Turning Over a New Leaf -- 101 in 1001 Update

Hey there - ho there! I am trying to do a better job of periodic updates on my 101 in 1001 list so I'm doing just that today.

You'll recall this list started on January 30, 2014 so I'm about 6.5 months into this current challenge and I'm already very pleased with the goals I've reached; not necessarily because there have been so many of them but because there have been some major lifestyle changes!

Without further ado, here are 12 of the 15 goals I have completed thus far:

Workout 3x/week for 3 months

Workout 3x/week for 6 months

Give up soda for a month

Try 5 new foods (reindeer, elk, red snapper, edamame, okra) - the first three were good, the fourth was ok and the last one sucked.

Make homemade bread without a bread maker - it was SO GOOD!

Go whitewater rafting

Go rock climbing, hiking etc - Did a whole heap of this while in Alaska (which was the trip of a lifetime, btw) 

Hiking up a mountain to climb a glacier - such a cool experience!

Get a RT/mention from someone famous on Twitter- Peta doesn't count

Do you see that BOB FREAKIN' SEGER mentioned me?!

 

Meet 5 social media friends IRL - Troy and Stacy Hadrick, Chuck Jolley, Janeal Yancey, Danielle (Beard) Hayden, Daniel Hayden, Stacy Bettinghouse

Check off some more concerts on my old soul music bucket list

Speak on behalf of agriculture 3x (1 - Women Managing the Farm Conference; 2 - Sigma Alpha at KSU; 3 - Agriculture Communicators of Tomorrow at KSU)

Prepare one new recipe per week for 8 weeks (chicken stir-fry, beer drenched pork chops, crockpot potato soup, lasagna soup, new flank steak marinade, stuffed burgers, fruit pizza, fiesta goulash)

• Most of those eight recipes are available on the recipe page - my favorite of those listed is a tie between the lasagna soup and the flank steak marinade (which both include beef)!

That was some DELISH flank steak!

You'll notice that a lot of those goals are about living a more active, healthy lifestyle and trying new things, building relationships and growing as a person. Think I'm kidding? Look at some of these goals that I have started but not yet finished:

• Run 10 short distance races -- 5 and 10Ks (1 - Manhattan St Patrick's Day 10K; 2 - Color Run 5/31/14; 3 - The Amazing Grace 5K 7/5/14;
• Run 3 - half marathons (yes, you read that correctly) (1 - Glass City Half Marathon 4/27/14;
• Read the Bible from front to back (Old and New Testament) - Sharita showed me this great guide
• Triple the amount of $$ in my 401(k)
• Have zero credit card debt
• Cut my student loan debt in 1/2
• Make a 'Recipes' section on the blog and post 50 recipes
• Blog at least once per week for an entire year
• Fill a journal
• Read one book per month - revise and update book list to reflect what I've read
• Add 10 more books to our library (an actual printed copy) (1 - Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die by Willie Nelson; 2 - Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer; 3 - Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism by Temple Grandin; 4 - Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin;

Yes, I am apparently a "runner" again, although I really don't like calling myself that. I haven't used that phrase to describe myself since I graduated high school and stopped running cross country and track. But man, do I like being able to fit into jeans from my junior college years! I've also really enjoyed getting back into reading, something I haven't been able to do "for fun" for about six years.

I'd like to do another update in three months or so, but if I haven't accomplished more than a handful of goals by then, I may push it back. I really love lists and goals - this challenge keeps me accountable and gets me to try new things, step outside my comfort zone and do some exciting things!

So how are your lists coming? Have you achieved some of your goals? Weigh in below!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Congress Cuts Horse Slaughter Funding... Again

Friday is #notimpressed with Congress' poor decision

Just when I was starting to think that we might actually see horse slaughter in full-swing in the U.S., a process with many benefits, Congress actually works together to pass a bill. Go figure.

Yesterday, Congress passed a spending measure which contains wording to eliminate funding for horse slaughter inspection. As you may remember from recent posts, if there is no inspection from USDA, slaughter and meat processing cannot take place. The final step is for Obama to sign his name and it's official.

