It's a round-about trip that led me to this question. It all began when I went to look at a few Jersey heifers I saw on Craigslist for sale.
A lady named Jennifer showed me the animals they were selling, and I chose Bonnie; it was a very good choice, by the way, even though I paid far more for her than I've ever paid for a cow. I won't be paying that much ever again, either; but for that one time, it was worth it.
When Jennifer and I exchanged a couple of emails, I noticed her email address ended in "@hiddenhillsfarm". Because I'm a curious person, I googled Hidden Hills Farm at Smithville and found their website. I spent quite a bit of time reading their "frequently asked questions". One thing that puzzled me was their adamant refusal to feed their dairy cows anything except grass or hay; I couldn't imagine milking a cow without bribing her into the stanchion with a can of sweet feed, corn, or some sort of grain. And besides, what's the purpose?
Recently I saw that they are experimenting with raising Large Black hogs, an old-time breed. The hogs they raise at Hidden Hills are, like the cattle, fed no grain. They graze and receive milk and table scraps; they are given no soy, corn, or wheat.
I can't imagine raising a hog without corn. And what's wrong with corn, anyhow?
I suppose I could have emailed Jennifer and asked, but I figured eventually I'd find out, and indeed I did.
Tango, a blogger in Virginia that I discovered on the sidebar of a blogger in Oregon (told you this was all round-about), posted a video one day on her blog that gave me a clue about the reason for all this avoidance of grains.
Oh, now I get it: It's about genetically altered grains! Sometimes it takes a kid to explain things in a way that makes us listen.
Go ahead and poke around at the Hidden Hills website. Best I can tell, for $125 a week (you have to join and pay for a years membership) you get meat, vegetables, fruits, cheeses, milk, and more. I'd love to see a picture of one weeks items for one family, just to know how much food you get for that price. If you're one of my local readers, this may be something that interests you. You can also "friend" Hidden Hills Farm on Facebook.
Of course, I have my own free food, so I won't be joining; I only allow myself $70 per week to spend for our groceries.
I'm still not sure what I think about the dangers of genetically altered food, but then, I use saccharine to sweeten our tea. I still feed Bonnie a can of sweet feed before I milk her. I use Sevin dust in my garden. After all, Daddy used to dust his potatoes with DDT; what's a little poison amongst friends?
Oh, Tango? Thanks for this video! I love the kid.