturnips, rape, kale, fodder beets,
and mangelsare high in protein, highly digestible,
and make an excellent pig pasture.

The Natural Farmer

Another option is the practice of having pigs selfharvest the grain, otherwise known as hogging off
the crop. Some of the benefits of hogging off are
that harvesting costs are eliminated, crop residues
and manure are left on the land, and parasite and
disease problems may be reduced. Many different
crops can be used with this practice, as long as
there are also legumes or brassicas available. Some
examples of grains that can be self-harvested by
hogs are wheat, rye, oats, dent corn, Grohoma
sorghum, Spanish peanuts, and popcorn. Such direct
harvesting can sometimes turn a profit from even a
lowyielding grain crop.
In pastures available to hogs, inspect for weeds
that can be poisonous to them, including pig
weed, Jimson weed, twoleaf cockleburs,
young lambsquarters, and nightshades. A
couple of Web sites providing information and
pictures of many poisonous plants are www.vth.
colostate.edu/poisonous_plants/index.cfm and
www.spokanecounty.org/WeedBoard/content.
aspx?c=1443. Your veterinarian or county
Extension agent should also be able to help with
weed identification. The ATTRA publication
Considerations in Organic Hog Production has
additional information on using pastures for hog
production.
If pastures are not available, feeding feedstuffs
high in fiber is another possibility. Honeyman notes
that studies show that fibrous feeds and protein
by-products can make up as much as 90% of a
gestating sows rations, because of the sows lower
energy needs and large digestive tract. Acceptable
feeds include alfalfa hay (need to feed good quality
hay; moldy alfalfa can cause abortions), haylage
(not more than 20% of a sows ration), alfalfa
and orchardgrass hay, grass silage, sunflower
and soybean hulls, corn-cob meal, and beet pulp.
Honeyman says even growingand finishingpig
rations can be 10 to 30% forages, if energy levels
are maintained.

Alternative Energy Sources

Small grains can be used to reduce the amount of
corn in swine rations. Wheat, triticale, barley, and
hulless barley can totally replace corn, but need
to be more coarsely processed than corn to reduce
dust and flouring effectscontinuous feeding
of finely ground grains can cause ulcers in pigs
gastrointestinal tract. The differing nutritional
values of small grains means that the ration will
have to be formulated to meet the hogs energy
and protein needsespecially for the amino acids
lysine, trytophan, threonine, and methionine, and
the minerals calcium and phosphorus. Light and/or
weedy small grains that would be discounted at the
elevator can be fed to pigs with no difference in
their performance. Barley and hulless barley need to
be stored after harvest before feeding them to swine.
In the publication Barley Production in Alberta:
Harvesting on the Alberta Agriculture, Food and
Rural Development Web site, it states:
Newly harvested barley, whether dry, or high
moisture, should always be stored about four
to six weeks before being fed to any class of
livestock. This storage period is often called a

27

sweat period. Serious losses in cattle, pigs and

poultry have been attributed to feeding newly
harvested grain. There is some evidence that
certain compounds in the newly harvested
grain may be toxic to livestock. In storage,
such compounds undergo chemical changes
that make them non-toxic. Processing newly
harvested barley for feed apparently does not
eliminate the problem of toxicitya rest or
sweat period is necessary.

The following publications offer further information

about feeding small grains to hogs.
Feeding Wheat to Hogs - http://osuextra.okstate.
edu/pdfs/F-3504web.pdf
Feeding Barley to Swine & Poultry - www.ext.
nodak.edu/extpubs/ansci/swine/eb73w.htm
Some other small grains to consider are oats, rye,
flax, hulless or naked oats, and high-fat oats. All of
these small grains can be used in varying amounts in
hog rations, according to their unique characteristics
and nutritional values. Newer varieties of rye are
less susceptible to ergot contaminationa fungal
infection that can cause abortionsthan older
varieties and can be used as up to 30% of the energy
source.
Oats feed value is only about 80% that of corn; it
has high fiber content and can be used as 20% or
more of the energy source. A 2002 study by Mark
Honeyman, Sebblin Sullivan, and Wayne Roush
at Iowa State University discusses changes in
performance of market hogs in deep-bedded hooped
barns with the addition of 20% and 40% oats to the
diet. The study didnt find any reduction in daily
gain, feed intake, feed efficiency, or other crucial
factors for either level of oats in the ration. The
study is available at www.extension.iastate.edu/ipic/
reports/02swinereports/asl-1819.pdf.
Up to 5% flax can be added to hog rations to
increase the omega-3 fatty acids in the pork and
improve sow performance. In 1995, South Dakota
State University researchers tested feeding flax in a
corn-soybean meal ration during the final 25 days of
finishing. The results showed that the omega-3 fatty
acids had increased. However, a consumer taste
panel could detect differences in the bacon in rations
that contained more than 5% flax. University of
Manitoba researchers replaced some of the soybean
meal and tallow and added 5% flax to gestation and
lactation sow rations. The study showed that the
sows fed flax delivered more piglets at farrowing,
that the piglets had heavier weaning rates, and that
the sows lost less weight during lactation and rebred
sooner.
Hulless or naked oats and high-fat oats are newer
varieties with improved nutritional characteristics
that make them good alternative feeds. Hulless
oats can be used as the total energy source in swine
rations; however, because of the limited cropping
history and marketing opportunities, their yield
potential and economic value are unknown in many
areas and first should be tested in small quantities.
Several other alternative grains that can be used
in hog rations are cull, unpopped popcorn and

28
buckwheat. Popcorn has nearly the same nutritional
value as yellow corn and can replace corn on an
equal weight basis. If you happen to be in an area
where cull popcorn is available, it can sometimes be
less costly than corn.
Buckwheat can be used to replace about 25 to
50% of corn. Buckwheat has only 80% of the
energy value of corn but is higher in fiber and can
be planted later in the season as a substitute crop
in emergencies. Buckwheat should not be used
for nursery rations or for lactating sows, because
of their higher energy requirements. Buckwheat
should be limited to 25% replacement of corn for
white pigs housed outside. Buckwheat contains a
photosensitizing agent called fagopyrim that causes
rashes on pigs skin and intense itching when the
pigs are exposed to sunlight. This condition is called
fagopyrism or buckwheat poisoning.
A 2004 paper by Lee J. Johnson and Rebecca
Morrison at the Alternative Swine Program of
the West Central Research and Outreach Center
in Morris, Minnesota, reported trying alternative
ingredientsbarley, oats, buckwheat, field peas,
and expelled soybean meal in the ration to help
reduce the additional carcass fat in pigs raised in
hoop shelters rather than confinement houses. The
study shows that feeding a low-energy diet based on
small grains slows the growth rate and marginally
improves carcass leanness in hoop-sheltered hogs,
but doesnt affect the eating quality of the pork.
Alternative Protein Sources
Soybean meal can be replaced or reduced by the
use of alternative protein sources. Canola meal,
sunflower meal, cottonseed meal, linseed meal, or
peanut meal may be available locally, depending on
your location. These alternative meals can substitute
for soybean meal, but they do have different amino
acid ratios and mineral levels that need to be taken
into consideration when balancing the rations.
Cottonseed meal contains various levels of free
gossypola compound found in cottonseed that
is toxic to hogs. The 2003 Oklahoma Cooperative
Extension publication Gossypol Toxicity in
Livestock, by Sandra Morgan, provides specific

Spring 2010

The Natural Farmer

information on gossypol toxicity levels for swine

and other livestock. You can find this publication at
http://osuextra.okstate.edu/pdfs/F-9116web.pdf .
Roasting or extruding whole soybeans is another
option; the heat breaks down the trypsin inhibi
tors found in raw soybeans. Processed, green,
frost-damaged beans that would be discounted
at the elevator can be used in the ration without
any problems. The higher oil content of whole,
processed soybeans produces a faster rate of
gain than soybean meal. The cost of processing
equipment and the fact that the extruded and roasted
products dont store well are considerations that
the producer has to take into account. Additional
information on feeding soybeans to hogs is available
at www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/swine/
facts/green-soybeanspigs.htm.
Sweet white lupines can make up to about 10% of
the ration for most finishing and gestating animals.
Lupines protein content can vary from 25 to 38%,
and they have about half the lysine of soybeans.
Lupines should be supplemented with iron at 400
parts/million and methionine.
Field peas are another option. The South Dakota
State University publication Using South Dakota
Grown Field Peas in Swine Diets states:
Field peas are a good source of energy and
amino acids for swine. However, variety
differences exist, and producers must know the
nutrient content of the peas they are working
with to properly formulate them into swine
diets. Field peas are a good source of lysine, but
the concentrations of methionine, tryptophan,
and threonine must be watched closely. While
peas can contain anti-nutritional factors, they
are usually in such low concentration that field
peas can be fed raw.
The publication is available at http://agbiopubs.
sdstate.edu/articles/ExEx2041.pdf or by calling the
Agriculture & Biological Science (ABS) Bulletin
Room at 6056885628 or 8003019293.
Mung beans can be used as an alternative to soy
bean meal. Mung beans contain from 24 to 30%

crude protein, but about equivalent lysine levels as a

percentage of protein. Mung beans contain a trypsin
inhibitor just like raw soybeans. This limits mung
bean use in swine rations to about 10% for growing
pigs, 15% for finishing pigs, and 10% for sow
rations, unless the mung beans are heat-treated like
whole soybeans.
The Oklahoma State University Extension pub
lication Using Mung Beans in Swine Diets is avail
able by calling the University Mailing Services at
4057445385.
Balancing Rations
It is important to remember that any changes to
your rations, including adding alternative feedstuffs,
may change the growth rate of the hogs. It is best
to determine the feed-cost savings and any changes
in market patterns before making any changes to
your feeding program. Always assess any changes
to your rations so that all the pigs nutritional
requirements are being met at every stage of growth.
Alternative feeds have varying food values, so it is
important to know the nutritional contents of each
feed ingredient. Nutrient testing of alternative feed
ingredients will eliminate any guesswork.

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Spring 2010

29

The Natural Farmer

What Can Replace Soy in Commercial Organic Feeds?

by Jack Kittredge

Jeff Mattocks is the vice president and nutritionist

for the Fertrell Company. As one of the premier
suppliers of livestock feed to the organic market,
he is well aware of the controversy concerning soy
as an animal feed. Ten percent of his calls now,
he estimates, are looking for replacements for soy
as a source of protein. As a businessman trying
to meet his customers desires he has extensively
investigated soy alternatives. But he, himself, is not
anti-soy.
If properly treated, he explains, soy can be a
useful component in an organic feed. There are
three things that can be problems with soy in such
a feed. First, it needs to be organically raised not
GMO seed, not sprayed with pesticides. Second,
you want to use whole beans, not soy meal -- which
is what is left after the oil is extracted from soy.
In the extraction process the solvent hexane is
used, and residues of this toxin will remain in the
meal. Third, you need to deactivate the enzyme
urease, which is present in soy. Left active, urease
will inhibit the enzymatic action of trypsin, one
of three enzymes involved in the breakdown of
proteins in the digestive tract. That deactivation
can be done by heating the soy to over 270 F
for 20 minutes, soaking it for 24 hours at room
temperature, fermenting it as is done in Japanese
foods, or sprouting it, which is difficult to do with
soy because of the size of the seed.
I know there is a lot of information out there,
he continues, on soy and estrogen. But there are
several estrogen compounds that actually fight
cancer. The Japanese consume lots of soy, and yet
Japan has one of the lowest rates of breast and other
female cancers in the world. We need to have better
information on this. It is still a grey area.
We have built our American livestock industry,
Mattocks says, around our ability to grow cheap
and plentiful grain. The two primary components
required for animal feed are carbohydrates

for energy, and protein for growth. The exact

requirements depend on the age of the animal, but
generally poultry need from 16% to 19% protein,
and pigs from 14% to 19%.
Corn is the basis of most feeds and provides the
energy component, but has a low protein content
(under 10%) so needs to be supplemented to make a
total feed. Soy (at 38% protein) can easily give the
needed protein. But there are a number of possible
sources for protein in animal feed besides soy. The
primary two are flax seed meal (38%) and field peas
(22%), although use of over 25% of field peas in a
feed results in the same enzyme problems as you get
with soy. Another source is sunflower meal, which
is 30% to 34% protein. A problem with sunflower
meal, however, is that it is 23% fiber and you cant
use it as more than about 10% of the total feed,
Alfalfa meal is also high in fiber.
A couple of other options are higher protein breeds
of wheat that come in at 14% to 16% protein, and
camelina, a member of the mustard family, which
ranges from 35% to 38% protein after the oil is
removed. The latter, an oil seed crop, does well
on marginal and arid soils, so is widely grown in
Australia. No organic camelina is yet available,
however.
Hogs can do well on a mix of barley (13% protein)
and field peas, Mattocks feels, but they have a low
tolerance for wheat. Chickens, on the other hand,
thrive on a mixture of wheat, oats and barley.
Mattocks feels that the more different grains in a
livestock ration, the healthier the animals will be.

per acre. Of course you need to find varieties that

have roughly the same dates of maturity so you can
harvest them at the same time. You can add fish
meal or crab meal to boost the protein if you want
but you dont always need to.
Jeff said it was difficult finding feed ingredients
closer to the northeast to meet the need for many
NOFA members. There are parts of New York and
Vermont that grow excellent grains, but much of the
rest of the area is not well suited to large fields and
combine-based production.
Actually, Mattocks says, animals, especially
the infant stages while nursing their mothers,
dont digest plant proteins as efficiently as animal
proteins. Their amino acid profile is different. So
it would be ideal to get more of the protein in feed
from animal sources at this stage of development.
But it is not easy to do that. There used to be more
animal by-products available from fish or livestock
processing plants. But there are no large fish
processors left in the northeast. Where there are
a few, in the Carolinas, vigorous enforcement of
immigration laws has idled several of them. There
are no slaughterhouses that segregate organic and
non-organic offal, which would be required before
the organic material could be used to make an
organic feed.

