We also made 45 bales of silage. This was made from short leafy grass and, hopefully it will be excellent quality because we will use this for the bulls when we bring them in early September to finish them.

I just wonder about the weight gain of our bulls in that real hot weather. They do a lot of lying around and seem contented, I wonder whether they are grazing enough because if they are not taking in enough feed they can't maximise their weight gain.

I am toying with the idea of maybe bringing them in a fortnight earlier.

By leaving it until September to bring them in, it means that the oldest bulls will only be on approximately 90 days feed. While this works fine with the Angus bulls, I think the Belgian Blue bulls would benefit from an extra 30 days feed.

There was a little bit of coughing starting to appear in some of the young stock, so they all got their second treatment of the year for hoose and worms and thankfully the coughing disappeared a few days later. We injected them with Animec at 1ml per 50kg live weight.

Most of the ground that we took the second cut silage off got 2,500 gallons of watery slurry last week.

Grazing area

Any fields that have been grazed will be topped with the disc mower, as soon as we can get to it. So hopefully this will set the farm up nicely to produce some good quality grass for the cows and young calves to graze.

We will blanket spread the entire grazing area with fertiliser between now and the end of August. Depending on the particular fields and their soil sample results, it will either be straight Nitrogen or a compound.

I am reluctant to do it all at the one time because, if I do, by the time we get to graze the last few paddocks, the covers are way too heavy on them and we just don't get the utilisation.

We made 120 round bales of hay last week and, when the field greens up again, we plan to spray it off and re-seed it.

I am wondering what to do with a field that is probably one of our most fertile. There is an excellent crop of grass on it, with a lot of clover but quite a lot of docks are also starting to appear.

So I need to decide whether to spray the docks and hope it doesn't adversely affect the clover or maybe go for a full re-seed next year.

We have cut some of the winter barley. What looked a promising crop the whole year has turned out to be a bit disappointing.

At this stage, it looks like we will struggle to average 3.5 tonnes/acre. That basically means the crop will struggle to break even. The screenings were running at about 12pc with the moisture at 13pc+.

High screenings and low moisture usually add up to loads weighting less than expected and that is exactly what is happening.

To add insult to injury, the weather seems to have taken a turn for the worse.

Robin Talbot farms in partnership with his mother Pam and wife Ann in Ballacolla, Co. Laois.

Excerpt from:
Why this beef farmer might bring his bulls in early for some beefing up - Independent.ie

RICHMOND, Virginia -- Washington Redskins tackle Trent Williams does not sit in the cafeteria and gaze at teammates trays or get wistful as he smells whats being cooked. When Williams sits down to another vegan meal, hes not fighting an urge to push his plate aside and dive into one that includes meat.

He's happy with what's on his plate.

Temptation is something that comes along when youre doing something you dont want to do, Williams said. Its a choice. Theres no temptation. No one is policing me saying I can or cant eat meat. It was a decision on my part.

One that hell keep doing. Williams touts the Redskins offensive line as Hogs 2.0, but Hogs 1.0 were full of beer-drinking, meat-eating players. Williams, though, keeps looking for an edge, and this offseason that included altering what he eats. Theres a family history of diabetes, but theres also a desire by the five-time Pro Bowler to play a long time and find any way to maintain an advantage. There has been no drop-off in his performance during camp.

How much longer he continues eating vegan remains uncertain. Williams month doing so ended Sunday, and hes debating if he should stick to it or, per the advice of his nutritionist, add fish a few times a week.

Ill never go back to eating like I used to, Williams said.

Williams started on this path in part because of a documentary called What the Health. But, he said, he was already contemplating a change. When he decided to do it, he went (pun intended) cold turkey.

I set a date that I wanted to do it, and before that day leading up to it, I binged on everything I thought I would miss, Williams said. Barbecue, Mexican food, a good steak. All the stuff I had eaten a lot.

Heres a look at Williams typical meals now, compared with the past:

Breakfast: A smoothie, with fruit and kale. Williams adds a vegan protein supplement given to him by a nutritionist. Hell usually have two smoothies, totaling between 20 and 24 ounces. That suffices until lunch. In the past, Williams ate what he called a typical breakfast: a big omelet, maybe a waffle.

Lunch: Lately, he has been eating pasta with mushrooms or spinach and sometimes tofu. If he wants something with more substance, hell add french fries. Something that sticks to my stomach a little longer, he said. That holds him through the 3 p.m. practice. Before, Williams was like most of his teammates at lunch, eating a variety of food -- but always something with meat.

