Raw milk supporters may initially feel indignant upon reading the title of this article, however, the following is a journey we have to make at some point.
These challenges may deliver some important lessons that we may benefit from learning before we hit the jackpot, so don’t get caught up in the drama of disappointment. There is a silver lining in this cloud. It’s perfectly fine to feel insecure or vulnerable as these difficult topics are explored. They are crying out for compassionate awareness in our social structures. We may get triggered by them, but these reactions are neither good nor bad. We need to look at the ways in which we have become disconnected from our microbial nature, which is part of Mother Nature.
This information is a powerful contribution to the social standing and ‘public persona’ of raw drinking milk. We have to take responsibility for our efforts to provide value and good sense, and to put a healthy foundation under the long term goals we are building towards. This is about taking a closer look at what really works, and what does not. It can be useful to explore
polarities in order to make the balance point more discernible for others. We may eventually enjoy a sense of emotional stability knowing we explored these challenging aspects, and enjoyed the mental breakthroughs, before the national discussion around raw drinking milk starts in earnest, and not after… There is a lot of information being exchanged currently, and much of it is highly emotive, deeply personal and charged with all kinds of moral hubris and political correctness indignation. There is defensiveness on the side of systems and systems architects who resist change, and it seems like consumers cannot stomach the bitter vetch of this institutional divisiveness nonsense any longer.
Right now people want to participate in food systems that brings them joy. Most conflict boils down to unmet or suppressed needs, which we all have because we are human. When we identify our needs, solutions can appear fast. In this process, the desire for control also invariably arises. We’re learning to discern and accept what no longer serves us and let go of control. As the dysfunctional become more apparent and fall away, it will create a vacuum for the new.
We’ve seen an increase in new likes and interesting conversations on our Facebook page in recent weeks. On the 26th of June, ABC 7:30 produced two stories about dairy farmers leaving the industry in droves. The system is broken, see:
Video: Dairy farmers are leaving the industry in droves
Article: Australia's dairy farmers issue warning as mass exodus continues
We already have raw goat's milk in some Australian states, and raw milk cheese is also produced on a very small scale in Australia, yet Australians say they want access to raw cows milk. Consumers and dairy farmers want to feel a sense of safety and security that a system of appropriate production standards can provide.
Raw drinking milk from cows produced appropriately for human consumption is ultimately all about supporting the environment, biodiversity and protecting life…
For a long time many people have ignored the environment our food is produced in, the needs of our bodies and our spiritual connection to other life forms. There has been a disconnect from self, from our own inner direction and from the rest of the world, and we’ve paid a price for it. This is changing. We are now connecting more to self awareness, emotional intelligence and what is in the best interest of community and Mother Earth. We are readying ourselves to move out of our comfort zones, to nurture ourselves and support all of life. We’re learning that if we stick to the familiar and the status quo, we cannot grow. We also cannot stay healthy and alive… We are not biologically designed to eat large amounts of processed- or sterilised food, or food grown in soil sprayed with antimicrobial chemicals. We are ‘bacteriosapiens’. All life is precious, and that is especially true when it is microbial in nature. Up to 80% of immunity lies in the human gut. Beneficial microbes in the gut lining are our partners in health, and if the potentially harmful ones take over in number, it can lead to disease and death. That’s not wholesome, is it?
Antibiotic-resistant microbes and infections are on the rise all over the world. It is one of the most urgent threats to public health. Fortunately there are many examples showing how we can move away from harmful situations towards a safer future. According to the Centres for Disease Control, each year in the U.S., at least 2 million people are infected with them, and at least 23,000 die as a result. Another European agency estimates 33,000 people die every year due to these infections. According to the CDC website, no one can completely avoid the risk of resistant infections, but some people are at greater risk than others (for example those with chronic illness).
Industrial agriculture is one of the worst offenders in the creation of these unwanted microbes, because due to high grain feeding of animals, intensification, antibacterial chemicals and other high inputs commonly utilised, many terrains are losing their natural large ratio of protective beneficial microbes. Fortunately some farmers are finding ingenious new ways by learning to farm in a more sustainable way, that inadvertently deals with Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) as well.
It is important that we understand how these microbes came into existence, and why we have this man-made disaster on our hands.
