Consumer-Connected and Industry-Connected Farmers, and the Nature of Disruption

Earlier today on ABC Landline, there was a story of hope. 20 years ago, Australia's first farmers' market began trading in Victoria's Yarra Valley and in north Sydney. Now, there are about 200 markets around the country.

Consumers can talk to farmers and ask how the food was produced, and make value judgements on how much they are prepared to pay. The real value is not necessarily in organic, because organic food can be purchased in an organic store in the city suburbs. The value is in the relationship with the farmer. In some produce, like meat and dairy, the farming practices - like pasture-raised - can be distinguished in a taste difference and appreciated. Some consumers have become so discerning about differences in taste and nutritional value, that they can discern if meat, dairy and eggs were grown on regenerating pasture where a high diversity of plant species were provided as food to the animals. These foods can be hard to find but some are willing to pay top dollar for it, and return regularly for more. Farmers can also be price setters, not price takers, and they can obtain valuable feedback about consumer preference. “This is about food with a face.” What's not to love! Watch the full story here and see the images at the bottom of this article for more details.

Where will farmers get the best value? Consumer-connected farmers overseas are getting a good deal, because the direct relationship means consumers tend to ask farmers to produce unadulterated food in pasture-based systems, and both enjoy the benefits.

Industry-connected farmers tend to be disconnected from the benefits that come from being consumer-connected, because industries tend to have other ideas, and other connections, that lean towards other parties also making a profit.

It has become clear that many industry bodies and farmer groups in Australia have other ideas. These plans do not seem to entail acting in the interest of small-scale farmers and local consumer food preference. According to this article, there are supposedly 60,000 jobs up for grabs in regional Australia that are going unfilled. Yet these jobs do not seem to spark joy for Australians. Regional Australia is dying due to drought, bushfires, high input costs etc. See this Landline episode about Stanthorpe, Qld for a look at the wider impact.

What may be less obvious is the fact that there is a systemic value crisis in regional Australia, partly due to restrictions in what they can produce, what they get paid for it, and how they can sell it. Artisan pasture-raised animal products are real value for vibrant rural communities all over the world, but we don’t have much of that in Australia, due to overly strict food safety regulations and other excessive regulations that challenge direct farm-to-consumer relationships. The high-value artisan foods are often produced at small-scale, which means it can be done sustainably despite challenges.

The National Farmers’ Federation’s new NFF 2030 roadmap shares some astonishing insights. 83% of Australians describe their connection to agriculture as ‘distant’ or ‘non-existent’. Page 16 shares that 70% of Australia’s total agricultural production is exported overseas. Page 28 discloses that psychological distress is 28% more common among farmers than other members of the community. Australian farmers are severely isolated from the consumer. Even if the next door neighbour should ask the farmer to produce, or share a certain kind of food with them, there are often too many regulatory barriers.

Australia’s food and farming systems are at the edge of mandatory change due to many factors. A farming and consumer values revolution is also in progress, also explored in this article.

The NFF roadmap has given an outline of industry vision to maximise on economic benefits. It is packed with business strategies and lofty goals, but does it spark joy? No, it does not spark joy. The roadmap highlights how huge the problems are, and may continue to be…

For decades, being an industry-connected farmer in Australia has meant being taken care of to a certain degree, and in co-operating, receiving a certain share in the bounty of industry mechanisms. More recently, other contributing factors like drought, high feed and water prices have resulted in profound debt, being overworked, in poverty and lacking the basic necessities of life for some. The bottom of the barrel has been scraped, and there is no more fat left in the system.

This article may be a disruption for some, but honestly, we need to have the courage to talk about these things and say no when we have to.

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During the past year, many confounded raw milk supporters have watched in horror how anti-livestock farming and other interests have complained bitterly about cattle that burp or fart methane, and how unsustainable they consider livestock farming to be. Yes, some large-scale, predominantly feedlot, grain-fed farming systems are part of the problem, but cattle grazing on healthy pasture are not the problem. Methane emissions from livestock are really very small compared to other culprits. Natural gas is largely methane, and a lot of methane is released from the earth due to fracking and other deep earth disturbances.

