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Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. Everyone has a different way of being. What’s important is that we continue to learn and grow. And, even more important is how we choose to learn and grow.
As we set intentions for the New Year, the farm team is thinking about having grace, which ultimately means giving grace. To each other, to our customers, to the farmers and businesses we partner with, to our pastures and the biodiversity upon it. We are always striving for something better.
With justice, man gets what he deserves. With mercy, man does not get what he deserves. But, with grace, man gets what he does not deserve. It’s about showing kindness, even when someone may not deserve it.
Jesus [on the cross] said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” – Luke 23:34
The Amish culture follows the teachings of Jesus, who taught his followers to forgive one another and to place the needs of others before themselves. The Amish believe that God is in control and can bring good out of any situation. They strive to live with love and compassion. Vengeance and revenge is left to God.
This theme is not strictly Amish. It holds true in many religions and philosophies.
Holding grudges does not punish the other person. It actually only hurts yourself via the physical and emotional stress you’re placing upon yourself. The opposite of holding a grudge is to forgive, graciously and without correction.
If you do something wrong, own up. Be quick to apologize when you make a mistake or have wronged someone else. In my opinion, a good apology includes 3 things: (1) Say what you did to hurt the other person; (2) Acknowledge how you made them feel; and (3) Tell them how you will try to do it differently next time.
It doesn’t need to be complicated and entail having a theme and preparing a 7-course dinner and planning games and all that hoopla. It simply means sharing your home with neighbors. It can be as simple as inviting a friend or family member over for a cup of tea or neighbors over to enjoy an outdoor fire.
It’s ok if they decline, but if they say yes, it’s an amazing opportunity to get to know someone better and find more ways of being gracious with them.
(PS: No one really cares how clean your house is. They don’t inspect the baseboards for dust or check to make sure the garbage can is clean. Their presence in your home is what matters most.)
Be kind and gentle in what you say and how you say it. Depending on the situation, this is easier said than done. A good way to start is to take a breath in the moment. This helps you think before you speak.
Showing someone that they’re loved sometimes means just being there. Be happy with the person who’s happy, and be sad with the person who’s sad.
Listening can sometimes be a challenge, as people often like to give their own opinions. Gracious listening means to accept the info coming your way. It’s about learning how to draw people out and getting to know them better.
This can be done in simple everyday kindnesses and actions like opening a door for someone or letting someone have that perfect parking spot. Or, it can be more complex, especially when you know someone well. For example, my neighbors down the street are elderly. So, when it snows, we always offer to help them shovel.
Say thank you often and let people know how much you appreciate them. A quick thank you card or note goes a long way!
Listen, sometimes people are going to be rude. No matter what. Instead of responding harshly, keep a calm spirit. Respond with grace.
The customer service team practices this often. We understand that people might be stressed (for reasons other than our food or service), and we want to lighten the load (and maybe even uplift their spirits) as much as we can.
One of the first times I visited the farm, my family had dinner with the farmer’s family. As we sat at the table, my 4yo had an embarrassing and loud meltdown over cheese. He had one slice on his plate but wanted more. I told him that he could have as much as he’d like, but he needs to eat one slice at a time so we don’t waste it. Well, that wasn’t good enough, the meltdown persisted.
The farmer’s wife Rebecca responded with such grace. She went to him and sliced another piece of cheese and asked if it was enough. Then another. Then another and another. He calmed down around the tenth slice (and the rest of us, too).
Did he eat all of the cheese? Nope. Was cheese wasted? Probably. But, I’d like to think that we all learned something about giving grace that day. From offering hospitality to using kind words to offering help without being asked to letting it go, it was an incredible display of grace.
I’d love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required - start typing for the guest option to appear) or contact us.
If you saw a duck egg and a chicken egg side by side, would you know how to spot the difference?
I’ll give you a hint: the first difference you’d probably notice is the size. An average duck egg is substantially larger than an average chicken egg - nearly twice as big. In fact, it’s comparable to an extra-large, “jumbo” chicken egg.
But the differences go beyond just the outward appearance. If we decided to look inside, you’d probably be surprised that duck eggs are harder to crack than chicken eggs. This is due to the thicker shell membrane, which not only requires a little extra effort to break them open, but also results in a longer shelf life.
Once we look inside, however, you’ll continue to see more differences. Compared to chicken eggs, duck eggs have a larger ratio of yolk to albumen (egg whites) - in fact, the yolks of duck eggs are nearly twice as large as that of chicken eggs. Moreover, the color and consistency of the albumen differs. The egg “white” of a duck egg is just that - nearly clear - whereas the albumen in chicken eggs is slightly yellow. Duck egg whites are also thicker and less “runny” than chicken egg whites - and they contain peptides which help the absorption of calcium.
Why do these differences matter? From a culinary perspective, a larger yolk means that duck eggs are better for baking, because they result in a richer flavor and fluffier, lighter consistency.
There are also important nutritional differences as well. Although chicken eggs and duck eggs are both high in choline, dietary cholesterol, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids, which are important nutrients, duck eggs have higher concentrations because they are larger. In fact, a single duck egg contains nearly 60% of your daily vitamin B12 intake, and more than a third of your selenium.