““We have to stop calling it ‘the environment,’ as if we are separate from it. We are the environment.” - Farmer Rishi Kumar ”
Recently a consensus statement was signed by 30 scientists that documents the role and global importance of microbes in climate change biology, and calls for their immediate inclusion into research, technology development, and policy and management decisions. The document says that microorganisms have key roles in carbon and nutrient cycling, animal-, human- and plant health, agriculture and the global food web, and are “essential for achieving an environmentally sustainable future”. It also said that although microorganisms are crucial in regulating climate change, they are rarely the focus of climate change studies and are not considered in policy development. The microbes that are involved in the carbon and nutrient cycle are called mycorrhizal fungi and they are vulnerable to modern farming methods and chemicals.
What is the dynamics behind antibiotic-resistance?
When a microbe is subjected to stressors threatening its existence, some of them die, but some can adapt, become resistant and survive. All microbes have the desire to survive an attack on their lives. Bacteria are intelligent and are prone to DNA mutations. It is part of their natural evolution to constantly adapt their genetic makeup. The antibiotic-resistant microbe can be a pathogen, also called a superbug.
Animals and humans have an immune system that keeps them healthy. Unfortunately those who have a compromised immune system may develop a small bacterial infection, that can get dangerously out of hand. If the harmful microbes that take over in large numbers are antibiotic-resistant, there is a possibility that the host organism may not respond to common antibiotic treatment, and can potentially die.
Common environmental stressors for microbes:
heat treatment, cold shocks or attempts at sterilisation
misuse of common antibiotics, antimicrobials or anti-fungals
poisonous substances or biocides
disinfection or sanitising chemicals like chlorine, peroxide, iodine, bleach, quaternary ammonia or oxidising agents
agrochemicals with antibiotic-properties like herbicides, pesticides, weedkillers etc.
attempts at pasteurisation of milk
irradiation
bacterial cells in the biofilm state in various terrains can become problematic
vaccine-driven evolution, a consequence that needs to be considered
common ingredients like those found in toothpastes or antidepressants may contribute
Stressors and antimicrobials should always be utilised sparingly, but this is not the reality…
Antibiotic-resistant microbes, the elderly and the immune compromised
According to this Herald Sun article, more than a third of nursing-home residents that were tested are carriers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, while at least half of common infections like urinary tract infections are being wrongly treated with antibiotics. Melbourne researchers will be tackling the overuse of antibiotics in nursing homes. 14 Nursing homes across Melbourne and Sydney will be monitored to ensure they are treating infections properly, and not overprescribing antibiotics. This comes after previous work by Infectious diseases and microbiology Professor Anton Peleg, who uncovered that superbugs were made worse by the overuse of antibiotics. Prof Peleg said: “We know that being exposed to antibiotics and high use of antibiotics drives superbug infection.”
Antibiotics kill microscopic life, but some microbes respond to the attempt on their lives by adapting and surviving. It's not hard to see why the elderly in Australia are so vulnerable. They may have a gut lined with potentially harmful microbes, and not enough good microbes, or a diversity of beneficial microbes via the diet to counter them. Antibiotic use is rampant and often overprescribed for both humans and animals, with harmful microbes in the gut as result. Australia is among the highest prescribers of antibiotics in the world according to this article. With 46% of Australia’s population being prescribed antimicrobials in 2014 alone, what do you think the average Australian’s gut looks like in terms of microbial diversity, and antibiotic-resistant microbes?
A new study shows antibiotics can weaken flu defences and worsen symptoms. Dr Andreas Wack, who led the research, said: "We found that antibiotics can wipe out early flu resistance, adding further evidence that they should not be taken or prescribed lightly… Inappropriate use not only promotes antibiotic resistance and kills helpful gut bacteria, but may also leave us more vulnerable to viruses.”
"This could be relevant not only in humans but also livestock animals, as many farms around the world use antibiotics prophylactically.” The researchers said: "Gut bacteria send a signal that keeps the cells lining the lung prepared, preventing the virus from multiplying so quickly."
According to bowelcancer.org.au, bowel cancer claims the lives of around 100 Australians every week.
Sepsis, which can be caused by a variety of potentially harmful microorganisms, takes 5,000 Australian lives each year.
