Interesting websites and articles

The number one site for Grass-Fed Food and Facts
http://www.eatwild.com

Small Producers Hit Hard, Barb Brouwer. Salmon Arm Observer. After the listeriosis outbreak scare in 2008, this article explored the pros and cons of meat inspection for small producers, and describes the benefits of choosing local, organic food.
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Grazing Cattle Reduce Some Greenhouse Gases
Carbon dioxide gets most of the attention in conversations about climate change, but there are other molecules that deserve some of the blame for the earth's rising temperature, including methane. A recent report published in Nature addresses the impact of another greenhouse gas and throws an unexpected twist into the N2O story.
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The grass fed revolution, Time Magazine. Describes the health benefits of eating grass-fed beef versus conventional grain-finished beef. Grass fed beef is 65% lower in saturated fats, higher in Omega 3 fatty acids, higher in Conjugated linoleic acid, and higher in Vitamins A and E.
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How Cows (Grass-Fed Only) Could Save the Planet, Lisa Abend, Time Magazine. Most of the carbon footprint with conventional beef comes from growing the grain to feed them. The article argues that grass-fed beef may actually be carbon neutral because perennial grasses are trimmed and encouraged to grow, and manure and decaying matter are worked into the soil to make humus. These actions cause carbon to be sequestered into the soil and out of the atmosphere. A massive shift in pasture management could increase soil carbon by 2%, enough to capture the equivalent of the worlds greenhouse gas output.
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Flirting with extinction -- clear-cut's and the demise of Southern B.C.'s Caribou
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Heritage Beef. Lisa McLaughlin. Time Magazine. Consumers who are concerned about hormones and antibiotics used in modern factory-farmed cattle are turning to heirloom breeds of cattle -- like Galloway and Scottish Highland -- raised using traditional methods.
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Many customers ask me about the content of Sodium nitrite in our sausages. Our Artisan Smoked Sausages all have 2 parts per million of Sodium nitrite added so that the meat does not spoil during the smoking process. Because some people have expressed health concerns regarding the use of nitrites in meat, I have done a little bit of research. It seems that the level of nitrite can actually be much higher in some types of vegetables, including spinach, beets, radishes, celery, and cabbages. Also, the best way to avoid any possible carcinogenic effects is to not burn foods with nitrite present (buring creates nitrosamines). None of our "fresh frozen" sausages have Sodium nitrite, and the Smoked Artisan Sausages only need to be gently warmed if at all.
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