This is frustrating on so many levels - a process that is safe, humane and benefits our economy is being restricted, again, after being delayed for 2+ years. I'm not a political expert but the only way around this one, I believe, is for individual states to fund inspections. I would welcome hard facts on that topic. Readers who are lawyers, please chime in. Updated: Please refer to the first comment on this post from 'Tuck' who is a third-year law student. He's been very helpful!

So for the time being, there will be no horse slaughter in the United States which is a crying shame considering the meat can be used for zoo animals and exported to other countries (just because we don't eat it, doesn't mean other countries don't consider it a delicacy), the plants provide local job creation and thousands of neglected horses could be humanely euthanized.

I guess I should be thankful that Congress actually agreed on something, for once.

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.

You CAN Eat Horsemeat!

 Image from here

Been wanting to try the delicacy that those in France, China, Germany and many other countries have available in most fine dining establishments?

Well, now you can. Monsu, an Italian restaurant in Philly, PA, will be offering horsemeat as a menu item in the coming months. Chef Peter McAndrews says he plans to serve horse meat on smaller plates or in pasta.

Not surprisingly, the chef and the restaurant have received a lot of ridicule and even some threats to their safety and lives. One person even said, "If you serve it, we're gonna blow the place up."

Wow. That's a little excessive. Harming people?

Here are some more links to horse meat articles about the Philly restaurant and one in particular about Obama's new budget not containing funding for horse slaughter. Disappointed?

What do you think about the prospect of horse meat being served? Appetizing or ghastly?

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

California Bill 343 - Turn That Video In Pronto!

Hey folks, I just read this article about a bill in California. Not a GMO bill. Not a gestation crate bill. A bill about videoing livestock.

Photo courtesy awesome blogger and cattle gal Meg Brown

The bill is California Assembly Bill 343 and it forces those who video animal mistreatment a mere 48 hours to report it to local authorities such as the sheriff's department.

You may think - wow! That's just like the  bill that was submitted in Iowa that outlaws people from coming onto the farm and videoing the livestock...but it's not. This bill forces action in a timely fashion instead of videographers waiting until a more opportune time to submit the footage. It doesn't make it illegal for those wanting to go undercover to gain employment but does place some pressure on their motives.

Photo courtesy awesome blogger and cattle gal Meg Brown

The auction yard owner quoted in the article says he supports the bill because "I want to know if we've got a problem...let's do something about it now."

Read the article and then comment below what you think - do you think the bill is good for agriculture or bad?

And don't forget about the giveaway - entries close on Monday night. Head on over there and check it out!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Get Ready - Here Comes Horse Slaughter!

Here - you can listen to this while you read this. A little pep in your step.



It seems that horse-slaughter starting up in the U.S. is not as far off as it may have seemed.

Valley Meat Company in Roswell, New Mexico may only be weeks away from accepting horses for slaughter. The plant has submitted its application for federal meat inspection services under the "equine" option according to reports.

There are several positive outcomes from Valley Meat Company re-opening their doors for horse slaughter:

1. Job creation - The plant would create approximately 100 jobs for Roswell area residents and during an economic recession when so many folks are wishing for a decent job - voila! Reopening plants will increase the number of jobs and boost local economies.

2. Exports - the U.S. slaughtered 94,000 horses in 2005, the last full year of horse slaughter before federal inspection funding was repealed in 2007. Without a slaughter plant in the U.S., more than 197,000 horses were exported to other North American countries last year for slaughter. That's double the number from 2007 slaughter exports. What does that mean?

3. Animal Welfare - It means thousands of horses have endured excruciatingly long drives to Canada or Mexico on trains or trucks that aren't exactly the most welfare-friendly. Opening a slaughter plant in the U.S. would prevent thousands of horses from being improperly transported across U.S. borders.

