Rabbit Meat is the New Horse Meat

If you haven't seen the news lately, you've missed out on the ruckus Whole Foods Market is causing by selling rabbit meat in select locations in North Carolina and the D.C. metro area. Obviously, close-minded American up in arms. I forgot that if a food product isn't widely consumed in the U.S. it must be wrong to eat it elsewhere in the world. Silly me. Does this sound vaguely familiar?


Rabbit carcasses in a butcher shop
photo source

Hmm -  that's right. This sounds like the horse meat argument all over again. The vast majority of Americans are against the consumption of horse meat as well. Something to do with companion animals - nevermind the fact that both rabbit meat and horse meat are widely available and consumed in other countries like Germany, France and China.

According to FOX News, several activist organizations banded together for a day of action where participants were encouraged to reach out to shoppers of Whole Foods and explain "... what wonderful animals rabbits are and remind them how popular rabbits are as pets." Guess what else is a popular pet that we eat? Fish. Sorry, Goldie.

This whole issue boils down to one small group of very vocal people striving to take control of society's consumption patterns. Nevermind the fact that Whole Foods Market developed a slaughter system that is in line with the high animal welfare standards they already in place for beef, pork and chicken. Nevermind the fact that, apparently, customers of the high end grocery chain have been asking for rabbit meat for years. Nevermind the fact that if you don't want to eat it, don't buy it.

While I was in France for a study abroad trip in 2009, I saw rabbit carcasses in the window of many butcher shops. It was perfectly normal - there were no animal rights groups staging sit-ins or attempting to sway consumers away from their purchases. Alternative meats are the norm outside of the U.S. - when are we going to start being more civilized and catch up with the rest of the world?

What's your take - would you eat rabbit meat? Do you think rabbits should be for pets only?

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.

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.

Always a Little Late

I don't have a great picture for this post,
so here's the newest addition to our family!

Often, I arrive just in time for something - which in my mind means I'm late because I'd like to be everywhere 10 minutes early.

So it doesn't surprise me that I'm posting my my 'Best of Thirteen' post on January 2. Better late than never? Hope so. Here's a roundup of top posts and other fun factoids.

Top Posts of 2013

1. Chipotle: That's Not Natural -- Chipotle is the annoying, ignorant bully at school. They make several appearances this year on the blog, but this was the most read entry of 2013.

2. Is Horse Meat Healthy? Is It Better For Me Than Beef? -- I post about horse slaughter a lot because several people are opposed to eating horsemeat but how much do they really know about it?

3. Slaughter Plants and Rendering Facilities: Different but Mutually Beneficial -- No two facilities are the same.

4. He Loves Me So Much! -- I've been married twice.

5. Chipotle, Hypocrites No More, To Use Antibiotic Treated Beef (Maybe) -- Chipotle is on the list. again.

Top 5 Countries of Readership
1. USA
2. Russia
3. Australia (good on ya!)
4. UK
5. Canada

Google and Facebook (Buzzard's Beat) are still my top two drivers of traffic and some of my favorite and most popular keywords used to find my blog are listed below (these are always fascinating):

• Eating buzzard meat
• How to manipulate a man (they found this post)
• Buzzards
• Hippo Hollow Resort (they found this)
• Temple Grandin
• Turkey Buzzard (thanks Sharita)
• Horse meat
• Fiji

How was your 2013? I'm looking forward to blogging more and utilizing SEO better so that my posts get more views! I've got lots of exciting things in the hopper - so stay tuned!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

False Alarm for Horse Slaughter

Horses of the Frobuzz ranch

Horse slaughter was to resume this week. "Was" being the keyword.

Last Friday, a U.S. District Court Judge dismissed a lawsuit and subsequent injunction against three plants that are itching to open their doors to America's horses that are past their prime. The Humane Society of the US, Front Range Equine Rescue and a handful of other animal rights extremists filed the case on the basis that "the government did not adequately study the issue of horse slaughter before granting permits to two companies."