Some farmers, he says, are now planting what I

call a succotash blend: oats, barley, wheat, maybe
triticale (a wheat/rye mix) and field peas. If you
plant a minimum of 40% field peas (by seed count,
not by weight) this will give you a feed with a
protein content of 16% or 17%. You harvest it as a
single crop and youll get about 75% small grains
and 25% field peas. One farmer in New York who
has planted this blend has gotten 60 to 100 bushels

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30

Spring 2010

The Natural Farmer

Sprouting to Enhance
Poultry Feeds
by Harvey Ussery

Copyright Harvey Ussery 2006

In the winter, when the flock does not have access to pasture, I sprout the entire
small grain portion of my feed mixand sometimes the peas as well.
When I feed both sprouted peas and sprouted grains, the chickens go for the
grains by preference every time. When I return later in the day, however, they
have usually cleaned up all the sprouted peas as well. There is no reason I
shouldnt also sprout the whole corn, but doing so would leave little in the dry
mix other than extremely fine ingredientsflax seed, kelp meal, dried yeast, etc.
Chickens resist eating feed of mostly small particle size.
Since I do not require a green sprout, my system is based not on sprouting trays
but on six 5-gallon food grade plastic buckets. Two buckets are soak buckets (if
I am sprouting peas as well as grains)four are drain/sprout buckets. The latter
I drill with dozens of small holes, in the bottoms and half-way up the sides. The
size of the holes is important: They must permit the flushing through of dusty
debris, but not get blocked by a grain of wheat or oats.
Here is the schedule I follow when sprouting both peas and grains, assuming I
desire a 5-day sprout:
Day 1 In one of the soak buckets, I soak all the whole wheat, oats, and barley
called for in the mix I am currently using. (I would certainly use other whole
grains if available.) Since it is usually winter, I set the bucket in my basement
to prevent freezing.
Day 2 I pour the small grains into one of the drain/sprout buckets and rinse well,
allowing thorough drainage through the holes in the bucket before returning to
the basement. I set another batch of small grains to soak in the soak bucket. In
a second soak bucket, I soak the amount of whole peas called for in the mix.
Day 3 I again pour the soaked small grains into a drain/sprout bucket. I pour
yesterdays soaked peas into the grains from Day 1. Both drain buckets get
thoroughly rinsed before returning to the basement. I start new (separate)
batches of grains and peas soaking.
Day 4 Repeat, this time putting the soaked peas into the bucket containing grains
started Day 2.
Day 5 Again, repeat. Note that at this point I have contents in four drain/sprout
buckets.

free

photo courtesy Harvey Ussery

My sprouting setup consists of one (or two) soak buckets and several
drain buckets. Each drain bucket gets a thorough rinse every day.

Day 6 The most advanced bucket of sprouts is now ready to feed. Note that the
grains are five-day sprouts (including the first day in the soak bucket), and
that the peas are four-day sprouts. (The peas sprout at a faster rate than the
grains, so I enter them at a later point in the rotation.) I take that bucket out to
the poultry house and scatter the sprouted seeds onto the deep litter. If it is a
day when the birds can be out on the pasture, I scatter some outside as well.
Now I put yesterdays soaked grain into the bucket Ive just emptied, and the
cycle rolls on.
Note that every day, every bucket gets a thorough rinseotherwise, the
sprouting grains get funky.
Sometimes I prefer to sprout the grains only, in which case I eliminate one of
the soak buckets (and grind the peas instead, adding them to the dry part of
the mix). Also, I might reduce the number of drain/sprout buckets, or increase,
depending on how developed a sprout I want, and the point in the season. (In
the winter, the sprouting process slows down, even in my basement which is
warmed by waste heat from the furnace, thus I might add one drain bucketfor
an additional dayto the system.)
The above is doubtless confusing when read off the page. If you play around
with coffee cups representing the buckets as you follow along, however, you
will understand how the system works.

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Black Soldier Fly, White Magic

Spring 2010

The Natural Farmer

by Harvey Ussery

Text copyright Harvey Ussery 2009

Photos copyright Bonnie Long 2009, except as noted
First published in the Oct/Nov 2009 issue of Backyard Poultry Magazine
Trash to Treasure
I have always been fascinated by the transformation of something yucky into
something prized. When my father brought home a bushel basket of manure
from my grandmothers chicken coop in the trunk of our car, and worked it into
our garden beds, I was filled with wonder: That stuff they warn us barefoot boys
not to step in, its going to make our vegetables grow? Wow! When I started
growing gardens of my own, I had many reasons to avoid fertility in a bag,
but first and foremost I shunned chemical fertilizers because they would deny
me a role in compostingthe miracle of turning manures and rotting vegetation
into harvests.

31

As is the case with many species of butterfly, the adult phase is exclusively
sexual: The winged phase is solely about mating, and, for the female, finding
the best possible place to lay her eggs. They do not feed at all in this phase,
which lasts only five to eight days. Death quickly ensues for both male and
female adults, once fertile eggs have been laid to start the cycle anew.
An Alliance with the Soldier
Useful ideas emerge from alert observation. In the case of the Black Soldier life
cycle, we should note particularly: They are specialists in a critically important
rolethe breakdown of organic debris that would otherwise choke the ecology.
Their high level of feeding activity and rapid growth in the larval stage imply
the concentration of considerable nutrients. Since the adults do not feed
indeed, they do not even have functioning mouth partsthey do not bite, nor
do they come buzzing around us or our houses, looking for something to eat. Of
special interest is their habit of crawling out of the feeding medium when it is
time to pupate.

And Ive been a sucker for the idea that I could make an alliance with another
animal species to work this magic myself: For example, I was enough of a kid
to jump enthusiastically into composting with worms, turning pony poop into
fertilizer and chicken feed. (See The Boxwood Vermicomposting System on
my website: http://themodernhomestead.us/article/Boxwood+Vermicomposting.
html.) Now Im excited about yet another species that magically transforms
wastes into resources. Let me introduce you.
Meet the Genie: Hermetia illucens
Most of us are annoyed and repelled by flies. House flies buzz into the house
and onto our food, possibly carrying disease-causing microbes. Horse flies
bite. Blow flies lay their eggs in carrion, and the larvae rid the world of dead
carcassesan essential ecological service for which we are grateful, even as we
are repelled by the process as just too gross!

photo courtesy of ESR International

Composters interested in a convenient purchased unit for raising

soldier grubs should check out the BioPod, molded from dense
polyethylene in Vietnam. The two-part lid protects the colony from
rain, while providing ventilation and access by egg-laying females.
The entire unit is attached to a sturdy stand, to accommodate an
attached sealed jar below, into which effluent drains.
photo courtesy of http://blacksoldierflyblog.com

The winged (reproductive) phase of the Black Soldier looks like a

pretty (but stingless! ) wasp. Though a flying adult never buzzes or
attempts to land on a person, this onestill sleepy after emergence
from pupationwas persuaded to sit still long enough for us to
admire her.
But none of us within its range are either annoyed or repelled by the Black
Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucensindeed, it is unlikely most of us have ever even
noticed this innocuous flying insect. Why would we? They look nothing like
the flies we find annoying. They do not buzz us or come inside the house.
They do not bite. A resting adult looks like a slender black wasp (but without
the sting)quite pretty, actually.
The life cycle of the Black Soldier could be a textbook example of the most
common insect life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, adult.
Like countless other essential decomposers, the work of Hermetia illucens in
the world is the conversion of organic debris into residues that feed the soil
food web, and into new individuals who carry that work into the future. More
poetically, decomposers turn death back into life. In the case of the Black
Soldier, the cycle starts with eggs laid by the female near a concentrated deposit
of moist, nutrient-dense organic refuse such as succulent vegetable matter and
manures.
The eggs incubate for four days to three weeks, then hatch into larvae, legless
and wingless grubs that are all throughput: busily feeding mouth on one end,
extraction of all nutrients usable for vigorous growth in the digestive system,
and ejection of undigestible feed components out the other end. The grubs molt
their skins, to allow for their rapid growth, in five successive phases called
instars.
Under ideal conditions, the larvae mature in 10 days. Their tissues are now
developed enough, and they have stored energy reserves enough, to support the
next phase: the miracle of metamorphosis, the transformation into a completely
different insect form. Pupation does not take place within the feeding medium,
however. When they are ready, the prepupal grubs have the instinct to leave it
and find a place to burrow into the earth and initiate metamorphosis. After ten
days or so, they emerge as winged adults.

photo courtesy of ESR International

This view of the interior of the BioPod shows us a component that is

essential, whatever the bin design: means for the mature grubs to ramp
out of the feeding medium when it is time to pupate. The ramp here is
molded into the body of the BioPod itself. It ends at the harvest slit,
through which the migrating grubs free-fall into the collection bucket
below. Crawl-off occurs overnight; and next morning Harvey simply
removes the bucket and offers his chickens their favorite meal of the day.

These facets of the life cycle hint at an opportunity to make an alliance with
Hermetia illucens to: responsibly manage organic residues such as spoiled or
unused food, manures, culled fruits and vegetables, etc.; and to reclaim the
residual energy in such materials as additions to soil fertility, or even high
quality feed (the mature grubs themselves) which we can offer to livestock
species such as chickens, pigs, or farmed fish. By channeling the crawl-off of
the grubs, we can even cause them to self-harvest into a collection bucket! And
because the vigorous activity of the larvae keeps the feeding medium constantly

32

Spring 2010

The Natural Farmer

Range

If you live in climate zones 7 through 10, there is almost certainly a native Black
Soldier population ready to work for you. (Im in Zone 6b, and I found soldier
grubs in my vermicomposting bins for years before I started cultivating them.)
All you have to do to start a working colony is to set up feeds and protected
conditions that fit their life cycle; and the gravid females (mated, ready to lay
eggs) will come. Soldiers can survive considerably farther north than Zone 7. If
there is no wild population, you can purchase starter grubs through the mail.
How easy it will be to keep a local population going will depend on just how far
north of their natural range you live.
Bin

Mature soldier grubs (prepupae)about 3/4 inch long, flat, and

segmentedhave skin that is dry and leathery. Nutrient value as
live poultry feed is very high.

aerated (most pathogenic microbes prefer anaerobic conditions), and because

the adults do not feed at all, this species is not a vector for diseases. Happily,
soldier grubs tend to inhibit development of larvae of all other fly species
house flies, fruit flies, blow fliesso cultivating the Black Soldier can actually
reduce populations of flies with a higher nuisance profile.

There are no requirements for bin design, so long as it protects the colony from
predation and rain, is readily accessible to gravid females, ensures compatible
living conditions, and provides for crawl-off by the mature grubs. The unit
should be set up in the shade: The high metabolic level of the grubs generates
a good deal of heatadditional heat supplied by direct sunlight could be
disastrous for the colony. Otherwise, placement of the bin depends on your
own convenience. It does not have to be stuck off in the back forty: Aerobic
(oxygen-rich) conditions in a well managed colony prevent unpleasant odors.
Feeds
Most efficient conversion to biomass occurs in typical food wastes. But if yours
is a frugal household such as ours, there is no edible food wasted, other than

Much creative work has in fact been done toward making exactly such an
alliance. Dr. Paul Olivier has designed systems for grub composting in Vietnam
and other developing countries, to reduce the load of food wastes on streets and
in landfills, while providing needed employment. Academic researchers such as
Sophie St-Hilaire and Craig Sheppard have experimented with soldier grubs to
manage fish offal, and manures in commercial poultry and swine houses; and
to yield high-protein feed supplements for various livestock species, including
commercially raised carnivorous fish. Dr. Olivier and his son Robert have
founded a company (ESR International, LLC) which sells the well designed
BioPod, a molded high-density plastic bin similar in some ways to, but more
efficient than, home scale worms eat my garbage vermicomposting units.
Parameters for Black Soldier Composting
In the summer of 2009, I began working a soldier grub colony in a BioPod. In
the coming growing season I will experimenjt as well with some more low-tech,
less expensive, do-it-yourself projects for soldier grub composting. My goal
is to replace 25% of purchased feed I offer my chickens with nutrient-dense
soldier grubs (42% protein, 35% fat, dry weight).

Their favorite meal.

For now, these are some of the parameters that govern the design and
management of a successful operation.

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Spring 2010

castoffs like coffee grounds (which grubs love),

tea leaves, peelings, and trimmings. (It might be
possible in a larger project to receive food scraps
from institutions like schools or restaurants.) In
the absence of such food residuals, any mix of
succulent vegetable and fruit matter works well,
such as over-mature and cull fruits and vegetables
(the lurking Monster Zuchinni perhaps). Since
grubs love the big outer wrapper leaves of cabbage
(and still-succulent spent broccoli plants), I plan
to grow more rape (a close relative of kale, thus of
cabbage)which I grow as a cover crop anyway
to harvest as feed. Im experimenting with comfrey
as wellits succulent large leaves are packed with
protein and minerals. Perhaps next year Ill plant
more of the big pumpkins and Hubbard squashes for
feeding grubs.
Manures can make good feed. Low-fiber pig and
chicken manures are bestthere may be no better
way to deal with these manures than using energyhungry grubs. The larvae will work horse, rabbit,
and ruminant manures, but the higher fiber content
of these manures reduces feeding efficiency (since
the larvae cannot digest the cellulosic residues of
plant stems). Of course, if the manure available
to you for processing is a high-fiber type (horse
manure in my case), you could simply increase bin
capacity to meet your production goals, and plan on
cleaning out the bin a little more frequently.
Meat and fish scraps, and dairy produts, can be
fed to active colonies, but in limited amountsthe
grubs will not thrive with too much high-protein
feed. Such foods should not exceed 5% of total feed
offered.
Do not use as feed materials that are dry, fibrous,
high-cellulose, toughsuch as weeds, grass, leaves,
stalks, paper, cardboard.
Drainage
Look again at the list of appropriate feeds. Note
that all have high moisture content; and that grubs
do not thrive in anaerobic conditions. Conclusion:
Efficient drainage out of the bin is essential, and
will likely be your major management challenge.
If conditions in the colony do become too wet,
either cease feeding for awhile or add a moistureabsorbing material such as shredded office paper
(not newspaper), coir (the granular residue of
coconut husk fiber extraction), and the like.
Note that the effluent from the bin can be used
exactly like a manure tea. Some sources advise
against using it on garden crops, just to play it safe,
but you can use it to encourage cover crops and
other non-food plants.
The crawl-off
An essential feature of any bin design is provision
of some sort of ramp the mature grubs can use
to exit the feeding medium. If the incline is no
greater than 45 degrees, they will have no problem
wriggling up the ramp, which might end in some
sort of gutter to direct their further migration. The
grubs have no hesitation crawling off the end of
the gutter and launching themselves into space,
assuming theyre going to land on earth, where they
can burrow and pupate. Uh-oh! wily you have
placed the spout over a collection bucket. Next
morning you only have to pick up the bucket and go
feed the chickens. (They love soldier grubs.)

