- Newsletter
- March 1999
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
BST Banned in Canada
One thing that never ceases to amaze me is
that it seems a lot of humanity, especially some of the highly
theoretically, over-educated, under-worked, under-experienced
people never seem to get anything correct. Witness for example
the Canadian government's recent decision to keep BST out of the
country. All of the big heads at several agricultural universities,
the Monsanto chief of Canada and several others in the veterinary
profession seem to think that the people in Ottawa and many people
in the field don't know very much. Nor do the people in the trenches,
which includes many consumer groups and individuals who have researched
recumbant engineering.
One of my recent conversations with an executive from a Mid-West
Iowa company, makes me wonder if these people will ever get it.
I was told by this company executive that Monsanto has somewhere
between 12% and 18% of the market which he thought boiled down
to a very poor market penetration by such a large company. If
this is indeed the case, then think about this. Every large university
related to dairying in the United States, accepted massive amounts
of money from one of four companies that were in this game. They
told all of the dairy farmers in the United States that they had
to either get efficient or get out. They told farmers in the United
States that milk would drop to between $8 and $9/cwt. They told
farmers that without using this new technology, they would definitely
go broke. The very thing (BST) that was going to lower the price
of milk so dramatically, has now created the biggest problem in
the dairy industry to date:
1. Their cow numbers are dropping.
2. Any heifer that is calved out on many of these large commercial
herds, is basically birthed, milked for 6 months and then put
on BST to make up for her two normal lactations without being
bred again.
Has anyone ever wondered why heifer numbers
in the U.S. have dropped so dramatically. This in turn results
in lower cow numbers and lower milk production. Couple this with
natural disasters such as flooding or droughts, we now see that
the Americans are getting more money for their milk than what
we are in Ontario. Unfortunately, the experts just don't get it.
E.Coli in Sow Barns
One other item that I found very interesting
in one of the farm magazines is that in the hog industry, pork
producers are battling deadly E.Coli strains of bacteria. One
of the big researchers from the University of Guelph admitted
that most E.Coli were not dangerous but he has absolutely no idea
why some of these bacteria are going so out of control. What is
quite interesting to me is that he admits to the fact that vaccinations
don't help and I quote "Vaccination of the sow herd is of
no benefit in preventing this condition in the post weaning pig".
At the bottom of the article he mentions that "Good management
practices, like all-in, all-out nurseries, adequate sow vaccination,
cleanliness and sanitation and increase in fibre and protein sources,
help to keep the problem at bay." I don't know who is calling
the kettle white or black here, but in one breath, vaccinations
don't help and on the other hand you are supposed to vaccinate,
vaccinate, vaccinate.
One of the things these guys have never learned is that if you
change the type of feed, increase the protein, do all of these
things such as vaccinate, etc. you are changing the terrain of
the body and as such you open the door for these bacteria which
have been sitting in the gut. Suddenly they become pathological
or a dangerous type of bacteria. This applies to any and all species.
Pesticide Free Produce?
The next article was taken from the Kitchener-Waterloo
Record February 19, 1999 and it says produce isn't pesticide free.
Tests show high residuals even after the food is rinsed. "Consumers
Union, based in Yonkers, N.Y., analysed U.S. Department of Agriculture
data on 27,000 samples of domestic and imported produce from 1994
to 1997. It compiled pesticide toxicity scores for 27 foods; seven
of them--apples, grapes, green beans, peaches, pears, spinach
and winter squash--had levels up to hundreds of times higher than
other foods tested. The study found that even a single daily serving
of some produce can deliver unsafe levels of toxic pesticide residues
for young children."
On the other hand they say this, "Our findings certainly
don't mean that parents should stop giving their children plenty
of healthful produce" said the technical policy and public
service director at the Consumers Union.
Bio-Ag has said for years that sooner or later all of these chemicals
will come back to haunt us either in the soil, in the water, in
the food, even our own health.
Tax Me, I'm Canadian
The last thing I would like to talk about is
another article in the K-W Record. This article says "Tax
Me, I'm Canadian". The subtitle says "Forced redistribution
of wealth punishes the ambitious and productive". Surely
not! Would this government overtax us, those of us who are hardworking,
creative and inventive? Unfortunately, I have to tell you the
answer is yes. In another magazine that I get, they are claiming
that in the US, 1% of the people are paying 36% of the taxes.
The other day in the news I heard Dalton McGuinty, who is head
of the Liberal party in Ontario, promise you and I as taxpayers,
that he is going to open up some hospitals if he gets reelected.
Rather interesting that the party in power wound up closing these
hospitals because McGuinty's parent party in Ottawa, the Liberal
Party of Canada, refused to give transfer payments to the provinces
while still spending as much money as ever in Ottawa on their
gold-plated, platinum-coated, one-in-a-million pension plans for
their MPs. So we see that while one party in the province says
one thing, the federal Liberal party did exactly the opposite
and McGuinty is trying to blame the Harris government for this
whole mess.
