If Plants Were Made to Lay Eggs - They Would be Pleggs

Real eggs - not pleggs

I've been watching FOX News a lot lately, it's the nature of my job, and last week a story came on about eggs made from plants.

EGGS. made. from plants.

What on earth is happening to our food supply?

First, it was in-vitro meat. Apparently eating meat that has been raised using naturally occuring hormones is gross however eating meat grown in a PETRI DISH in a lab is ethical and meets naturally grown standards.

Now, we are going to be seeing egg-less eggs in retailers around the nation and they will make their debut in none other than Whole Foods.

Dear Hampton Creek Foods (creator of this wonder): an egg by definition is a)  the hard-shelled reproductive body produced by a bird and especially by the common domestic chicken;  b)  an animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum together with its nutritive and protective envelopes and having the capacity to develop into a new individual capable of independent existence

You smellin' what I'm steppin' in? An egg cannot be plant based - eggs come from animals. I don't care how many plants, artificial sweeteners, preservatives or powders you put into a pot and melt together, the product that results is a plant. I'm calling them "pleggs" - join me.

 

The CEO of Hampton Creek Foods, says the product was developed for many reasons, including his concern about chickens contributing to greenhouse gas accumulation every year. I didn't realize chickens were so flatulent.

 

Do you know that eggs provide numerous nutritional benefits? Look at these digits:

• 6 grams of protein (12% of daily recommended intake)
• 10% of your daily Vitamin D
• 8% Vitamin B12
• all for only 70 calories per egg
• and they're super versatile and can be used in a variety of ways!

I was unable to find nutritional info for the pleggs (and I honestly looked on their website for such info) but I'd bet the farm that they have nowhere near the same amount of Vitamin D or protein as a regular, REAL egg. 

Just to clarify, I understand some people have food allergies and really embrace this type of product and for that purpose, I applaud pleggs Beyond Eggs. However, I think it's hogwash that, on the other side of the spectrum, a few folks who strive for natural, wholesome food are in favor of lab produced protein sources.

Asinine. Just asinine.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

The thoughts and opinions of this blog post strictly represent that of Brandi Buzzard Frobose and are NOT representative of any other entity or organization.

Wordless Wednesday: I'm Not Bilingual and Little Cowboys Are Cute

Uno, dos, tres - I can't count to 56 in Spanish.

 

Little cowpokes stickhorse race at a memorial team roping

Chipotle: A World of Pure Imagination

About four years ago, I realized the extremely important role advocacy plays in agriculture and saw the limitless value of telling my story. I’m proud to share the stories about the small role I play in food production while working alongside my father, husband and in-laws. I do this because there are plenty of people out there that daily strive to push consumers towards niche products such as organic beef, cage-free eggs or vegan bacon (which is not really bacon, btw). While I’m all about choice, I don’t like it when we suggest that making one food choice is safer, more sustainable or better than another food choice—especially when it’s not true.

Inquiring minds want to know when they're going to be fed.....

While things like the latest Chipotle video may be successful at attracting press, blog hits and consumer interest, the one thing they fall extremely short of achieving is creating constructive conversation about food production and the wholesome goodies on our dinner plates.

Whether it’s this latest video or others like it, it reiterates to me the importance of sharing stories about how food is really raised today. I strongly urge all producers to continue to use your voice and tell the real story of farming – right now there are consumers around the nation, and the world, putting their Google skills to the test trying to find out information about how beef, chicken and pork are produced and how livestock are treated. This is a critical component of agriculture – while we may not all agree on the what is the ‘right’ way to do things, we can all agree that no one benefits from denigrating farmers and ranchers other than the marketers and businesses themselves.

Baby beef!

Do you have pictures of you or your family caring for your livestock? Put them online with a short story about the pride you have in providing high quality care and producing safe, healthy food.  That’s the real story of farming and you should be proud of it.

When they hear the dinner bell (it's actually a siren) they come runnin'! As they pass by, we make sure everyone is present and accounted for - if not, we ride around the pasture to look for escapees or sick cattle.

Farmers and ranchers have been sharing the story of agriculture for several years and should continue to do so! Here are some great examples of producers opening up the barn doors to all who wish to view inside.

·         Anne Burkholder – a feedlot owner from Nebraska

·         Debbie Lyons-Blythe – a cow/calf rancher in the Flint Hills of Kansas

·         Ryan Goodman – a farmer from Tennessee who talks about beef, food and ranch life

·         Bridget Coon – a ranch wife in Washington who raises beef with her family

Even if you aren’t a wizard of words, you can post a picture and short sentence about your daily practices – a la Wordless Wednesday (or in my case, Semi-wordless Wednesday). Again, it is up to you to make sure that American consumers know exactly how their food is produced and that they can be confident in farmers and ranchers to do the right thing.

Podge is my role model for many things -- horsemanship, cattle care and his dedication to doing the right thing, even when it's not easy, are just a few of his outstanding qualities.

Are you a supplier to Chipotle, do you raise naturally raised beef or meet the Chipotle specs or know someone who is? PLEASE comment below – I’d love to talk with you and hear your thoughts on this!

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~

The thoughts and opinions of this blog post strictly represent that of Brandi Buzzard Frobose and are NOT representative of any other entity or organization.

Wordless Wednesday: Checking Cattle and a Video!

The feed rig we use- we didn't have to ride this pasture to count heifers, because they all run to the bunk and we can do it there! The cattle really like the feed mix that we give them - it's stored in the white box on the back of the truck.

Those storm clouds were moving pretty quickly.

We tried awful hard to gather and count all 83 head in this pasture before it started pouring but were unsuccessful - we got soaked from rain that flew in sideways and sometimes rain seemed to come straight up from underneath.

Isn't he just adorable? Rooster is growing up - he's losing his baby teeth and weighs about 55 pounds!

 

I wish I could post Instagram videos on my blog because the one I shot and edited on Sunday would win an award at the Sundance Film Festival. Seriously. If anyone knows how to put Istavideos on a blog, please let me know! If you want to check out the cinematic masterpiece, follow me on Instagram @brandibuzzard.

 

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~