Not sure why this is important? Both vitamin B12 and selenium are essential nutrients, which mean they must be obtained through our diet. Moreover, they’re integral to the regular functioning of our bodies.
B12 helps form healthy red blood cells and DNA, assisting in the function and development of brain and nerve cells. It binds to protein in the foods we eat for absorption into the body.
Selenium is a mineral that’s essential for thyroid function. It also lowers oxidative stress in the body, which has been found to improve immune function, reduce the risk of mental decline, and support healthy respiration. However, like many nutrients found in foods, the percentage of selenium found in eggs fluctuates depending on how animals are raised. If chickens or ducks are raised on healthy pasture and frequently rotated, the land retains minerals like selenium for animals to absorb, and then pass onto us.
Of course, chicken eggs are still an excellent source of nutrition. But if you’re looking for new flavors, want to experiment with your baking, or eat eggs infrequently, we encourage you to try our duck eggs.
Already tried both chicken and duck eggs? Let us know what differences you can spot - and whether you think they make your meals (or sweets) better.
Comment below (no account required - start typing for the guest option to appear) or contact us.
The farm finished reviewing last year’s metrics and made its budget for 2023. And, we came to a disappointing but necessary conclusion.
We sadly need to raise prices.
It’s never an easy decision to make. It never feels good. But, if we want to continue on with our mission to be an amazing and reliable source for farm direct, nutrient dense food, then we need to be as environmentally sustainable as we are financially sustainable.
There’s no one big thing that’s causing this increase. It’s just the cost of every little thing going up bit by bit.
As you probably know, this is happening everywhere. Whether it’s because of the war in Ukraine, supply chain issues, or disastrous weather, food is more expensive. In supermarkets over the past year or so, the price of fruits and vegetables increased by about 10%, milk rose about 15%, and eggs soared to over 30% more.
The good news is that our price increase will NOT be as big as food prices rising elsewhere. The exact amount will vary based on your delivery option, but it will be less than half of the average 14% rise in supermarket prices.
And, another good thing is that we are giving you a heads up. No surprises. I hope this helps you plan and prepare.
We are promising you that from now until January 29 we are freezing prices. But, after that, you will notice changes.
We will honor whatever price is in your cart when you checkout. So, if you want to purchase with our current prices, I recommend placing an order now or anytime on or before January 29.
How are you feeling about rising prices everywhere? Has it affected your life? What do you foresee coming in the future?
I’d love to hear from you.Comment on the blog below (no account required) or contact us.
Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to ask!
If you’re a pet owner, you’re probably aware of how dramatically the cost of pet food has risen over the past year (maybe not our pet food but definitely store-bought pet food). During and after the holiday season, when budgeting can be especially tight, this can be even more stressful than normal.
Would you be relieved, then, if I told you that there was a quality source of nutrition for your pet? And even better - that it’s already in your kitchen?
Myoglobin is an iron- and oxygen-binding protein that’s found in our cardiac and skeletal muscles. Because it captures oxygen, it’s used by our muscle cells for energy. It’s also the source of heme iron that gives meat its particular color. The more myoglobin, the darker the color of both the meat and the liquid that it produces. Beef has the highest concentration; poultry the lowest.
But myoglobin concentrations are also affected by the way animals are raised. The more an animal moves, the higher its myoglobin - because its muscles need more oxygen and energy. As you can imagine, this means that pasture-raised and grass-fed animals produce meat that is a better source of myoglobin.
What’s more, myoglobin is a source of taurine - an essential protein and antioxidant for cats and dogs. Taurine builds and strengthens heart muscle in pets. It also prevents muscle degeneration and arrhythmias, and supports eye and vision health.
Moreover, since myoglobin is a raw ingredient, it contributes to the benefits of a raw food diet for pets: shinier coats, healthier skin, improved dental health, and increased energy.
And just one more benefit - moisture! Some pets have a hard time drinking enough water. Myoglobin is a tasty liquid that helps them stay hydrated.
I’d love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required - start typing for the guest option to appear) or contact us.
Let’s dive deeper into that last point.
Class I nutrients are those in fortified or fabricated foods. This happens when milk is fortified with vitamin D, when orange juice is fortified with vitamin C, or when cereal is fortified with fiber. Class I nutrients must be present at 100% or more of the declared value on the label.
For example, if a product states that it has 2.7mcg/serving of vitamin D, then the lab test must show 2.7mcg/serving or more to be in compliance. It could be 10 or 100 or 1000mcg/serving and still be in compliance.
Class II nutrients are naturally occurring nutrients, present in the food because that’s what the food naturally contains. In other words, vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, fat, etc that are present in the food without fortification. Class II nutrients must be present at 80% or more of the declared value.
Let’s take Vitamin C as an example. Let’s say that the nutrition label says that there is 6mg/serving of Vitamin C naturally occurring in the food. When the product is tested, as long as there is at least 4.8mg/serving (80% of 6mg), then the label is in compliance.
Lastly, there are the Third Group nutrients, which include calories, sugars, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Third Ground nutrients must have a lab analysis that’s 120% or less of the declared value.