Unfortunately, treatment can be challenging, and is becoming even more so as drug-resistant infections become more prevalent. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, sepsis is the most expensive condition being treated in U.S. hospitals, costing more than $24 billion in 2014. Widespread sepsis is now a symptom of creating too many terrains with antibiotics, antimicrobials, harmful pathogens and superbugs, and failing to create terrains where commensal, beneficial microbes dominate.
New research shows why processed foods are a much bigger health problem than we originally thought. In two new papers published in the BMJ, the more ultraprocessed — or industrially manufactured — foods a person ate, the more likely they were to “get sick and even die”. The article zeroes in on why pathogens start to effect the lining of the gut and make some more susceptible to pathogen infection than others. When bacteria run out of food (fiber and prebiotics) they may start to eat the mucosal lining. In addition, the Shiga toxin produced by pathogenic E.coli also breaks down mucosal cells, and when the integrity of the gut lining is compromised, infection and disease is far more likely to occur.
The ‘Pootential’ of Faecal Transplants is known, but the future of the technology is uncertain
““While we support this area of scientific discovery, it’s important to note that fecal microbiota for transplantation does not come without risk.” - Dr. Peter Marks, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research”
Science’s solution to severe gut dysbiosis and intestinal infections suffered a huge blow recently as one person died, an another’s fate is uncertain, after receiving a faecal transplant inadvertently seeded with a multi-drug resistant E.coli bacterium.
Some consider this a relatively safe procedure but the two USA cases have changed perceptions. According to this article, the two cases involved immunocompromised patients who were immunocompromised prior to the experimental transplants, and received stool from the same donor. The E. coli strain carried a drug-defeating enzyme called an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL).
Faecal Microbiota Transplants (FMT) are intended to replace or replenish the beneficial microbial communities that is often disturbed by potent antibiotic treatments or particularly tenacious pathogens. A regulator with the FDA told the New York Times that the agency is also pausing clinical trials involving FMTs until it’s clear that they have such safety precautions in place. FMT transplants have provided a return to a normal life for some who suffered from persistent Clostridium difficile (or C.diff) infections. Unfortunately for science, microbes are somewhat unpredictable in nature, despite the best controls to harness them for good, or attempt dominion over them.
According to the article, some trials have indicated that FMTs can cure 80% to 90% of C.diff infections, though it’s still unclear how exactly they work. It also described that various unpredictable factors are making FMT transplants a ‘sticky regulatory issue’. “The agency considers transplanted feces a drug and has asserted its regulatory authority over it as such. But FMTs smear the rules used for regulating standard drugs, which tend to have highly controlled, identifiable active ingredients that can be carefully quantified, formulated, standardized, and tested.”
“Varying transplantation methods aside, how does one control, quantify, and standardize poop? This is especially challenging since it’s still unclear which (if any) features of feces are or could be therapeutic. Are specific microbial strains key? Or combinations? Or concentrations? It’s all still undetermined. And unlike typical pharmaceuticals, which are purposefully concocted, dung can come with potentially harmful components, such as pathogens and toxins. How should poop be screened for those?”
NSW region doused with chemical weedkiller in aerial spraying
According to this article, locals in a NSW city reacted angrily after residents were informed the Illawarra District Weed Authority plans to spray the herbicide RoundUp containing an active ingredient called glyphosate from helicopters earlier in June. It's part of annual spraying to combat the pest Bitou bush. More than 130ha was earmarked to be sprayed throughout the Wolllongong, Shellharbour and Kiama council areas. See this petition. This announcement came just days after Australia's first lawsuit against the chemical giant behind RoundUp kicked off. Michael Ogalirolo from Melbourne, who is a self employed landscape gardener aged 54, developed cancer after using the herbicide regularly between 1997 and 2018, and blames the herbicide. In May 2019, a couple in California were awarded more than $US2 billion ($A2.9 billion) after they claimed their cancer had been caused by long-term exposure to the herbicide.
A Washington Post article recently stated: It’s time for regulatory agencies to start putting public health ahead of private profit. It said that the risk of not doing so is far too great. Four years ago, the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer declared glyphosate “probably carcinogenic to humans”. Joanna Immig, co-ordinator of the National Toxics Network, warned that some 600 products in Australia carry glyphosate as the active ingredient. A 26 June A Current Affair also had a story about it, and mentions the Victorian government safety review that is underway. Read the story here or see the video above.