4. Horse meat is a delicacy - maybe not to you or I, but in several other countries around the world horse meat is consumed quite often and is a staple in many diets. The U.S. is missing out on valuable export dollars and that meat by not opening horse slaughter plants. For example, between January and November of 2012, the UK imported ~$80,000 worth of horsemeat into the UK. That doesn't include the rest of the EU, Japan, China or the Asia-Pacific region. In short, this could provide a boost to the total agriculture GDP. Every little bit helps right?


Unfortunately, there are those who aren't involved in animal agriculture or the horse industry (as I am) who wish to quell horse slaughter once and for all. This article reports that four lawmakers from the states of Louisiana, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Illinois introduced legislation to ban horse-killing for human consumption in the U.S. and prohibit transporting the animals outside the country for slaughter. Furthermore, USDA said it encouraged Congress to reinstate the ban on funding inspections.

This just confuses me - I don't understand why so many people are against a federally regulated and inspected humane slaughter process for horses. If the ban goes through, I can almost guarantee more of this.

Those are my thoughts and you know I'll keep you updated on what's going down with horse slaughter (see what I did there?). In the mean time, what are your thoughts? Think horse slaughter is a good idea?

For more of my posts about horse slaughter check out the posts below:

Legislation to Help Horse Slaughter
Horse Slaughter Funding Reinstated 
Who Are We to Judge Horsemeat?
HSUS and PETA - Lover's Quarrel 


Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

USDA Sequestration is Inevitable - Meat Plants Will Shut Down

 

Picking up from where we left off on my last post about sequestration and the meat industry, this came across my newsfeed this morning. 

"USDA Says Meat Plant Shutdowns Inevitable in Budget Cuts

USDA says meat plant shutdowns inevitable in budget cuts

- See more at: http://www.dairyherd.com/e-newsletters/dairy-daily/USDA-says-meat-plant-shutdowns-inevitable-in-budget-cuts-193448121.html#sthash.Fi01bgfW.dpuf

U.S. meat packers and processors face short-term shutdowns because of impending federal budget cuts but the administration will try to minimize the impact on the industry and consumers, the Agriculture Department said on Tuesday.

The automatic cuts, also called sequestration, are due to take effect on Friday because Congress and the White House are unable to agree on other ways to reduce the federal deficit. USDA says the cuts would force it to lay off its 8,400 meat inspectors for 15 days to produce the savings ordered for its food safety agency.

Early this month, the White House raised the prospect of a mass layoff, which would shutter the meat industry for two weeks. Plants cannot operate without USDA inspectors.

A House subcommittee chairman, Texas Republican Michael Conaway, said on Tuesday that USDA might order furloughs on non-consecutive days to mitigate their effect and keep plants running.

"Specific furlough dates for (inspectors) have yet to be determined but there is no question sequestration will have an adverse effect on food inspection services," said USDA spokeswoman Courtney Rowe. "USDA is taking steps to minimize the impact of the furloughs on consumers, our employees and the meat industry."

Even so, there would be some shutdowns, USDA said, because there is no way to stretch the workforce to cover all plants while reducing outlays enough.

The administration estimates some $10 billion in production would be lost if inspectors were laid off en masse for two weeks, or their agency's share of cuts. Stores and restaurants could run short of meat temporarily.

The USDA did not respond to questions about how it would approach possible furloughs at its Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), which among other things generates prices used as benchmarks for livestock futures at CME Group Inc. The USDA has not mentioned AMS in its comments about the sequester.

Conaway said the administration has not replied in writing to his request for information about meat inspections and the White House budget office "owes us an explanation." The budget office was the first to raise the prospect of a furlough of all 8,400 inspectors and a resultant meat industry shutdown.

Although the spending cuts are due to take effect on Friday, it could be weeks or months before the meat industry is directly affected. Meat inspectors are guaranteed at least 30 days' notice of a furlough.

"This is a direct prescription from Congress to reduce every line item," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said last week.

Up to one-third of the USDA's 100,000 employees may be affected by furloughs. The USDA says the cuts would deny food aid to 600,000 pregnant women, new mothers and infants and also force closure of hundreds of Forest Service campgrounds, picnic areas and visitors' centers during the spring and summer."

