Beneficial Insects?

Good Morning and hello from your farmer,

Most folks may think I have lost my mind! You really think insects are beneficial?

Absolutely, in fact according to Dr. Jon Lundgren, founder of Blue Dasher Farm and the Ecodysis Foundation in South Dakota, stated that for every "bad" insect you target with pesticide you are actually killing hundreds or more of beneficial insects. And the unintended consequences of other life that depends on those insects for their food, etc.

How would he know this? Well, at one time he worked for the USDA and in 2012 was recognized by the President as one of the top scientist in the world.

However, he also recognized USDA policy did not support facts from his research - so he quit his job and started Blue Dasher Farm to support his passion for honeybees.

So, let me give you some examples from our farm to support beneficial insects. First, we do not spray pesticides on our pastures to control insects.

Last year while at Two Rivers Outdoors in Richton (they sell hardware, lumber, seed, fertilizer, etc.) a farmer was in there buying pesticide to spray armyworms eating his bahiagrass pastures. The word was "armyworms are really bad this year". Two clues here: 1) his pastures are monoculture and nature does not like monoculture 2) this was not his first time to spray... he had already not only killed the armyworms (temporarily) but also all of the beneficial insects that are also predators to the armyworm.

I was there buying materials to build chicken tractors and thought - wow, I need to check my pastures.

That afternoon I made time to check my pastures. Thankfully, I did not find any armyworms nor signs where they might have been.

Why, you may ask? Consider this quote by Dr. Lundgren, "If you want to save the bees you first have to save the soil".

Credit has to be given to our commitment to Regenerative Principles. Briefly, our pastures are very diverse including the weeds. We do not till the soil exposing bare ground that releases carbon to the atmosphere and destroying soil biology. This gives us healthy plants without chemicals.

Did you know that insects AND disease first attacks weak plants and animals whose immune system is compromised? Guess what! It is no different for humans.

We don't worm our cows - because they do not need to be wormed! Worm medicine is known to kill gut biology that also kills the dung beetle. And, dung beetles are responsible for breaking down the cow "patty" and carrying pieces into their hole in the ground (that also helps aerate the soil). Without the dung beetle you loose these beneficial task.

Our adaptive (rotational) grazing management practice helps us take care of our cows so they don't need worming. Our cows eat tall grass vs. short grass typical of continuous grazed pastures AND then are moved to a new pasture allowing the previous pasture to rest and break the parasite cycle.

I could give you many other examples like not spraying for mosquitoes because the pesticide also kills their natural predator the dragonfly, but your get the point.

A serious consideration is: How healthy is your immune system? Do you tend to eat conventionally or regeneratively raised food?

Maybe you have been looking for premium ALL NATURAL GOODNESS of beef, pork, chicken, and eggs raised on pasture as God intended - with emphasis on Regenerative Principles and NOT conventionally raised animals (with growth hormones, drugs, chemicals, and antibiotics) - and where animals are treated humanely - then you have come to the right farm. Our delivery schedule and product availability is listed below along with order buttons that will take you to our website where you can browse over 90 product choices and place your order from the convenience of your home. It's that simple!

Lastly, Beth & I wish you a Happy Fourth of July and hope you enjoy time with family & friends. As you gather around maybe listen to this song first sung by Kate Smith during WWII in her effort to bring hope to Americans. God Bless America by Kate Smith!

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Beth & I really appreciate your business and thank you for rewarding our hard work with your trust and support. We look forward to seeing you soon.