Egg labels explained

Thus handy article explains some of the buzzwords used on egg cartons....

The Truth About Your Eggs - ABC News

Bottom line? 

Eggs are good for you,  especially raw.

If

You know and trust your farmer.

Why soy free eggs and meats?

A common question we hear is "why does Little Sprouts produce soy free animal products? " the answer is twofold.. .
1. For our animal health and reproductive ability
2. For your family health and reproductive ability.
Bottom line,  unfermented soy is bad for you and for animals.  It degrades health in a number of ways.  We have sought out alternatives in both our own life as well as all our animals feed so that Little Sprouts is 100% soy free!
Eggs,  meat,  milk,  lard,  etc. .. all of our products are soy free.
For a detailed explanation from a doctor's point of view,  read through this article. 

The Potential Effects of Soy, and How it Might Decimate the Health of Your Unborn Baby and the Fertility of Future Generations
Bottom line. ... soy is bad for both direct and indirect consumption.  If animals eat soy, the proteins and compounds are found in the animal products after processing.  You do your family a favor avoiding all unfermented soy products and avoiding eggs,  meat,  fats,  and milk from any animals fed soy.

Organic vs conventional.. . Match point!

It is tough to read through this well done article and keep any doubt that conventional chemical farming has any wins over organic.  I'd say that organic wins hands down on every front.  The game is over.  We just need to accept that the science behind poison based food is faulty. Time to return to what works.

OP March/April 2012 Cover Story

One less egg thief in the world

Hunter finally caught our elusive egg thief!  After sleepless nights chasing this guy,  two missed shots,  he ended up in hunters live trap.  This has been the cleverest and quickest skunk we faced!

Now the problem is.. ... what does one do with a love skunk inside a trap inside the barn!. .......

Another reason to know your farmer

This article covers another example for why it is important to know the farmer that raises your meats,  know how they do things,  and be able to trust them.  Most,  virtually all chicken and pork in the stire today was raised on a constant diet of antibiotics.  Why?  Antibiotics do not increase yields.  Period.  They do minimize death and losses from horrid unsanitary living conditions. So.. .. antibiotics allow saving money by breaking nature's sanitation laws, leaving animals in cheap,  deadly conditions,  then keep them as live and growing with constant  my medicine. Do you want to buy meat from an animal raised where it would be sick and die without constant medicine?  It does matter!

Researchers find link between drug-resistant bladder infections and poultry antibiotics | Grist

First Verified NON-GMO Poultry Feed!

Here is the official press release from Scratch and Peck feeds announcing their attaining status as North America's first verified NON-GMO livestock feed company. We are very excited to be bringing these products locally to southern Oregon as the southern Oregon retailer for Scratch and Peck Feeds.

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Scratch and Peck Feeds: First Feed Company in North America to Achieve Non-GMO Project Verification

Bellingham, WA – July 9, 2012: Scratch and Peck Feeds, the nation’s fastest growing 100% soy-free animal feed producer is extremely pleased to announce it has received the Non-GMO Project Verification for its entire line of poultry and animal feeds. The Non-GMO Project offers North America’s only third party verification and labeling for non-GMO food and products. This designation makes us the first feed company in North America to achieve this status.

Scratch and Peck made a commitment, from the initial soy-free concept, to create the most natural and highest quality animal feed on the market. Being dedicated to the use of only non-GMO ingredients in their products was the next step beyond offering an organic option. “With our Non-GMO Project Verification our customers now have the added assurance that our animal feed products are verified to be compliant with the Project’s rigorous standards.  This designation provides our customers confidence that they are feeding their animals a wholesome, natural diet without GMOs.  We truly believe that ‘you are what your animals eat’.”

Polls consistently show that a significant majority of North Americans want to be able to tell if the food they’re purchasing contains genetically modified ingredients. The Non-GMO Project’s seal for verified products provides consumers an opportunity to make an informed choice when it comes to GMOs.

GMOs (“genetically modified organisms”) are organisms that have been created through the gene-splicing techniques of biotechnology, creating combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and viral genes that do not occur in nature and have not been proven safe. The effect of consuming these organisms over a long period of time has not been studied and the questionable business practices surrounding the industry are increasingly being scrutinized.

“Our decision to participate in the project came from our desire to practice what we preach. Our company exists because we, and our growing number of customers, are concerned about our food chain being contaminated by genetically modified organisms that have yet to be proven safe for humans or their animals.  Because foods containing GMO’s are not required to be labeled as such in the US, we felt the Non-GMO Project was doing the right thing by verifying the products that do not contain GMOs.”

About Scratch and Peck Feeds

Scratch and Peck Feeds is family-owned chicken feed producer based in Bellingham, WA that does not use soy in any of its products. We are committed to a triple bottom line requiring us to make every business decision with the environment and our community in mind. Since its inception, Scratch and Peck Feeds has purchased its grains from individual organic farmers as close to home as possible. This policy supports local economies and significantly reduces pollution attributed to shipping long distances. Our animal feed line currently consists of Chicken, Turkey and Pig feed, Whole Grains (corn, peas, wheat, barley, triticale) as well as supplemental products for those and other animals.  We are passionate about providing only the most natural and highest quality feed possible to our customers. Our products can currently be found in over 70 retail stores throughout the western states, direct from our mill, at our online store, or on Amazon.com. 