So, according to this, USDA will do their best to space out the furloughs but it may not be completely possible to ensure that meat processing and packing will not shut down for at least a short while. This, obviously, will have a noticeable impact on supply and eventually price of meat in the grocery store, although it may not happen for quite some time.

Now that we have a bit more information on the topic - what are you thoughts? Upset with Congress and our White House leader for not being more responsible?

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

U.S. meat packers and processors face short-term shutdowns because of impending federal budget cuts but the administration will try to minimize the impact on the industry and consumers, the Agriculture Department said on Tuesday.
The automatic cuts, also called sequestration, are due to take effect on Friday because Congress and the White House are unable to agree on other ways to reduce the federal deficit. USDA says the cuts would force it to lay off its 8,400 meat inspectors for 15 days to produce the savings ordered for its food safety agency.
Early this month, the White House raised the prospect of a mass layoff, which would shutter the meat industry for two weeks. Plants cannot operate without USDA inspectors.
A House subcommittee chairman, Texas Republican Michael Conaway, said on Tuesday that USDA might order furloughs on non-consecutive days to mitigate their effect and keep plants running.
"Specific furlough dates for (inspectors) have yet to be determined but there is no question sequestration will have an adverse effect on food inspection services," said USDA spokeswoman Courtney Rowe. "USDA is taking steps to minimize the impact of the furloughs on consumers, our employees and the meat industry."
Even so, there would be some shutdowns, USDA said, because there is no way to stretch the workforce to cover all plants while reducing outlays enough.
The administration estimates some $10 billion in production would be lost if inspectors were laid off en masse for two weeks, or their agency's share of cuts. Stores and restaurants could run short of meat temporarily.
The USDA did not respond to questions about how it would approach possible furloughs at its Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), which among other things generates prices used as benchmarks for livestock futures at CME Group Inc. The USDA has not mentioned AMS in its comments about the sequester.
Conaway said the administration has not replied in writing to his request for information about meat inspections and the White House budget office "owes us an explanation." The budget office was the first to raise the prospect of a furlough of all 8,400 inspectors and a resultant meat industry shutdown.
Although the spending cuts are due to take effect on Friday, it could be weeks or months before the meat industry is directly affected. Meat inspectors are guaranteed at least 30 days' notice of a furlough.
"This is a direct prescription from Congress to reduce every line item," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said last week.
Up to one-third of the USDA's 100,000 employees may be affected by furloughs. The USDA says the cuts would deny food aid to 600,000 pregnant women, new mothers and infants and also force closure of hundreds of Forest Service campgrounds, picnic areas and visitors' centers during the spring and summer.
- See more at: http://www.dairyherd.com/e-newsletters/dairy-daily/USDA-says-meat-plant-shutdowns-inevitable-in-budget-cuts-193448121.html#sthash.Fi01bgfW.dpuf