The three plants that would have started slaughter this week are Valley Meats in New Mexico, Rains Natural Meats in Missouri and Responsible Transportation in Iowa. The meat from these plants can be shipped to Europe and Asia, which are big horse meat consuming countries. Reinstating horse slaughter in the U.S. prevents horses from being trucked across U.S. borders to Canada and Mexico.

However, since HSUS is a bunch of jerkwads, another injunction has been filed in appeals court and has to be reviewed. I've got money on this one being thrown out as well. Give up, folks. Common sense will prevail eventually.

More info on the horse slaughter front is available here, here, here, and here.

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.

Is Horse Meat Healthy? Is It Better For Me Than Beef?

I think a lot of people ask these question but have a hard time finding the answers:

• Is horse meat healthy compared to beef?
• Does horse meat have a lot of protein?
• Is horse meat low in fat?

While I was looking for infographics about beef today on Pinterest, I found some really cool stuff about horse meat and wanted to share. The following infographics (links provided) provide information about calories, protein and fat content of horse meat, among other variables.

Infographic by EasyFit Personal Training

The above infographic does a great side by side comparison of beef and horse meat, although I am quite partial to beef -- there's nothing like it. On the other hand, I've never tried horse. I'm sure it's a very lean meat and would like to try it some day.

The following infographic is more biased against beef, simply because it's higher in calories and fat than horse meat. I happen to like intramuscular fat aka marbling A LOT.

Infographic source

 

 

So, would you eat it based on the information you've just learned? Both infographics provide varying viewpoints but I think the information they provide is very valuable.

 

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~

 

Happy Dance for Horseslaughter

In case you missed this monumental piece of news over the weekend:

via

 

 

That's right - the USDA is finally approving inspectors for horse slaughter which means the plant in Roswell, New Mexico is full-speed ahead! Furthermore, plants in Iowa and Missouri could be approved in the near future. This is great news!

I'm so happy that something good finally came from Washington, D.C. that I'm at a loss for words.
So I'm reposting the reasons I'm ecstatic that this process has held up:

1. 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 slaughter plants in the U.S. prevents thousands of horses from being improperly transported across U.S. borders.

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.

3. Job creation - Reopening plants will increase the number of jobs and boost local economies.

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.

This is not to say that horse slaughter couldn't be ended soon - USDA is pressuring Congress to ban the practice altogether, however until that happens (which I pray it doesn't), they must comply with current laws and regulations. The New Mexico plant won't likely start slaughtering for approximately three weeks and who knows what could come from the next legislative session. But for now, I'm thrilled.

So what are your thoughts? Is anyone as jacked as I am?!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

If Americans Weren't So Spoiled, We'd Appreciate Horse Meat

image from here

 

We're spoiled. You're spoiled. I'm spoiled - Americans in general are spoiled. No, this isn't a political rant. Those things don't belong on a blog and frankly, there are few very bloggers who are actually qualified to rage against "the man" without looking stupid.

Americans are spoiled by our endless food choices and although it's great to live in a country with abundant, cheap food it has definitely spawned some spoiled, whiny folks who want all people to eat the same way.

Except no two people have the same dietary requirements, restrictions, desires or tastes. Additionally, no two people have the same income restraints that play a massive role in the quality, quantity and type of food that ends up in the refrigerator. There are folks like the Ninja who will eat pretty much anything (except cottage cheese) and then there are folks like me who like meat, carbs, meat, dairy, meat and fruit [and meat]. It's asinine to try to force us to eat the same things because I would starve and he would inflate like a balloon from eating all the things I didn't want.

I previously blogged that this restaurant in Philadelphia was going to be serving horsemeat on its menu. However, the chef/owner recently decided to take horsemeat off the menu because he was receiving death threats. Why is it ok to threaten to kill humans over animal lives? I will never understand how folks can have so much hate built up against others.

Furthermore, regardless of the fact that Valley Meat Company in Roswell, New Mexico, has met all the requirements for federal inspection and have been given the "everything is OK" checkmark, the USDA still hasn't sent an inspector to the plant. Why are so many people dragging their feet? This is an opportunity to jumpstart the economy in Roswell and improve the welfare of unwanted horses.