Dinner: Lately, he has had a lot of stir-fry vegetables or various forms of pasta, topped with vegetables. He goes heavy on the carbs to maintain energy and to help stay hydrated. But his favorite meal so far: a portobello mushroom burger. That was pretty good. Actually, it was real good, Williams said. It had a lot of flavor. After meetings, hell down another smoothie, around 20 ounces. Dinner before his new diet? Meat.

[Before], sometimes Id eat lunch and feel it in my stomach for hours, Williams said. Sometimes, Id feel sluggish. Sometimes I wouldnt eat breakfast before 1 p.m. games because I knew it would make me sluggish. Now I eat breakfast and my body burns it the right way.

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Williams consulted with Redskins nutritionist Jake Sankal. Teammate Jordan Reed tried a vegan diet in the offseason but stopped because he felt he was losing too much weight. That was an issue for Williams early on as well. He played last season at 323 pounds, but he dipped below 310 after going vegan.

To be honest, I was scared to get on a scale, Williams said. I didnt want to scare myself out of it.

But he said he now weighs right around 320.

Hes in a good spot weight-wise, as good a weight as hes ever had around here, said Redskins coach Jay Gruden, who has lost 22 pounds on his own altered regimen of improved diet and exercise. We will see how it goes, but hes in contact with Jake.

The hardest food to give up, Williams said, was cheese and dairy in general. It has forced him to closely scan ingredient lists, and its why he now eats kettle chips as a snack rather than Cheetos or Doritos.

He did indulge one time, celebrating his 29th birthday on July 19 with a burger.

I tried to treat myself, but it ended up hurting, Williams said. It tasted good going down but sat in my stomach all night. During my workout [the next day], I could feel it the whole time. It took longer to digest than it used to.

Teammates pepper him with questions, wondering if they should try it, as well, including safeties D.J. Swearinger, Will Blackmon and DeAngelo Hall, who is looking for any help in recovering from last seasons torn ACL. Guards Arie Kouandjio and Isaiah Williams joined Williams over the last month.

You feel an overall difference with your energy, Williams said. I just feel better. ... If it keeps me healthier, why not?

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Mushroom burgers and tofu: Trent Williams hopes vegan diet helps body, performance - ESPN (blog)

Every time Rebecca Castle sat down to eat her favorite foods, she says she suffered excruciating abdominal pain.

"I cut out carbs. I wasn't eating dairy," she said. Nevertheless, she experienced sharp, shooting pain, bloating and distention for more than two years.

Castle saw multiple doctors. Then she spent several hundred dollars to take a DNA metabolic test.

What she learned? "I was allergic to starch," she said. "That's mostly root vegetables, corn, peas, sweet potatoes."

Nutritionist Nicci Schock says a typical client for such a DNA test is an athlete looking to improve performance. "And then folks like Rebecca, they know their body and they know something is off."

Proponents of metabolic tests say dietary recommendations are based on a patient's genetic profile.

Nutrigenomix

Ahmed El-Sohemy, the chief science officer at Nutrigenomix, said, "Even though it's a genetic test, it's effectively dietary advice and counseling an individual on how to eat better.

"Individual genetic differences can help us understand why some people respond differently from others."

Nutrigenomix markets a DNA test that looks at 45 genetic markers. The company makes recommendations based on the patient's genetic profile, pointing out attributes like "an elevated risk for low iron."

"We're talking about metabolic tests," El-Sohemy told correspondent Michelle Miller. "They're genetic tests, but they affect the way that you metabolize various substances that you consume."

But Dr. David Agus, a CBS News contributor, says DNA tests for diet and exercise recommendations are not validated by medical research.

"There are very few of them that actually have data behind them," he said. "And to me, that's a problem. You know, you have companies like 23andMe that were taken off the market for several years because they had to show data with regard to human disease. Well, I think this same thing needs to happen with nutrition and exercise."

The FDA says it supports tests "that may provide consumers with direct genetic information that can inform health related decisions."

But the agency points out it "does not actively regulate these products."

"2,400 years ago, Hippocrates did something amazing: he would eat something, and he would write down how he felt after he ate it," Dr. Agus said. "To me, that's the best way in the world to know what's right for you."

Rebecca Castle says the test produced more than 30 pages of results about her body, which means she can now avoid the foods that set off her stomach.

"I think it's worth it," she said. "You don't need your blood taken; you're literally just spitting into a test tube. You could do it in your sleep!"

2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Questions over DNA tests sold for nutritional advice - CBS News

Ancel Keys, arguably the most influential nutrition scientist of the past half-century, died in 2004 at the age of 100. Keys invented the K ration, named for him, that provided our deployed military with portable and complete nutrition. He was among the first, if not the first, to hypothesize that heart disease was not an inevitable consequence of aging but likely related to diet and lifestyle.

