From the Foreman's Desk - September Update

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October 11, 2022

From the Foreman's Desk is a monthly update from Kaitlyn Kesten (Remi's wife and self-proclaimed "Ranch Foreman.")

We started off the month by celebrating labor day with our church family. Every year our church has a family camp at a campground in Pollo. It's a lot of fun! We play lots of games, have a bonfire, there's a swimming pool, and even a mud run! It's a great opportunity to relax and visit with friends.

That event rolled right into Concordia's Street Fair. I believe I mentioned it in last month's update. Remi's sister Ria comes up every year for the fair, so we go to see her too! She's Kesten kid #5.

Remi and I learned that carnival rides might have to be a thing of the past 😂

They involve a little too much spinning, if you know what I mean. Of course, we had to ride the Farris wheel - it's a tradition.

Later that week, we took a little trip to Powell Gardens (where we got engaged!) If you've never been there, I highly recommend it! There were so many beautiful plants, trees, shrubs, you name it! I saw tons of plants I'd never seen before. One of them is called Mimosa Pudica. It has a defense mechanism. When you touch the leaves or stems, they move or bend away from you! It was so awesome!

Sometimes it's good for farmers to get off the farm for a little bit to have some fun!

Remi's been taking up disc golf. He's pretty good at it. Me? Not so much. We went on a

Saturday afternoon date to play a couple of weeks ago. Let's just say he won by a lot 😂

Our farm tour was so much fun! We love getting to meet people in person. To get to visit and chat about life, animals, food, and what not ♥ Thank you to everyone who made the drive out!

We had a family friend come to intern with us for about a week this month. It was great having him around. He loves to soak up knowledge and ask lots of great questions. He was also a huge hand while loading up chicks and chickens. It's always more fun doing those chores together with friends.

This was after the first morning of loading up chickens. Remi needed a cat nap, and Jack needed some dog snuggles. After this and a quick shower, we started our delivery route! That was a long day.

The second time we loaded up chickens, John wasn't able to make it, so it was all hands on deck. It was Remi, myself, Reeves, Cameron, Kellen, and our intern friend. We had so many good laughs, close falls, and precious memories made. The beauty of working with good friends!

I feel like September went by so fast. I did a terrible job of taking pictures 🤦‍♀️

As I mentioned above, we did get a lot of family time in. And while I might not have gotten a lot of pictures, I do remember each visit. I personally had a lot of out-of-town company coming to visit. That was a great way to start the new season off!

John and Reeves loaded up the first round of cows to be processed this fall! John won't have any cattle on the pasture this winter. Hopefully, I'll get to a blog post soon about his beef process!

The Cox family harvested their pears! Lots of yummy pear butter, canned pears, and a scrumptious pear crisp 😋

Cam whipping up something yummy!

Voila!!

I've so been enjoying this fall weather. It's refreshing. Invigorating. It's also a lot nicer to work outside! This past weekend Remi and I were doing some outdoor tidy-up. Our mailbox has been crooked for a while, so he was able to get it straightened up! We also added our address and last name. Aren't we so fancy? 😉

I was also able to get some elderberry cuttings planted. My spring ones did not take off. Fingers crossed, these will do better. A friend of mine cut them for me and showed me how to start roots. That was a fun experiment!

Of course, Jack loves to help as much as he can. I was trying to see if the dogs would want to play. Jack decided he would rather lay on top of me. Let's just say for a short and squatty dog, he weighs way more than he looks!

Jack and Nala's newfound treasure is sleeping in my strawberry bed. I spread some mulch on top of the berries for the cold weather. Jack seemed really curious as to what I was doing. Sure enough, they were both sleeping in the raised bed the next morning. I mean, I can't really blame them. I'm sure it's pretty cozy.

These naughty pups sure like to get themselves into trouble. They're always looking for the next adventure!

I'm also off to my next adventure - chicken meatballs for a gathering with friends tonight 🙂

Happy Fall!

Kaitlyn

Fall

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 - September Update

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

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