U.S. meat packers and processors face short-term shutdowns because of impending federal budget cuts but the administration will try to minimize the impact on the industry and consumers, the Agriculture Department said on Tuesday.
The automatic cuts, also called sequestration, are due to take effect on Friday because Congress and the White House are unable to agree on other ways to reduce the federal deficit. USDA says the cuts would force it to lay off its 8,400 meat inspectors for 15 days to produce the savings ordered for its food safety agency.
Early this month, the White House raised the prospect of a mass layoff, which would shutter the meat industry for two weeks. Plants cannot operate without USDA inspectors.
A House subcommittee chairman, Texas Republican Michael Conaway, said on Tuesday that USDA might order furloughs on non-consecutive days to mitigate their effect and keep plants running.
"Specific furlough dates for (inspectors) have yet to be determined but there is no question sequestration will have an adverse effect on food inspection services," said USDA spokeswoman Courtney Rowe. "USDA is taking steps to minimize the impact of the furloughs on consumers, our employees and the meat industry."
Even so, there would be some shutdowns, USDA said, because there is no way to stretch the workforce to cover all plants while reducing outlays enough.
The administration estimates some $10 billion in production would be lost if inspectors were laid off en masse for two weeks, or their agency's share of cuts. Stores and restaurants could run short of meat temporarily.
The USDA did not respond to questions about how it would approach possible furloughs at its Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), which among other things generates prices used as benchmarks for livestock futures at CME Group Inc. The USDA has not mentioned AMS in its comments about the sequester.
Conaway said the administration has not replied in writing to his request for information about meat inspections and the White House budget office "owes us an explanation." The budget office was the first to raise the prospect of a furlough of all 8,400 inspectors and a resultant meat industry shutdown.
Although the spending cuts are due to take effect on Friday, it could be weeks or months before the meat industry is directly affected. Meat inspectors are guaranteed at least 30 days' notice of a furlough.
"This is a direct prescription from Congress to reduce every line item," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said last week.
Up to one-third of the USDA's 100,000 employees may be affected by furloughs. The USDA says the cuts would deny food aid to 600,000 pregnant women, new mothers and infants and also force closure of hundreds of Forest Service campgrounds, picnic areas and visitors' centers during the spring and summer.
- See more at: http://www.dairyherd.com/e-newsletters/dairy-daily/USDA-says-meat-plant-shutdowns-inevitable-in-budget-cuts-193448121.html#sthash.Fi01bgfW.dpuf

U.S. meat packers and processors face short-term shutdowns because of impending federal budget cuts but the administration will try to minimize the impact on the industry and consumers, the Agriculture Department said on Tuesday.
The automatic cuts, also called sequestration, are due to take effect on Friday because Congress and the White House are unable to agree on other ways to reduce the federal deficit. USDA says the cuts would force it to lay off its 8,400 meat inspectors for 15 days to produce the savings ordered for its food safety agency.
Early this month, the White House raised the prospect of a mass layoff, which would shutter the meat industry for two weeks. Plants cannot operate without USDA inspectors.
A House subcommittee chairman, Texas Republican Michael Conaway, said on Tuesday that USDA might order furloughs on non-consecutive days to mitigate their effect and keep plants running.
"Specific furlough dates for (inspectors) have yet to be determined but there is no question sequestration will have an adverse effect on food inspection services," said USDA spokeswoman Courtney Rowe. "USDA is taking steps to minimize the impact of the furloughs on consumers, our employees and the meat industry."
Even so, there would be some shutdowns, USDA said, because there is no way to stretch the workforce to cover all plants while reducing outlays enough.
The administration estimates some $10 billion in production would be lost if inspectors were laid off en masse for two weeks, or their agency's share of cuts. Stores and restaurants could run short of meat temporarily.
The USDA did not respond to questions about how it would approach possible furloughs at its Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), which among other things generates prices used as benchmarks for livestock futures at CME Group Inc. The USDA has not mentioned AMS in its comments about the sequester.
Conaway said the administration has not replied in writing to his request for information about meat inspections and the White House budget office "owes us an explanation." The budget office was the first to raise the prospect of a furlough of all 8,400 inspectors and a resultant meat industry shutdown.
Although the spending cuts are due to take effect on Friday, it could be weeks or months before the meat industry is directly affected. Meat inspectors are guaranteed at least 30 days' notice of a furlough.
"This is a direct prescription from Congress to reduce every line item," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said last week.
Up to one-third of the USDA's 100,000 employees may be affected by furloughs. The USDA says the cuts would deny food aid to 600,000 pregnant women, new mothers and infants and also force closure of hundreds of Forest Service campgrounds, picnic areas and visitors' centers during the spring and summer.
- See more at: http://www.dairyherd.com/e-newsletters/dairy-daily/USDA-says-meat-plant-shutdowns-inevitable-in-budget-cuts-193448121.html#sthash.Fi01bgfW.dpuf