Obvious as that now seems, someone had to be the first to consider it and that someone was Ancel Keys. He developed and directed the Seven Countries Study, a colossal undertaking that tested the above hypothesis, concluding that variation in dietary sources of saturated fat notably meat and dairy contributed importantly to cardiovascular risk.

Throughout most of his life, Keys was celebrated as a public health hero. He graced the cover of TIME Magazine as such in 1961. In the years leading up to his death, however, and in the decade since, much of the public commentary about Keys, his lifes work, his seminal Seven Countries Study, and his integrity has been derogatory. There are five apparent reasons for this.

The first is perhaps best described as Newtonian: for every action, an equal and opposite reaction. Maybe we simply cant resist the inclination, whenever someone settles securely on a pedestal weve placed under them, to shift our efforts to knocking them down.

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The second might best be described as Aesopian, as in the Aesops Fable that says: we are all judged by the company we keep. The latter years of Keys life, and those since his death, were concurrent with misguided forays into low-fat dietary boondoggles, and somebody had to be blamed for Snackwells. In many quarters, that somebody wound up being Ancel Keys, for having pointed out the harms of dietary fat albeit only certain dietary fat in the first place.

The third reason is that everyone seems to love a good conspiracy theory. So, there were careers to launch and books to sell, as there are today, by telling us all that everything authorities had advised was wrong, that the real truth was being concealed, distorted or suppressed. As one of the worlds preeminent epidemiologists, Keys was among such authorities, and thus an obvious target of conspiracy theory, revisionist history and alternative facts.

The fourth reason was the advent of the internet.

Once upon a time, you needed actually to know something to broadcast expertise, because an editorial filter stood between you and the public at large. There were ways around this, of course, such as the reliance on celebrity as an alternative to content knowledge as a basis for selling books, lotions, potions or programs. But even so, the means of disseminating messages favored those with some claim to genuine merit.

Now, anyone with internet access can broadcast opinion, masquerading as expert opinion, into the echo chambers of cyberspace, where those who own the same opinion already will amplify it. So, for instance, those totally devoted to eating or selling meat, butter and cheese are also apt to eat up, and regurgitate, any allegations against those pointing out the related liabilities.

The fifth is the most obvious: along with not wearing plaid, dead men dont fight back very effectively, either. Keys has mostly been turned into a scapegoat since dying. By way of reminder, he lived to 100 and applied what he thought he knew about diet and lifestyle to himself. That alone would make him a candidate for both celebrity and expert status today. One imagines the book: Diet of the Century.

The popular allegations against Keys are: (1) he cherry picked countries to enroll in his study to align with the beliefs he already held; (2) he fudged or selectively presented data to make a case aligned with the beliefs he favored; (3) he either failed to study sugar or misrepresented findings about it; and (4) he advocated for a now generally discredited low-fat dietary pattern.

The True Health Initiative, a 501c3 nonprofit organization I founded to identify and disseminate the fundamental truths about lifestyle and the health of people and planet alike, based on the weight of evidence and the global consensus of experts, commissioned a White Paper to determine the veracity of these claims. The paper, with its extensive and fully transparent bibliography of primary source material, was just released, and is accessible to all. The basic conclusion is that all popular disparagements of Keys and his research are demonstrably false.

Lies, repeated often enough, can smother the truth. After a decade of lies about Ancel Keys and the Seven Countries Study, its time for the truth to break free, and strike back clad in plaid or otherwise.

Dr. David L. Katz;www.davidkatzmd.com; founder, True Health Initiative

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Dr. David Katz, Preventive Medicine: Ending a decade of diet lies - Middletown Press

When it comes to eating a healthy diet, even small changes can make a big difference. Summer is a great time to kick-start healthier eating habits because of all the fresh produce that is available. Here are 5 foods and drinks that you should try to incorporate into your diet every day for cleaner eating.

1. Dark Leafy Greens

Kale, Swiss chard, spinach, arugula

Why are they important? These greens are important to add to your diet because of the high content of vitamins and minerals, especially folate, iron, vitamin K and vitamin C.

How to use them: The most obvious way would be to add them to a salad, but darky leafy greens can be used in lasagna, enchiladas, soups, and even made into chips because of their sturdy texture. And theres the ever-popular option of throwing a handful into a smoothie.

2. Beans and Legumes

Black beans, lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans

Why are they important? Beans and legumes are great sources of fiber, protein, and iron. They break down in your body slowly but are used more efficiently than animal proteins.

How to use them: Beans and legumes can be used to replace meat in most dishes, such as lentil taco meat, roasted chickpeas on a salad, or even burgers.

