From the Foreman's Desk - April Update

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May 2, 2023

On April first, Remi, Cameron, and I packed up the minivan and headed to the KC Healthy Kids Eat Local and Organic Expo. We were able to interact with lots of people.

Events like these are not only a great opportunity to get our name out there and share about home delivery, but it's also a wonderful time to chat with other farms that are also participating. It was encouraging to see so many people come out that care about how their food is raised and how it affects their health and environment.

The vendors were spoiled and had breakfast and lunch provided by The Chive Market & Cafe. Let me just say the food was amazing!

Mid-April, Remi and I took a trip to Indiana for a marketing workshop with GrazeCart and other small farm businesses. Remi was able to walk away with so many helpful tips and ways to improve our business. As soon as we got home, he began working on offering shipping nationwide. That's right! We ship pretty much everywhere now. Sorry if you live in Alaska or Hawaii; you can't order meats, but you can order snack sticks and soap! We also just launched our new Subscribe & Save program. You can set the frequency of your subscription order and save 5% storewide! You can start and stop your subscription anytime. We tried to make it as simple and convenient as a service for you as possible.

On our way back from Indiana, Remi and I stopped in Casey, Illinois. We stayed the night at the 1890 Sleepover. It is a renovated hotel and it was so awesome! I don't have good pictures of it, but I loved imagining what stories the brick walls had to share.

Casey, Illinois is home to several world's largest objects. We were able to see the world's largest wind chimes, rocking chair, mousetrap, key, and even the world's largest mailbox! We mailed a postcard to Remi's siblings from the two-story mailbox. His 5-year-old sister now tells people we went to the world's largest city 😂

The drive home was such a relaxing time to chat and dream. Dreaming is good. It gives you something to aspire for. We talked about dreams for the farm, for our family, and possibly future business ideas. And you bet Remi was trying to figure out how to put something really large on the farm. We're open to suggestions!

I shared about this on social media, but I don't think I've mentioned it on here. I've had a goal with myself to use more whole chickens. We always have them available, and they're very cost-effective. I'll cook one or two in the crock pot, shred them, and then I have cooked chicken ready to freeze or use in quick meals. It has become so handy. Healthy fast food. Another added bonus is the bones to make broth. We have really enjoyed having broth to drink throughout the week. I've also been freezing it to have on hand when the baby comes.

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I'm planning on sitting for a good chunk of time during postpartum. So, my goal for May is to stock up on as many freezer meals as I can. I've been learning about the first 40 days. A lot of cultures have a sacred time of rest and nourishment set aside for new mothers to spend with their babies. It allows the body to heal and the mother to bond with the babe. I plan on being very intentional about this.

Unfortunately, modern culture has a tendency to make new mothers feel the need to rush and be out and about as soon as they think they can. It's almost an accomplishment to see how soon you can be moving around with your new little one. If I don't get too stir-crazy, my desire is to rest as much as I can. Hopefully, I can make the full 40 days. I want to let my body heal and restore as much as possible. The ancient Chinese say the first 40 days can affect the next 40 years!

Lots of baby prep going to be happening this month. I've been filling my freezer with broth and my cabinet with herbal remedies. A sweet friend of mine shared her favorite herbal baby oil. I can't wait to use it on Baby K.

May will probably be my last blog post for a bit, besides a brief baby announcement in June!

This past weekend my sister got married! I'm so happy for them 💕 Remi already mentioned in one of his emails that this lovely couple takes care of the hens and washes eggs at the Guier family farm, who produces our eggs. I don't have a picture with the lovely couple, but it was a beautiful wedding and I couldn't be more excited for them.

Remi and I were able to get some pics though, and baby K is finally making himself known.

This coming weekend will involve picking up bulk beef and sorting hogs. Hogs go to the processor on Monday. I don't mind riding along for pickups and deliveries, but I'll probably pass on sorting 😂

I'm really looking forward to this beautiful spring weather and I hope you get a chance to soak it up too!

Pay attention to our Instagram and Facebook posts this week (May 4-6.) We will be doing a giveaway for Farm-to-Table Dinner tickets!