For example, let’s say a product claims 6g of total fat per serving. The lab test must show no more than 7.2g of total fat per serving (20% more than 6g). It could have 3 or 5 or 7g and still be in compliance.
So, right from the start, you can see how this is tricky. Nutrition facts are estimates. And now it gets more complicated.
Companies, especially small businesses like us, may want to avoid the $800-1000 fee for testing one sample. Or, they might want to speed up the process; you can get the results back from the bot instantly.
The way it works is you enter your recipe into a nutrition fact generator. You’d type in 1 cup flour, ½ cup butter, 1lb ground beef, 2 tsp salt, etc. And then, magically, it gives you a nutrition label! It uses its database of ingredients to do this.
Of course this isn’t accurate. It’s obviously an estimate. And, it’s a wild estimate for a company like Miller’s that’s producing natural foods with varying nutritional profiles.
Soil matters. There’s a big difference in the nutritional value of a carrot grown in the 1920s when topsoil was deep and healthy and a carrot grown today in depleted soil topped with synthetic fertilizers.
Farming practices matter. There’s a big nutritional difference between conventional beef that’s fed GMO corn and soy and 100% grass-fed, regeneratively farmed beef.
The season matters. Spring milk, when the cows first start eating 100% spring grass, is yellower and more nutrient dense than milk from the winter, when the cows are eating 100% dry pasture.
The batch matters. Miller’s products are artisanally made in small batches. Yes, we use machines, but there’s a lot of hand work involved, too. The time of fermentation, the pH, the amount the bone broth cooks down, and so on are all a little variable. There’s a human element that decides when it’s “done”. We do our best to keep things consistent, but each batch has a unique flavor, texture, and nutritional value.
The new Real Foods Nutrition Facts Guide is mostly based on estimates, comparing our products to similar store bought products that do have nutrition labels. Some of the data is very accurate. For example, the amount of sodium in the cheese has been calculated.
And, right now, it only contains dairy, eggs, and meat. I will likely add more as customers request it.
? Check out the new Real Foods Nutrition Facts Guide here.
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As you most likely already know, there’s an egg shortage right now. But why is this happening? Well, this Twitter thread from a few days ago gives us some insight into the many conspiracy theories behind the issue.
To my knowledge, mRNA vaccines are being considered by the USDA, but I haven’t heard of any farms that are actually using them. It might be true that mRNA vaccines have been tested in animals. But, I have no evidence as to where this is happening, at what scale, and the results of these trials.
But, I guess my knowledge would, of course, be limited on this topic. None of our naturally minded farms routinely vaccinate. And, our farm (and the farms we work with) 100% say no to mRNA vaccines.
With conventional egg farming (even cage-free or organic), chickens are kept indoors in mega structures housing 10,000 or 100,000 chickens. If a disease like avian flu gets into one of those buildings, it’s pretty awful. Just like any disease, indoor spread is a quick thing, but outdoor spread is rare. In most cases, the farmer must kill ALL of the chickens in that building. This is why big ag loves vaccines.
The sudden disappearance of so many laying hens can have a huge effect on egg supply. Chickens don’t start laying eggs until they are about 6 months old. It really takes about 10 months for them to be “good” layers, laying a normal size egg once a day. Switching to a new flock needs to be planned. It’s not something that a farmer can make happen overnight.
The sudden disappearance of millions of chickens would make grocery stores short. And what do consumers do in response? They start buying from small farms like us. But, in turn, this makes us short on eggs. After all, no farmer can magically create a new laying flock overnight!
Our farms thankfully didn’t have an issue with avian flu. Yes, they were wary of it and took precautions. But, when birds are raised naturally outdoors, with plenty of exercise and foraging and eating a high quality corn & soy free feed, there’s little worry about disease.
Big farms, small farms, and households have reported that their chickens mysteriously stopped laying eggs around fall of last year. From what I can see, everyone affected sourced their feed from huge commercial suppliers. When they switched to a different feed or fed kitchen scraps or let the birds forage, they started laying eggs again.
This first hand anecdotal evidence really makes me wonder - what was in that feed!? We may never know.
What I do know is that our chickens didn’t have this problem. Sure, chickens naturally lay less in the winter, since there’s less sun. But, there wasn’t a dramatic drop or halt in production.
It also makes me really thankful for our farming haven in Lancaster County. We have access to a large network of small farmers and suppliers, many who focus on more natural practices. We are lucky that our chicken feed is mixed locally and comes from as many local growers as possible.
A manufactured food shortage, the agenda towards plant-based, a media campaign to create fear around disease and increase support of vaccines, gain-of-function research, vaccination through food, globalism... the list goes on and on. We may never know the "truth".
Eggs will be in and out of stock for probably the next couple months.
This is how we’ve always advertised Subscribe & Save. Subscription customers get priority on our inventory. This hasn’t been a real perk until now. When eggs are available, you are welcome to sign up for a subscription :)
The purpose is to prevent panic buying. If you already have a larger amount of chicken eggs on your subscription, we will fulfill it.
They’re not necessarily “egg farmers” in a wholesale kind of way, but they are local homesteads and farms that have laying hens. We can guarantee that the eggs are all GMO-free. But, besides that, they all live different lifestyles and are fed different feeds.