The Natural Farmer

wastes, for example, they will reduce it to 5 pounds

of residue usable as a superior soil amendment; in
the process generating 10 and possibly up to 20
pounds of live grubs that can be fed to livestock; in
addition to liquid effluent (how much depends on
the moisture content of the feeding materials) which
can be used to feed crops. Hey, wait a minutewhat
happened to the wastes? There is absolutely no
waste remaining after this conversionit has all
been transformed into valuable resource.
In the future, widespread farm-scale conversion
by soldier grubs of organic residues like manures
could reduce dependence on purchased feeds for
poultry, pigs, and fish. Or the grubs could be sold
for drying and addition to livestock feedsas a
replacement for the thousands of tons of ocean fish
harvested annually for fish meal (at todays prices,
approaching $1,000 per ton and rising).
Flexibility
This species is enormously adaptive in response to
changing environmental conditions. If food supply
runs out, the grubs go dormant until more food is
available. During winter, they delay maturation for
several months before resuming development. This
adaptability gives the operator great flexibility in
managing the colony.
Clean-out
Because of the enormous reduction in volume of the
feedstocks offered to the colony, cleaning out the
substratethe undigestible residue at the bottom
of the binneed not be frequent. This residue
makes a great soil amendment. Or it can be added
to vermicomposting bins for even better natural
fertilizer production. (See below.)
Winter
It is possible to maintain a ready-to-pupate colony
through the winter, ensuring an earlier start on
bioconversion in the spring (or survival of an
active colony in areas north of their natural range).
Remember that an active colony generates heat
energy by their high metabolic rate, making it easier
to provide the conditions for their survival.
Addendum, December 31, 2009
I believe grubs that have entered the pupation stage
in the soil survive freezing. Developing grubs in an
active colony will die, however, if allowed to freeze.
I have been experimenting with my colonys winter
requirements. Until the heavy frosts came in, I kept
my BioPod in the greenhouse. Then I moved it to
the basement, where waste heat from the furnace
keeps the temperature around 55 degrees. This
temperature proved too warm: The colony began
producing a heavy crawl-off (representing a drain
from the population that cannot be replenished
before the warm season, when mating adults will
be active)and even premature metamorphosis of
grubs into bewildered-looking adults. My solution
was to remove the colony from the BioPod and
return it to the greenhouse, but this time placed into
one of the earth-bermed vermicomposting bins, well

Theyre obviously quite compatible with the

resident redworms.
Partners in Vermicomposting
Those who compost with worms for managing
organic wastes may enjoy expanding their
repertoire to include a soldier grub colony. There are
important differences between the two: Redworms
live and feed in a large, undifferentiated feeding
mass; grubs should be fed only what they will
consume in a day. The population in a worm bin
is self-sustaining; whereas a soldier grub colony
requires renewal from an ambient wild population
otherwise, there will be no egg-laying females to
ensure a new supply of grubs in the bin.
In some ways, soldier grubs are superior to
redworms for composting: They are more active,
yielding greater production of live biomass;
and grubs so conveniently self-harvest into our
collection buckets.
However, we neednt choose between the two on
the basis of which is betteractually, the two
species make wonderful partners. Grubs digest
fresh putrescent matter in a hurry (worms wait
until bacteria are consuming them, then feed on the
bacteria); while redworms convert the cellulosic
residues grubs are unable to digest. Studies in Asia
demonstrate that redworms grow three to four times
faster on the residues from soldier grubs, than on
food wastes.
The Big Picture
To paraphrase Wendell Berry, our modern habit is
to take a beautiful natural solutionthe recycling
by decomposer organisms of residual energy
in wastes into food for other members of the
ecology, including those in the soil food weband
neatly divide it into several hideous problems.
Nature does not know the meaning of the term
wastewe have created waste, the loss of
reclaimable energies in organic residues, as a new
phenomenon inherent in the human economy. The
refuse in landfills consists of up to 12% uneaten
or unused food, whose breakdown there not only
squanders its resource potential, but generates
methane, an even more potent climate-altering
gas than carbon dioxide. Manures from livestock
operations are seldom fully utilized for soil
improvement, and run off to natural water systems,
where they function more as toxin than fertilizer.
It is easy to despair of making an individual
difference where some of our Big Problems are
concerned. But with regard to the organic residues
from our tables, gardens and orchards, and backyard
livestock operations, we canwith forethought
and dedication, and in ways that are funhelp end
the inexcusable and unsustainable sluicing of unreclaimed resources down a black hole from which
they do not return. Hermetia illucens is ready to
help.

Productivity

What levels of production might we expect? That

depends on many factorsbin design, feeds offered,
ambient temperatures, management experience and
skills (the your mileage may vary factor). But
the equation, at whatever level of production, is all
positive: If we offer the grubs 100 pounds of food

protected from freezing. The grubs have remained

active, eating all the castoffs from the kitchen such
as coffee grounds, tea leaves, and trimmingsbut
not completing development into the pupal stage.

Do remember, though, to scatter a few grubs where

they can burrow, pupate, and emerge as adults ready
to carry on the cycle.

A colony of soldier grubs is like a chicken flock:

A well managed colony is a lot more productive
than a wild onethat is the essence of the almost
symbiotic relationship between Homo sapiens and
another species which we call domestication.

33

34

For More Information on the Black Soldier

http://blacksoldierflyblog.com A blog maintained

by Jerry aka GW, who has been cultivating soldier
grubs to feed pond fish for several years. GW also
serves as a distributor of the well designed BioPod,
which I am currently using to house my grub colony.
Quoting GW: If you like gardening, traditional composting, or vermiculture, then youre a likely candidate
for black soldier fly culturing. Likewise, if you watch
nature and science shows you will probably find BSF as
fascinating as I do.
http://www.theBioPod.com The website for ESR
International, LLC, the company that designed and sells
the BioPod for soldier grub composting. Lots of useful information about managing a working colony, and
about many other bioconversion/waste management
issues. (BioPod is a trademark of ESR International,
LLC.)

Spring 2010
The Natural Farmer
January, 2010 update from ESR
ESR: The bioconversion rate is predicated on
International, the maker of the BioPod temperature and what the grubs are being fed. The
by Jack Kittredge

TNF: Is the BioPod still available?

ESR: The BioPod Classic is being replaced in
early 2010 with the second generation BioPod,
the BioPod Plus. We are also releasing a
commerecial sized unit, the Commercial Prota
Pod. We are still undecided about continued
production of the older system.
TNF: How do the units work out in the
northeast for raising grubs?

ESR: These units work well in areas where the

Black Soldier Fly exists naturally; however, no
range maps exist for this insect, unlike other
animals - so the buyer needs to find out if they
http://www.theBioPod.com/forum An online dis- are present locally. Unfortunately, we are
cussion forum, sponsored by ESR International, LLC,
not aware of any range maps and we suspect
for enthusiasts working with this fascinating species.
that information has never been compiled
(we would love to see a university study that
http://www.esrint.com/pages/bioconversion.html
could help determine this natural range). Our
Background to the devlopment of the major BioPod guess is that regions with zone 5 or colder
designs to date.
would probably have to obtain starter colonies
and rev up the local population to a sustained
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/benefi- level (this can be accomplished by allowing
cials/beneficial-51_black_soldier_fly.htm
10% of the pupae to hatch out to adults,
One-page summary of facts about Hermetia illucens and which will then in turn breed and lay eggs
what it has to offer.
- amplifying the population). Starter colonies
are available online from a few growers that
http://blacksoldierflyblog.com//wp-content/upsupply redworm colonies for newly setup
loads/2009/05/Bioconversion-Paul-Olivier.pdf An
worm bins. We do not supply grubs at this
online version of a 99-slide presentation on the Black
time, but may start offering those in the future.
Soldier Fly and other bioconversion issues.
Insulation would also be necessary to extend
the bioconversion season into the cooler
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/waste_mgt/smithfield_
months. Think of this as a warm climate crop
projects/phase2report05/cd,web%20files/A2.pdf Report that can be grown in the northeast with a little
of North Carolina State University study of conversion help to maximize production and harvest (like
of swine manure using soldier grubs.
with sweet potatoes, okra and cowpeas).
http://www.nabuur.com/files/attach/2008/07/
task/11281_46dfe83eeb5ff.pdf
Detailed proposal for solving waste management problems in Vietnam, while providing or enhancing thousands of jobs, centered on soldier grub conversion of
organic compostables.

TNF: If a farm were interested in the larger

production possibilities of the Prota Pod, how
much waste is it designed to use per day, and
what can be used?

smaller BioPods can easily consume the daily food

scraps from a 4-6 person household. A good rule of
thumb for the smaller unit is approx. 5 lbs of scraps
per day. Pull some back if they cannot consume the
food in 24-48 hours. The larger ProtaPod has approx.
4 times the processing capacity of the residential
unit. Here are some figures from the website:

Capacity of BioPod Classic:

15-20% Bioconversion of food waste into BioGrubs
Food scraps (including meat) from 4-6 adults
Digestion Rate = up to 5 lbs (2.2 kg) per day
Approx. volume of 35 liters / 9.2 gallons
5% bioconversion of scraps into black friable castings
TNF: Can outdoor waste such as crop residue, soiled
bedding, and even the occasional poultry mortality be
used?
ESR: I would say that crop residue should be fine, but
I would not recommend adding the other two items to
the pods, if the grubs are going to be fed back to the
poultry - you dont want to ever practice that form of
recycling due to viruses and prions. If you are going
to feed the grubs to fish or animals from a different
CLASS (not Aves), that should be OK. Best to play it
safe. The grubs will definitely consume the carcasses,
but best to use a separate pod for those. They will
also eat manure, but the bedding has little nutritional
value so that component will be overlooked. Plus the
bedding may contain chemicals.
TNF: What ambient temperature is necessary for these
to remain active.
ESR: Optimum outdoor temps range from 65 to 100
F - though the indoor temperature will be maintained
in the 90s due to the high rate of exothermic
digestion. Temps over 105 F inside the pod can cause
premature crawl off of the grubs, before maturity is
reached. These juvenile grubs will have to be re-added
to the unit when it cools. Always place unit in full
shade. Despite cool nights, the pods can continue
to function well into the fall as long as you continue
to feed them - maintaining digestion activity (which
produces heat). An insulation blanket can assist in
extending the active season for several weeks by
retaining internally generated heat. Of course, you
dont want it to overheat. No breeding occurs once
outdoor temps drop, but the grubs will continue to
digest and get bigger.
TNF: What happens at colder temperatures, and what
if they are cold just at night versus for longer periods?
ESR: Eventually the whole unit will go dormant
when the internal temps are not sustainable enough
to maintain adequate activity. At that point the whole
system can be dumped into the redworm unit (for
additional processing into castings) or added to a
compost bin for over wintering.
TNF: How long can the two units remain functional if
well filled and then untouched?
ESR: You never want to deprive them of food for
more than a week or so or the colony may collapse
/ go dormant, especially after the temps have
dropped. Fresh foods keeps them active, growing, and
attracting additional gravid females to lay new eggs to
continue the cycle.
TNF: How about pricing?
ESR: Retail pricing for a single BioPod Plus will range
from $180-200 depending on the retailer from which
it is purchased. Our price for direct orders has not yet
been set. We are still looking for a few more resellers
at this time.

Many Hands Organic Farm

Julie Rawson & Jack Kittredge (978) 355-2853

Barre, MA, www.mhof.net, farm@mhof.net

Produce, Fruit & Flower farm shares

Garlic

Organic & Free-range

Poultry & Pork, Organic Lard

Certified by Baystate Organic Certifiers

Spring 2010

The Natural Farmer

How To Culture Mealworms

35

from the Primer of Wildlife Care, Bruckner Nature Center, Troy, Ohio

Life Cycle
Mealworms are the larvae of the beetle Tenebrio molitor. During their life cycle
these beetles undergo complete metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
Times required for each stage under average conditions are listed below.
Egg.......4 weeks
Larva....10 weeks
Pupa......3 weeks
Adult.....4 weeks
Culturing Mealworms
Mealworms are handy for feeding to a variety of animals, such as birds,
bats, amphibians, and reptiles. To culture mealworms, use a plastic, metal, or
glass container with smooth sides to prevent escape. Cover the colony with a
screen; secure the screen with an elastic band. The size of the container will be
determined by the number of larvae to be cultured:
wide-mouth gallon jar....1,000 mealworms
15 x 12 x 6 inches........5,000 mealworms
36 x 24 x 12 inches.....50,000 mealworms
NOTE: To discourage mites from invading the mealworm colony, place the
container in a bowl of water.
Feeding Mealworm Colonies
Use any of the following mixtures:
1. Wheat bran
2. One part pulverized dry cat or dog chow + 3 parts wheat bran
3. Quaker oats + 1/2 cup bone meal powder + 1/4 cup multivitamin powder
Cover food and mealworms with 2-3 layers of moistened burlap. Sprinkle with
water once weekly to maintain moisture level in colony. Burlap also simplifies
collecting mealworms. The larvae gather between the burlap layers and can
easily be scooped by hand or picked out with forceps.
NOTE: Mixtures of foods, such as oats, intended for human consumption are
less likely to contain contaminates, such as mites, that can destroy a mealworm
colony.
Moisture
Lay slices of apple, potato, carrot, or over-ripe banana over the surface of the
colony to provide fluids for the mealworms. In addition to obtaining moisture
from these vegetables and fruits, mealworms lay their eggs on them. Collect
these and save them when starting a new colony.

