Life on the farm through the eyes of a first-generation farm wife
Check out Kansaslivingmagazine.com for great beef recipes and preparation tips My husband and I raise Angus cattle on our fourth-generation family farm in Central Kansas. We believe in the humane treatment of all of our animals and therefore use antibiotics in our animals on an as-needed basis to cure an illness and help the … Continue reading No Bull, It’s All Antibiotic-Free
In the past few days, Costco and McDonalds have both announced a change to antibiotic free meats in their stores and restaurants. It all sounds good to consumers and has - as both companies had hoped - generated ample headlines and media buzz. Spokespersons for both companies noted that they would no longer be selling … Continue reading Antibiotics Explained
These calves are not feeling so well. Given their young age, only a few days of sickness can lead to death. We pay close attention to all our animals and when a calf is showing signs of illness- like lowered ears (bottom picture) or scours (diarrhea in calves, top picture) - we give them a … Continue reading Antibiotics In Our Animals
My husband could spend all day watching his momma cows graze on green Kansas Flint Hills grass while the calves run and play at their mothers' feet. He has raised cattle most of his life and each year improving his end product. Raising cattle is expensive, time-consuming work. They need fed twice a day, every day of … Continue reading How We Raise Great Beef
I finally got around to watching Chipotle's much-talked-about web series, "Farmed and Dangerous". It was the same message as before: farmers are bad, conventional agriculture is killing us all and Chipotle will save us from modern food production. This time it's being packaged in a web series. The national restaurant chain believes that animals should be … Continue reading Un-Natural Beef
The truth about antibiotic use in farm animals continues to be buried in mislead and false articles and headlines found across the World Wide Web. Wednesday night I stumbled across a Tweet from MSN.com claiming Americans are eating more "antibiotic laced food" - the result of the use of antibiotics in livestock. But that is simply … Continue reading Don’t Trust the Label
On a daily basis, I read posts from Facebook friends caring for their sick children, spouses and pets. The recent winter weather hasn't helped anyone's health - including our calves. The temperature fluctuations, snow, wind and cold nights have weakened our herds' immune system. Many animals have remained happy and healthy through all of the … Continue reading Maintaining Calf Health
The use of antibiotics in our cattle has, like the cattle themselves, evolved over the years. Going off prior wisdom that it was best to protect all cattle from disease and infection, my husband and his father provided a low dose of antibiotics to all cattle entering our farm as feeder cattle. These animals – … Continue reading The Antibiotics Debate
Antibiotic use in animals – especially livestock – has long been a controversial issue that has pushed some consumers to abandon meat products all together. For some reason, a small but vocal group of consumers believe that while it is acceptable to allow themselves to use antibiotics when they are sick , it is not … Continue reading The Antibiotics Debate