Still, many struggle to understand how large groups of people can demand that animal farming cease completely, when there are sustainable solutions. Well, now it turns out that there are many new innovative technological disruptors in the market that are hoping to ‘solve’ the emerging ‘climate’ and sustainability crises with their new technologies and ideologies. It’s the new imitation cell-cultured meat and milk produced in a laboratory, the fake food produced from genetically altered microbes, expansion of risky and unpredictable genetically modified organisms as feed and food, plants bred not to nutrient-cycle with soil microbiology, new GMO ryegrass, etc. Many new technologies have been in the works for some years, but now

they are racing to the forefront with astonishing speed. The goal? To capitalise on the changing ‘climate’ in agriculture.

The ‘get big or get out’ narrative and destructive industrial farming practices of the last decade, have meant that many farmers are now unsustainable, going broke or broke already.

Last year regenerative farming, which is a perfect long term solution for many environmental crises, was one of the top ten most censored news stories of 2018.

They say hindsight is often 20/20. A problem has been created, and now it must be solved, and this is seen as an opportunity to capitalise as well. It is possible that the new technologies that we already know about, and those in the pipeline we don’t yet know about, may see regenerative agriculture and sustainable pasture-based livestock farming as a major threat to their investments.

It is also curious that many of the emerging disruptive technologies and their associated ideological shenanigans, can pose a threat to the food safety of raw dairy, and the enjoyment of other unadulterated, higher quality animal products, like pasture-raised meat.

 
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Australian breeding livestock are sent to slaughter

Recently Alan Jones went on the warpath on drought and raised the issue of Australian breeding stock going to the slaughter house in droves with Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The PM said that many farmers had come up to him at the recent NFF dinner and thanked him for what the government was doing, but Alan Jones was dismissive, saying that had not heard from any of those farmers. Farmers had been writing to, and calling Alan, crying on the other end of the line in despair. There seems to be no quick solutions in sight for the drought-stricken livestock farming community (meat and dairy). Some have accused the government of showing signs of being pro plant-based, and anti livestock farming. Many have told Alan Jones that this government does not understand the bush, amongst other things, and according the article, the PM eventually admitted there’s very little his government can do to fix the situation around farmers that cannot survive today. Shortly afterwards, the PM moved to give lump-sum payments when farmers reach the four-year cap on the Farm Household Allowance payment, indicating that he is alive to the mounting anxiety and pressure around his drought response.

National Farmers’ Federation 2030 Roadmap

The National Farmers’ Federation, other industry leaders and Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie seems to recognise the potential of the new technological disrupters who want to capitalise, if what is often written in the news about what they support is to be believed. On the 14th of October, Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie reiterated the government’s support on the journey towards a $100b in farm gate output by 2030. A National Farmers’ Federation tweet highlighted that they consider the importance for strong industry leadership. On the same day another article was published, saying that according to the NFF’s first annual update, agriculture is set to fall $16 billion short of its goal to grow into a $100b sector by 2030.

The NFF roadmap was also announced on its 40th birthday. It identifies five ‘pillars’ of its goal of growing the farm sector to $100 billion annual value by 2030: Customers and the Value Chain; Growing Sustainably; Unlocking Innovation; Capable People, Vibrant Communities and; Capital and Risk Management. Click here to view NFF’s 2030 roadmap.

Image: a snapshot of the NFF 2030 roadmap that identifies disruptive technology as an opportunity (source).

The roadmap makes no mention of regenerative farming as a sustainable long term resilience and drought solution, even though, with the right kind of practices, regeneration can commence quite quickly.

On the 16th, National Farmers’ Federation members endorsed a new National Drought Policy and it was presented to government. It’s a long term approach to managing drought, and NFF president Fiona Simson stressed it was not designed to address the hardships of this drought. "There is only one silver bullet for solving drought and that's rain. There is no man-made panacea or policy solution." she said.

A 7News story indicated that some drought funding already earmarked for drought relief are spent on other things, that has no clear link to drought relief. In the mean time, Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie is often in Asia and Europe, frantic to seal more free trade agreements. The Australian economy has just been tipped to grow slower that Greece. At least the Greeks enjoys their access to locally produced artisan foods and raw dairy; many Greek islands have no pasteurisers. The government and NFF are spinning their wheels on so many fronts… including failing to deliver on new systems for local consumer preference for higher quality, artisan foods.