For a complete list of Scratch and Peck’s Non-GMO Project verified products, visit www.nongmoproject.org

For more information about Scratch and Peck Feeds visit www.scratchandpeck.com

Scratch and Peck Feeds

3883 Hammer Drive

Bellingham, WA   98226

Diana Ambauen-Meade - owner

Phone: 360.318.7585

Email: info@scratchandpeck.com

www.scratchandpeck.com

Find Scratch and Peck Feeds on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scratchandpeck

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/scratchandpeck

                                                    

160+ turkeys on pasture!

We have successfully moved 162 turkeys out to pasture as of today. That leaves 4 in the barn.  The 162 turkeys are in portable hoop  houses with no floors, which are moved around the pasture providing access to fresh dirt, bugs, and grass on a daily basis. We occasionally open the coops during the day to let them fly around and graze wider.

As they mature and get used to the new surroundings they will be allowed greater and greater access to the pasture. The hoop houses are just a temporary protection from predators and inexperienced leaders taking the flock out into dangerous areas.   So far we have lost no turkeys to predators this year, and hope to keep it that way!

IF you have not reserved your thanksgiving turkey yet, now is hte time to do so! IF you have reserved yours, perhaps you'd like to come see them roaming free the way turkeys were meant to. Visitors are always welcome!

The 4 turkeys left in the barn brooder are special. One has a broken leg and needs time to learn to walk without competition. The other three are the special ones that hatched out yellow and then matured into beautiful white birds with grey/ black wingtips.  They are absolutely the most beautiful turkeys I have ever seen! We want to be sure these have every chance to stay protected from predators and from the other turkeys who seem a little  aggressive towards them.  If these birds make it to maturity, we will be breeding them for sure!

America's FIRST NON-GMO Verified feed company!

Thats right! Time to celebrate! Scratch and Peck Feeds has reason to celebrate! Scratch and Peck is now the first ever VERIFIED NON-GMO Feed line in America, as verified by the Non-GMO Project!

This is truly a milestone. In a day where the threat from GMO crops and feeds and foods is heating up and threatening the existence of our food supply forever, Scratch and Peck has attained third party verification that thee is absolutely NO GMO products in the entire feed line. You can buy and use these feeds with complete confidence.

First Scratch and Peck led the field in whole grain Soy Free nutrient dense feeds,  then 100% biodegradable bags, and now third party certification of non-GMO... that is progress I am proud to be a part of!

Little Sprouts carries all the popular feed types in stock right here in southern oregon, so you have local access to small quantities without shipping delays or charges. Little Sprouts also does completely free home deliveries to most southern oregon areas every two weeks. You can either come by and pick up anytime, or arrange to be on our bi-weekly delivery list, whichever is more convenient to you. Either way, I encourage you to try our feeds, they are the best we have found, have everything inside that the animals need for complete nutrition, and are both organic and non-gmo as well as soy free.

Contact us for more info!

Small but proud

They may be small,  but these little toms are certainly proud of who they are!  All 8 inches strutting around like they are king of the pasture.

North meets south

This morning the young turkeys meet last years breeding toms from across the fence.  The encounter reminded me of divisions been nations such as east and west over the Berlin wall our north and south during the American civil war.  If the fence was not there,  these little fellows would surely get into it with their own fathers,  trying to prove who is stronger.  Trying to earn the right to be next year breeders.

Well the wall is there,  and these two groups will stay arrested. They will have to be happy staring down their neighbor.

GMO... what is the purpose?

For the most part,  there is but one purpose for most GMO crops today: sell more poisons.

Think about it.. . The modification of most GMO crops is the ability to withstand higher than normal applications of certain poison (herbicide or pesticide). That's it.  Nothing more.  Why do that unless the end result of to use more poison in the field?

So. .. the purpose behind GMO crops is to allow higher levels of poison than ever before,  to allow for killing weeds and insects that have themselves developed immunity to the poison.

Why they call this "feeding the world" is beyond me.  It should be termed "poisoning the world". It has nothing to do with feeding unless they plan on feeding poison.

Here is an article on a study about pesticide use in GMO crops.

New Benbrook data blow away claims of pesticide reduction due to GM crops

Hot days outside

Finally summer is here in force. After an unusually cool spring , it is hot.  We hit 104 today,  and at 7pm it is still at 100. Time to shift the work hours outside to early  morning and late evening.

The heat is welcome though. Heat represents energy from the sun,  which is what fuels life on the farm. While we work indoors,  nature is in high gear outside.

Bees, GMO crops, and our government

What do these all have in common?  They are intersecting in our food supply,  raising questions and risking future ability to produce food.

This article is definately worth a read.

What's Behind Illinois Stealing Local Hero's Bee Hives?