This is a sticky situation on multiple levels. Many Australians use this weedkiller either in their own backyard, on the farm spraying weeds, or as a desiccant on grain before harvest. Farmers are the biggest users and many don’t want to give it up, or see it banned. Some farmers say their livelihoods depend on it. The excessive use of agrochemicals by farmers has now, in turn, led to herbicide resistance, both in weeds and pests, leaving farmers to struggle with an increasingly difficult situation. There are multiple articles, like this one, on our website quoting experts like Professor Don Huber and Stephanie Seneff who say that the product has broad spectrum antibiotic properties that can create antibiotic-resistant microbes where it is used in the terrain. It was patented as an antibiotic a couple of years ago. This study found that the herbicide adversely affects “soil and intestinal microflora and plant disease resistance” and is “toxic to a range of aquatic organisms,” more here.
Many raw milk advocates stress the importance of healthy cows organically raised on pasture and to minimise the amount of toxic herbicides and pesticides. Microorganisms in the rumen are vulnerable to having their shikimate pathway disrupted, which can be
seen as a significant risk to the food safety of raw drinking milk as well.
In this video, an Irish raw dairy farmer Frank Shinnick described research showing that glyphosate is toxic to the normal metabolism of dairy cows, and is linked to Clostridium Botulism, that has killed many animals. Frank also says that underground water in his area has high levels of contamination of the chemical. Frank is deeply troubled by the situation. He is passionate about providing raw drinking milk and other raw dairy products to local consumers.
Many recommend that raw dairy farmers do not use the product on the farm. If resistant microbes are the result of its use, they may find their way into the rumen of the cows, or the raw milk, which is a risk that can be mitigated when the right controls are applied. Cows are also dependent on the microbes in their rumen to digest their food and stay healthy. A slow micro-dose introduction, over a long time via grain feeding that had been treated with these agrochemicals for example, may have a cumulative effect, and may alter or kill rumen microflora, and have consequences that may affect animal- and human health, in a variety of ways...
Antibiotic-resistant microbes found in raw milk
““Reducing the use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals, replacing them where possible and re-thinking the livestock production system is essential for the future of animal and public health.”
- European Medicines Agency and European Food Safety Authority Joint Statement”
This article published recently reported that health officials confirmed at least a dozen people in Colorado, USA developed drug-resistant Campylobacter jejuni infections after drinking unpasteurised milk in 2016. Raw milk is unregulated in Colorado and the state seems to refuse to do so. However, herd sharing is legal in the state of Colorado and is carefully monitored by the Raw Milk Association in Colorado (RMAC). Public health authorities investigated the outbreak and identified 12 confirmed and 5 probable cases of C jejuni infections in individuals who drank milk from the program. One person was hospitalised. The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System tested 5 bacterial isolates from confirmed human cases and found that all were resistant to ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and nalidixic acid.
Today there are multiple areas in modern agriculture where chemicals with antibiotic properties are used abundantly, with antibiotic-resistant microbes as a result. Even if health officials consider raw milk to be a source of these unwanted microbes, should we not weed out the cause instead of fingering the raw milk?
If these microbes were to make their way into regulated raw drinking milk in Australia, it is important to understand that a hasty pointing of fingers at the dairy farmer may not be an accurate assessment of the problem. Even if the media chooses to launch a sensational knee-jerk reaction, the presence of an antibiotic-resistant microbe may not necessarily be due of lack of care, or hygiene on the farmer’s side. These microbes exist in many different terrains and identification of the source can be challenging and time consuming.
It is also important that we enjoy access to a good daily source of diverse species, beneficial microbes in our diets, to prime our immune systems and protect the gut lining against pathogens and superbugs. Launching an attack on raw drinking milk without proper investigation is therefore counterproductive from a certain point of view. It is also ‘moral indignation’ under the guise of virtue.
There is a lot of institutional divisiveness that expects us all to adhere to standards of food safety, but an ignorance of how we are mass producing resistant microbes.