U.S. meat packers and processors face short-term shutdowns because of impending federal budget cuts but the administration will try to minimize the impact on the industry and consumers, the Agriculture Department said on Tuesday.
The automatic cuts, also called sequestration, are due to take effect on Friday because Congress and the White House are unable to agree on other ways to reduce the federal deficit. USDA says the cuts would force it to lay off its 8,400 meat inspectors for 15 days to produce the savings ordered for its food safety agency.
Early this month, the White House raised the prospect of a mass layoff, which would shutter the meat industry for two weeks. Plants cannot operate without USDA inspectors.
A House subcommittee chairman, Texas Republican Michael Conaway, said on Tuesday that USDA might order furloughs on non-consecutive days to mitigate their effect and keep plants running.
"Specific furlough dates for (inspectors) have yet to be determined but there is no question sequestration will have an adverse effect on food inspection services," said USDA spokeswoman Courtney Rowe. "USDA is taking steps to minimize the impact of the furloughs on consumers, our employees and the meat industry."
Even so, there would be some shutdowns, USDA said, because there is no way to stretch the workforce to cover all plants while reducing outlays enough.
The administration estimates some $10 billion in production would be lost if inspectors were laid off en masse for two weeks, or their agency's share of cuts. Stores and restaurants could run short of meat temporarily.
The USDA did not respond to questions about how it would approach possible furloughs at its Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), which among other things generates prices used as benchmarks for livestock futures at CME Group Inc. The USDA has not mentioned AMS in its comments about the sequester.
Conaway said the administration has not replied in writing to his request for information about meat inspections and the White House budget office "owes us an explanation." The budget office was the first to raise the prospect of a furlough of all 8,400 inspectors and a resultant meat industry shutdown.
Although the spending cuts are due to take effect on Friday, it could be weeks or months before the meat industry is directly affected. Meat inspectors are guaranteed at least 30 days' notice of a furlough.
"This is a direct prescription from Congress to reduce every line item," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said last week.
Up to one-third of the USDA's 100,000 employees may be affected by furloughs. The USDA says the cuts would deny food aid to 600,000 pregnant women, new mothers and infants and also force closure of hundreds of Forest Service campgrounds, picnic areas and visitors' centers during the spring and summer.
- See more at: http://www.dairyherd.com/e-newsletters/dairy-daily/USDA-says-meat-plant-shutdowns-inevitable-in-budget-cuts-193448121.html#sthash.Fi01bgfW.dpuf

U.S. meat packers and processors face short-term shutdowns because of impending federal budget cuts but the administration will try to minimize the impact on the industry and consumers, the Agriculture Department said on Tuesday.
The automatic cuts, also called sequestration, are due to take effect on Friday because Congress and the White House are unable to agree on other ways to reduce the federal deficit. USDA says the cuts would force it to lay off its 8,400 meat inspectors for 15 days to produce the savings ordered for its food safety agency.
Early this month, the White House raised the prospect of a mass layoff, which would shutter the meat industry for two weeks. Plants cannot operate without USDA inspectors.
A House subcommittee chairman, Texas Republican Michael Conaway, said on Tuesday that USDA might order furloughs on non-consecutive days to mitigate their effect and keep plants running.
"Specific furlough dates for (inspectors) have yet to be determined but there is no question sequestration will have an adverse effect on food inspection services," said USDA spokeswoman Courtney Rowe. "USDA is taking steps to minimize the impact of the furloughs on consumers, our employees and the meat industry."
Even so, there would be some shutdowns, USDA said, because there is no way to stretch the workforce to cover all plants while reducing outlays enough.
The administration estimates some $10 billion in production would be lost if inspectors were laid off en masse for two weeks, or their agency's share of cuts. Stores and restaurants could run short of meat temporarily.
The USDA did not respond to questions about how it would approach possible furloughs at its Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), which among other things generates prices used as benchmarks for livestock futures at CME Group Inc. The USDA has not mentioned AMS in its comments about the sequester.
Conaway said the administration has not replied in writing to his request for information about meat inspections and the White House budget office "owes us an explanation." The budget office was the first to raise the prospect of a furlough of all 8,400 inspectors and a resultant meat industry shutdown.
Although the spending cuts are due to take effect on Friday, it could be weeks or months before the meat industry is directly affected. Meat inspectors are guaranteed at least 30 days' notice of a furlough.
"This is a direct prescription from Congress to reduce every line item," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said last week.
Up to one-third of the USDA's 100,000 employees may be affected by furloughs. The USDA says the cuts would deny food aid to 600,000 pregnant women, new mothers and infants and also force closure of hundreds of Forest Service campgrounds, picnic areas and visitors' centers during the spring and summer.
- See more at: http://www.dairyherd.com/e-newsletters/dairy-daily/USDA-says-meat-plant-shutdowns-inevitable-in-budget-cuts-193448121.html#sthash.Fi01bgfW.dpuf

