Allan Savory discusses herb management and the affects on our soil

Allan Savory tackles the topic of livestock and how proper herd management improves soil health.

Allan Savory, of the Savory Institute, is known world wide for his expertise in soil management and how that relates to livestock management. In this informative video Allan discusses how we can use livestock to mimic natural cycles and thus improve soil quality the most. https://vimeo.com/8239427

Keeping Cattle: cause or cure for climate crisis? from Feasta on Vimeo.

When it comes to raw milk production, these principles can be applied to dairy herds.

Farmers who are producing raw milk using management practices based on holistic livestock management, are contributing restorative practices that lead to higher quality soil and improved health of the eco systems such as Allan Savory comments on in his lecture.

Raw dairy consumers can easily become informed on these practices and choose to support dairy farmers who employ holistic herd management.

What you want to look for:

1. Grass based farms. Farmers practicing holistic herd management will have rotational grazing in place. Cows will be grazing on pasture rather than relying on conventional grain for their feed. As cows graze, they will leave their manure adding to the topsoil.
2. Diversity of animals. Farms will have several species of animals who they rotate in the pasture. For example, cattle or dairy cows will graze in a pasture. Chicken or turkey will follow a couple of days later to clean up from the herbivores, spread the manure and eat the insects attracted by the cattle. In turn, the birds will leave their manure adding nitrogen-rich compounds to the soil. This method of mimicking natural eco systems helps bring the best nutrients to the soil and health to the animals.
3. Diversity of land use. Look for farms that have some fields, some forests and some ponds or wetlands. Each of these types of eco systems serves a valuable purpose on a farm and helps produce the balance needed for the best soils. If a farm is predominantly forest or field, that might limit the amount of livestock they are able to support on their farm.

Are you a farmer or producer? Do you have any other ideas or input for what consumers should look for in holistic herd management? Please share your thoughts below so people new to these ideas can learn from those who have been practicing them for years.

To learn more about raw milk and other nutrient dense foods, visit westonaprice.org

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The raw milk symposium features lectures and practical tips on productions from farmers, nutritionists and marketing experts. The classes include a pivotal class called “Building, Managing, Marketing & Sustaining a Raw Milk Micro-Dairy” presented by expert Charlotte Smith from Oregon.

Other classes include a presentation by Sally Fallon Morrell titled “Why Raw Milk?” that delves into the nutritional benefits of raw milk. The talk focuses on “the benefits to bones, teeth, immunity, respiratory health, growth, detoxification and even mental health conferred by whole unpasteurized milk, citing studies going back one hundred years and up to the present day.”

Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pastures in California, has a talk titled “Behind the Scenes: What’s Really Happening with Raw Milk in the USA?” Mark is known for being involved in the legal sales of raw milk in California.

Peg Coleman helps us understand the importance of data and what it does say and what it doesn’t say in her talk “Risk Beyond the Numbers: Understanding Data, Gaps, and Assumptions Bridging Them.”

This symposium provides a platform for experts, farmers, consumers and anyone seeking additional information on raw milk from regulations to production to the nutrition of it. As an overview, this class will give anyone an idea of where to locate resources and information to further their studies on the topic. The class also helps to dispel misinformation about raw milk.

Each class is available individually, as presented.

To learn more about raw milk and other nutrient dense foods, visit westonaprice.org

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An award-winning short film direct by Sean Malone, “Farming in Fear,” documents the struggle of Virginia farmer whose dream of holding onto her property is put in jeopardy.

“Facing overwhelming odds in the form of collusion involving a ruthless local government, a rapacious environmental group, powerful real estate interests, and even the IRS, Martha Boneta stood her ground,” says Bonner Cohen, senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research and senior policy analyst with the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT). “The film documents her struggle against corrupt forces intent on driving her off her land. Her ultimate triumph is inspirational and so is this documentary.”

The film won Excellence in Filmmaking for a Short Documentary and the Audience Choice Awards at the Anthem Film Festival and is now screening at universities across the United States.

Support the Campaign for Real Milk, join the Weston A. Price Foundation, today!

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The annual International Raw Milk Symposium, which will discuss the health benefits and safety practices of raw milk, can be viewed via Livestream on Monday, November 16^th beginning at 9:15am PDT.

With consumption of raw milk on the rise and several states loosening sales restrictions, more and more consumers are becoming curious about raw milk and their options for obtaining it.

The Raw Milk Symposium will take place on the last day of the International Wise Traditions Conference, a widely attended annual nutrition conference. Headline speakers of the Raw Milk Symposium include:

Sally Fallon Morell: “Why Raw Milk?” (9:15-10:30am PDT)

Mark McAfee: “Behind the Scenes: What’s Really Happening with Raw Milk in the USA?” (10:45am-12:00pm PDT)

Peg Coleman: “Risk Beyond Numbers: Understanding Data, Gaps and Assumptions Bridging Them” (1:15-2:30pm PDT)

Charlotte Smith: “Building, Managing, Marketing and Sustaining a Raw Milk Micro-Dairy” (2:45-4:00pm PDT)

To watch the livestream: http://www.fleetwoodonsite.com/wise/rawmilk#sthash.JfaVOOMo.dpuf

Support the Campaign for Real Milk, join the Weston A. Price Foundation, today!