Sally Fallon Morell, president of the Weston A. Price Foundation recently described in an interview how big industry has ruined raw milk, which she calls “nature’s perfect food“. She also said that “today we see the waste and folly of a hundred years of pasteurisation”. Mark McAfee from the Raw Milk Institute described in another interview how raw milk can be done well, especially when dairy farmers are given the proper training. Producing raw drinking milk is a different system and not the same as producing conventional milk.
Wireless 5G Radiation in Australia
The first 5G wireless networks were recently activated, learn more about it in this short explainer video. According to this article, we will be blanketed with a new type of radiation called “milimeter waves”. Scientists from 42 countries recently warned their governments about emerging health problems associated with wireless radiation.
In the video to the right, Dr Magda Havas Ph.D Professor and Researcher on the installation of 5G networks said: “At lower frequencies scientists are predicting damage to eyes, loss of insect populations which are already declining, antibiotic resistance in bacteria, and physiological effects on the nervous system, and the immune system.”
Dr. Anthony Miller, advisor to the World Health Organization said at the Wireless Technology Symposium in Toronto, Canada on May 31, 2019 that there’s now enough evidence that if they were to re-evaluate radiofrequency (RF) radiation, it would be labeled as carcinogenic to humans. “Governments could not possibly ignore that.” Watch the extended video here.
Some 5G counter-movements overseas are making great strides to halt the technology, and according to this Australian petition to stop the 5G rollout in Australia, it’s not palatable to Australians either. Australians are deeply concerned about the effects on humans, animals and the environment. The petition is calling for truly independent testing to prove biological safety. ARPANSA admits more research needs to be done.
In June, Hobart City Council was the first capital city in Australia to declare a climate and biodiversity crisis.
Microbe’s Evolve and Engineer
Problematic microbes that were birthed in other countries do travel to Australia and become a problem here. Microbes don’t stay within ‘country of origin’ borders.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in a way that prevents the antibiotic from working. Changes in bacteria, known as resistance mechanisms, come in different forms and can be shared between different bacteria, spreading the problem. According to this article, bacteria and fungi naturally use antibiotics as weapons to kill each other to compete for space and food; they have been doing this for over a billion years. This means they are used to coming into contact with antibiotics in the environment and developing and sharing antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Most antibiotics we use today are modelled on the ones naturally created by bacteria and fungi. In the past, if the bacteria didn’t encounter the antibiotic they developed resistance for, they could lose the resistance mechanism.
But now, because we are overusing antibiotics, the bacteria are encountering them all the time and therefore keeping their resistance mechanisms.
According to the article Vaccines Are Pushing Pathogens to Evolve, there is now such a thing as microbes resistant to vaccine due to the microbe’s innate evolutionary engineering, although they are not considered to be a major menace as antibiotic resistance. According to the article, “Vaccines stimulate the immune system to make antibodies that attack features on a pathogen. Because pathogens naturally mutate, random changes in a pathogen’s features can make a vaccine ineffective over time. But scientists are now seeing signs that, in some cases, the vaccines themselves can drive pathogen populations to be come resistant.”
According to the article, disease ecologist Andrew Read, who directs the Pennsylvania State University Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics said that there is a nervousness amongst researchers to talk about or call attention to potential evolutionary effects, because they fear that doing so will cause fear and distrust of vaccines by the public, even though the long-term goal is vaccine success. “I think the scientific community is becoming increasingly aware that vaccine resistance is a real risk,” said David Kennedy Penn State
The longevity of some unwanted microbes despite the best disinfection, sanitation and detection methods
This article explains why bacteria like Listeria are so good at surviving the food supply chain; they can form bacterial biofilms in which they can stick together in a matrix of polymeric substances that they secrete from their bodies. These biofilms are resilient enough to survive a fair amount of antibacterial punishment. Recent evidence suggests that Listeria monocytogenes enter a protective state under stress, such as when a different detergent is used against them. In this state it is harder to eradicate them, which is why food factories have such stringent controls in place. Listeria is able to tolerate cold temperatures well, and like low competition environments like pasteurised milk and the inside of a refrigerator. Listeria is more resilient than other bacteria such as E. coli or Salmonella, and demand greater cleaning and sanitation in food factories to keep it at bay. The same article explains that the microbial samples of food manufacturers in the UK are likely to flag up bacterial contamination, but they are of limited value in relation to listeria. Listeria is able to live almost anywhere, and you can expect to find a certain low level of L. monocytogenes, but it only becomes a cause for concern when the level increases over a short period of time. Genomic sequencing is currently considered a good way to monitor if bacteria is a problem in the food processing plant, but it is currently very expensive. It can cost something like five times the current going rate for standard tests. The article suggests that Listeria outbreaks may become much rarer in ten years’ time, because the genome sequencing tests may be more affordable by then…
In addition, the study found that sanitisers on fresh produce - like chlorine - induce what is called a viable-but-nonculturable (VBNC) state in the food-borne pathogens L. monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica, and it was also ineffective at killing total populations of the pathogens. It said that bacteria that had entered the VBNC state in response to stress cannot be detected by standard laboratory culture techniques, therefore it is a huge problem for the food manufacturing industry, because they may retain the ability to cause disease.