Sequestration Is a Big Deal -- Why USDA Inspectors Are Vital to the Meat Industry

image from here

There's a lot of hubbub about potentially furloughing all USDA meat inspectors for two weeks beginning on March 1. My friend Jenny, who has spent countless days working in her family's meat locker, wrote a fantastic post about the potential impact of no inspectors in the meat plant for two weeks. Please go read it, she's very smart and well-versed and one heck of a great lady!

While reading through the comments on her post (and adding a few of my own), I noticed that a few readers seemed to be missing the point. While I agree that the potential furlough could very well be a political ploy to get Congress to increase the budget (tsk, tsk) I think it's important that every meat eater be aware of the critical role inspectors play in our meat supply - from slaughter to sales.

To explain this, I'll be referencing the Federal Meat Inspection Act. I won't be explaining each and every subheading from the FMIA in detail but if you want to look at it in its entirety, feel free to do so.

1. Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, it is required by law that all animals that are sent to be slaughtered be inspected by a federal USDA meat inspector for signs of disease or illness. 603(b)

2. Livestock or horses (including sheep, goats, poultry, swine, cattle, and mules) that are found to have disease or injury are set apart and slaughtered separately; they are not to enter the food supply. 603 (b)

3. After slaughter and exsanguination, during which a USDA inspector is present to ensure all animals are slaughtered humanely, carcasses are inspected several times during processing and break down by the inspector. Once approved, they are stamped with a non-toxic ink stamp to show that the animal has been inspected and approved by USDA food safety guidelines and a licensed inspector. If a part of a carcass, or a whole carcass, does not pass inspection it is condemned (and stamped with a condemn stamp) and then disposed from the human food supply in the presence of the inspector. (604)

A butcher points to the USDA Insp'd and P'S'D stamp on a beef carcass.

 

 

A close up of an Inspected and Passed

 



4. All meat food products are inspected by USDA inspectors before they leave the plant or processing facility. This is true not only for slaughter plants but also meat processing facilities such as rendering, salting or canning as well. Products not fit for human consumption are marked as condemned and removed from human food supply (606). This goes for meat that stays in the domestic US food supply but also for meat exported to other countries.

5. Inspectors not only closely watch the quality and cleanliness of slaughter and meat processing but also are keeping a keen lookout for negligence in the sanitation of plants. If any product is found to be adulterated, it is condemned and disposed of forthwith. (608)

This FMIA is a very long document and outlines a lot of things but I just wanted to highlight the points that I think are pertinent to this specific conversation. The above five topics outline the process by which we know our meat is safe to eat because it's been inspected continually and repeatedly. I have eaten meat that was slaughtered and prepared in less regulated markets outside the U.S. and I will attest that I did not have a pleasurable eating experience. Quality assurance is a must.

In summary:

• Livestock CANNOT be slaughtered without inspectors present. So, no inspectors = no slaughter.
• You guessed it, no slaughter = no deceased livestock = no meat products.
• No meat products for two weeks will mean an eventual decrease in supply and an eventual hike in meat prices. All meat prices - pork, chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, horse... wait, we don't slaughter horses in the U.S right now even though we technically can. Find out about that here. Basically, if a meat locker or facility is federally inspected, during sequestratoin that facility won't be able to slaughter livestock if the inspectors aren't present.