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As milk composition and quality is directly impacted by a cow’s diet, and consumers are becoming increasingly conscious about buying organic, free range, and other responsibly sourced dairy and food products, this test will be important in holding dairy producers accountable for where they say their milk comes from.

Currently, Qlip’s laboratory produces these analyses for dairy companies who are purchasing milk from farmers. In the future, Qlip hopes to utilize such tests for other indicators, like animal health, animal welfare and sustainability.

Support the Campaign for Real Milk, join the Weston A. Price Foundation, today!

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The Raw Milk Answer Book addresses more than 200 of the most common questions about raw milk, including the complex and controversial. “It is an engaging conversation, unblinking in its focus on real-world data, unafraid to take issue with wild claims on either side of the raw milk controversy,” reads The Raw Milk Answer Book’s crowdfunding page.

The book, which is expected to be released on March 23, 2015, will be available on Kindle and CreateSpace. Bulk wholesale orders for farm buying clubs and holistic health practitioners will be available. Stay tuned to Gumpert’s blog, The Complete Patient, for additional updates.

Realmilk.com is a consumer education project of the Weston A. Price Foundation, a nutrition education nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. Visit their website, westonaprice.org.

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This year, speakers include Mark McAfee, owner of the largest raw milk dairy in California and chairman of the Raw Milk Institute; Pete Kennedy, president of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund; and Sally Fallon Morell, founder of A Campaign for Real Milk.

The Raw Milk Symposium Live Stream will be streaming live on November 10, 2014 from 9:15am-4:00pm EST, and will be available any time afterwards.

The Campaign for Real Milk is a project of the Weston A. Price Foundation, a nutrition education non-profit based in Washington, D.C. Fan the Campaign for Real Milk on Facebook.

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According to the announcement on the Farm-to-Consumer website, Raw Milk University is “for producers who want to learn about what is important in starting a raw milk dairy or improving [existing] raw milk operations,” and “gives participants the opportunity to learn from experts in the raw milk community.”

Raw Milk University is made up of a series of webinars spanning topics from “Milking Practices for High Quality Raw Cow Milk, Milk Room and Milking Equipment Setup and Maintenance” to seasonal “Dairy Goat Management and Lactation.” They are led by Sharon Wilson (who owned/operated the largest raw goat dairy in Colorado and has been consulting on raw goat milk dairies for over 8 years) and Tim Wightman (a farmer, dairy and soils consultant, and President of the FTCF).

Three webinars took place in April; three more are scheduled for July and three more in October. All webinars begin at 1pm EST and run for approximately 90 minutes. Webinars are $40 per session, with discounted rates for booking in bulk.

For more information and registration, please click here.

The Campaign for Real Milk is a project of the nutrition education non-profit, The Weston A. Price Foundation. Donate to help fund research into the benefits of nutrient dense foods.  westonaprice.org/lab

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Academics, dairy and healthcare professionals, and government representatives who wish to discuss the need for a structured and transparent process to ensure that scientific research and knowledge are used to impact policy are expected to attend the one-day conference. The conference will feature nine presenters on both sides of the issue, including dairy farmer and raw milk advocate Michael Schmidt.

For more information and to register, please click here.

The Campaign for Real Milk is a project of the nutrition education non-profit, The Weston A. Price Foundation. Donate to help fund research into the benefits of nutrient dense foods.  http://www.westonaprice.org/lab

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Ton Baars, a senior scientist for milk quality at the Swiss Research Institute for Organic Agriculture and a raw milk producer, will discuss raw milk from a European perspective. Baars believes that raw milk from pasture-based animals is one of the most nutrient-dense, beneficial foods available to naturally combat many health issues. He will present scientific studies that indicate a correlation between raw milk consumption and lowered occurrences of asthma, allergies and atopic disorders.

Following Ton Baars, Gianaclis Caldwell will take the stage to present “Raw Milk, The Story of Milk: Revered, Repurposed, and Repackaged.” In her talk, she will explain the history of raw milk, and how the food has transformed over the years from an essential and natural food to a distorted and damaged product. Caldwell is the owner and operator of a licensed raw goat milk and cheese dairy in Oregon, and the author of The Raw Milk Lover’s Handbook: A Guide for Consumers and Producers of Unprocessed Milk (coming out Spring 2014).

In “Highlights of a Medical Expert’s Support of Fresh Unprocessed Whole Milk,” Ted Beals will present scientific testimony that opposes national organizations’ claims that milk must be pasteurized to protect public health. Beals is a fervent supporter of consumer food rights and, over the last nine years, has used his credentials as a scientist and pathologist to advocate for the rights of consumers to have legal access to raw milk.

Finally, attendees will get a chance to hear from Pete Kennedy about raw milk-related high-profile court cases and other legislation that has developed over the past year. Kennedy is an attorney and the president of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, who is currently working to challenge the federal ban on interstate sales of raw milk.

For information on the conference, speakers, schedule and registration:

http://conferences.westonaprice.org/main-conference/

The Campaign for Real Milk is a project of the nutrition education non-profit, The Weston A. Price Foundation. Donate to help fund research into the benefits of nutrient dense foods.  http://www.westonaprice.org/lab

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