Murray’s Musings
Spring
has sprung and the grass has risen! An old
song that we used to sing in Sunday school when I was a kid said “when the
rains came down and the floods came up” we have to wonder when that will
ever stop. So starts another year in the life
of a farmer with great uncertainty about weather conditions, and mad cow
disease. There is however one bright spot of
news on the horizon; hog prices are starting to recapture some profitable
levels.
I would like to use this newsletter to extend a thank you to all our
loyal clientele for the way that you have supported us through this time. When Florence and I started Bio-Ag it was a very
small part time business and as demand for the product increased so did
the employees. There are now 13 employees out
of Head Office and 19 Dealers throughout Ontario and into PEI, Michigan
and Iowa.
Ten years ago when we first decided to build an office there were
only four of us (pictured below). Today we
have grown to 4 times that size which is a real testament to the fact that
we have been able to help you, our customer, to be a better farmer and to
be more profitable. Bio-Ag has always prided
itself on the fact that we are very much on the leading edge of innovation. We have over the years worked hard to solve problems
where many other companies haven’t. We have worked
hard at trying to find solutions where solutions seemed impossible. All in all I feel very proud of all of the employees
that work here, and am especially pleased with the long term commitment
that Susan & Mary Lou have made to this company by being with us for
10 years.
From Left to Right:
Mary Lou Shantz, Susan Cressman, Florence & Murray Bast
Despite the fact that for years, some of the things I have said have
caused laughter in certain circles, it is very interesting to note that
on May 12th 2004, the Kitchener-Waterloo Record featured
an article from the Canadian Press called Average American’s Body
Contains 13 Pesticides.
The article reported on data collected by the United States Center
for Disease Control. In a study checking the
levels of 23 different pesticides in the blood and urine of over 9000 people,
they found that 100% of the people carried detectable levels of contamination.
Another study found that the average American has 13 pesticides in
his body, some at levels well above the health thresholds set by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
It is now a fact that the Ontario College of Family Physicians is
suggesting and reporting that there is a link between pesticide exposure
and serious illnesses such as cancer, reproductive problems, and neurological
diseases.
It is also interesting and of note that over the weekend of writing
this, there was an article on the news that suggested there are many thousands
of people dying every year because of mix ups in the hospitals with surgeries
and also with medications.
All of this leads me to say what I have always said that we need to
take charge of our lives, our farms, and our families to keep all of us
as healthy as possible.
Author Jane Smiley who has written many books including the Pulitzer
Prize winner, A Thousand Acres, made the following comment and I
quote “A child who is protected from all controversial ideas is as
vulnerable as a child who is protected from every germ.
The infection, when it comes – and it will come – may overwhelm the
system, be it the immune system or the belief system.”
What she is basically saying is the more insane we get about protecting
ourselves from every little bug that is known, the more the problem is going
to exacerbate or get worse as we march down this road of life. The more we allow big brother to convince us to
vaccinate, the more we drug, the more we stand in fear of the bug, the easier
it will be for the bug to overcome us.
Many of you will ask, “Well, what is it that we can do?” For
your body you can start by consuming less hydrogenated fats, less sugars,
and more vegetables. Don’t underestimate how
positively this can affect your health.
One of the things that you can do for your farm is use our Bio-Lac
/ Kelp Mix for dry hay when you are making forages for your cattle. This product will help make the feed a better quality,
reduce the molds and help the animals to digest the food better all in one. In the case of fermented feeds such as balage or
silage Bio-Lac / Sugar Mixture works very well at enhancing the feed.
Either of these mixtures are available at Bio-Ag and in the past many
of our customers who have used them have reported quality feeds at a good
price. It seems that the animals are able to
digest, absorb and assimilate this roughage far better when treated with
this product. For more details on this please
call the Head Office or your local dealer.
Isn’t it interesting how time changes perceptions. A
few years ago the Ontario Milk Marketing Board was screaming about the fact
that there was way too much butterfat, it was arriving in their plants and
they didn’t know what to do with it, it was piling up and farmers needed
to reduce their butter fat in their cows dramatically.