Temperature
Mealworms thrive in a warm (80-90 degrees F) environment. To maintain
the larvae in a state of dormancy, cover the container with cloth to prevent
condensation, and set in the refrigerator (40-50 degrees F). Mealworms will die
at lower temperatures.
Cleaning the Colony and Starting New Colonies
Over time, a build-up of powdery residue will appear in the container. This
residue, called frass, consists of mealworm wastes and eggs. Sift this out
once a month using a colander, window screen, or tea strainer. Keep frass in a
separate container and add bran and potato slices. The eggs will hatch in about
one month. Two weeks after hatching, sift out the tiny larvae and put them in a
container with fresh food, burlap, and vegetable slices as described above.

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36

The Natural Farmer

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Spring 2010

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Spring 2010

Whey-Fed Pigs: This

Lard Is a Health Food!

37

The Natural Farmer

by William G. Winter, D.V.M.

More pork is eaten around the world than any other

kind of meat. The quality, flavor and healthfulness
of pork fat lard, that is has more to do with
the diet and lifestyle of the pig than anything else,
a fact much more true for hogs than it is for tallow
from a ruminant animal. When ruminants are fed
whey, peanuts, acorns or other fats, the fat content
of the ration is actually digested twice thanks to
the rumen bugs. Therefore, less direct flavor from
the dietary fats comes through. The rumination pro
cess also hydrogenates the fat so that it becomes
more of a hard fat like butter. Soft, or unsaturated
fat creates more flavor, more mouth feel, and gives
us the rainbow of scents and flavors with the aging
of meat.
This is one of many reasons why we dont want to
eat garbage hogs, the factory farm hogs fed and
fattened on such commercial waste streams as bak
ery waste. In fact, consuming this kind of factory
pork is a great way to mainline huge quantities of
trans fats into ones diet. Trans fats, a dietary death
trip, come straight across your plate all the way
from the hog trough. If you have a true death wish,
just go eat the donuts yourself and get your trans
fats direct, not second-hand from a pig.
To make juicy pork chops and the ultimate ham we
need soft fat. Soft fat comes primarily from a ration
that includes a substantial quantity of quality cheese
whey, skim milk or other dairy products, as well
as a pleasing quantity of peanuts, tree nuts such as
acorns, almonds, pecans, or even walnuts (ever hear
a woods pig cracking walnut hulls with their teeth?
They can do it!).
Most people dont know this, but good lard is a
health food! Good free-range pastured pork is
usually around 55 percent monounsaturated fat (the
good stuff), primarily oleic acid with nice levels of
linoleic acid, especially if the hogs have access to
acorns as part of their diet, acorns having about 62
percent oleic acid and plenty of linoleic acid. These
monounsaturated fats lower LDL cholesterol and
raise HDL cholesterol, and thats good.
In addition to whey or nuts and seeds, hogs need
a balanced diet, which should include plenty of
grass, alfalfa and other weeds or forbs. These greens
supply plenty of antioxidants, which protect the fat
from rancidity and oxidation during storage, curing
and processing.
Another excellent seed to incorporate into hog
rations is ground flax seed or flax seed hulls that
have had the flax oil extracted. By incorporating up
to 400 pounds of hulls per ton of concentrated feed,
the resultant hog fat can have as much of the very
desirable omega-3 fat as a wild salmon or a streak
from a 100-percent grass-fed ruminant.
We complete the ration using a high-mineral premix to insure adequate minerals, especially the
protective ones such as zinc, cobalt, manganese,
selenium, iodine, copper and molybdenum. To my
knowledge, Jerry Brunetti makes the ultimate full
and complete hog ration pre-mix.
Its both possible and desirable to promote pork
raised in this manner as high omega-3 fat and
selenium enriched pork. Its the truth, and many
consumers are seeking it.
Modern commodity hogs have an average of 42
percent less body fat than similar hogs as recently
as the 1980s. While the short-sighted producers and
politically correct diet dictocrats as lipid-lover
Sally Fallon calls them actually brag about this
sad fact, we bemoan it and have thus returned to
raising and fattening the heritage breeds that havent
been engineered to resemble greyhounds. For the
most part we want black hogs because this is where
we find the good red meat and the good fat. White
hogs, which suffice for the everyday Serrano hams,
are more known for maternal instincts and fertility
than for tasty eating.

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38

We love our lard, we love juicy pork chops, and we

grow our hogs big and fat. We rarely harvest hogs
before 300 pounds body weight even going up to
400 pounds in some cases. To achieve finish, we
want to see some visible rolls of body fat. This pays
off with big-time benefits in flavor, quality and even
healthfulness. Without question, hogs, like any other
animal, develop flavor as they age.
Pork fat harvested from these hogs should ideally
be rendered with low-temperature heat and strained
away from the cracklings, which can also be
marketed for sale. Its wise to avoid commercial
lard unless one knows how it was rendered
some of the high-temperature extractions end up
creating toxic trans fats or worse. The snow-white
internal kidney fat should be harvested and sold
as a special fat to be used for cooking, baking or
gourmet restaurant use, and the caul or mesenteric
membranes, which are laced with good white fat,
can also be sold to restaurants or chefs.
All cooks should avoid cooking food, especially at
fry temperatures, in any of the common vegetable
oils, which include canola, soy, corn or even
olive oil. Olive oil is good for you, with lots of

The Natural Farmer

unsaturated fats, but it should never be heated lest

it break down into toxic trans fats. Most of the
common cooking oils are of GMO origin anyway,
so thats another good reason to avoid them. Butter
tastes good as a cooking oil, but is extremely fragile
and shouldnt really be heated above 150 F. Frying
or high-temperature cooking is only safe with lard,
tallow, or some of the virgin tropical oils such as
coconut or palm oil.
We know that farm chickens are a more efficient
source of protein than pigs. They also give us eggs.
In the old days before modern meat preservation the
chicken was a handy-dandy meal-sized unit. Unlike
temperamental sows, I dont think any farm children
have ever been pecked to death by a rooster, so
thats another point for the birds. There is, however,
no reason why we cant have both chickens and
hogs on our farms. Hogs can also wander through
forest land virtually impervious to predators and
grow fat and delicious on land that is otherwise
fairly unfarmable. Its also desirable to reclaim
brushy, shrubby land using hogs to landscape.
When we are talking dairy farms, one can almost
watch the whey turn to delicious, juicy pork. A

Spring 2010

recent medical study of nurses confirmed a fact that

seems odd, but is in reality scientifically true
low-fat milk, especially skim, makes you fat! Yes,
its true, once the good butterfat has been removed,
we have in essence sugar water, a known fattening
agent. And yet, good whey retains the protein,
amino acids and other nutrients of milk. For this
reason, weight lifters and body builders pay small
fortunes for their whey supplements. A reality is that
many dairy farms have to pay to have their excess
whey hauled away! Its time to return to the fully
bio-diverse slow-food farm.

The Cure for Boring Meat

by William G. Winter, D.V.M.

Think about it, there are really only three foods that
incite temporary insanity and exquisite joy in the
human condition: rotten grapes, moldy milk and
ripened meat! These are, of course, better known as
wine, cheese and real ham.
Consider this scenario: A man walks into a bar (this
is not a joke) and is served exactly 100 grams (about
3.5 ounces) of sliced ham. The meat is sliced so
thinly it is translucent and is arranged on a 9-inch
dinner plate so that it looks like the delicate petals
of a flower. The man slowly eats the meat, savoring
each bite. For this privilege he pays over $100 and
walks out very, very happy.
Where does this occur? Hint: not in America (yet).
No, it is most likely in Spain, Italy or even jolly
old England. In these countries, the art of drycuring country hams has developed into a skill
approaching a zen experience. Likewise, thousands
of locals and foodie pilgrims have been flocking to
these well-known meat shrines and charcuteries ever
since man began salting and curing meat.
The most famous hams in the world are the Serrano
hams, most notably the Iberico black hog hams, all
of which are created in the oak savannas of Spain,
where ground-fall acorns stand several inches deep,
luring in these free-ranging forest hogs. The nearlyas-famous Jambon de Bayonne is a French cousin
ham. No Iberico ham can be sold before 22 months
of careful aging has transpired. One leg from the
top-quality Iberico black-toed pigs can sell for
hold on to your hat $4,000 per leg!
The equally famous Parma ham, a.k.a. Prosciutto
di Parma, comes from the region of Northern Italy
where Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is created and
the pigs can wrap their lips around the rich cheese
whey, the source of the slightly-sweet, slightly-nutty
flavor of this famous meat. The integrity of these
unique and superb meats is somewhat guaranteed
by the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin)
regulations, which stipulate conditions of rearing,
breeding, processing and serving. Just as with
Cuban cigars, fakes abound. For this reason the
Iberico hams must have the black toes and a special
ribbon attached.
Americans once had our own European-based
tradition of curing, drying, and smoking delicious
hams, but it has fallen under the wheels of progress,
efficiency and the bottom-liners of industry.
Believe it or not, there once was a real peanut-fed,
12-month-aged ham bearing the Smithfield label,
but that was once upon a time, long ago. Today,
the sanctity of American pork resides with the
deservedly-famous Colonel Bill Newsoms country
hams out of Princeton, Kentucky, makers of a truly
dry-aged and naturally-cured delicious ham. Truth
be told, thousands of small upstart charcuteries and
cutting-edge restaurants are beginning to rediscover
the lost flavor of quality pork. Its time to abandon
the planet-destroying factory hog farms, time to get
away from the deathly boring other white meat.
William G. Winter, D.V.M. is a freelance journalist,
teacher and consultant. He is the purveyor and
swinemeister of Lucky Pig Pork and is also the
herd health consultant for producers of livestock
for Thousand Hills Cattle Company. Contact him at
holistic@visi.com or www.willwinter.com.
Originally published in the September 2009 issue of
Acres U.S.A.
Acres U.S.A. PO Box 91299, Austin, Texas USA
78709 1-512-892-4400

Spring 2010
(continued from page 1)

growth, proper function of the brain and nervous

system, protection from disease and optimum energy
levels.
She is also well known as the co-founder and
president of The Weston A. Price Foundation.
The Weston A. Price Foundation is a nonprofit
organization founded to disseminate the research of
nutrition pioneer Dr. Weston A. Price, whose studies
of isolated non-industrialized peoples established
the parameters of human health and determined the
optimum characteristics of human diets. Dr. Prices
research demonstrated that humans achieve perfect
physical form and perfect health generation after
generation only when they consume nutrient-dense
whole foods and the vital fat-soluble activators found
exclusively in animal fats.
Sally also helped in establishing the Farm-toConsumer Legal Defense Fund which aims to help
protect the rights of farmers to provide meat, eggs,
raw dairy products, vegetables and other foods
directly to consumers. This includes protecting
consumers freedom of choice to consume raw milk.
Sallys goal is to have every child be a healthy child
- she aims to turn around the tragic epidemic of
childhood illnesses, autism and ADD with nutrition
and not just any old nutrition - accurate nutrition.
To that end, her main message is grass fed animals
have the highest levels of three key vitamins - A D
and K. Dr Price found good health comes from good
nutrition, in particular, from the fats, yolks, organ
meats and butter from grass fed animals.

Alternative Nobel Prize. Dr. Fernando Funes Sr.

is a researcher at the Pasture and Forage Institute
(IIPF) in Havana, and secretary of the Organic
Agriculture Group (GAO) of the Cuban Association
of Agronomists and Foresters (ACTAF).
Following the 1989 collapse of the Soviet Union,
imports shrank by 75% and Cuba was suddenly
forced to produce their own food. Dr Ferando Funes
played a significant role in Cubas aggressive shift
toward a new model of agriculture based on organic
agriculture. Today nearly 70% of food is grown in
the cities of Cuba, employing half a million people
and using integrated organic urban agricultural
techniques.
In the early 1990s a strong urban agriculture
was born in which thousands of people produce
food using organic methods that help supply basic
foodstuffs to urban families, said Dr. Funes.
The effectiveness of organic techniques in urban
gardening has been clearly demonstrated, and it
is here that we are possibly closest to the ideal of
sustainable agriculture, due in part to the prohibition
of the use of chemicals because of the proximity to
dense human populations.
Funes is a co-author of the book, Sustainable
Agriculture and Resistance: Transforming Food
Production in Cuba The book chronicles the
story of Cubas remarkable achievements in the
use of sustainable agriculture, organic farming,
urban gardens, smaller farms, animal traction, and
biological pest control to feed the country.

NOFA Summer Conference Registration

Sally hopes to bring another message to the NOFA
information is nearly ready and will be available on
Summer Conference too. Although, as she says, she the website at www.nofasummerconference.org in
doesnt know farming she does know that organic mid-April. If you are eager to spread the good news,
and sustainably farmed food is better for your health. posters and post cards are ready now - contact the
And shes not afraid to let everyone know that.
Summer Conference office at info@nofamass.org or
call 978-355-2853 for copies.
Our second keynoter, Dr. Fernando Funes has also
fearlessly spread the message of organic food,
Lots more information is already available on the
and is widely known as the father of the Cuban
website, including specifics about advertising,
organic agricultural movement. His organization,
sponsorships, exhibits, and food donations. Again,
The Organic Agriculture Group, was awarded the
the website address is www.nofasummerconference.
Right Livelihood Award, commonly known as the
org

Graduate Program in Sustainable

Landscape Planning & Design

The Conway School of Landscape

Design is the only institution
of its kind in North America.
Focus: ecologically & socially sustainable

landscape planning & design

Method: learning through real projects for real
clients; wide range of scope and complexity
Approach: practical, integrated, & collaborative,
examining interrelationships between natural
& cultural systems
Program: ten-months; 19 students from
diverse backgrounds
Location: wooded hilltop campus in scenic
western Massachusetts
Accreditation: New England Association of
Schools & Colleges
Degree: Master of Arts in Landscape Design

Information Sessions: Dec. 5, 2009 & Feb. 6, 2010

m
332 S. Deerfield Road, PO Box 179,
Conway, MA 01341-0179
| www.csld.edu

39

The Natural Farmer

We work hard to keep the cost of attending the

Summer Conference as low as possible. To that
end, weve decided to keep the registration costs
the same as last year, as is dorm housing. However,
we did decide to raise the tenting fee, up $1 from
last year, and the childrens meals will increase by
$1 at lunch, adults will increase by $1/meal due to
increases in our expenses at U/Mass. As in years
past, our popular Farming Education Fund and Work
Exchange offer ways to save money on registration.
Our workshop selection process is now closed,
thank you to one all! We have 200 fabulous
workshops, and a concurrent childrens and teens
conference. All this information will also be up on
the website by mid-April.

