Andy McGuire wrote:
> Some new scientific discoveries that made me wonder.
>
> >From an AP article: Researchers at Texas Tech have discovered that cattle
> that are fed kelp gain more weight, are more resistant to disease, and are
> more likely to be of a higher grade when butchered. The article states
> that the researchers "discovered" the benefits of seaweed by accident. It
> seems they overheard other researchers who were noticing differences in
> turf grass on golf courses that had been sprayed with a kelp solution.
> They wondered if it would work with cattle, and BING they had a discovery.
>
> I am not positive, but I think that organic farmers have been using kelp in
> similar ways for years. Maybe the next big discovery will be that feeding
> kelp to chickens (as Joel Salatin has been for years) is also beneficial.
> Just think of all the possible scientific discoveries we could have by
> looking at organic farming practices and then putting the science stamp of
> approval on those practices.
>
> However, it was noted that "Ranchers seem skeptical," but would try it if
> it were available on the market. Who knows, it could end up in feedlot
> bunks across the country.
>
> Reminds me of a quote of Deepak Chopra: 'Science is always behind. In the
> beginning scientists say, "This guy's a fraud," but then their second
> reaction is that maybe he or she has something to say. Their third
> reaction is that they do have something to say but that we don't buy all of
> it. Their fourth reaction is that it was their idea in the first place.
> Then it becomes mainstream thinking, and then finally it's scientific
> dogma. Because science is a dogma like anything else. It can't be
> divorced from the content of the cultural world view. What science is very
> useful for is to document something that we already know."
>
> On this same line, ARS researchers have given us another reason to give up
> Wonder bread. They have found that Chromium deficiency, common in
> industrialized nations, can lead to middle-age diabetes. Whole grains,
> they say, are a good source of chromium.
>
> That's all.
>
> Andy McGuire
> Agricultural Systems Educator
> Washington State University Cooperative Extension
> PO Box 37, Courthouse
> Ephrata WA 98823
> 509-754-2011, Ext. 413
> Fax: 509-754-0163
>
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