Recognizing a Win
Recognizing a Win

TI have completely lost faith in our governmental institutions, but It’s important to acknowledge (and celebrate) victories when they happen.

Early last week, Tom Vilsack, our Secretary of Agriculture, announced a new policy mandating that all meat, poultry, and egg products bearing the “Product of U.S.A.” label must originate from animals born, raised, slaughtered, and processed within the United States. Gee what a novel concept – who would have thought that we needed the government to require packing companies to state the obvious (sarcasm).
This move comes as a corrective step since the government previously permitted meat to carry the “Product of the U.S.A.” label simply if it was packaged in the U.S., regardless of where the animal was born or slaughtered. Essentially, meat from animals not actually raised in the U.S. could masquerade as a domestic product just because it was wrapped up stateside.

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Rain on the Scarecrow
Rain on the Scarecrow

Last week I received my monthly copy of The Stockman Grass Farmer. This is a print publication started in 1947 dedicated to the art and science of grassland agriculture. The pages are loaded with great tips and techniques from authors like Greg Judy, Allan Nation, and Jim Gerrish to name a few. I typically put the paper aside, saving it for when I have time to read it cover to cover. But this month my attention was drawn to a cover page article, “Relational Harmony” by Joel Salatin (currently the Editor).

In the second paragraph I was confronted with this profound revelation – “Per capita farm suicides are higher than highly publicized suicide rates among war veterans. What’s going on here.”

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