In previous articles we have explored why getting rid of problematic microbes are perhaps not the best course of action. When a terrain has a large number of beneficial microbes, they can counter the activities of potentially harmful ones, even those in biofilm formations. Beneficial microbes can offer protection in the gut lining and many other terrains, but there has to be a large ratio of them and diversity helps.
Growing vast amounts of beneficial microbes as protectors in various terrains
Many articles on our website have explored how lots of beneficial microbes keeps various terrains free from disease. Mark McAfee from the Raw Milk Institute describes raw milk kefir as a peace keeper, because it serves as an inoculum which competes with pathogenic bacteria for food and space in the environment. A large ratio of beneficial microbes gives many terrains a ‘functioning immune system’. He says when there are many good bugs, you won’t easily find pathogens. A sterile terrain is actually counterproductive, because when microbes find a low competition environment, they will rush in to colonise. Research show that pathogens are often quick to colonise sterile terrains first. Every terrain has a biome just like the human gut.
Pruex shortlisted by Public Health England for an Antibiotic Guardian Award. https://t.co/0Rh02DH8zt @NuffieldFarming @royalwelshshow @Dyffrynamanpe @HarperAdamsUni pic.twitter.com/bGAQWmsSlY
— Pruex (@PruexLtd) June 20, 2019
Aled Davies from a UK company Pruex found that within all sectors, animals don’t live in sterile environments, and are surrounded by bacteria. He has also demonstrated how a large ratio of good bugs in a terrain can either eliminate, lessen or deactivate the potentially deadly effects of pathogens commonly found in terrains on the farm. Pruex uses non-infective soil borne bacteria to ‘clean’ the water and the housed environments of food producing animals in order to reduce the need for antibiotics. Over the last two years, Pruex has enabled over 600 farms to use antibiotics prudently as opposed to excessively. Pruex has been shortlisted by Public Health England for an Antibiotic Guardian Award.
On a larger scale, regenerative farming practices restores beneficial microbes to the pastures with incredible benefits that we have discussed before. The need for antibiotics can also be eliminated completely in some herds as animals graze on chemical-free pasture where maximum nutrient-cycling between soil microbes and the pasture plants take place. The plants and animals obtain more minerals and trace elements and enjoy great health as a result. We’ve got some examples on our case studies page, and ABC Landline even had a story about it recently.
The Regenerative Agriculture Conference in Tasmania was held 4 - 6 June 2019 in Launceston, Tasmania. Regenerative agriculture is good for the land, and the conference shared how to restore landscape health, be more profitable with lower risk, while improving the wellbeing of farmers. Regenerative farmer Charles Massy was one of the guest speakers. He told the delegates that mother nature needs to be nurtured to create sustainable food systems, as extreme weather events will cause more problems. He explained why farmers can farm without industrial chemicals that strip the soil of its biology. Farmer and cropping expert Colin Seis shared his personal story of regenerating the land back to a healthier state. Colin explained what he observed during his recent trip to America in regards to soil health and soil conservation. Farmers are growing cover crops that act as biological primers.