Re-regulation of the Australian Dairy Industry

In mid October Senator Pauline Hanson won support for a parliamentary inquiry into the dairy industry. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is to investigate how it could regulate the price of milk per litre paid by processors to dairy farmers. The Senate's regional affairs committee will look at the funding of Dairy Australia and its ability to act independently. The inquiry will also look at the code of practice and other approaches to making dairy farming viable. The inquiry will be centred on the performance and profitability of Australia's dairy industry since deregulation in 2000. It's due to report in March 2020.

“While domestic milk consumption is large, the export of milk products is significant. Australia’s dairy farmers compete in a highly sensitive global market. Market intervention and regulation could potentially undermine global competitiveness.”
— Fiona Simson, National Farmers' Federation

However, many don’t support re-regulation of the dairy industry. Senator Pauline Hanson explained in this interview with Alan Jones that both the Liberals and Nationals tried to block the Senate enquiry from happening. “They voted against it”, she said. Host Alan Jones also described Dairy Australia “as a privately owned company established under the Dairy Produce Act of 1986, which is one of several research and development companies set up in the agriculture sector to engage in marketing, research and development”. He said: “it’s supposed to benefit the dairy industry. It’s funded from a service levy on milk, and a matching grant from the federal government - your money. A private owned outfit.”

According to this article, NFF president Fiona Simson said that the NFF did not support calls for market re-regulation. Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie revealed on the 18th of October that the Dairy code will now be fast tracked and take effect in January, well before the original deadline of July 2020.

It is important to keep in mind that Australian dairy farmers may never get a real fair deal supplying milk to a system that is part of a ‘highly sensitive global market’. There are also many details in this complex system, that leads to farmers not getting the 10 cents per litre they may think they are getting. It’s challenging to understand the fine print and the devil in the details.

Some regulated raw drinking milk for human consumption industries overseas were specifically designed to enable only direct farm-to-consumer sales for this very reason; to get the middlemen out of the way, so consumers and dairy farmers can enjoy on a functional and beneficial relationship.

Disruptive Technologies:

1. Seaweed project to reduce burping in cows?

On Friday the 18th of October the New Zealand government announced $100,000 towards a project to turn a native red seaweed into a greenhouse gas-busting cattle feed supplement. According to this article, Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor said the project, if successful, could be a "game-changer for farmers here and around the world". The Cawthron Institute is to benefit from funds to turn the seaweed, Asparagopsis armata, into a cattle feed supplement for domestic and global markets. Cawthron, which is investing $150,000, is collaborating with researchers in Australia and the University of Waikato on the project. This particular seaweed contains chemicals that have been found to reduce the microbes in the stomachs of cattle, that cause them to burp when they eat grass.

seaweed cows burping farting methane

Reducing the microbes in the rumen of cattle with chemicals natural in seaweed? That sounds alarm bells from a raw milk food safety point of view…

The reasoning behind the project to investigate the potential of the seaweed, seems to be to “make a major dent in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture”. It is put forward that if it can be successfully mass produced, it has economic, environmental and social benefits. It could create new jobs, has export potential, and could potentially fetch a premium price for milk and meat. The products could perhaps obtain ‘sustainable’ status. It is potentially the start of the creation of industries that have never existed before. Sustainability is also thrown in for good measure, as a so-called ‘good reason’ to create low-methane emissions solutions for livestock.

Now consider the following: the rumen of a cow is a heat producing bio-digester for a very distinct purpose. British producer Christine Page, who produces 100% pasture-based raw milk writes that: "In an adult cow, the rumen is, in effect, a very large pillow-sized bio-digester, full of a delicate balance of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, yeasts, methanogens and other microfauna. Just to blow your mind, it’s estimated that in just 1ml (a fifth of a teaspoon) of her rumen fluid, there are between 10-50 billion bacteria and 1 million protozoa!

"When a cow takes a bite of grass or browses the hedgerows, she is not really feeding herself, but all the microbes in her rumen. In fact, most of the cow’s nutrition comes from the by-products of the microbial fermentation of what the cow eats, plus the rapidly reproducing microbes themselves (some bacteria in the rumen live for just 15 minutes). All this fermentation, digestion and reproduction produces vast amounts of heat, so the rumen is also the furnace that keeps the cow warm in winter."

"A healthy well-functioning rumen is absolutely critical to the effective and efficient fermentation of a cow’s food, and this is vital not only for her

health and her productivity, but also for the nutrient value and flavour of her milk (or meat in the case of a beef animal)."