Yes, duck eggs are about 20% more expensive than our chicken eggs. But, keep in mind that duck eggs are about 50% larger. So, it’s actually a deal!
Duck eggs are delicious, very similar in taste to a chicken egg. And, they’re packed with more nutrition and some say they’re better for baking. You can learn more about the difference between duck eggs and chicken eggs here.
I’d love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required - start typing for the guest option to appear) or contact us.
About 12,000 years ago inhabitants of Mesopotamia began to provide themselves with a more reliable food source, a divergence from their hunting and gathering ways. They invented farming!
And the very first wheat they grew? You could probably guess, Einkorn (Triticum monococcum). Not only did they supplement their well earned meat and wild flora diet with this unique complete food, they cultivated the first drought-tolerant, pest resistant and sustainable food source, organic einkorn wheat. This was the beginning of a new era for humankind.
Being the first farmed wheat, einkorn is the only non-hybridized species of wheat and is the only diploid variety. Unfortunately, by the Modern Age it had all but disappeared from the human diet, being replaced with hybridized modern grains. These modern wheats were created to be resistant to common farming challenges and increase yields for a growing population, fighting famine, and unfortunately for us, abandoning the ancient grains our ancestors relied upon.
Today’s hybridized wheat varieties have little to nothing in common with ancient grains, like einkorn. Einkorn wheat has a complete nutritional profile, providing an amazing source of fiber, richer in minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and protein than any modern wheat flour. Einkorn’s low antigen levels and single ‘AA’ pair of chromosomes makes it far more digestible and it is a great option for those with a gluten sensitivity.
Hybridized modern wheat molecules are more complex, the starches becoming more harmful, providing less overall nutrition, less digestible, thus rendering modern wheat far more harmful than healthy. Combined with modern farming methods requiring vast inputs of fertilizers and pesticides, the negative impacts on soil health, milling and food processing, plus a focus on a higher crop yield, modern wheat is a far stretch genetically and nutritionally from what our ancestors ate thousands of years ago. This doesn't paint a pretty picture for the future of our food, the planet and for us, but there is hope.
Einkorn has played an important role in the roots of farming, though it has been sidelined for centuries, the declining health of humanity and that of the planet makes giving einkorn a second chance well worth it.
First things first, not all glutens are the same. Yes, glutens, plural.
Gluten is a family of proteins found in many grains. There are as many glutens as there are varieties of wheat. While glutens give wheat products their structure, elasticity and allow them to rise, they also trigger an inflammatory response in the body.
Modern wheat’s (Triticcum aestivum) genetic makeup is complicated and consists of six sets of chromosomes, a hexaploid. On the other hand, einkorn wheat is simple, and has only two sets of chromosomes, a diploid.
The complexity of modern wheat bears a heavy load of glutens, like gliadins and glutenins, and more compounds that our bodies have not evolved to digest easily. Humankind’s first wheat, einkorn, contains much lower levels of these glutens making it far less inflammatory, in fact, making it more beneficial than its modern genetically complex relative.
So, if einkorn wheat does have gluten, what is so different about it?
Well, einkorn’s unique Gluten AA, found in simple diploid einkorn wheat, also has the lowest antigen (ATI) levels out of all varieties of wheat, including modern wheat and spelt.
How do ATIs relate to gluten? ATI (amylase trypsin inhibitors) are non-gluten wheat proteins that cause systemic inflammation in the body, not just in the bowels. While gluten has had the reputation for causing inflammatory bowel diseases, ATIs are another integral piece of the equation causing greater inflammatory harm.This means that the high levels of gluten in modern wheat also come with a heavy load of ATIs, all wreaking havoc on the body.
To put it simply… Gliadins + Glutenins + ATIs = Trouble
So, why eat einkorn if it still contains gluten?
Einkorn wheat has low levels of ATIs and simple diploid glutens, unlike other wheats, making it well tolerated even by those with gluten sensitivities. Einkorn contains up to 25% more highly digestible protein than modern wheat, along with beneficial levels of soluble fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and slow complex carbs that promote a decreased insulin response, resulting in lower blood glucose levels. The benefits of einkorn speak for themselves. Einkorn’s Gluten AA is not the enemy. ATIs and modern wheat glutens are!
More than 3 million Americans are affected by inflammatory bowel diseases. About 20 million people are gluten-sensitive. And, an estimated 1 in 133 Americans have Celiac disease, meaning they are highly allergic to gluten.
If you have Celiac disease or are allergic to gluten, unfortunately einkorn is NOT the answer.
But, if you are sensitive to gluten or wheat, einkorn may work for your body.
Yes, einkorn does have gluten, but it breaks down easily and does not have remotely the same ratios of glutenin and gliadin that common wheat has. Gluten AA, found in the genetically pure strain of einkorn, is highly digestible, unlike the family of glutens found in common wheat. Not all glutens are created equal! Glutens are a family of proteins with many subgroups determined by which grain they derive from.
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*Content graciously provided by Revival Einkorn: https://revivaleinkorn.com/blogs/news
*Last updated 2/27/23
There has been so much immediate obvious damage from the vinyl chloride train derailment leak and subsequent "controlled explosion". But, toxins like this often act as slow poison, and we may not know the full impact for years or even decades.