I hope that I have cleared some of the smoke that is around this issue - conspiracy theory, deprivation of choice etc. The hard facts are that if the sequestration occurs, the meat industry will come to a halt and we will eventually feel the hard and lingering effects.

UPDATE: Thank you to readers who pointed out that the furloughs might not take place on March 1, furloughs may take place in the form of hourly time off and that USDA employees will have 30 days notice before a furlough occurs. However, this post is meant to outline the importance of inspectors and how things can't operate if they aren't on duty. Thanks to Heather T and Angie W for pointing out those facts!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Which Food Service Companies Ban Gestation Stalls?

 image from here

It seems like almost every month another food service provider breaks with the news that they are going to be phasing out gestation stalls. I have scoured searched a little bit on the internet for a succinct list of all these food companies but haven’t been very successful. Then I thought to myself, “Self, I bet there are other people who would like to know this information – you should find and combine all of this for the folks on the internet to find.” So here is my list. I may not have found all of them but if you know of one I have missed, please let me know and I’ll keep the list updated!

These are the companies who have committed to sourcing pork from producers who don't use gestation stalls or are phasing them out of their own facilities:

Applebee's ARAMARK Arby’s Atlantic Premium Brands - supplier to Wal-Mart Au Bon Pain Bon Appetit Management Company Bruegger's Bagels Burger King Campbell Soup Cargill Carl’s Jr Carnival Cruise Line Chipotle Compass Group ConAgra Costco Cracker Barrel Denny’s Dunkin' Brands Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Fresh Enterprises (Baja Fresh, Canyon's Burger) General Mills Hardee’s Harris Teeter Supermarkets Heinz Hillshire Brands (Jimmy Dean, Ballpark) Hormel Foods IHOP Jack in the Box Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer Kroger Marriott International McDonald’s Metz Culinary Management Quiznos Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Royal Caribbean Safeway Smithfield Foods Sodexo Sonic Subway Supervalu Sysco Target The Cheesecake Factory Wolfgang Puck-owned restaurants Wendy’s  Whole Foods Wienerschnitzel Williams Sausage Company Winn-Dixie

Not only have these food service companies decided to phase out gestation stalls, there are nine states - Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon and Rhode Island – who have already passed laws to ban the use of gestation crates from pork supply chain practices. Unfortunately, I don't see this pattern of phasing out gestation crates ending anytime soon. So, until the next company issues a press release here is the list. Again, please let me know if I missed any. Until next time, ~ Buzzard ~

Flinchbaugh-isms

If you've been involved at any level with ag policy or follow K-State media streams, you've no doubt heard of THE Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh. The man is a living legend - he's been an agriculture economics professor at Kansas State University for over 40 years and his ag policy class fills up within the first two days of enrollment every year. Like clockwork. He is also a long-time advisor on ag policy to politicians of both parties. There is an inelastic demand for his sarcasm, wit and no holds barred political ideas. You may not always agree with him but you will always maintain respect for him.

He also hates KU - a man after my own heart. Sigh.

Last week, Dr. Flinchbaugh was the chosen speaker for the Alpha Zeta Fall Event addressing the topic of economics and ag policy. This is not a summary of his speech (sorry) but simply me sharing some of my favorite anecdotes and one-liners that I've heard over the years from sitting in his class and attending other events.

- There isn't a problem in the world that a good dose of moderation wouldn't solve

- If you don't vote you don't have the right to [insert word for female dog]

- Don't ever write agriculture off for a lack of power

- What do you get if you drive through Lawrence really slow? -- A degree

- What they need is a good dose of horse sense

- If you are against bio-tech, you are in favor of starvation

- If I were a part of this Congress, I’d be too embarrassed to go home.

There are a ton more of these - if you are a K-State student and you haven't taken Ag Policy, you are most certainly missing out on one of the most pertinent, useful and interesting courses offered in any agriculture curriculum across the nation. Even if you aren't an ag person, this is definitely worth your time.

For those of you who have taken the class - what's your favorite Flinchbaugh-ism?

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~