Cows are ruminants. They digest grass and pasture that humans are unable to, and metabolise it overnight with the help of microbial action. This fermentation vat is highly efficient. Animals are very dependant on the beneficial microbes to process the food on their behalf, and make the nutrients available to them. For these animals to produce raw milk suitable for human consumption, the rumen's function has to be understood and respected. Cows digest pasture well but grain poorly.

According to an Australian study, extracts of the seaweed do have antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus spp. strains. However, not all e.coli and other microbes are harmful. Many are commensal, beneficial and even essential. There is also the possibility of the development of antibiotic resistant microbes in the rumen. These microbes could mean that if a cow is given antibiotics, it might wipe out the beneficial microbes and leave the resistant ones to proliferate.

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This paper cautions that the practice of supplementing cattle feed with seaweed may not be a realistic strategy to battle climate change.

low methane emissions cows

2. Disruptive technologies and Livestock Health?

Disruptive technology in farming is departing in a new direction, with uncertain long term consequences for cattle. See this example of new GM cottonseed just approved in the US. The article questions lack of appropriate toxicity testing, with knowledge of potential harm coming to the surface. It seems possible - that under the guise of climate change, low emissions solutions for livestock, sustainability, and more opportunities to capitalise - new innovations could potentially alter the integrity of livestock farming even further. The seaweed feed supplement may in time be recognised as acceptable for cows producing raw milk intended for pasteurisation, but

what could this potentially mean for cows producing raw milk intended for human consumption? We already know that anything that tampers with the delicate microbial balance in the rumen, could have consequences for the animal’s health, and potentially the suitability of the milk to be consumed in the raw state.

This microbial experiment is best avoided by those producing raw milk for human consumption. We already know how to grow a nutrient-dense, remineralised lush pasture for dairy cows, that increases their health and beneficial microbiology in the rumen.

3. Corn feeding itself nutrients? Eureka!

Nature is amazing. A great natural solution have been found with the potential to save the planet from corporate corn grown in degenerative farming systems. A group of researchers confirmed that a certain type of natural corn plants, with the help of bacteria, were producing up to 80 percent of the nitrogen the plants required. The mucus-like ‘goo’ that is excreted feeds microbes, which in turn excrete nitrogen fertiliser for the plants. South American farmers have already been harvesting the gel for eons to make a fertiliser tea to spray on their crops.

“Creating a corn that can feed itself is like the Holy Grail of sustainable agriculture,” said Mike Fortune runs an urban farm. According to this article, he’s already begun to hybridise the ‘self-feeding’ Latin American corn varieties with North American heirlooms, such as Painted Mountain corn, a strain developed over thousands of years by tribes in the Great Plains region, in hopes of producing a new nitrogen-producing variety suitable for large-scale organic production in the American corn belt.

Various bioengineering firms are also currently working on breeding the nitrogen-fixing trait into modern GMO corn varieties. Mike wonders how much backing such efforts will find in the agribusiness world. “The big seed companies are owned by chemical companies that also sell fertiliser, and they don’t want a corn out there feeding itself,” he says.


Insectaggedon: The Death of Insects heralds Ecosystem Collapse

Do you remember a time when a country drive ended with the windscreen covered in smashed insects? That rarely happens anymore. ABC Foreign Correspondent recently did a story about insect numbers dropping “up to 70%”. They traveled to Europe where a team of scientist have been tracking insect numbers for three decades. The results shocked Germany, who has started to transform its farming and land management practices to organic. Read this article or see the full story here. “About 80% of our crop depends on insects for pollination. 80% of the wild plant species as well”, explained Professor Hans de Kroon from the Netherlands’ Radboud University. “If we are losing that, we

are losing the ecological foundation of ourselves.” The plummeting insect populations affect species diversity and damage ecosystems by disrupting natural food chains and plant pollination. “What harms insects also harms people,” said German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze. Germany has said it will phase out the controversial weedkiller glyphosate. The chemical, also suspected by some experts to cause cancer in humans, is to be banned by the end of 2023. Austria became the first EU member to outlaw glyphosate use in July, with restrictions also in force in the Czech Republic, Italy and the Netherlands. France is planning to phase it out by 2023.