From what's been reported, we know that vinyl chloride and handful of other chemicals were spilled and entered the waterways in East Palestine, OH. And then there was a "controlled burn" to "clean up" the spill. Burning these chemicals releases dioxins into the air, which are terrible toxins that can cause longterm and chronic diseases like immune suppression, cancer, infertility, and more.
Now more than ever, it's so important to know your farmer and buy farm-direct! How will you know that food from the store is not from an affected area?
I did a bit of research, and here’s what I found:
We are 300 miles east of the spill. This is well outside the suggested 3,500 square mile contamination area.
The jet stream goes northeast, and we are east/southeast. Unless there was a big shift in air patterns, we should be clear from contaminated air.
This is a map of contamination by air with expected and typical air patterns (a computer generated model), and we seem to be in the clear.
Here is a NOAA map showing actual air movement from the days of the burn.Thankfully, it looks like it may have just missed us.
We are in a different watershed. This means that contaminated land water will not runoff to our area. That being said, pollution by air may have dropped dioxins in our greater watershed. At what concentrations, I don't know!
We are in a different aquifer. This means that contaminated ground water should not runoff in our area. Again, pollution by air may have spread dioxins to our aquifer, but it's too early to know if or how much damage there has been.
All this being said, I’m not an expert on these types of toxic disasters. Fingers crossed that this preliminary research holds true and we remain unaffected.
I’d love to hear from you. I highly recommend commenting on the blog (no account required - start typing for the guest option to appear). This is a great way for customers to share info with each other regarding this issue. Not a blog commenting kind of person? No worries. You can contact us directly. ?
*Originally published on 11/25/22 and updated on 3/3/23.
One of the top customer questions we get is, “Do you vaccinate your animals?” I wish the answer was simple. I wish it was a direct yes or no, but it’s more complicated than that.
When animals eat a natural diet and live outdoors with plenty of fresh air and sunshine, there is little worry about disease. They are naturally healthy.
This is, of course, not ideal. But, you deserve to know everything about your food so you can make educated decisions about what your family consumes.
Vets will often vaccinate without asking permission. If the farmer doesn’t watch closely and keep his records organized, this can go under the radar. This is especially true when you buy in animals.
We actually had a problem with this in 2019. Farmer Aaron had bought in cows from a local farm years earlier, and one cow was still shedding RB51, the vaccine strain of brucellosis. The issue was completely resolved quickly, and you can learn more about the RB51 situation here.
Listen, we care deeply about our animals and try to raise them as naturally as possible. But, in the rare case that a deadly disease infects our animals, and there is no natural remedy to tackle it, then we will turn to conventional medicine. We want to ensure the best life for our animals.
This happened about a little over a year ago. Farmer Aaron’s brother David started a second dairy farm for us. And, as with any new operation, there were some challenges. One of those challenges was bovine pneumonia. He quickly decided to vaccinate his cows to prevent death and suffering. He didn’t think there was another option.
FYI - The vaccine used on these cows was the Inforce3® Respiratory Vaccine. It’s an “old fashioned” vaccine (NOT mRNA) that’s made with a modified live virus (AKA a GMO virus). It’s an intranasal vaccine; that means it’s NOT injected but put in the cow’s nose. Keep in mind that there is a difference between injection and ingestion (more on that below).
Side note: None of the cows on our main farm are vaccinated. This is where all of our bottled milk comes from.
This is the honest truth. Since this blog post was originally published in November 2022, we got such insightful and passionate feedback from our customers. It really made Farmer Aaron think.
This is our hard stance:
A few notes on this:
There’s no pretty chart with a livestock immunization schedule, like the one from the CDC for human children. But, I did a little digging, and here are the vaccines that vets may recommend:
So, for example, beef cattle could get a specific vaccine 4 times in their first year, and then 1 annual shot, for a total of 5 injections for one disease before harvest. According to my calculations, an average conventional beef cow would get about 30 shots before you eat it.
On the one hand, we have naturally raised animals who rarely get sick. This is because they eat a natural diet and have plenty of exercise and space and fresh air. Animals raised this way do not need routine vaccinations. This is how Miller's does it.
On the other hand, there are conventionally raised animals who are likely to get sick without intervention. This is because they eat an unnatural diet, primarily corn and soy. They live in crowded living spaces, often indoors. They’re not able to exercise or breathe really fresh air. Animals raised this way would not produce food or survive without routine vaccinations and antibiotics.
There’s so much to consider here. These two different ways of farming exist for a reason. The cost of food, varying income levels, profit for big businesses, farmers' contracts with distributors, the cost for farmers to build new facilities or buy land, damage that’s already been done to the soil, etc.
Some vaccines for livestock are oral or nasal and some are by injection. First off, with an oral vaccine, the cow has a more natural immune response. And second, no matter what, if you eat (or ingest) food produced from a vaccinated animal, whatever would pass to you is through digestion.
Your body has an amazing and complex system for removing toxins that you drink or eat or breathe in. Most of this work is done by your kidneys, which filter toxins so you can excrete them in urine.