Audio: ABC interview 7 June 2019 (source)
More young Australian farmers are increasingly shying away from agrochemicals and want to farm in way that conserves nature. This ABC article describes how they are risking it all to join a natural farming revolution. In the article is a link to audio interviews with the farmers and Colin Seis that we can highly recommend. It is about the different practices farmers are implementing, and their successes and failures as they embark on the regenerative farming journey. These farmers have discovered that the regenerative approach is very long-term, and initially may not be as profitable as conventional systems. Will they be able to make the shift to regenerative farming, regardless of the initial financial loss experienced as nature recovers? Keep reading…
There is an aspect of regenerative farming that some farmers have dabbled with, yet they may not have uncovered its true value and potential…
An ABC recent article recently stated: Farmers turning their backs on RoundUp and searching for alternatives. It is only a matter of time before farmers will understand that one of the best ways to kickstart the regeneration fast after years of abuse, is learning how to grow vast amounts of the right set of aerobic soil microbes, the way soil scientists like Dr Elaine Ingham teaches. ARMM has already written about her work on this page, and many others on our website. She describes how cultivating a compost tea the scientific way using a microscope, determines if the right kinds, and right ratios of aerobic soil microbes are grown in large numbers. Her scientific methods results in magical transformations within weeks in the paddocks. Dr Elaine describes how weeds just don’t proliferate when there is abundant aerobic soil microbiology of the right kind. Along with growing diverse species cover crops to kickstart the nutrient-cycle, these microbes stimulate rapid pasture growth, which is the kind of information those new to regeneration want to learn. Dr Elaine warns that if farmers don’t know what they are doing, they may inadvertently grow the wrong set of microbes. There is a significant difference in the effect aerobic microbes will have, as opposed to anaerobic ones in a compost or compost tea used as a microbial inoculum.
The reality is that scientists have uncovered that some farmers are regenerating pasture so quickly, that not even nature can do it in a similar timeframe. This success can be achieved only after farmers had done an intensive study of the practices of those who have been highly successful. These stories are shared all over ARMM’s website…
Raw Milk Kefir: one of the best “antiseptics” in the rehabilitation of the gut lining
This article provides information on how carefully produced raw drinking milk are used in the rehabilitation of the gut overseas. The milk must be fermented as either kefir or yogurt, otherwise it feeds the wrong kind of bacteria. "Fermented, raw dairy products are truly lactose-free products and they are teeming with beneficial microbes, they are probiotic, and they have lactic acid in them, which is one of the best anti-septics for the digestive system. Lactic acid coming in with kefir or yogurt will kill all the pathogens, bring down candida and all sorts of things and replace them with beneficial microbes."
““Good bacteria in our gut controls 500 different kinds of pathogenic (bad) microbes. If the good bacteria goes, the bad invariably takes advantage.” - Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride”
Dr Natasha Campbell McBride describes in many free online resources how kefir made from real kefir grains grow vast amounts of beneficial microbes that can outcompete problematic gut populations. Even her method does not always work immediately. Some patients seem to have a microbiome where the harmful microbes have proliferated to such an extent, that it may take months of diligent raw milk kefir consumption to see a significant improvement. Her eldest son used to be autistic. She describes how pathogens and their toxins was behind it, and that he now lives a normal life, learn about her personal journey here.
Mark McAfee from the Raw Milk Institute interact with consumers frequently at farmers markets. In this recent interview he describes what raw milk produced for human consumption is and why consumers want this unprocessed product and why we now know exactly how to produce it thanks to high standards and testing. He describes why there are two kinds of raw milk with different production standards, different values and different outcomes. Mark also talks about the Risk Assessment Management Plan via which farmers can produce raw milk from grass to glass, as a low risk food with a manageable risk. Towards the end of the interview, he also discusses the benefits of raw milk kefir.
We advocate for raw drinking milk from cows and other animals to be regulated fairly in Australia. Overseas examples show it can be done well when the right controls are put in place. Not all raw dairy systems are equal. We want a system that serves farmers and consumers well. Australians should be able to access raw milk from cows as well.
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Bacterial infection increases risk of carcinogenesis by targeting mitochondria
Rob Knight talks with @GMFHx about how the gut microbiome can assist in fighting against antibiotic resistance for #WorldMicrobiomeDay.
— CMI @ UC San Diego (@CMIdigest) June 27, 2019
#microbiome @KnightLabNews https://t.co/eCNaJkp3G7