What I don't get and many of you on farms understand this, when
you sell your farm and/or pass it onto the next generation, there
are tremendous taxes to pay. In the end dear reader, it is no
wonder that we have all kinds of people in our country who are
tax cheaters. The same thing happened in Russia when the Russian
government tried its best to make everyone equal and underground
markets developed and cash became king.
As Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher, often said in his writings,
a great leader is one that will be with and among the people and
who will lead by example and that when the job is finished the
people will all say, we did it. Can you bring to mind any leader
in this or any country that has put himself at that level. You
begin to get the picture that what really happens at the top of
a country, eventually finds its way to the bottom.
In summing up, honesty and integrity are precious commodities.
As my friend Dr. Whittaker always said, time and truth can become
very distorted but sooner or later they all have to come back
together. If in doubt, reread the above article and begin to see
what is starting to happen. From the staff at Bio-Ag: Murray,
Florence, Ted, Bill, Carl, Mel, Mary Lou, Susan, Betty Ann
Bio-Ag Hi Energy Nursing Sow Supplement
A new product from Bio-Ag!
In order to meet customer demands for a nursing
sow supplement, Bio-Ag has created a high quality, high energy
supplement. Like our regular line of premixes, this supplement
contains Bio-Ag's unique package of natural and water soluble
vitamins, plus chelated manganese, iron, zinc, copper and cobalt.
That's only the beginning-we also have an iron product that is
easily assimilated. This helps keep the intestinal tract healthy
by providing both ferric and ferrous iron to the bloodstream.
Kelp is another key ingredient in the Hi Energy Nursing Sow Supplement.
Kelp contains over 60 naturally chelated trace minerals, plus
vitamins, amino acids and carbohydrates. Farmers feeding kelp
meal to their hogs report leaner carcasses, increased gains, reduced
internal parasites, improved growth rates under stress and reduced
tail biting.
Bio-Ag Hi Energy Nursing Sow Supplement contains a unique combination
of oils, supplying both Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. These
fatty acids are essential to both humans and pigs. While improving
bone growth and general skin health, they also provide protection
from heart disease, thrombosis, hypertension and reduce inflammation.
Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids contribute to the maintenance of cell
structure and produce energy.
We at Bio-Ag put a lot of effort in producing a superior supplement.
You can get a lot of performance by using it with your sow herd.
Call the office for information on this or any other Bio-Ag product,
1-800-363-5278.
Testimonial for Equine Ecstasy
All Natural Feed Supplement
A few years ago, I had a black and white paint
mare, 15 years of age. When riding, she stumbled constantly and
the farrier found pockets of black gooey stuff between the wall
and the horn of the foot. I phoned Bio-Ag and asked if they had
anything that could possibly help this mare. They suggested Equine
Ecstacy which was something I knew nothing about but thought I
have nothing to lose. She had been getting free choice horse minerals,
trace mineral salt which Bio-Ag sells, the Bio-Ag Bio-Pac vitamins,
diatomaceous earth as a natural wormer, some homeopathy remedies
3 times a day, kelp to help detoxify, carrots, grain and hay 3
times a day. I was amazed at the difference that appeared in the
mare 3 weeks after starting the Equine Ecstasy. She could walk
more soundly, she did not limp. I was so happy to see the improvement.
I purchased a second horse which was to be sound but imagine my
surprise when after being in my barn for a few hours she had heaves.
The vet confirmed a case of heaves. Her case of heaves was not
severe but the vet was not very optimistic about her ability to
be ridden. I kept her and gave her all of the above mentioned
things including Equine Ecstasy. In 2 months she was barely coughing
anymore. I was elated. In another 2 months I was riding her at
the three gaits with no sign of coughing at all.
I then bought a registered quarter horse gelding, 6 years old
which I discovered was lame. How could that be? I had seen him
being ridden for an hour before deciding to put him on my trailer
and I was assured he was checked by the vet and he was sound.
The vet confirmed this gelding, Duster, had bone spavin in the
left hock. I had never seen bone spavin before and horses back
knees are lumpy to begin with. I was devastated. I started Duster
on Equine Ecstasy as it had done such wonders for the other two
horses. I did not realize there are drugs on the market that can
make a horse appear to be sound. Some of them do not show up even
with a blood test.
Again, Duster was put on the same feeding regimen as the other
two horses. By this time I had sold the other two horses to young
girls who wanted them for riding. One day to my utter amazement,
Duster went out into the field, did a bit of a lope, then bucked
and kicked. Eight months later, he loped into the field at full
speed, slid to a halt, spun and loped back to the barn. Would
he have come sound without Equine Ecstasy? I do not believe so.
The bony calcification was very large and it has disappeared by
about two-thirds. It is with great heartfelt thanks to Bio-Ag
for their Equine Ecstasy. Without it, there are horses that would
not be alive because they would not have returned to soundness.
You are more than welcome to call me at 519-794-3533 or e-mail
me dj@log.on if you have any questions. I am not a professional,
just a lay person with many hours of hands on experience.
Edith Metzger
Holland Centre, ON
BACK TO TOP
|