On the other hand, when you inject something into your body, like many vaccines, it goes straight into your bloodstream. Your body is not designed to remove toxins in the bloodstream as well as those in your digestive system.
No matter which way toxins enter, your body can only detox so much. It can only handle a certain amount of toxins. It’s like filling a cup with water. The cup can only hold a certain amount of water. Once the water reaches the brim, it cannot handle any more.
Miller’s Bio Farm aims to provide you with clean foods, and this means limiting toxins as much as possible. But, we are not perfect. That’s why we add honest disclosures to our products.
I’d love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required - start typing for the guest option to appear) or contact us.
Seasonal allergies (aka hay fever or allergic rhinitis) affect 10-30% of people worldwide. And some kind of allergy to a “foreign protein” affects 40% of people worldwide. Although most allergies, especially seasonal allergies, are not life threatening, it can be a miserable condition that lowers someone’s quality of life.
When a person with allergies comes into contact with pollen, bee venom, bioengineered proteins, dander, etc, their body creates antibodies to defend itself, even if the substance isn’t innately or usually harmful. In other words, an allergy is an immune system overreaction. It can inflame your skin, sinuses, airways, or digestive tract.
For someone with seasonal allergies, pollen from certain types of plants triggers an allergic response. Pollen is a fine powder produced by cone-bearing plants when they are flowering. The pollen gets released and travels in the air or on bees to fertilize other flowers so the plant can make seeds.
One method of helping curb allergies is called “exposure therapy”. By exposing your body to small doses of the allergen you’re reacting to, in greater and greater amounts over time, it can help you build a tolerance. It can help your body understand that a specific allergen is not foreign or harmful. It prepares your body for the next exposure, so it will not overreact… at least not as much.
Bees need both pollen and nectar for survival. They need pollen as a vital source of fat and protein for young and adult bees. Nectar, on the other hand, is a carbohydrate and an energy source. Bees turn nectar into honey, which is their food storage for winter.
Bees are hairy. When they travel to harvest nectar, pollen gets stuck to their hair. When they deposit nectar at the hive, the pollen gets in the honey in incidental and accidental ways.
Ethical bee farmers like ours make sure the bees have plenty of nectar to forage. And then, they periodically remove most of the honey from the hive, leaving the bees enough honey to keep them happy and fed (no high fructose corn syrup for our bees!).
RAW: The honey needs to be raw, NOT pasteurized. Honey that’s raw will contain unaltered pollen and living enzymes that are needed to protect your body from a histamine overdose.
UNFILTERED: Many honey makers filter honey to give people that smooth, luscious texture. It helps delay crystallization and creates a clear, brilliantly transparent goo. But, when honey is filtered, it takes most of the pollen grains and wax out. You want the pollen in there!
SEASONAL: If you have spring allergies, you should use honey harvested in the spring. If you have fall allergies, you should use honey harvested in the fall.
ALLERGEN SPECIFIC: The honey should be made from bees harvesting from the plants you are allergic to. That way the honey will contain the specific pollen you are reacting to. So specific honeys (raspberry, blueberry, knotweed, etc) will likely not work. You should be looking for wildflower honey, where the bees forage from a variety of plants that grow in nature.
We work with Welsh Mountain Apiaries. They move bees to wild foraging areas around the US that are free from pesticides and GMOs. They bees are not fed high fructose corn syrup, and they do mite control without chemicals. All of their honey is 100% raw and unfiltered.
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Hydration levels affect so many systems of your body: urologic, gastrointestinal, circulatory, neurological. If you’re not properly hydrated, your physical and mental function will decline. It’s that simple.
In my opinion, hydration (or dehydration) is one of the easiest messages to receive from your body. It’s easier than knowing if you consumed enough protein, vitamin B12, or magnesium. You know what I mean?
When you feel thirsty or dehydrated, it’s pretty basic knowledge that you should drink something. But what? “Drink water,” they say. But, what if there was something better? Something that would hydrate you more and for a longer period of time? As it turns out…
March 2016 trial in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirms this. It was a randomized trial where 72 active healthy men, each starting with the same hydration level, were each tested with 4 different drinks. They considered 13 different common store bought drinks: still water, sparkling water, cola, diet cola, sports drink, ORS (oral rehydration solution), orange juice, lager, coffee, tea, cold tea, full-fat milk, and skimmed milk.
Following each drink, their urine output was measured over the course of 4 hours. This set a beverage hydration index (BHI) for each drink, which accounted for water content in each beverage. For example, still water contains 100% water, whereas full fat milk is 88% water (and, by the way, this correction had little effect on the final BHI).
The idea was that, the less urine you produced, the more liquid your body retained, the higher the BHI. Pretty simple.
The results? The 4 that came out of top, in order of highest to lowest BHI: skimmed milk, ORS (oral rehydration solution), full-fat milk, and orange juice,
ORS (oral rehydration solution) raised sodium significantly after consumption, whereas orange juice and milk lowered it. Orange juice lowered it the most. Since high sodium levels could have negative effects on the body, ORS (oral rehydration solution) should only be used in severe cases of dehydration.
Milk and orange juice increased potassium levels, and ORS (oral rehydration solution) lowered potassium levels. Milk increased it the most.