A new study shows that the class of insecticides called neonicotinoids poses significant threats to insects, soil and water. A Guardian article is titled: America’s agriculture is 48 times more toxic that 25 years ago, and neonics are to blame. They’re used on over 140 crops, and chemically similar to nicotine, they kill insects by attacking their nerve cells. Neonics are “systemic”, making its nectar, pollen, and fruit – all of it – toxic. A recent analysis of global insect populations found near total insect loss possible by the end of the century, driven in part by pesticides, with neonics a particular concern.

A new study finds glyphosate causes disease across several generations. What does this mean for Australia’s breeding livestock? Animals in feedlot operations consume a lot of grain commonly sprayed with this chemical ingredient. What food safety risks are there in feeding this grain to cows that produce raw milk for human consumption? Some of these chemicals have anti-biotic properties; they kill or disrupt the soil microbiology that would otherwise sequester carbon back into the soil and create soil fertility, which means it can slowly destroy profitability and encourage dustbowls.

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Here in Australia we have also seen a significant decrease of insect populations, and we know for a fact that many farmers have been spraying increasing amounts of certain herbicides/pesticides in recent years. This is a status quo that some prominent industry leaders and farmers in Australia want to maintain. They’ve publicly stated that they don’t want to give it up.

Australian petition for a Climate Emergency declaration. What actions will be taken?

A record-breaking e-petition has been submitted to the Australian Parliament, calling for the government to declare a climate emergency. It has more that 370,000 signatures - more than three times the number of signatures on the previous record parliamentary e-petition. The petition calls for the House of Representatives to "immediately act and declare a climate emergency in Australia" and to "introduce legislation that will with immediacy and haste reduce the causes of anthropogenic climate change".

What is unclear is what kind of action will be demanded or taken. Policies have not been revealed yet. The NFF 2030 roadmap page 9 says that climate change could create diverse new income opportunities. It may generate money but will it be wholesome? We really do have an ecological and environmental crisis on our hands, created by industrial agriculture that is unsustainable and destroying natural resources. What new shenanigans could a national Climate Emergency declaration enable in Australia?

Final words on the ‘Climate’ of Change…

The nature of disruptive technology seems to be exactly what it says; to disrupt and steer current food systems along so that some can capitalise. What is more important? Cows that live in natural environments, eating a diet natural to the species, which is diverse pasture. Or ‘low-methane cows’ that potentially have health problems because their bio-digesters aren’t functioning optimally? The methane cows produce isn’t really a global crisis, but other kinds of methane released from deep earth fracking are…

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Page 20 of the 2030 NFF roadmap shares that land used for farming in Australia has declined from 500 million hectares (65% of the country’s landmass) in 1973, to 406 million hectares (53% total landmass) in 2015. Can the loss of productive farmland really be stemmed when regenerative farming is still not part of national policy, and when the grazing of animals on a nutrient-dense, biodiverse pasture (instead of grain) are not widely encouraged? System change needs to happen. Australian ministers constantly refer to the NFF. The National Farmers’ Federation needs to consider the different perspectives offered here, and how they can be constructively applied. It’s time to take responsibility for business strategies and decisions that’s not really compatible with creating vibrant communities, and instead focus on things that really matters. Page 5 of the roadmap describes it as a tool to pursue common industry goals, but what about the goals of the consumer to access the food of their choice?

According to this article, Australian bureaucratic gurus say competition is critical for national wealth, yet it has delivered an unbalanced result allowing the shrivelling up of Australia’s economy. Competition policy has delivered fewer farmers, a few mega family farms, increased corporatisation and overseas owned farms, with rural town disintegration. Young people cannot get started in farming, those who have been able to establish themselves struggle financially, and smaller farmers are becoming a threatened species.

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The solutions we seek can be found overseas, where governments have scrapped prohibitive food safety regulations, created new systems, and enabled direct farm-to-consumer artisan food sales. In Britain, they have provided assistance to farmers, resulting in 60 per cent more farmers than Australia - 138,000 compared to our 83,000 and shrinking fast. Farm stalls and raw milk vending machines dot the countryside, and raw milk can also be couriered from the farm to the consumer in the city, in what is considered a direct sale. The solutions are surprisingly easy.

Learn to discern. Why? Because consumers do.

