Re: herbs > antibiotics/cows

Here's a stupid question:  Do you folks here the commercials for California's
Happy Cows?  I was going to make a joke along those lines but it occurred to me
that it might just be a regional thing.

DF

Kitty Morrissy wrote:

> Margaret,
> It's amazing what they can get away with isn't it?  Carrying the antibiotic
> problem further is another pet peeve of mine, their use on livestock.  Two
> of the worst situations of which I'm aware are their use on veal calves and
> pregnant mares used for premarin manufacture.  These animals have no life
> at all, kept it narrow stalls.  The calves with no sunshine and fed such a
> poor diet because it makes the meat tastier.  The mares kept pregnant and
> pumped full of water so they'll urinate more.  All this is hard on their
> legs, etc, so they're fed antibiotics.  This must end up in the calve's
> meat wouldn't you think?  And as to the horses, the French end up eating
> the meat or maybe your pet.
>
> But the worst offender along this line are dairy farmers.  I've never
> understood the reasoning.  Go back a few years and dairy farmers in
> Wisconsin were dumping their milk to push the price higher.  Now they have
> fewer cows and feed them BGH to make them produce 2 or 3 times the milk
> they normally would.  The extra weight on thier legs and the pressures of
> full udders requires them to be fed antibiotics.  And don't you think that
> goes into the milk?  Ben & Jerry lobbied long and hard against this to no
> avail.
>
> So now you say they're being sprayed on crops.  I have a tough time
> grasping how such wanton abuse of antibiotics is justified.
>
> Kitty
>
> > [Original Message]
> > From: Margaret Lauterbach <melauter@earthlink.net>
> > To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
> > Date: 12/31/2002 12:13:34 PM
> > Subject: Re: [CHAT] herbs
> >
> > This is true, but I'd like to mention another aspect of the
> > antibiotics.  They're being used as triggers in genetically modified
> plants
> > or seeds. Specifically, tetracycline is used in the so-called "Terminator
> > seeds" that, once planted and grown, won't go to seed unless or until
> some
> > trigger (tetracycline) is used.  I don't know whether they spray it out
> in
> > the open on a field or how it's applied, but my thought is that some
> people
> > are violently allergic to specific medicines, and now they're spraying it
> > out in the open like that?  I'm sure you know that the largest seed
> > companies are owned by international pharmaceutical companies.  A farmer
> > planted some corn that was genetically modified to produce a strong
> > medicine to curb swine diarrhea. The corn was harvested, but some stalks
> > remained that he was supposed to burn.  He didn't.  Then he planted the
> > field with soybeans, and a few of the soybeans may have or were thought
> to
> > have touched those remaining corn stalks, so the U.S. destroyed something
> > like 500,000 bushels of soybeans to make sure that medicine didn't get
> into
> > human food.  If it's so powerful that touching the plant would
> contaminate
> > it, it should be grown in a contained warehouse or greenhouse.  Margaret L
> >
> > >Bonnie mentioned the lack of regulation of herbal remedies and other
> > >homeopathic solutions.  And Auralie went on to discuss the cost of
> > >pharmeceuticals.  These things triggered some reservations I have about
> what
> > >the drug companies tell us.  They caution us against herbs, but have you
> > >listened to the commercials for the new medications?  Talk about side
> effects!
> > >  Have you looked at a Physicians Desk Refernece?  I used tetracyclin
> many
> > >years ago without a problem, but when it was prescribed for my husband,
> he
> > >experienced every side effect in the PDR book!
> > >
> > >Yes, you do have to be cautious with herbs, but you also need to be
> careful
> > >with pharmeceuticals.
> > >
> > >Kitty
> >
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