Drinks with a high energy content, whether in the form of carbohydrate, fat, protein, or even alcohol, empty the stomach more slowly. They delay water leaving the body, which gives your body the most time to make use of the water and hydrate!
Let’s put it all together.
We know our milk is delicious. We know it’s produced to the highest, most natural standards possible. And now we know that it’s super at hydrating, too!
This brings me back to an experiment I did a few years ago - The Great Milk Diet Experiment (as I called it). I heard a strange story about a man who damaged his digestive system as a toddler and drank raw milk only his whole life and was very healthy. So three of the ladies who work on the farm and myself did a milk diet experiment. We consumed milk only for 7-10 days.
The results? We lost a little weight. And, once we got used to not chewing, we felt great. Milk satisfied our hunger completely. And now I think that one reason why is that we were all fully hydrated!
There’s a lot of great information out there about the benefits of drinking A2/A2 milk, but there’s also a good amount of misinformation, too. Let’s set the record straight. Here are 5 myths as well as the truths about A2/A2 milk.
TRUTH: The terms “A2 milk” and “A2/A2 milk” mean the exact same thing.
We used to call our milk “A2 milk”, since that’s the common term that basically all blogs, scientific articles, practitioners, and the average person calls it. But, our farm (and many other businesses) are forced to call it A2/A2 milk because there is a trademark on the term “A2 milk”. You can read more about that legal kerfuffle here.
TRUTH: Although it may be true that heritage breed cows have a higher likelihood of producing milk with 100% beta-casein protein, the only way to 100% know the type of proteins in the milk is via a genetic test.
To test a cow, you simply send a hair sample from their tail to a lab. They send back results saying whether their milk would be A1/A1, A1/A2, or A2/A2 milk.
Our farm’s herd is 80% Jersey and 20% Jersey crosses. When the farmer initially did genetic testing, about 60% of his Jersey cows produced A2/A2 milk. Read more and see some of our test results here.
TRUTH: A2/A2 milk will NOT work for those who are lactose intolerant, but it may work for people with a casein allergy or intolerance.
A2/A2 milk has to do with the beta-casein proteins in the milk. It has nothing to do with lactose (milk sugar).
Lactose intolerance is when a body does not produce enough or doesn’t produce any lactase, the enzyme required to break down lactose. A1/A1, A1/A2, and A2/A2 milk all contain the same lactose. Raw milk may be tolerated by those with lactose intolerance, since the naturally occurring bacteria can jumpstart your body into producing lactase.
A casein allergy or intolerance is when a body has an immune response to the proteins in the milk. In some cases, the allergy or intolerance is specifically to the A1 beta-casein protein. If this is the case, then A2/A2 milk may solve the problem.
TRUTH: It is more likely that a person of Indian descent would be intolerant to the A1 beta-casein protein, but it’s not a certainty.
A few thousand years ago in Europe, cows were moved indoors and fed grain. They were stressed. And what happens when a living organism is stressed? Well, it just might mutate. This is exactly what happened. The European cows’ genetics mutated, making them produce a new type of beta-casein protein - A1.
Those cows made their way to the United States. Now, basically all American milk is A1/A2, containing both the A1 and A2 beta-casein proteins.
The cows in India did not go through this mutation. People from India have been drinking A2/A2 milk all along. This is why it’s very common for Indian people who moved to the US to develop chronic digestive issues. In many cases, it’s the A1 beta-casein protein causing this issue, and when they switch to A2/A2 milk their problems resolve.
TRUTH: Whether milk is A2/A2 is just one thing to consider, among many others, when buying milk.
The quality and nutritional value of milk depends on many factors. Here are a few:
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Thiamine (sometimes spelled thiamin and AKA Vitamin B1) is a water-soluble vitamin found in both plant and animal-derived foods. Since it’s water soluble, it rapidly breaks down and is consumed in 2-3 weeks (this is different from fat-soluble vitamins, which can accumulate for later use). This is why a constant supply of thiamine is important.
Like other B vitamins, thiamine’s main role is to help our bodies release energy from the carbohydrates, protein, and fats that we eat. It helps maximize our metabolism. It helps to build and repair our nerves and muscles, including the brain and the heart. It plays a role in healthy liver function and is needed for healthy skin, eyes, hair and nails. It also helps us be able to manage stress.
Basically, thiamine is needed for overall health. But, there may be something extra special about Vitamin B1 when compared to the rest.
There are lots of studies that examine the relationship between thiamine and stress. They all come to the same basic conclusion: thiamine can counteract the negative effects of stress.
Here are a few of the studies that I looked at:
Physically, thiamine can reduce inflammation in the brain. It can lessen cellular damage and improve brain plasticity (the ability for the connections in our brain to change through growth and reorganization). These physical changes result in emotional changes that you can feel:
It’s recommended that adults consume about 1.1-1.2 mg of thiamine per day. Most adults can meet the daily thiamine requirement by eating a variety of whole foods.
However, if you’re looking for an “anti-stress” boost from thiamine, you should consume more than the daily recommendation (since it’s a water soluble vitamin and passes quickly, there’s no way to OD).