I've already listed the advantages of horse slaughter but if you don't want to go back and read my previous posts on the topic, I've written them again below:

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 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?

Growing up, our parents told us to mind our own business if said business didn't affect us. I believe the same rules apply to those who are opposed to horse slaughter, but will never eat horse meat, own a horse or have a stake in the industry and are simply chiming in because they think eating horsemeat is wrong. If the horsemeat is just to be exported to other countries, why invest so much time and pure hatred towards those trying to improve the local economy, welfare of horses and provide more protein to a hungry world.

I deeply care about not only my own horses, but about every other horse in the U.S. I am a lifelong horse owner and will fight for measures that improve the welfare of those animals who are unwanted.

So again, I ask you - what do you think? Weigh in below.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Lions, Horses and Camels - Meat of the Future!

I've eaten some crazy things in my travels - kangaroo, antelope, caterpillars, crocodile, octupus - and while I think I've stepped outside my comfort zone, I am constantly reminded that there are crazier things being invented every day.

For example, would you eat a lion meat taco?!


A lion meat taco at Taco Fusion

I did not stutter. Yes, lion meat tacos.

There is a restaurant in Florida, Taco Fusion, that serves specialty lion meat tacos that run $35 per order. That's a pretty penny for tacos but I think it might be worth it to try lion meat and to say you've eaten the king of the jungle!

The same restaurant, which is serving its exotic tacos completely legally and in compliance with food regulations, also serves tacos made from camel meat and beaver meat. I am not a fan of heat or humidity but I definitely think a trip to this Florida dining establishment is in my future!

I am not a big fan of change but I will try just about any variety of meat - including horsemeat (eventually)!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

p.s. I know I said there was a chick growth update coming but I am in Denver for work meetings and time got away from me. Monday, I promise!

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 ~

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 ~

Blogiversary - The Big 3 and A Freebie!

Three years ago this coming Sunday, I started a blog with this post about one of my favorite agriculture traditions.

And boy oh boy, I had no idea the things that would come of this little ole blog.

Over the past 3 years and almost 300 posts, I have learned far more about blogging and social media than I ever imagined possible. I have gained followers from all walks of life and from all over the world. I have found friendships with people I have never met but feel like I've known a lifetime. This blog prompted my signing up for, and eventual addiction to, Twitter (@brandibuzzard). It has also sparked a journey that led me to my career today, so without any more insightful crap mushy memories, here's a list of things that have come of this blog:

- The development of my writing skills which led to freelancing opportunities with:
    -- Farm Talk
    -- Grass and Grain
    -- DRIVE magazine
    -- SwineWeb.com
- Master's of Beef Advocacy Blog of the Month - August 2010
- Blogging on these other sites - YPC Beef Blog, Food For Thought 
- Social Media Coordinator for NCBA's Young Producer's Council (which led to):
- Co-Chair Communications Committee NCBA YPC
- Featured twice in articles by Chuck Jolley in Drover's Cattle Network -- October 2009 and March 2012
- Featured in a BEEF Magazine article by Jamie Purfeest in the October 2011 issue
- Because of my vocal advocacy of agriculture on this blog and Twitter I was an invited to speak about agvocacy at the Australasian Pig Science Association (APSA) Conference in Adelaide, South Australia in November 2011. There were a lot of different demographics and ideals in the room but I think everyone benefited from the experience.
- The freelancing and blogging experience led to a job with K-State Research and Extension incorporating several of my favorite things into one amazing experience: K-State, agriculture, writing, social media - whammo. Perfect.

