Humane Animal Husbandry
More important now than ever
Hi readers!
I apologize for infrequent newsletters these past few weeks with the onslaught of the Trumpocalypse.
It’s been a lot.
But I also want to respond to His Horribleness in a more productive way than I did the last time. I’m trying not to ride the daily outrage train. I want to do something to fight him instead, in my own small way.
So I’ve been focusing on a newsletter to do just that — called The Daily Delano.
It started as a way to distract myself from Benedict Donald by getting to know Franklin Delano Roosevelt — the OG of the modern Democratic Party — and why he was so successful that little old ladies still had pictures of him on their wall when I was a kid in the 80’s and 90’s.
What I have discovered by a brief study of his life — and by reading and listening to his speeches — is a man with a fearless fighting spirit, a rapier wit that he wasn’t afraid to use, and a genius level understanding of how politics works.
Come explore the Great Man with us, speech by speech. I’m also hoping for some healthy discussion of how we can bring this country back from the brink and fight the fascist menace in the White House.
I hope to see you there.
Another thing that I can do is try to distract you with fun content about cheese.
But not this week.
This week I want to talk about why treating domestic farm animals humanely and with respect for their lives is more important than ever — as several stories in the news cycle are telling us to pay attention to this issue.
First — Trump is gutting the FDA and all of the regulations that keep our food supply safe.
Domestic meat and dairy production — particularly at these awful factory farms and hideous meat packing plants — is about to get a whole lot nastier.
Like a return to Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle bad.
And do you think Trump’s FDA is going to do recalls over food poisoning? Not if the right people pay him off.
Trusting who supplies your meat and dairy has changed from an “I love animals” issue into a health issue.
Plus, supporting small farmers feeds a family instead of padding corporate profits.
Speaking of our health, the avian flu is decimating domestic poultry birds and is now spreading into cows.
These awful factory farms where animals are herded into spaces that are too small — because profit — are helping the disease spread more easily.
Just like in crowded cities.
Not only is putting a living being into a crate for its entire life where it can’t turn around or ever feel the sun on its face morally abhorrent — it is also causing pandemics among the animals in our food supply.
What is healthy for them is healthy for us.
Not to mention what giant sources of pollution these disgusting factory farms are. The poo has to go somewhere, and it’s usually into our water sources.
That’s why I’m so passionate about cheese, meat, and dairy from small farms that practice humane animal husbandry.
Yes, I’m also a big animal lover and it breaks my heart to think that they can be treated so cruelly.
But I’m also aware that not everyone cares about animals the way I do — and certainly not to the level of making a personal sacrifice like driving to the farmer’s market and paying more for meat — or by supporting a small dairy instead of buying factory made cheese.
But everyone is concerned about their health and the safety of what they eat.
And our food supply is getting more dangerous by the day.
Finally, I just want to say, and this I promise you — ethically sourced meat and dairy tastes better.
Look at egg yolks. Firm, orange yolks come from chickens who are thriving instead of spending their days in a tiny cage.
Do you ever wonder why meat from fancy restaurants tastes so good? Or the meat in Europe? It’s because those animals didn’t lead horrible lives in factory farm conditions.
Those cows, pigs, and chickens frolicked in the sun, eating good, nutritious food, and being properly cared for until their “one bad day.”
That’s how it should be.
And because this post is all about caring for animals, I can’t leave out this little butthead:
This was right after we “officially adopted” him.
AKA bought the litter box after he had been sleeping at our apartment for three weeks.
Mom’s angel — when he’s not being a little devil.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, cheese (and cat!) lovers!
Curd Culture is a reader supported publication. Thank you for supporting my dream of using my cheese experience to make a difference on two issues I care about: sustainable family farming and animal welfare.
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