Book
Reviews

Feeds and Feeding

by W. A. Henry and F. B. Morrison

published by the Henry-Morrison Company, Ithaca,
NY
1928, 770 pages including appendices
$9 to $40 as a used hardcover book depending on
year of publication
review by Jack Kittredge
This is a classic, first published in 1898, which
was regularly updated and used for half a century
by farmers, ag school teachers, and anyone else
involved in livestock nutrition. The book is divided
into 3 sections, plus a number of appendices listing
key aspects of feeds.
Section one deals with plant growth and animal
nutrition. This focuses on the biology of various
plants, their stages of growth, their various parts and
where on them valuable foodstuffs can be found.
It also deals with the biology of various livestock
animals, their digestive systems, their ability to
digest various feeds, their need for energy and

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40
various nutrients, the extra demands of growth and
fattening, of milk and wool production, and of farm
labor. It also introduces the reader to the science of
calculating proper rations, and how to economize by
not providing too much of anything, which would be
wasted.
Section two deals in detail with the various feedstuffs
in common use: grains, oil and legume seeds, corn,
sorghum, grass and hay, roots, tubers, silage and
miscellaneous feeds. There is even a chapter on the
manure value of different feeds. They discuss various
byproducts of these items such as the brans left over
after milling grain, the meal left over after extraction
of oils from oilseeds, the buttermilk and whey left
after making milk into butter or cheese, tankage and
meat scraps left over after slaughter, fish and bone
meal, sugar beet pulp and molasses, distillers grains
remaining after fermentation, acorns, and cocoa
shells left from chocolate making. The proprietary
commercial feed industry was in its infancy in 1928,
and a short section deals with the state regulations that
were emerging to control it.
Section three, more than half of the book, deals with
actually feeding livestock. It is broken into chapters
on the primary animals involved: horses, cattle (dairy
and beef), sheep, and pigs. Goats get only a few
paragraphs in the sheep chapters, and poultry are
almost totally ignored! Interestingly, the 1928 version
accurately predicts the elimination of the use of horses
in cities for personal transportation (it fell almost by
half in the 1920s) but predicts that the use of horses
for short haul delivery and trucking will actually
increase in cities. At the time of this writing horses
were still the primary source of traction on farms,
and their proper care and feeding was essential to the
success of the enterprise. Section three looks at the
usefulness of each species of livestock and goes into
great detail about how proper feeding can maximize
such usefulness.
At the time this book was written, in 1928, raising
pork on pasture was standard procedure. CAFOs
were a thing of the future. So the pig rations listed all
assume a good pasture is being used. Also, at the time
of this book, soy raised for animal feed was relatively
new (although its use was growing rapidly) and a
number of other feedstuffs are the primary sources of

The Natural Farmer

protein. Soy hay and soy straw were often used for
their relatively high protein content,
There is a great deal of information in this manual
and contemporary livestock farmers would do well to
read it to better understand their feeds, their animals,
and their business. Although many of us now buy in
commercial feeds, knowledge of the options (which
have not changed a whole lot) will make us wiser
purchasers. Those of us who are able to raise our own
feeds would do well to understand how farmers of old
did it, when it was standard practice.

The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind Americas

Emerging Battle Over Food Rights

David E. Gumpert
Chelsea Green, White River Junction, VT
.2009, Softcover, $19.95, 254 pages with endnotes
and index
review by Winton Pitcoff
Even after reading what is certainly the most detailed
and thoughtful chronicling of the raw milk issue in the
U.S., one is still left to wonder just what it is about
this food that inspires such passion, in equal measure,
on both sides of the battle. What could be more basic
than milk milk in its unadulterated form at that?
Both sleuth and storyteller, Gumpert relies heavily
on text from his blog, The Complete Patient (www.
thecompletepatient.com), to chronicle the stories of a
handful of cases involving raw milk in the last several
years. He quotes extensively from his own entries,
but also reprints long excerpts from comments others
have written in response to his pieces, some of them
family members of children who allegedly became
ill from consuming raw milk. Many of these quotes
are heart-wrenching, all of them are deeply personal,
but it is telling that not even family members of children who were sick suggest that raw milk ought to be
banned outright.
The stories detail the ordeals these families and farmers have gone through, not just in terms of health concerns but also at the hands of inspectors and agencies
often literally adding insult to injury, in the name of
determining cause and seeking solutions. Particularly
disconcerting are the cases where Gumpert finds that
the evidence linking the illness to raw milk is only

circumstantial.

Spring 2010

Whats startling is how the book slices and dices the

statistics in many different ways, each time coming to
the conclusion that raw milk simply isnt the demon
the regulators make it out to be. Data from the CDC,
for instance, reveals that eating deli meat has sickened
far more people per capita than drinking raw milk.
Gumpert touches on advocates claims that raw milk
has health benefits, and references the studies (mostly
European) that back up many of those claims with
evidence, but doesnt need to rely on arguments that
demonstrate why raw milk is good to show why it
should be legal to sell and purchase.
At its core, this is an argument about responsibility
the responsibility of farmers to follow practices that
have been proven safe, the responsibility of regulators
to balance public health issues with consumer demand
and the livelihoods of farmers, and the responsibility of consumers to understand what they are eating
and that with every bite of any product comes a risk.
When any of these players decide to abdicate their responsibilities the system fails, and Gumpert is just as
clear about the need for farmers to take responsibility
for their products as he is about the need for regulators
to seek reasonable solutions rather than simply banning raw milk outright.
He concludes with a bit of optimism, tempered by an
honest depiction of food and regulatory systems bent
on sterilizing everything Americans ingest both
literally and metaphorically. The rise of consumers
demanding the right to choose their foods and make
their own decisions about what is healthy and right
for them tops his list of trends that give him hope that
there will remain an alternative to what we are all being fed.
Whats most valuable about this book is that the author approached the topic not as an activist, but as a
reporter, and so will hopefully be received as the balanced work that it is. His tales of pursuing regulators
for interviews and being turned down are just as telling as the stories of farmers and advocates who had a
great deal to say. But through the lens of a thorough,
research-based analysis, Gumpert arrives at many of
the same conclusions advocates have long espoused
most importantly that raw milk, produced and distributed cleanly and safely, should be available legally
to consumers who demand it. Whats even more
remarkable is that this book depicts this conclusion
as a middle ground, rather than an activists dream.
Gumpert may not have set out to be an activist, but in
a world where the lies are so loud and so prevalent,
even quietly telling the truth is a form of activism.

Natural Beekeeping - Organic Approaches to

Modern Apiculture

by Ross Conrad
published by Chelsea Green Publishing, White River
Junction, Vermont,
2007, 229 pages including resources,
$35.
review by H. Paul Berlejung.
First, do no harm.*
*Attributed to the Hippocratic Oath.
Conrads book is both a Hippocratic Oath and a
How To book for beekeepers - with a twist. The
book tells you how to raise honeybees so that the beekeeper is as unobtrusive into the hive as possible; and
without harmful synthetic chemicals. Conrad must
be doing something right; his losses, whether overwintered or otherwise, are less than the conventional
beekeeper.
The beekeeping books and magazines Ive read dont
even come close to Conrads environmentally sensitive approach to bees and beekeeping. Im glad I read
it and plan to follow most if not all his suggestions.

Lemons.

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Some of the techniques Conrad is for and against are:

the wide-spread use of sugar syrup and pollen substitutes should be used sparingly if at all, and you cant
harvest any honey from that source as it isnt from a
truly natural source and it also might not be organic
sugar. Once youre confident in your beekeeping he
feels you can dispense with all the protective equipment you own except your smoker and a calm head.
Conrad doesnt believe in killing or replacing old or
poorly performing queens even though most authorities condone this practice. He doesnt believe you
should cull drone comb to eliminate varroa mites
even though this is an industry-wide practice; however, he does suggest alternatives. Another is the use

Spring 2010

The Natural Farmer

of smoke for up to 60 seconds to make varroa drop. I

had never heard of that.
If youre a beekeeper and you believe Conrads natural, organic approach will affect your bottom line (less
honey, pollen or wax), he dispels that notion early on.
Conrad believes the organic beekeeper is more inclined to work with the colony in partnership than
other beekeepers so that over time when proper
attention is paid to quality of the hive and the bees,
the quantity aspect takes care of itself.

almond fields each February. Predicted droughts, however, may dry up that lucrative (but stressful to the
bees) enterprise in the coming years.
Buy the book, get into beekeeping and good luck - as
Conrad says: learning beekeeping through the school
of hard knocks can provide an excellent education
- though the tuition is high, because the bees are quick
to let you know when youre not making the grade.
For more information about beekeeping contact your
state apiarist or local or state beekeeping group.

Because Conrad knows his methods involve more

work, beekeeping will require new approaches
and technologies to make up for these increased labor
demands. As he is aware, almost every commercial
beekeeper talks about spending seconds, not minutes,
in taking care of each hive. If you make your living
from 7,000 hives, time is, in fact, money.

I enjoyed the book and suggest it for reading for anyone who is or wants to keep honeybees.

Conrad admits he doesnt have all the answers. One

question he cant answer: have beekeepers that practice organic techniques suffered fewer losses from
colony collapse disorder (CCD)? If you havent heard
about CCD - the term for the disappearance of half
the honeybees in North America since the fall of 2006
- you have now.

by Lee Reich
published by the Taunton Press, Newtown, CT, www.
taunton.com
2010, 233 pages, many color pictures and drawings
$21.95 paperback
review by Jack Kittredge

Conrads book was going to print when CCD first hit.

As a result, he could only deal with it in a few pages
of the books Afterword. In a recent e-mail exchange
between this reviewer and Conrad, Conrad said while
the CCD working group has not surveyed naturalvs-conventional beekeepers as part of their ongoing
research intoCCD it was his opinion that organic beekeepers are suffering less from CCD
Before CCD hit, the US government estimated there
were more than 220,000 beekeepers in the US that
kept in excess of 4 million hives/colonies. 2,000 beekeepers did it for a living and they kept more than 2
million of the colonies. Of the professional bee keepers, about 1,000 were in the migratory honeybee business. About 1 million of the colonies died out during
the first year of CCD (2006-2007).
As a result of CCD, many of the professional beekeepers went out of business - no bees, no business.
Many of the surviving professionals have now gone
into migratory pollination, especially in the California

Berlejung and his wife, both big city kids, keep bees
and have lived off-grid in Groton, VT for the past
three years.

The Pruning Book

This is a completely revised and updated edition of

Reichs 1997 classic by the same name. If you have
been reading The Natural Farmer you probably know
of my respect for Reichs work. He is an excellent
teacher and his workshops at the NOFA Summer
Conference are among the best. Likewise, his books
on fruit and horticulture are thorough, well illustrated,
and tell you what you need to know just when you
realize you need it. I have used the original pruning
book as the basis of my own orchard and small fruit
prunings, and also for the pruning workshops on our
farm that I give annually.
The Pruning Book is divided into three sections. The
Basics talks about the purposes of pruning, the tools
used to prune, and the plants physiological response
to pruning. The Plants is the longest section and gives
specific advice and instructions about pruning each
type of plant. It is broken into chapters on deciduous
ornamental bushes, deciduous ornamental trees, evergreen trees and bushes, ornamental vines, edible fruits
and nuts, houseplants, and herbaceous plants. Each
chapter discusses the forms and habits of growth of

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Prevents scale buildup, clogging of pipes & equipment.
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41
the type of plant, lists the members of that group (he
uses Latin names for this purpose, but if you didnt
know you can cross check the index to learn that an
oak is a Quercus spp.) and gives instructions for how
to prune that class of plants. In the third section, Specialized Pruning Techniques, Reich discusses pollarding (pruning trees so that there is only a trunk and
a bushy head of leaves, without significant limbs or
branches), pleaching (braiding the limbs of plants so
they are interconnected and can form a wall or arched
vault over a walkway), topiary (growing trees and
bushes as living sculptures in various shapes), standards (a naturally bushy small plant trained to have an
upright stem capped by a mop of leaves), mowing (it
is, after all, pruning grass!) to different heights, purposes, and effects, bonsai (miniaturization) for various
artistic effects, and finally espalier (training a plant to
a 2-dimensional form, as against a wall).
Reich wisely knows that his market is far wider than
folks like mewho is focused primarily on getting
high quality fruitand includes professional landscapers, rose fanciers (there are 8 full pages devoted
to the humble genus Rosa), backyard gardeners,
botanists, and a host of people who simply love to
surround themselves with nature. This book contains
enough beautiful full color pictures of lovely bushes
and trees, cleverly shaped and tended to serve human
purposes, to convince anyone that pruning can be a
true art.
But readers like me will eschew pruning for subjective things like beauty when instead we can prune for
quantities of luscious fruit. So I head straight for the
47 pages on edible fruits and nuts. I have found these
pages, explanations, and diagrams most beneficial
over the years. The simple drawing Bearing Habit
of Grape on page 151, for instance, gives you the
information you need to get plentiful fruit out of that
overgrown tangle of vines on the fence, especially
when studied with the 5-step drawing on the next page
of how to identify and tag the fruiting canes you want
to select for bearing next year, identify the buds from
which you want the following years canes to come,
and then severely amputate the rest of the plant, confident that you havent ruined it forever!
If you are into fruiting plantsor any perennial plants
at all, actuallyyou will use this book a lot. Take it
from me!