Bye for now 🙂

Kait Kesten - The Real Ranch Foreman

Why I Choose Grass-Fed & Finished Beef (by Tracey Long, MPH, RDN)

Hey guys, Remi here! This is a post from Tracey Long's blog that she gave me permission to share here. She works in integrative and functional nutrition at Big Picture Health. Tracey has seen many people's lives changed through their bettered understanding of food, including her own. Enjoy this article, and feel free to reach out to her if you are looking for guidance in your healing journey. Pictured on left: Cows raised on pasture by the Bauman Family near Garnett, KS.Pictured on right: Cows started on grass, but finished on grain/soy at a feedlot. 1. I believe in supporting local food, small family farmers and the economy. The average miles our food travels to reach our dinner plates is about 1,500 miles1. When we eat local we conserve fuel, keep our food dollars local and can have a personal connection to the farmer and how our food is raised. I subscribe to the mantra, know your farmer, know your food. Know your farmer, know your food 2. Cows are biologically meant to eat grass and pasture, not grains like corn or legumes like soy. When you feed an animal the food that it is biologically set up for it will be healthier. Cows are four-legged ungulates best adapted to graze on forage. The digestive system of cows, the four stomachs they have that we learned about in basic biology, are meant to ferment forage. Grains like corn and legumes like soy are used as high energy-dense food alternative for cows to put weight on them quickly for faster processing. This diet that is not congruent with the cow’s biology does work to speed up the process from start to finish, but can actually compromise the animal’s health. A review article by Calloway et al2 found that cows fed a diet high in grain had higher levels of the food-borne pathogen E. coli. When the diet was changed back to forage the E. coli levels were lowered within five days. A research study by Khafipour et al3 found that cows fed a diet based on grain became acidotic, and had high levels of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that triggered inflammation and health problems in the cattle such as liver disease. These are two scientific examples of how grain can be unhealthy for cows. 3. Grazing cattle from start to finish is better for the environment and planet. You may be interested in reading the book by Judith Schwartz, “Cows Save the Planet.”4 Judith discusses how raising cows on pasture returns moisture and nutrients to the soil and, therefore; our food. Cattle feedlots are also a significant source of environmental pollutants such as antibiotics that affect downstream aquatic life and hormones that end up in the drinking water supply as additional examples.5,6 Feedlots use antibiotics and hormones to encourage rapid and increased growth and require antibiotics to suppress illness due to the confined living space and large buildup of fecal matter. Pastured cows arguably have less negative impact and even reported positive impacts on the environment. 4. I believe in respecting and honoring the animals I eat. As humans we have the capacity to treat animals poorly for our benefit (food) or treat them in a thankful manner for the nourishment they provide us. Joel Salatin, a well-known sustainable farmer in Swope, Virginia, said in a magazine interview, “Our first responsibility is to try to figure out what kind of a habitat allows them (cows) to fully express their physiological distinctiveness. The cow doesn’t eat corn; she doesn’t eat dead cows; she doesn’t eat cow manure, which is what is currently being fed to cows in the industrial food system. We feed cows grass, and that honors and respects the cow-ness of the cow.7” Joel Salatin 5. Pasture raised and finished beef has a healthier fatty acid profile than conventional beef. The standard American diet is high in omega 6 fatty acids relative to omega 3 fatty acids. The problem is that omega 6 fatty acids, when out of balance with omega 3’s are highly inflammatory to the human body. Inflammation is now known to be the root of many chronic diseases. The good news is that the fatty acid composition of grass fed and finished beef is higher in the beneficial and anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids than grain-fed beef. A study by MacAfee et al found that people who ate grass-fed meat had higher levels of the anti-inflammatory omega 3’s when their blood was tested for this healthy fat.8 David (founder) and Reeves Kesten at the Brookside Farmers Market, 2017 Meet David and his [second] son Reeves, of David’s Pasture, from Concordia, MO. I am grateful for the opportunity to purchase quality meat, pork, poultry and eggs from a farming family like Dave’s. Dave’s cattle are raised on pasture and get to express their, “cow-ness,” as Joel Salatin would say. Dave shared with me that he even feeds his cattle organic apple cider vinegar to improve their gut health and does not use hormones or antibiotics. His cattle fertilize the land they forage on and he rotates their grazing to promote healthy soil. Yes, I pay more for the products I buy from Dave than I would pay at the local grocery store, but for the reasons I listed above I know the price is worth it!Original post by Tracey Long, MPH, RDN at Big Picture Health. Specializing in integrative and functional nutrition. Re-posted here by Remington Kesten, David's Pasture. Grass-fed & finished Beef delivered to your door.

From the Foreman's Desk - April Update

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Why I Choose Grass-Fed & Finished Beef (by Tracey Long, MPH, RDN)

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