Pork offers more thiamine than any other type of meat and most other foods, too. Ground pork is the most affordable source of the most thiamine. Here’s a list of the top 20 natural (not fortified) foods containing the most thiamine per serving:
Side Note: One group of foods that I do NOT recommend for thiamine intake are fortified foods like cereals and breads. You may see the words “enriched” or “fortified” on the package. They are typically highly processed and contain synthetic vitamins and minerals, which can be difficult for your body to digest. In my opinion, it’s always better to get your vitamins and minerals from 100% natural sources.
The most affordable source of thiamine is ground pork, which has so many uses. Basically, you can replace ground beef with ground pork in any recipe. Or, go half ground beef and half ground pork. Think about:
There are so many cuts of pork that you can cook to increase your thiamine intake. Here are some yummy suggestions:
If someone gets enough calories per day, thiamine deficiency is pretty rare. However, it does exist. A lack of thiamine can result in:
There are also some conditions that could cause thiamine deficiency:
Severe thiamine deficiency can result in a disease called beriberi, while thiamine deficiency caused by alcoholism can turn into Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Both disorders affect neurological function (the ability to think, feel, move, etc.).
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Our farm has gotten a slurry of emails and calls from rightfully concerned customers asking if we use or would use mRNA vaccines for our animals. That answer is simple.
In fact, we put an icon at the top of our homepage a couple months ago stating exactly this.
As for other vaccines, we have never and do not routinely vaccinate our animals. For various reasons, a select few of our animals have received vaccines in the past. We are working to slowly sell those animals and will be 100% vaccine-free by 2025. You can read more about our vaccination practices here.
For the rest of this blog post, let’s explore the current vaccination requirements for livestock and poultry and what developments there are in vaccines in food.
Just like raw milk and marijuana, vaccination requirements in the United States are regulated state by state. Vaccinations are not regulated by the federal government.
To my knowledge, there is no state that requires vaccines for fish, livestock, or poultry within their state. Right now, it’s the farmer or business’s choice to vaccinate or not.
Basically all states require some type of identification or veterinary certificate proving the animals are free of disease to cross a state line. Overall it seems that negative tests are valued more than vaccination.
The USDA may require vaccination when there are state-federal disease eradication programs. And, there are some states that require vaccination for animals crossing the state line. For example, California requires entering dairy cows to be vaccinated for brucellosis before entry into the state.
As the health of humans, animals, and the planet declines more and more and as we continuously try to industrialize and engineer everything (ahem fake meat), vaccines are becoming more and more popular. As it stands now, there’s very little regulation, which makes creating new products relatively easy.
Here are some vaccine things that are in the works:
mRNA vaccines have already been licensed for pigs (and dogs and cats). Despite internet rumors, the fact is that none have been approved for cattle or poultry… yet.
This isn’t new news. Big pharma companies have been working on developing mRNA vaccines for animals for a long time. For example, Bayer has been working with BioNTech on pet and livestock mRNA vaccines since 2016. They are coming soon!
People won’t need to remember to “get the shot”, they’ll get boosted every time they eat! Active research is being done on lettuce, corn, rice, wheat, bananas, and other foods. Gene editing is being used to turn plants into mini bioreactors that produce vaccines that you can eat.
In January, the USDA gave conditional approval for the first vaccine for honeybees. It would protect them from American foulbrood, an aggressive bacterium that can spread quickly from hive to hive. To get full approval, the vaccine manufacturer would need to show proof of “safety, purity and certain degrees of efficacy”. If they do, this would be the first ever vaccine for insects.
Right now, vaccines in food are like the Wild West. It’s lawless. A farmer or food producer does not need to provide any labeling that indicates whether vaccines were given or are present in a food.
This is the opposite of informed consent. At Miller’s Bio Farm, we believe that everyone has the right to know exactly what they’re eating. That’s why we provide SO MUCH info on our site and are happy to answer any questions.
Here are some recent or current bills:
I’m very curious to see what the future holds for mRNA technology, food, and our right to choose.
“Bioengineered” is the new “GMO”.
“Precision breeding” is a new term for genetically modified animals. In the UK, laws have been amended so that bioengineered “precision bred” animals can now be marketed as non-GMO.
“Gene therapy” is what mRNA vaccines are. They are using gene editing technology to provide gene therapy. Similarly, “gene editing” is being used in the meat industry to create “better” animals.
If you want informed consent, if you want vaccine-free food, if you want natural logical ethical food, ask the questions. I know I will. We are creating a better food system together.
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We hosted nearly 400 people at Farm Day 2023. Occasional showers didn't keep us down. We had a blast with many new activities this year. Best Farm Day yet? I think so!
Thanks to all who came out!! Thanks to Walnut Run Bakery, Healthy Beverages, and Welsh Mountain Apiaries for being vendors. Thanks to Lamar from Welsh Mountain Apiaries for speaking about natural beekeeping. And, thanks to Revival Einkorn for providing pasta for the meal.
Here's a quick recap of the highlights with pics.
We had 100+ votes. I don't know whether our customers are used to our milk, but here are the results in order of most to least votes:
If you took any amazing pics at Farm Day, we'd love to see them! You can send them via email to hello@millersbiofarm.com.
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A2/A2 Dairy
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