42

The Natural Farmer

Lifting The Yoke: Local Solutions to Americas Farm and Food Crisis

by Ron Krupp, author of The Woodchucks garden

published by Whetstone Books and printed by Solutions, in Montreal, Canada in 2009; ISB 978-0915731-07-7
Soft covered book, 325 pages in length.
Filled with photographs and text boxes with information that augments the text.
To order, please email Ron Krupp at woodchuck37@
hotmail.com or visit his web site: liftingtheyoke.com.
review by Elizabeth Coe
This book is sure to inspire action for those already
involved with the farm and food crisis in America as
well as those interested in learning about it. The three
sections of the book look deeply into the history of
family farming and the take-over of it by big business,
the disastrous moral, social and health consequences
of this development and what we can and are doing
to solve this crisis. Ron Krupps tale weaves facts and
personal stories in easy to read prose that is engaging and meaningful. For those considering farming or
otherwise engaging with the food system in Vermont,
this book is a must read, as most of the inspiration is
drawn from Krupps life long experience as a Vermont
farmer and food advocate. During the current renaissance of the small family farm and interest in health,
we also face the destructive effects of industrial farming. We need the vision and factual analysis from
farmers, consumers, politicians and writers such as
Krupp to be able to provide nutritious food without
harming the environment and ourselves for generations to come. If this subject interests you, please read
this book.
Managing Breeds for a Secure Future: Strategies
for Breeders and Breed Associations
D. Phillip Sponenberg and Donald E. Bixby
Published by The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
2007, soft cover, 208 pages, b&w pictures
review by Leslie Cox
This book describes the whole book in its title. Published by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, and written by the two top veterinarians that have
worked many years with that organization, the book
outlines the steps needed to be taken to conserve many
of the breeds and landraces of farm animals common

to our agricultural history over the past centuries.

Step by step they define the biology of breeds, breed
standards, maintaining breeds, especially delving into
how to maintain disappearing bloodlines, associations
and registries. The authors accomplish the objectives
of their title by giving clear examples of the definitions with relevant pictures of breed examples and
histories.
I found this especially interesting reading for the
information about breed relationships, but had knowledge of the definitions from past experience. Therefore this book is exceptional for those ready to help
conserve these dwindling breed gene pools, but may
be rather dry reading for those just wanting information about a particular breed, or for a novice reader.
It is hoped by the authors, and this reviewer, that
many more farmers or beginning farmers will keep
these unusual animals for pleasure, profit or, hopefully
both. They are not only interesting to look at, but also
important specific genetic pools of genes needed for
the diversity of life.
Balance: A late Pastoral
by Russell Libby
Blackberry books, 617 East Neck Road,
Nobleboro,Maine 04555 or chimfarm@gwi.net
2007, paperback, $10.00
review by Jenn Caron

Health Focused Dentistry

All General Dentistry
Regular Checkups
Teeth Cleanings
Safe Mercury Filling Removal
Cosmetic Dentistry
Integrative Orthodontics
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Non-Surgical Periodontics
Childrens Dentistry

Libby also gives us a bit of a history lesson in Rogation Day; when he explains how on the fifth Sunday
after Easter farmers would come together to walk their
shared boundary:
Rogation Sunday has disappeared from the calendar,
an oversight I choose to ignore.
I just pick my own day to walk the boundaries,
Putting the lines of this land in my feet and head.
Libby also includes many beautiful haiku-like poems.
The spareness with which he describes a complex
meteorological occurrence in Cloud is a fine example
of this.

In Fifteen Summers he speaks to the responsibility

and planning that comes with this stewardship:

Morning, two lambs tottering, still wet.

Afternoon, lobbyists line up,
Emphasizing costs to their clients of telling us what
we eat.
Evening, plant seeds to show faith and control over
future.

Now the full extent of the work lies clear ahead.

Take the pine seedlings out of the pasture,
And graze that area carefully;
Keep thinning and cutting down;
A few saw logs there wait for time and need.

Organic food
is the best
medicine
We counsel and teach cooking
classes to help our patients
reconnect to whole organic foods.

Education and Classes

Yoga Nia Tai Chi Pilates
Holistic Dentistry Education
Cooking with Organic Ingredients
Community Supported Agriculture
Support Groups

How much can be done through sheer force of will?

With necessity, an ax and an ox,
Fields were cleared,
Stone walls built,
Families fed.
Now were scared to slow down to that speed and
scale.
We want instant solutions
Investments must be repaid without delay;
Patience is no longer a virtue,
Everything must be done large, big fields, big tractors,
big farms

Cloud drops enough rain

to lift it
over
hill.

Complementary Medicine
Acupuncture
Chiropractic
Massage
Cranio Sacral Therapy
Polarity

Psychological Services
Psychotherapy
Hypnosis
Stress Management

In the poem Force of Will Libby questions the sense

of our bigger, faster, buy now, pay later culture:

I have long felt that poetry and farming are natural

companions as they often give energy and inspiration to each other. In this book Russell Libby shares
with us a lyrical harvest from the life he shares with
his family on Three Sisters Farm in Mount Vernon,
Maine. The deep love and respect he has for the land
and his family sings through the words of this volume
of 70 or so poems. He shows us many facets of what it
is to be a keeper of land and animals that stay with the
reader long after the book has been put down.

Integrative Family Practice Medicine

Functional & Preventive Medicine

Wellness, Stress Reduction

and Nutrition
IV Therapies
Detoxification
Non-Toxic Skincare & Facials
Bio-Identical Hormones
Allergy Testing & Prevention
Colon Hydrotherapy
Nutrition Coaching

Spring 2010

Its about all of you.

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In addition to being a practicing pastoralist Russell

Libby is also the long time director of Maine Organic
Farmers and Gardeners Association. In the poem Full
Day he makes a poignant statement that very much
encompasses what it is to an organic farmer:

This is a very fine collection of poetry that I know I

will turn to again and again to give me heart for the

Spring 2010

The Natural Farmer

The 3rd Domestic Fair Trade Association (DFTA)

Annual Meeting Progress Report
by Bali MacKentley with help from Elizabeth Henderson

This is the second year that I have had the privilege to

attend the DFTA (Domestic Fair Trade Association)
annual meeting as a NOFA representative and I cant
help feeling proud. I grew up going to NOFA conferences
and always felt that I was part of a movement that was
as much about environmentalism and human rights as it
was about growing delicious food. The following article
is a conglomeration of my thoughts about the topic of fair
trade agriculture in respect to the DFTA and a report of
the annual meeting.
What qualifies as a basic human right? Freedom of
religion, freedom of speech, access to affordable
healthcare, etc. I think that everyone would agree that
the pursuit of a healthy happy life is front and center.
That said, it is odd that although food is fundamentally
important to being healthy and happy, it has been reduced
to a mere commodity. We pay large amounts of money
for vehicles that transport us to where we need to go to
earn money to buy our food. We pay for clothing and
computers and cell phones, all which makes our lives
easier and our time more efficient, but when it comes to
buying the food that will determine our health, maybe
our productivity, and our support of moral labor and
environmental practices, why do we skimp? To be fair, the
reasons are plenty. Tight budget due to children or college
loans, lack of access to quality foods, or simply a lack of
understanding about the pathways of food production, are
situations most of us have been in.
About the DFTA
International fair trade products, especially ones such as
coffee and chocolate, have become familiar and sought
after by US consumers. The DFTA is an organization
attempting to accomplish this on a domestic scale. Why
do we need organizations like the DFTA? The corporate
model of food production is not a system that can endure,
but at the moment it prevails and does not take kindly to
competition. Our economy, people and planet have so
many challenges to face right now, that we cannot afford
to let profit-hungry corporations put a stick in the spokes
of all the groups that are working so hard to make change.
Our generation must become clever at recognizing honest
claims from those that are bogus and part of this is the
ability to trace ones food from the farm to the table.
The DFTA is a transparency service. It aims to endorse

honest claims for responsible food production, while

exposing the wolves in sheeps clothing that try to grab
a piece of the pie. Of course, it is not always so black
and white. Innumerable shades of gray exist in farming.
However, as long as an open dialogue continues, we can
all work toward achieving an equitable food system.

The DFTA board includes two people representing each

of the following categories: processors/marketers, farm
workers, farmer groups, retailers/food co-ops, and NGO/
civil society. It is fundamentally crucial to the work of the
DFTA that all sectors of the food industry are represented.
There are three committees that are currently active: the
marketing committee, membership committee, and criteria
committee. These committees are working hard to build
a solid foundation on which the DFTA can investigate
claims and recruit more members. It must also be noted
that since many people involved in US agriculture speak
Spanish, translations of all documents and translators at
the annual meeting are provided to ensure participation of
all.
The 2009 DFTA Annual Meeting
The 2009 DFTA annual meeting, once again held at
Organic Valley headquarters in Lafarge WI, commenced
with a quick review of the consensus decision-making
process by which the DFTA operates followed by reports
from the board and committees. One of the greatest
achievements of 2009 was hiring Kerstin Lindgren as an
executive director. Plans for 2010 are to move ahead with
501(c)3 status as well as continuing to revue the dues
structure.
Thanks to the marketing committee, the DFTA now has a
logo and brochure.
The membership committee reported that they were
making a peer-review initiative a priority for 2010.
Discussion continues about inclusion of organizations
that want to be involved but are not actively or primarily
engaged in the agricultural industry, such as faith-based
communities.
Changes to the by-laws regarding clarification of what
triggers a board vacancy as well as the removal of the
requirement for elections to take place at the annual
meeting were approved and recommendations were
made to the board regarding further by-law amendments.
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43

FLO (Fair, Local, Organic) Food (a student organization

at the University of North Carolina) were approved as
new members. The budget for 2010 was approved. If this
budget proves conservative, funds may be directed to
increase criteria work and staff hours and benefits at the
discretion of board members.

A portion of the day was devoted to policy. It seems that

every year this is the sticky subject. When discussing the
DFTA immigration policy at the annual meeting in 2008 it
was determined that a process for developing policy was
imperative. Michael Sligh presented just such a policy
process proposal, which was approved. Questions remain,
however, as to how feedback will be incorporated when
drafts are in circulation. Red Tomato is not involved
in, nor has an interest in developing, policy positions
and thus does not feel comfortable having their name
associated with such policies and it is likely that there will
be other members that are in the same boat. The DFTA
does not want to discourage members on these grounds
and unfortunately the DFTA lost a member over concerns
surrounding the DFTA immigration policy. There is hope
that we can accommodate members that fall into this
bracket and further discussion about this and development
of categories of membership will be a task for 2010.
NOFA has expressed concerns that the DFTA allow time
enough for organizations with slow democratic processes
to add input. Michael Sligh presented a draft for policy
regarding farmer contracts. Additional policy positions
that will be drafted are as follows.
Code of ethics in the marketplace
Free trade agreements, NAFTA, WTO
Opportunities for farmworkers to become farmers
Solidarity amongst common-interest coalitions
GMOs
Ag Fuels
Food Safety
Farmer/farmworker
Board vacancies were next on the list. Kirsten
Woodhouse of Organic Valley was elected to fill the
farmer stakeholder position and Erin Thompson from
Community to Community was elected to fill the at-large
position.
We devoted several hours of our time together
brainstorming the Big picture - what members would like
to see in a 5 year plan for the DFTA. Basic suggestions
include: establishing the base line for the percentage
of US domestic food production that could be counted
as fair trade now, setting an annual goal for growth
in members and donations, establishing DFTA as the
clearing house for consumers on food justice, holding a
conference or trade show for domestic fair trade. Ideas for

44
the long term - replace the profit-driven food production
model with cooperative values. Make transparency the
normknowing where your food comes from and who
made it. Transform the food system into one that is fair
and just without increasing the cost of food to consumers.
Redistribute the money in the food system. Shorten supply
chains. Get rid of the fast food industry and monopoly of
food markets. Eliminate hunger. Establish fair trade as a
human right.
Sunday began with presentations by individuals
representing the Agricultural Justice Project (AJP),
Center for Fair and Alternative Trade at Colorado State
University, California Institute for Rural Studies, Equal
Exchange, Fair Deal and Farmer Direct Co-operative.
Each committee was allowed some time to gather
separately to discuss and report to the group at large on
existing and ongoing affairs and short and long-term
goals. The membership committee reported that peer
review, categories of membership, and the membership
application and review process will be the focus for 2010.
The marketing committee reported that redesigning and
enhancing the website, developing a new member packet,
and outreach to partners and stakeholder groups were its
priorities. The membership and marketing committees
may coordinate their efforts to design a member
recruitment plan. The criteria committee agreed to
continue to review and revise the draft criteria addressing
remaining issues, and to decide on a process for moving
forward.
The annual meeting wrapped up with a decision that the
board would take the expansive list of goals and visions
created the day prior, organize and prioritize it, and use
it to develop a plan for DFTA progress. Some of the list
will be delegated to the committees. It was also decided
that an important component of 2010 would be finding a
way to measure DFTA progress. The board plans to utilize
research by the DFTA and fellow fair trade groups for this
purpose. Using policy positions to affect change will also
be on the 2010 agenda.
Individuals representing businesses or belonging to coops who are interested in learning more about the DFTA
or becoming a member can obtain more information by
visiting the website www.dftassociation.org.