Many so-called experts ran around the country side, changing rations,
suggesting low fiber diets, and higher protein diets, and in the process
many good cows were ruined or had permanent problems.
Now just a few short years later…you guessed it, the Milk Marketing
Board is asking for people to maintain their butterfat and not let it drop.
Wow what irony! To think that the experts knew it all along, yes the
experts, these people that are supposedly full of intelligence and brimming
with wisdom and knowledge, the very people that are supposed to lead us
to the promised land of milk and honey.
It is interesting that my friend who is a University professor has
made the following comment: “Universities never develop the best people,
they never develop the laureates. The laureates
are people who come from the hinterland, outside of the system, who have
never been brain washed or trained in a methodology which just includes sitting
and looking at a computer screen all day. They
are the people who observe nature who watch nature and then take that information
from nature and produce the products and services that we so desperately
need to keep us healthy.”
When it comes to experts the pork industry is another industry full
of wonderment. Many hog farmers were told and
led to believe by the so-called experts that 2006 and 2007 would be the earliest
that we would see any price recovery. And yet
the sow kill is running 15-16% ahead of any other year,
which suggests that there has been massive kill off or cutbacks in
the sows producing baby pigs. This proves one
more time that the farmer has to be in this for the long haul. It proves one more time that all the experts do
not necessarily predict the market.
Demand now is starting to shift around to a somewhat different kind
of pork, which is more naturally raised, pork products that use less drugs
or preferably no drugs at all. Isn’t it interesting
that any company can produce hog feeds or premixes as long as they can pour
antibiotics into them? Without antibiotics it
becomes somewhat more difficult and one has to be much more aware of the
ecology of the gastro-intestinal tract and the digestibility and assimilation
aspects applies to hogs and humans. When it comes
to experts the motto “The best made plan of men & mice oft goes astray” is still as applicable today as it has always been.
In summing up, Florence and I have just recently returned from a seminar
in Austria where the company called Grander Technology founded and started
by Johann Grander did a training seminar. Johann
Grander has learned that water retains memory. We
only think of water as 2 parts of Hydrogen and 1 part of Oxygen but that
combination stores in it many memories.
What Johann Grander has been able to do is to change the memory of
that water to give it a new life, and to not bring into our bodies the contaminated
memory of the many times that that water has picked up contamination as
it circles the earth. When we couple the Grander
technology with something such as Hydrogen Peroxide, we can see some positive
results.
We know that on many farms this combination has done many wonderful
things for the water in the barn or in ponds. It
is just another example of how Bio-Ag continues to be a leader in research
and produce better products and offer better services to keep the bottom
line in a healthy state and condition.
May the summer of 2004 be one of the best
that you have ever experienced.
Diagram of Grander Revitalizer
Click on photo to learn about Grander Technology
Announcements
Dealer Chantal Theyn has moved to a new farm. Her new address is RR 3, Jarvis Ontario N0A 1J0. She can
be reached by phone or fax at 519-587-2980, on her cell phone 519-427-8704,
or by e-mailing her at chantal.theyn@sympatico.ca.
After nearly three years of serving customers
by taking orders and carrying out office administration, Andrea Bender will
be leaving Bio-Ag to pursue a new job opportunity.
She wishes to thank Murray & Florence for employing her as well
as the staff, dealers, and customers for the pleasant time she spent serving and getting to know each of them.
Thank you Andrea for your dedication, enthusiasm and contribution
to Bio-Ag and best wishes in your new position.
Announcing Graham-Stetzer
Filters and Stetzerizer Microsurge Meters
Stetzer Meters and Filters are now available for sale in Canada and have
been given CSA approval. If you signed up at
the January Seminar for more information, your local sales rep should be
contacting you shortly. You
can look forward to more information on electrical pollution in our next
issue of this newsletter including stories from some of our customers who
are first hand experiencing the changes noticed from installing filters
in their homes and barns.
If you missed our seminar and are interested in learning more about
electrical pollution, please contact our Head Office or your dealer to receive
an information packet that includes some case studies as well as research
done on electrical pollution. There are many
resources available on the Internet as well and you can find much information
and links to other related sites at www.electricalpollution.com.