The Hardcore Stats

My top 5 all-time posts are:
1. Temple Grandin - HBO Biopic: 4570 views - A post announcing the release of the Emmy award winning film about Dr. Grandin's early years
2. Buzzard's fly, they don't ski: 3469 views - This post was about Ninja and I getting engaged so while I would like to think that 3500 people were concerned with our lives, I am assuming some other search term like "buzzards flying" brought them to that post.
3. Who Are We to Judge Horsemeat: 1791 views - A post about how American's don't set the tone for what other countries eat and we shouldn't condemn those that don't rely solely on beef, pork or chicken.
4. Grillin' Ain't BBQ'in: 1149 views - A surprisingly popular post about how the terms grilling and bbqing are often interchanged and misused.
5. In Honor of Pigs and Pork: 847 views - Again, a post which garnered a lot of attention for some unknown reason. This contains a lot of factual information about pork. It was written during Pork Month.

Where y'all be coming from?

The top ten countries that visit Buzzard's Beat are:
1. United States
2.  Russia (surprising)
3. Australia (not surprising)
4. Canada
5. United Kingdom
6. Germany
7. Netherlands
8. France
9. India
10. Brazil  

Whatcha lookin' for?

The 10 most popular search terms used to find this blog since its inception:
1. Temple Grandin
2. Buzzard
3. Turkey Buzzard (thanks Sharita)
4. Buzzards
5. Horse meat (which I'll not be eating)
6. Fiji (probably stems from posts of this nature)
7. BBQ
8. Buzzards Beat (hooray you remembered my url!)
9. Mini pigs (whaaat?)
10. Trevor Brazile (hahahaha - I love me some Trevor Brazile)
Those that didn't make the top 10 but are still funny were: vet (uh, no), great American desert, school lunch policy, 80s girl, article on global warming and my personal favorite: bone in cow heart (twice!).

Ok - so now to the part that you all really came to the blog for....

A friend of mine makes western jewelry with copper and silver. It's gorgeous - her company is called Silo Silver and you can find her on Facebook. She has generously helped me out with a pair of these gorgeous feather earrings with turquoise and copper to giveaway to one lucky reader. For the fellas, you may not think they'll look good on you but what about that lucky lady in your life???

Enter by following the instructions on the easy peasy Rafflecopter thing - (Sheridan introduced me to these and they make giveaways so much easier). Entries will close on Halloween - then I'll announce the winner the next day! It'll be a spooky surprise, but not really spooky.

****This giveaway is now closed - the Rafflecopter widget has been removed****

Thanks so much for your loyal readership over the past three years. It's been quite a journey and I've loved it and hope to be able to continue sharing my opinions, sarcasm and passion with you for years to come (did I say years? yikes).

Until next year (kidding, I'll post again before then),
~ Buzzard ~

p.s. the picture above is from my Instagram feed - here is my shameless plug. Follow me - @brandibuzzard!

Who Are We to Judge Horse Meat?

Last week I posted about the recent reinstatement of federal funding for horse slaughter inspection. As a a member of the horse industry, I can attest to the fact that many horse owners are very excited about this development. For more of my thoughts and the facts behind this issue, read last week's post by clicking here.

A lot of people have said, "We don't eat horsemeat in the U.S. so why slaughter it here?"  My question is, "Why don't we eat it here?" A 100 gram serving is a good source of iron and protein and it has less fat per 100 gram serving of beef sirloin.

I am expecting the run of the mill responses; horses are pets, my religion prohibits it, horses are majestic, it's wrong etc etc. Who are we to judge what others should eat? Aren't we as consumers constantly saying how much we appreciate having food choices? This is just another choice that American agriculture can provide to a struggling economy. Furthermore, the U.S. is small percentage of the world population and what we eat doesn't dictate the eating habits of the rest of the world. For example: you'd think things like bacon or grape jelly were pretty run of the mill products, right? Wrong. The U.S. should not condemn those who choose to investigate alternative sources of protein due to income, religion, morals or taste preferences.

For the record, I have NOT tried horse meat but in my defense I've only been presented with the opportunity once while in Germany. Mark my words, I'll try it the next time I have a chance.

If you too would like to try horse meat here is a simple chart that gives a breakdown of the meat cuts.

Lastly, I just want to reiterate that I AM a horse owner and I am in favor of horse slaughter.

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~