Anti-Monsanto - issues

[ruminantlover27]

Many say roundup doesn't stay in the soil- yet there are controversial studies that beg to differ, even if the land appears to be in recovery. Ya I tried some compost from a non-organic farmer a few years ago. The patch I put it on is still bare after a few years. Some potatoes came up, but they were weak and soon died. I'm still looking for non gmo grains in my area.

 

[BrownSheep]

Yeah, if you are in Idaho that might be a little difficult! Land of Simplot

 

[Egg_Newton]

I would so love to do all non-GMO for my pets and family. I found a grainery a couple hours away that does non-GMO/organic feeds. But for the goat feed you have to have to specially milled and purchase a minimum of 500#. I couldn't find anyone to split the order with me. I went ahead and got it. Mice got in the bags and so did the bugs. The chicken feed I bought caused my chickens to stop laying! I thought it might be other factors but when I switched back to commercial feed they started laying again. About a month ago I ran out of the commercial stuff, had a few bags of the organic stuff left, and was short on cash and started feeding them it again. They stopped laying again....
To be GMO free is still a dream I have. I am concerned about the killer compost stuff you guys say because I had been planning on using my own compost and it contains manure and straw from my goats.

 

[elbesta]

I got food grade 55 gal drums to store my grain in. They are lined with 4 mil liners and a moisture absorber I get at the dollar store, with DE sprinkled on top. I get non gmo grains right from the silo. I grind and mix my feed about every 2 weeks so it is always fresh. It is also better feed not using corn or soy.

 

[ruminantlover27]

Since we are on the subject- This article claims one study done of RoundUp in the soil remained for 22years. And the mineral deficiency in the plants and with animals that eat it is interesting http://www.naturalnews.com/031138_Monsanto_Roundup.html

 

[bonbean01]

This is a concern for everyone...for humans and livestock, and not easy to avoid...not all are forthcoming when you ask about it being GMO or not. Had not realized that corn had been GMO for many years before it made the news.

 

[eweinHiscare]

When I read a news article about someone's cattle not doing well on GM feed I read more about it.

Seems the toxin those GM plants produce to kill the insects/ weeds that attack the crop plants also ends up causing problems in the stomachs of ruminants.
So I quit feeding corn and began feeding only oats from a bag this past Fall. Oats are not a GM crop ...yet.

But what about oat hay? Would that have enough residue of pesticide to cause garden problems ?
I bought some oat hay and the sheep only eat the oats off the stems and leave most of it untouched.

I was thinking I could use the stems as uncomposted mulch in my garden. Is that a bad idea ?

 

[Sweetened]

@Egg_Newton , you should check the calcium content on that organic feed you were using. If they didn't have the right amount of calcium and grit, I would bet that was a major issue.

A friend of mine feeds oats, straight, with some oyster shell and grit, and that's all. It's not a well balanced diet, but her chickens have access to the barn and so on, and they do and lay very well, far better than mine have (though mine could have been trauma related). I finished some roosters on oats last year and they ended up with a gorgeous fat layer on them, it was just lovely!

Some of you guys may have seen my post about the rabbits. Our rabbits are now strictly oats and hay, absolutely no pellets. I lost several rabbits due to the feed, from different suppliers and locations. I think there's something in there that my rabbits were reacting to, much like another friend of ours who has almost suddenly become intolerant of Soy (like going zero to 60).

I've been researching loose minerals for the chickens. I struggle to pay organic prices, both on affordability and principle. I'm a 'perfect world' organic person though, I believe commercial pricing is where Organic prices need to be, and commercial goods should be half the price, or cheaper, if we were to reflect all the subsidies and whatnot. That's a whole other discussion. Anyway, trying to figure out how to add a complete mineral to grains and where I can get those minerals in Canada. Would be a great way to cut out GMOs.

Also, US people (and Alberta people, for that matter), watch your Alfalfa. Get your fields tested, send samples. There is GMO alfalfa contamination. It's approved as a product here in Canada, but not approved for growth; farmers have widely rejected it.

 

[Womwotai]

Interesting thread….

Several years ago I bought 30 straw bales to build a straw bale coop for my chickens. To be honest, I never gave a thought to whether it was herbicide free or not, but around here pretty much all farming is done using chemicals so I would bet that it was not. Although I grow organically and feed my family and animals as organically as possible, if I HAD thought about the straw prior to purchasing it, I probably would still have done so since I intended to keep the bales wire tied and stacked as a wind break only. Fast forward a few years….the straw bale coop had done its duty but we moved and built a permanent coop for them on the new property. I still had the 30 bales, so for the past couple of years I've been using them as bedding.

I bed using the DLM method so only clean the coop out twice each year. When I do, the bedding goes onto my veggie garden as mulch. I can allay the OP's fears that IF there were herbicides in the straw originally, they did NOT inhibit the growth of my veggie garden last year.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

This thread is for anyone worried about giving their livestock any Monsanto products.

I recently was looking for some straw for bedding and found everyone around me was using herbicides on their straw. I can only figure that means they are growing Monsanto grains. If I were to use that straw as bedding for our goats and chickens, then I wouldn't be able to compost it and use it on my garden. The herbicides would kill or stunt most garden plants I want to grow next spring.

Are other concerned about these issues? What do you do to avoid Monsanto (genenticly modified seed) when feeding or bedding your live stock?

I'm very new to owning goats, but hope to avoid GMOs at all costs.

Heidi

There are no "Monsanto grains"
If they are spraying, it's to kill the plants so they will dry faster.
The way to avoid GMO's is to first learn what they really are