The Natural Farmer

Spring 2010

The Agricultural Justice Project,

NOFAs Continual Improvement
and Growing Food and Justice

by Elizabeth Henderson

The Agricultural Justice Project:

We are in a fever of work because we are getting to the
tipping point where domestic fair trade will finally get
off the ground around the country. There are groups of
farmers starting on the process in the Pacific NW, the SE
and mid-coast CA, as well as a 70 farm grain cooperative
in Saskatchewan. By May 2010 AJP will have a full
certification package for domestic fair trade complete and
ready to go.
TNF readers are all welcome to make your contributions
to the AJP standards revision process that is currently
underway. The revised standards have been posted on
the AJP website in early February for another 60 day
round of comments. (See how you can participate in the
box below.) By May 1, we will post the fully revised
standards. There are many thorny and complex issues
such as how to reconcile fairness with the existing laws in
most states that allow employers to hire and fire at will;
what to do about the inherent unfairness of the H2A guest
worker program when there is a shortage of documented
workers and workers themselves ask their farmer
employers to use H2A so that they can visit their families.
Your views on these questions are welcome!
To help finance the AJP work, I applied for and received
a NE SARE Farmer grant to improve the tool-kit we offer
farmers to help them create solid labor policies for their
farms. I have almost completed the tool kit revisions and I
will be giving a series of workshops on this material. I did
the first one at the MOFGA Farmer to Farmer conference
in November and will do others across NYS together with
Cornell Extension Agent Robert Hadad. I am available to
do workshops on labor topics for other NOFA chapters as
well.
The work that AJP has done so far and the founding of the
Domestic Fair Trade Association is attracting the attention
of the Fair Trade world to the possibility of domestic fair
trade in the US. Transfair and IMO, international fair
trade certifiers, have both announced that they may be
offering domestic fair trade programs. The NOFAs have
the opportunity to be in on the ground floor and to help set

e-mail: moodoovt@sover.net

high standards so that when commercial entities in the US

market make the claim of local fair trade, it will have real
meaning for the lives of farmers, farm workers and other
food system workers.
Growing Food and Justice for all Initiative:
In my capacity as NOFAs representative to the AJP, I
attended the Growing Food and Justice for all (GFJI)
conference in Milwaukee where I was the germinator
for a dialogue on bringing fair trade home. The conference
took place near the headquarters of Growing Power, the
organization founded by Will Allen. Growing Food and
Justice began as a committee of the Community Food
Security Coalition. Impatient that the coalition did not set
dismantling racism as a high enough priority, Growing
Food and Justice has become an independent coalition
in which groups that work on urban agriculture, training
programs for inner city youth and low-income access to
good food have taken the lead. GFJI describes itself as
a group of individuals, organizations and institutional
partners aimed at dismantling racism and empowering
low-income and communities of color through sustainable
and local agriculture, but also linking with parallel social
and environmental movements.
The theme of the conference was Food and Spirit:
Cross Cultural Understanding for Systems Change.
Pre-conference they offered a three-day Intensive
Leadership training to facilitate anti-racist food justice
and institutional racism efforts. The conference opened
with a performance of exercises the participants had
done under the guidance of the Theatre of the Oppressed
illustrating power relations and ways to break out of them.
The conference itself consisted of participatory dialogues
instead of more passive formats, encouraging and
enabling attendees to become effective Changemakers.
I attended Building a Racially Inclusive Community
Garden, to get ideas to help us in diversifying NOFA. By
some miracle of persuasion, the conference also included
an ever burning fire just outside the Tommy Thompson
Youth Center where we stayed, with evening drum
circles and a Grandmother Moon ceremony. The work
of GFJI continues with regional groupings and monthly
conference calls. To join their listserv, contact Diane
Dodge, dianefaydodge@hotmail.com.

Spring 2010
After hearing Will Allen at the NOFA summer conference,
I was excited to tour Growing Powers 3 acre urban
farm, the last remaining farm in Milwaukee. On this tiny
farm, they have fifteen greenhouses and hoop houses
where they grow salad greens in beds and 25,000 pots, the
kind of heavy black plastic pots used for tree seedlings.
The pots, and larger beds are connected with tanks where
tilapia and other fish enrich the water which circulates,
fertilizing the beds. They supplement the fish effluent
with millions of pounds of worm compost. Will proudly
showed us his worm pile, boasting that he had millions of
helpers who work 24 hours a day and never complain.
The Domestic Fair Trade Association and NOFAs
Membership:
The Domestic Fair Trade Association is in its third year.
For a complete report, see the article by Bali MacKentley.
Bali has been serving on the Criteria committee, which
has been developing a process for evaluating domestic
fair trade claims in the marketplace. I participated in the
work of the drafting committee that has written some of
the documents for the group. Now that the basic functions
of the organization have been set up by-laws, mission,
vision, membership criteria, etc. - the next step will be to
recruit more members and increase the level of activity.
Since NOFA joined the Domestic Fair Trade Association
(DFTA) two years ago, we have instituted a fine annual
ritual at the Interstate retreat, each chapter reports on
their progress in social justice work. In joining, DFTA
members agree to strive for constant improvement and
the membership committee is designing a peer review
process so that members can learn from and encourage
one another.

VT NOFA has been working on enabling the markets to

accept Food Stamps, which these days take the form of
EBT swipe cards. In all, Vermonters spend $8M in food
stamps and until this project CSAs, farmers markets and
roadside stands have not had access. 16 farmers markets
are working with them for 2010.
NOFA NH is helping with refugee farmer organizations
and spreading the word about the Agricultural Justice
project.
NOFA-NY recently hired a Food justice coordinator,
Kristina Keefe-Perry, to work with CSA programs for
low income food access. Funding comes from a national
Heifer International project to support farmers in
transition and connect them with low income consumers.
Kristina is also helping to lay the ground work for a
network of regional food policy councils in NYS. At the
NOFA-NY winter conference, there was a full day on
urban community gardens and workshops on how to work
for food justice.
NOFA NJ has had a change in staff. A dynamic new
Executive Director team, Michelle and David Glenn are
just getting started. With its new headquarters at Duke
Farm, NOFA will be setting up community gardens on
some of the land and plans are in the works to distribute
some of the produce through food pantries.
NOFA CT is working in partnership with a community
gardening organization and planning an urban farming
workshop.

VT NOFA continues to serve as the driver of the

Farm Share program in their state and organizes the
annual evening of fundraising dinners at restaurants
that contribute 10% of the receipts for that night to
the program totalling $100,000. In 2009, 40 CSAs
participated with the funds paying for low-income
families to join. The low income folks pay 50%, the farms
raise 25% and NOFA raises 25%. Some CSAs are doing
all of their fundraising for this. At the Intervale, 17% of
the shareholders are low income. VT NOFA also runs a
Senior share program with USDA help.

NOFA Mass is in the process of spinning off its successful

Springfield youth gardening program. The chapter held a
popular organic gardening day on April 18, 2009 with 14
sites around the state and a similar food preservation day
in September. Goals for 2010, besides re-running these
popular workshops in urban areas include taking a hard
look at our programming and building a strong component
of outreach and delivery of educational services to inner
city, low income and gardeners/farmers/landscapers of
color. NOFA/Mass is partnering with Nuestras Raices,
a Holyoke incubator farmer program to provide 5 on
site workshops with experienced NOFA farmers this
upcoming summer. The NOFA Summer conference
attracts many teen and urban program participants from
all over the Northeast. Many of these participants attend
with help from Farming Education Funds donated by
grants and other conference participants.

Recently, as the coordinator of the states farmers markets,

NOFA RI hosted an event at Brown University with

How is your programming addressing social justice?was

one of the topics each chapter addressed at the Interstate
Retreat. Here is a summary of the answers:

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The Natural Farmer

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Elizabeth Henderson speaking on Local, Organic and

Fair Farming. The event was well attended by interested
farmers, consumers, and students.
NOFAs most basic agricultural justice work has been
through developing organic farms and gardens as an
alternative to industrialized chemical food production.
As I said in concluding my keynote at the NOFA-NY
conference: Its hard when youre swatting mosquitoes in
the sweltering heat of a muggy morning to feel the worldscale importance of your actions. But when we view
our simple, everyday actions growing food, canning,
freezing, cooking, buying-selling among people who
know one another in context of their full significance
we are taking power over our lives. We are placing
at the center of our convivial communities the people
- farmers, farm workers, gardeners - who do that vital
work along with those who eat their produce. When we
work together in a spirit of mutual respect and caring,
we can overwhelm greed. We can learn to cooperate and
share in local self-reliance connected with interdependent
communities around the world. And when we choose
community, the unpredictable becomes possible.

The Agricultural Justice Project announces the

opening of the second of two public comment periods
in our 2009-2010 standards revision process. The
revised draft standards are available on the project
website: www.agriculturaljusticeproject.com
We would like to invite you to participate in this
revision process by reading our standards and
submitting your comments or suggestions. Comments
must be submitted by March 31, 2010. You can email
your comments to agjusticeproject@gmail.com, or
mail them to AJP Project, P.O. Box 640, Pittsboro NC,
27312.
The AJP standards for social justice have been
expanded, with the help and guidance of our
Standards Committee, to cover food businesses such
as retailers or processors, protection of indigenous
rights, and an increased scope of workers rights
issues. You may choose to comment on our complete
standards document, or on the sections specific to your
area of expertise.
Thank you for your participation!

46

NOFA Contact People

Connecticut

CT NOFA Office: P O Box 164, Stevenson, CT 06491, phone

(203) 888-5146, FAX (203) 888-9280, Email: ctnofa@ctnofa.
org, website: www.ctnofa.org
Executive Director: Bill Duesing, Box 164, Stevenson, CT
06491, 203-888-5146, 203 888-9280 (fax), bill@ctnofa.org
Office Manager/Webmaster: Deb Legge, PO Box 164,
Stevenson, CT 06491, deb@ctnofa.org, 203-888-5146
NOFA Project Coordinator, Organic Land Care Program,
Clara Buitrago, PO Box 164, Stevenson, CT 06491, clara@
organiclandcare.net, 203-888-5146
CT NOFA Program Coordinator, Teresa Mucci, PO Box 164,
Stevenson, CT 06491, tersa@ctnofa.org, 203-888-5146
President: James Roby, P.O Box 191, 1667 Orchard Road,
Berlin, CT 06037, 860-828-5548, 860-881-8031 (C),
robysorganic@yahoo.com
Vice President: Elizabeth Fleming, 54 Four Mile Road, West
Hartford, CT 06107-2709, 860-561-4907, elstrfleming@yahoo.
com
Treasurer: Ron Capozzi, 69R Meetinghouse Hill Road, Durham,
CT 06422-2808, 860-349-1417, ronsraspberries@hotmail.com
Secretary: Chris Killheffer, 112 Bishop Street, New Haven, CT
06511-7307, 203-787-0072, Christopher.killheffer@yale.edu
Farmers Pledge Program: Contact the office.
Organic Land Care Program Manager: Ashley Kremser, PO
Box 164, Stevenson, CT 06491, akremser@ctnofa.org, 203888-5146
Organic Land Care Accreditation Manager: Carol Hannon, PO
Box 164, Stevenson, CT 06491, carol@organiclandcare.net,
203-888-5146
Bookkeeper: Marion Griswold, PO Box 164, Stevenson, CT
06491, marion@ctnofa.org, 203-888-5146

Massachusetts

President: Lynda Simkins, Natick Community Organic Farm,

117 Eliot Street, South Natick, MA 01760, (508) 655-2204,
lsimkins.ncorganic@verizon.net
Vice President, Leslie Cox, Hampshire College Farm, Amherst,
MA 01002 (413) 530-2029, lcox@hampshire.edu
Secretary: Elizabeth Coe, 13 Hickory Hill Road, Great
Barrington, MA 01230, (413) 528-6567, treecoe@gis.net
Treasurer: Danielle Andrews, 85 Day Street, Jamaica Plain, MA
02130, (617) 524-1320, dandrews@thefoodproject.org
Executive Director and NOFA Summer Conference
Coordinator: Julie Rawson, 411 Sheldon Road, Barre, MA
01005 (978) 355-2853, fax: (978) 355-4046, julie@nofamass.
org
Administrative Coordinator: Kathleen Geary, 411 Sheldon
Road, Barre, MA 01005, 978-355-2853 (Mondays & Thursdays,
8:00 am - 5:00 pm), email anytime to: info@nofamass.org
Webmaster: David Pontius, 26 School Street, Northfield, MA
01360, (413) 498-2721, webmaster@nofamass.org
Winter Conference Coordinator: Jassy Bratko, 28 High Street,
Hubbardston, MA 01452, (978) 928-5646, jassy.bratko@

nofamass.org
Newsletter Editor: Carol Lake, 29 Old Sharon Road,
Peterborough, NH 03458 (603) 924-3923, carol@nofamass.org
Website: www.nofamass.org
Baystate Organic Certifiers Administrator: Don Franczyk,
1220 Cedarwood Circle, Dighton, MA 02764, (774) 872-5544,
baystateorganic@earthlink.net, website: www.baystateorganic.
org

New Hampshire

President: Jack Mastrianni, 277 Holden Hill Road, Langdon,

NH 03602, (603) 835-6488, jamastrianni@yahoo.com
Vice President: Joan OConnor, PO Box 387, Henniker, NH
03242, (603) 428-3530, joconnornh@yahoo.com
Treasurer: Paul Mercier, Jr., 39 Cambridge Drive, Canterbury,
NH 03224, (603) 783-0036, pjm@mercier-group.com
Program Coordinator: Elizabeth Obelenus, NOFA/NH Office,
4 Park St., Suite 208, Concord, NH 03301, (603) 224-5022,
info@nofanh.org
Business Manager and Local and Organic Foods Project
Coordinator: Barbara Sullivan, 72 Gilford Ave, Laconia, NH
03246, (603) 524-1285
borksullivan@earthlink.net
Newsletter Editor: Karen Booker, 44 Prospect St., Contoocook,
NH 03229, (603) 746-3656, pottedplant@juno.com
Winter Conference Coordinator: Delia Windwalker, 603-6547595 during business hours, DeliaWindwalker@gmail.com
Bulk Order Coordinator Jennifer Quinlivan, P.O. Box 92,
Strafford, NH 03884, (603) 269-0063, (603) 731-1182 jenq@
worldpath.net
Website: www.nofanh.org,
Organic Certification: Vickie Smith, NH Department of
Agriculture, Markets & Food, Division of Regulatory Services,
Caller Box 2042, Concord, NH 03301 (603) 271-3685,
vsmith@agr.state.nh.us, www.agriculture.nh.gov

New Jersey

Executive Directors: Michelle (Shelly) Glenn, 334 River Road,

Hillsborough, NJ 08844, 908-371-1111 x 2, m.glenn@nofanj.
org
and David Glenn, 334 River Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844,
908-371-1111 x 6, david.glenn@nofanj.org
President: Donna Drewes, Municipal Land Use Center, TCNJ,
PO Box 7718 McCauley House, Ewing, NJ 08628, (609) 7712833, Email: drewes@tcnj.edu
Vice President: Stephanie Harris, 163 Hopewell-Wertsville Rd.,
Hopewell, NJ 08525, (609) 466-0194, Email: r.harris58@
verizon.net
Treasurer: William D. Bridgers, c/o Zon Partners, 5 Vaughn
Dr., Suite 104, Princeton, NJ 08540, (609) 452-1653,
Email: billbridgers@zoncapital.com
Secretary: Emily Brown Rosen, Organic Research Associates,
25 Independence Way, Titusville, NJ 08560, 609-737-8630
Email: ebrownrosen@gmail.com
Supervisor, Organic Certification Program: Erich V. Bremer,
NJ Dept. of Agriculture, 369 S. Warren St., Trenton, NJ 086250330, (609) 984-2225, fax: (609) 341-3212 Email: erich.