We also have two different videos available to purchase out of our
Head office or you can borrow either of them from your local Bio-Ag dealer
or our Head Office. The first video is of Dave
Stetzer from Stetzer Electric speaking at our January seminar and at our
dealer Henry Boot’s farm. He defines what electrical
pollution is and how it is created as well as what we can do about it.
The second video called Beyond Coincidence was put together by Stetzer
Electric and covers the effects of electrical pollution to human health
and then in the second part details the research that Dave did on a Dairy
farm to show the detrimental effects of transient voltage.
Graham-Stetzer Filters cost $40.00 each and quantities needed change
according to each environment and the levels of electrical pollution therein. The Stetzerizer Microsurge Meter
can be used to monitor your environment and costs $100.00. It is simple to use and comes with easy to follow
guides for measuring levels of pollution.
Photo of Graham-Stetzer Filters and
Stetzerizer Microsurge Meter
Natural
Health Care – Apple Cider Vinegar
Lately
many people are asking about supplementing the ration with Organic Apple
Cider Vinegar and what good it can do. Many
different uses have been claimed over the years and some believe it to be
nothing more than an old wives remedy, however the truth about apple cider
vinegar is that it can be a very useful product to stock on your farm. Read on to see how apple Cider Vinegar is made and
what practical uses it has on your farm.
Vinegar contains acetic acid, which many animals and especially ruminants
need in order to digest. It is naturally derived from the fermentation
of plant products under anaerobic conditions. To
reach the 6% concentration of cider vinegar it can be fermented, distilled
or freeze evaporated. All of these processes
are permitted under organic standards.
Acetic acid can also be prepared by several synthetic processes, such
as the reaction of methyl alcohol and carbon monoxide in the presence of
a catalyst, or the oxidation of acetaldehyde or petroleum, which are not
considered organic.
Bio-Ag Apple Cider Vinegar is certified organic with OCPP and is raw
or unpastuerised to maintain the quality of the vinegar as well as several
of the trace elements found within it naturally such as potassium.
Bio-Ag has recommended using apple Cider Vinegar as a diuretic on
cows with mastitis and also to balance rumen pH in the case of acidosis
or alkalosis for many years. To help dairy cattle
with mastitis we recommend 6 oz. (180 ml), two times a day or to balance
rumen pH lessen the amount to 2 oz. (60 ml) per day on the feed.
Animals find Apple Cider Vinegar very palatable and so it can be sprinkled
on the feed or put into their drinking water for easy administration. A fringe benefit of putting apple cider vinegar
in the water is that it will keep stagnant water bowls free of algae.
Besides giving apple cider internally to animals, the Organic Growers
of Nova Scotia Handbook suggests applying the vinegar externally for the
control of ringworm. Feeding Apple Cider Vinegar
to Horses is rumored to be excellent for preventing or at least relieving
joint problems. Some Horse owners supply it
daily at the rate of 1 teaspoon (5 ml) for ponies and 1-2 tablespoons (15-30
ml) per day for larger horses.
Over the years Bio-Ag has seen the ability of Apple Cider Vinegar
as a powerful digestive aid in ruminants and a
natural pH stabilizer in all kinds of situations. The
successes of our clients have shown again and again that there is a benefit
to feeding Apple Cider Vinegar.
Joke of the Day
A jogger running down a country road
is startled as a horse yells at him, "Hey, come over here buddy". The jogger
is stunned but runs over to the fence where the horse is standing and asks,
"Were you talking to me"?
The horse replies, "Sure was! I've got a problem. I won the Kentucky Derby a few years ago
and this farmer bought me, and now all I do is pull a plow and I'm sick
of it. Why don't you run up to the house and offer him $5,000 to buy me.
I'll make you some money cause I can still run."
The jogger thought
to himself, "Wow, a talking horse!" And he thought of all the money he could
make with it. So he ran to the house, where the old farmer is sitting on
the porch. The jogger tells the farmer, "I'll give you $5,000 for that old
broken down nag you've got in the field".
The farmer replies "Son, you can't believe anything that horse says. He's never even been to
Kentucky.”