Consumers can request a variety of weird and wonderful things from the farmer as many overseas direct farm-to-consumer relationships show. The main idea behind this is that they desire unadulterated, no processed food with maximum nutritional value, and the food production systems of their choice. See the details below:

1. Pasture-raised raw milk

Consumers may ask for raw unprocessed milk and the raw cream, raw butter, raw yogurt etc. that comes with it. They may ask about a glass bottle option, or a returnable grass bottle system. Consumers may ask about dairy without the use of the following: no pesticides, no herbicides, no synthetic fertiliser, no chemicals, no grain feeding, no soy, no antibiotics, no GMOs, no byproducts or rations etc. They may prefer 100% pasture fed - the UK now has Pasture for Life milk and meat that is certified to involve no grain feeding whatsoever, due to increased nutritional value and high consumer preference. People are willing to, and do pay for this quality. Some kids are allergic to soy

and their mothers may ask if it is fed to the animals. Consumers also want to visit the farm, farm festivals, and open days. They want to bring their kids. People may argue that Australia is too dry to produce 100% pasture-based milk but with the right set of practices this can be done. We’ve got some great examples of regenerative farmers who are able to grow nutrient-dense, lush, robust, year round pasture. If Australian small-scale farmers were able to sell raw milk directly to the consumer, which is profitable and sustainable, they can grow the hydrated, knee-high pasture as well, learn more here and see this Landline episode.

2. A large variety of pasture plant species

All three images are of tired old pastures that were resown with cover crops for grazing. All three pastures contain more than 10 different varieties of plant species. One contains a large range of native wildflowers. Regenerative farmers often report that as soon as they introduce plant variety, native grasses not seen in decades return. A large variety of different plant species = more soil microbiology = more soil ecosystem services = more nutrient-dense meat and dairy. When the right kind of rotational grazing system is applied, there is even more nutrient-cycling between soil microbiology and plants = resulting in more

nutrition, learn more here. Pasture-raised meat and dairy is high in healthy fatty acids like omega 3 and CLA, vitamins A, D, K, minerals and trace elements. Click to enlarge the pasture image.

Diverse species regenerating pasture is also good for the grassland environments, as it puts a protective green ‘armour’ on the soil that prevents soil erosion, loss of soil water holding capacity and the creation of dustbowls. This is the very best feed for grazing animals, because it entails the return of natural grassland ecosystem services and pristine waterways when done sustainably.

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3. Pasture Raised Meat

Meat products like salami and pastrami from pasture-raised animals produced using traditional European methods are in great demand. The fat is often yellow-ish in colour and the difference between truely pasture-raised meat and meat often marketed as grain-fed and grass-fed can be distinguished in taste, texture and colour of the fat. Meat from regenerating pasture is high in the right kind of fats, minerals and trace elements. It is sweet and delicious. Consumers may ask about full fat, nitrate-free, no MSG, no preservatives, no additives, no antibiotics, no grain-feeding, no soy, no cottonseed, no canola, no pellets with unknown ingredients, no spent brewers grain, no GMOs, no byproducts or rations etc. Consumers may also ask if real, unprocessed salt was used, not the white processes table salt commonly found in the supermarket, and not vinegar, but REAL cured meat with salt the traditional way. Consumers want to enjoy good food high in healthy fats, naturally occurring minerals in the fat, with high amounts of water soluble vitamins, not what some consider adulterated food, like perhaps containing high omega 6 or 9. Nutrient-dense food is nurturing. It is the food that mothers seek to give to growing children: see the work of Weston. A Price.

4. Ethical considerations for calf and mother cow

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For some consumers these issues are very important and overseas examples show that farmers are willing, and do produce this, and consumers are willing to pay for it. Consumer may ask for calf and mother cow friendly dairy where milk is shared between the calf and humans. Consumer may also ask for animal welfare certifications or animal welfare assurances. Slaughter-free, keeping the calves at foot with their mothers and the herd, employment of nanny cows, the raising of bobby calves, a fair retirement for milking cows. These consumers are often very keen to visit the farm and see for themselves how the animals are treated, see this example. The UK now has a directory of cow - calf dairies due to consumer demand, and ARMM’s website statistics show that Australians are looking at this page a lot: Ethical and Organic Dairy in Australia Directory. Truth be told, this webpage is often one of our top three most visited pages since it was created. The demand is huge! Some consumers tell us they will drink nothing else.


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