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The Natural Farmer

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school/community environment along
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Administrative Coordinator: Connie Deetz, 334 River Road,
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cdeetz@nofanj.org,
Website: www.nofanj.org

New York

NOFA New York Offices: Western NY Office: 249 Highland

Ave, Rochester, NY 14620, Phone: 585-271-1979, Fax: 585271-7166; Business Office: PO Box 880, Cobleskill, NY 12043,
Phone: (607) 652-NOFA, Fax: (607) 652-2290; Certified
Organic, LLC Office: 840 Front St, Binghamton, NY 13905,
(607) 724-9851, fax: (607) 724-9853, Website: www.nofany.org
Executive Director: Kate Mendenhall, (585) 271-1979, fax:
(585) 271-7166, director@nofany.org
Organic Certification Director: Carol King, (607) 734-9851,
fax: (607) 734-9853, certifiedorganic@nofany.org
Assistant Director: Lea Kone, (585) 271-1979, fax: (585) 2717166, assistantdirector@nofany.org
Business Manager: Mayra Richter, (607) 652-6632, fax: (607)
652-2290, office@nofany.org
Education & Outreach Associate: Kristina Keefe-Perry, (585)
271-1979, fax: (585) 271-7166, kristina.outreach@nofany.org
Newsletter Editor: Fern Marshall Bradley, (518) 692-9079,
newsletter@nofany.org
President: Scott Chaskey, Quail Hill Community Farm, PO
Box 1268, Amagansett, NY 11930-1268, (631) 267-8942,
schaskey@peconiclandtrust.org
Vice President: Gunther Fishgold, Tierra Farm, 2424 State Rte
203, Valatie, NY 12184, (888) 674-6887, gfishgold@tierrafarm.
com
Treasurer: Karen Livingston, 2569 Rolling Hills Rd, Camillus,
NY 13031, (315) 672-5244, delv11@yahoo.com
Secretary: Jamie Edelstein, 3745 Allen Rd, Cato, NY 13214,
(315) 427-8266, wylliefox@earthlink.net

Rhode Island

President: Erik Eacker, Ledge Ends Produce, 830 South Road,

East Greenwich, RI 02818 (401) 884-5118, ledgeends@cox.net
Vice-President: Dave Binkley 53 Hilltop Drive West Kingston,
RI 02892 (401) 667-0585
Secretary: Nicole Vitello, Manic Organic, PO Box 425,
Portsmouth, RI 02871 (401) 480-1403, nicole@manicorganic.
biz
Treasurer/Membership: Dan Lawton, 247 Evans Road
Chepachet, RI 02814, (401) 523-2653 dlawton33@hotmail.
com
NOFA/RI, 247 Evans Road Chepachet, RI 02814, (401) 5232653, nofari@nofari.org
website: www.nofari.org

Vermont

NOFA-VT Office, PO Box 697, 39 Bridge St., Richmond, VT

05477 (802) 434-4122 NOFA, (802) 434-3821 VOF, Fax: (802)
434-4154, website: www.nofavt.org, info@nofavt.org
Executive Director: Enid Wonnacott, enid@nofavt.org

Spring 2010

The Natural Farmer

Calendar

47

Pfeiffer Center courses, Chestnut Ridge, NY

March 27: Beginning a Vegetable Garden
April 17: Raised Beds in the Garden and Farm
Organism
April 23-24: Organic Beekeeping
June 5: The Role of the Horse in the Farm
Organism
June 19: Summer Organic Beekeeping
June 20: Apitherapy: Health and Healing from
the Hive
July 17: Continuing the Vegetable Garden
August 7: From Garden to Table
for more info: 845-352-5020 x20, / info@
pfeiffercenter.org / www.pfeiffercenter.org
Sat. Mar. 6, 2010: NOFA-NH Annual Winter
Conference, Concord, NH. for more info:
WinterConference@NOFANH.org, 603-654-7595,
www.NOFANH.org
Sat. Mar. 6, 2010: CT-NOFA Cultivating an
Organic Connecticut Conference, Manchester, CT.
for more info: 203-888-5146, deb@ctnofa.org

Financial Manager: Kirsten Novak Bower, kirsten@nofavt.org

NOFA VT Education Coordinator & VT FEED Director: Abbie
Nelson, abbie@nofavt.org
Bulk Order Coordinator: Erin Clark, erin@nofavt.org
Dairy & Livestock Administrator: Sam Fuller, sam@nofavt.org
Dairy & Livestock Advisor & Policy Advisor: David Rogers,
dave@nofavt.org
Dairy & Livestock Advisor: Willie Gibson, willie@nofavt.org
Community Food Security & Direct Marketing Coordinator:
Jean Hamilton, jean@nofavt.org
Office Assistant and Share the Harvest Fundraiser Coordinator:
Becca Weiss, becca@nofavt.org
Office Manager: Cara Couch, info@nofavt.org
Outreach Coordinator: Caitlin Gildrien, Caitlin@nofavt.org
Vegetable & Fruit TA Coordinator: Wendy Sue Harper,
wendysue@nofavt.org
Winter Conference Coordinator: Olga Boshart Moriarty, olga@
madriver.com
VT FEED Administrative Manager: Elizabeth McDonald,
libby@nofavt.org
VOF Administrator: Nicole Dehne, nicole@nofavt.org
VOF Certification Specialist: Cheryl Bruce, cheryl@nofavt.org
VOF Certification Specialist: Brenda Hedges, brenda@nofavt.
org

NOFA Interstate Council

* indicates voting representative

* Bill Duesing, President, Staff, Box 135, Stevenson, CT,
06491, (203) 888-5146, fax, (203) 888- 9280, bduesing@
cs.com
Kimberly A. Stoner, 498 Oak Ave. #27, Cheshire, CT 064103021, (203) 271-1732 (home), Email: kastoner@juno.com
* Leslie Cox, Hampshire College Farm, Amherst, MA 01002,
413-530-2029, kcix@hampshire.edu
Elizabeth Obelenus, 22 Keyser Road, Meredith. NH 03253,
(603) 279-6146, elizabeth@nofanh.org
* Jack Mastrianni, Treasurer, 277 Holden Hill Road, Langdon,
NH 03602, (603) 835-6488, jamastrianni@yahoo.com
* Steve Gilman, Ruckytucks Farm, 130 Ruckytucks Road,
Stillwater, NY 12170 (518) 583-4613, sgilman@netheaven.com
* Vince Cirasole, Sunshine Farm, 745 Great Neck Rd,
Copiague, NY 11726, (631) 789-8231, vince@sunshinefarm.biz
Elizabeth Henderson, 2218 Welcher Rd., Newark, NY 14513
(315) 331-9029 ehendrsn@redsuspenders.com
* Dan Lawton, 247 Evans Road Chepachet, RI 02814 (401)
949-1596 dlawton33@hotmail.com
* Nicole Vitello, Manic Organic, PO Box 425, Portsmouth, RI
02871 (401) 480-1403, Nicole@manicorganic.biz
* Enid Wonnacott, 478 Salvas Rd., Huntington, VT 05462
(802) 434-4435, enid@nofavt.org
Kirsten Novak Bower, 65 Wortheim Ln., Richmond, VT 05477
(802) 434-5420, kirsten@nofavt.org
Kay Magilavy, Virtual Rep, 212 18th St., Union City, NJ 07087,
(201) 927-7116
David Pontius, Webmaster, 26 School Street, Northfield, MA
01360, (413) 498-2721, Email: webmaster@nofamass.org
Jack Kittredge and Julie Rawson, The Natural Farmer, NOFA
Summer Conference, 411 Sheldon Rd., Barre, MA 01005 (978)
355-2853, Jack, tnf@nofa.org, Julie@nofamass.org
Marion Griswold, Bookkeeper, 30 Hollow Rd., Woodbury, CT
06798, (203) 263-2221, marion@ctnofa.org

Interstate Certification
Contacts

Nicole Dehne, nicole@nofavt.org, PO Box 697, Richmond, VT

05477, 802-434-3821, 802-434-4154 (fax)
Carol King, 840 Front Street, Binghamton, NY 13905, (607)
724-9851, fax: (607)724-9853, certifiedorganic@nofany.org
Erich V. Bremer, c/o NJ Dept. of Agriculture, PO Box 330,
Trenton, NJ 08625, (609) 984-2225 erich.bremer@ag.state.nj.us

NOFA Membership

You may join NOFA by joining one of the seven

state chapters. Contact the person listed below for
your state. Dues, which help pay for the important
work of the organization, vary from chapter to
chapter. Unless noted, membership includes a
subscription to The Natural Farmer.
Give a NOFA Membership! Send dues for a friend
or relative to his or her state chapter and give a
membership in one of the most active grassroots
organizations in the state.
Connecticut: Individual $35, Family $50, Business/
Institution $100, Supporting $150, Student/Senior
$25, Working $20
Contact: CT NOFA, Box 164, Stevenson, CT 06491,
(203)-888-5146, or email: ctnofa@ctnofa.org or join
on the web at www.ctnofa.org
Massachusetts: Low-Income $25, Individual $35,
Family/Farm/Organization $45, Business $75,
Supporting $150
Contact: NOFA/Mass, 411 Sheldon Road, Barre,
MA 01005, (978) 355-2853, or membership@
nofamass.org or join on the web at www.
nofamass.org
New Hampshire: Individual: $30, Student: $23,
Family: $40, Sponsor: $100, Basic $20*
Contact: Elizabeth Obelenus, 4 Park St., Suite 208,
Concord, NH 03301, (603) 224-5022, info@nofanh.
org
New Jersey: Student/Intern $20*, Individual $40*,
Family/Farm $70*, Business/Organization $150*,
$10 additional per year for subscription to The
Natural Farmer
Contact: 334 River Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844,
(908) 371-1111 or join at www.nofanj.org
New York: Limited Membership $20*, Individual
$40, Family/Farm/Nonprofit Organization $50,
Business $115,
Contact: Mayra Richter, NOFA-NY, PO Box 880,

Many Hands Sustainability Center workshops and

events, Barre, MA
March 20: Pruning Fruit Trees and Bushes for
Greater Health and Production Workshop 1-5
pm
May 15: Farm Work Day 9-12 am with pot
luck lunch
for more info: 978-355-2853, farm@mhof.net,
www.manyhandssustainabilitycenter.org
NOFA/Mass workshops and events

April 10: Gardening Workshops 9-12 am

March - May: Cheesemaking Workshops

July 10: Poultry Workshop 9-3 pm
for more info: 413-658-5374, ben.grosscup@
nofamass.org, www.nofamass.org
Saturday, June 5: HerbFest 2010, Somers,
CT, for more info: www.ctherb.org, http://
joannasbanquets.com/pages/home.htm,
or www.herbfest.com, 860-763-5206, or
hawthornewoman@yahoo.com
Wed. June 9 - Mon. June 14: American Society
of Dowsers Convention, Lyndonville, VT, for more
info: 802-684-3417, www.dowsers.org or info@
dowsers.org
Fri. Aug 13 Sun. Aug 15: NOFA Summer
Conference, Amherst, MA, for more info, www.
nofasummerconfereence.org, 978-355-2853
Cobleskill, NY 12043, Voice (607) 652-NOFA, Fax:
(607) 652-2290, email: office@nofany.org, www.
nofany.org
Rhode Island: Student/Senior: $20, Individual: $25,
Family $35, Business $50
Contact: Membership, NOFA RI, c/o Dan Lawton,
247 Evans Road, Chepachet, RI 02814, (401) 5232653, nofari@nofari.org
Vermont: Individual $30, Farm/Family $40,
Business $50, Sponsor $100, Sustainer $250, Basic
$15-25*
Contact: NOFA-VT, PO Box 697, Richmond, VT
05477, (802) 434-4122, info@nofavt.org
*does not include a subscription to The Natural
Farmer

Thank you for joining us and helping to support organic agriculture today!

Choose Your Chapter and Membership Level:

Name:

I would like to become a membership of the:

_________________________________ State Chapter

Address:

Sign me up as a:

City:

State:

Phone:

County:

Fax:

Zip:

_________________________________ Member
My annual membership dues are: $___________

Email:

Please check the category that best describes you:

Farmer
Gardener
Conscientious Eater

(enclose check made payable to the appropriate chapter)

Food/Ag. Business

Other

Please send this completed form to the appropriate state chapter address.

Do NOT share my address with other organizations.

Non-Profit Organization
U. S. Postage Paid
Barre, MA 01005
Permit No. 28

NOFA Education Fund

411 Sheldon Rd.
Barre, MA 01005

Alternative Organic Animal Feed

photo by Matthew Walter

$5.00

Hogs enjoy getting much of their nutrition from a mixed alfalfa and grass pasture.
This issue contains news, features, and articles about organic growing in the Northeast,
plus a special supplement on

Spring, 2010