3. Whole Grains

Wheat, barley, quinoa, amaranth, oatmeal, brown rice

Why are they important? The fiber in whole grains can help reduce blood pressure and the risk for heart disease. Whole grains will keep you full longer, helping you avoid mindless eating during the day.

How to use them: Whole grain products are everywhere. The easiest way to start incorporating them is to just switch to whole grain versions of your favorites breads, pastas, and tortillas.

4. Fresh Fruits

Why are they important? Fruits are loaded with antioxidants, substances that help fight free radicals, which are essentially pollution in our bodies. Antioxidants include vitamin C and vitamin E.

How to use them: Shop with the season. Right now, focus on stone fruits such as peaches, plums, and apricots. Berries are also perfect right now. Add a handful of berries to your oatmeal in the morning, slice strawberries on your salad, or my personal favorite, grill peach halves and top with a bit of cinnamon and non fat whipped topping for a sweet treat.

5. Water

Why is this important? Staying hydrated is incredibly important, especially as the weather warms up. Staying hydrated helps to keep your skin glowing and your energy levels up.

How to use it: To drink more water each day, carry around a water bottle when you are on the run, or aim to drink at least one glass of water with each meal. If plain water is boring to you, try making your own infusions with fruit and herbs. Fill a pitcher with water, and add any of these combinations: lime and mint, cucumber and basil, mango, pineapple and mint, grapefruit, lemon, cucumber and mint, watermelon and basil, peach and ginger, blackberry and rosemary.

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5 foods to eat for a cleaner diet - Post-Bulletin

Rice, here in Indonesia, is one of the staples a warming climate will affect. (Dohduhdah / Wikimedia Commons)

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Higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere also mean that wheat, rice, maize, potatoes and other staples will grow with lower levels of protein and by 2050, an extra 150 million people in 47 countries will be at greater risk of malnutrition.

Four out of five people on the planet depend mostly on grain staples and legumes for dietary protein. The UN estimates that poor nutrition already accounts for around 3 million deaths among young children every year, and experiments show that higher carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are associated with protein losses of around 5%.

This study highlights the need for countries that are most at risk to actively monitor their populations nutritional sufficiency, and, more fundamentally, the need for countries to curb human-caused CO2 emissions, said Samuel Myers, a research scientist in the department of environmental health at Harvard University in the US.

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The researchers then used available data to calculate the effect of such losses on overall protein intake which varies from region to region, according to the mix of crops, and other dietary supplements.

They assumed no change in animal protein, or in protein in nuts, and then they looked at the probable impact on human health in the coming decades, as humans continue to burn fossil fuels, release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and raise planetary average temperatures.

Researchers have repeatedly warned that rising temperatures and particularly greater frequencies and intensities of heat waves, droughts and floods will threaten global food security: they will reduce fruit and vegetable yields, hit grain crop harvests and in particular affect wheat harvests in one of the most populous and poorest nations on the planet.

Ironically, other researchers have repeatedly demonstrated that a switch from a meat to a plant-based diet is likely to become more important than ever in combating climate change and reducing emissions from agriculture.

So protein deficiencies in crop yields could only make an already bad situation worse for the worlds poorest.

And there is a second challenge, this time of mineral deficiency. In another journal, Geohealth, Dr Myers and a different set of colleagues warn that higher atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are also associated with lower iron content in food crop staples.

More than 350 million children and more than a billion young women of child-bearing age already live in countries with high levels of anaemia: in a greenhouse world, these will face another 3.8% iron deficiency in their staple diet.

Strategies to maintain adequate diets need to focus on the most vulnerable countries and populations, and thought must be given to reducing vulnerability to nutrient deficiencies through supporting more diverse and nutritious diets, enriching the nutritional content of staple crops, and breeding crops less sensitive to these CO2 effects, Dr Myers said.

And, of course, we need to dramatically reduce global CO2 emissions as quickly as possible.

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Nutrition Will Suffer as Global Warming Affects Diet - Truthdig

If youre eating the Standard American Diet, a ketogenic diet, Atkins or another high fat diet, then you may inadvertently be increasing your colon cancer risk. Thats because research shows that high fat diets increase the risk of this serious form of cancer.

Recent research in the medical journal Stem Cell Reports found that eating a high fat diet increases the risk of colorectal cancer. The researchers also identified a cellular pathway that drives the growth of cancer stem cells in the colon, thereby contributing to the disease. Colorectal cancer,also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer or rectal cancer, is the third most common type of cancer in North America, next to lung cancer.

Many high fat diets are also high in processed meat, such as bacon, sausage or luncheon meats, and red meat, which also have been linked to colorectal cancer, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). New research in the Journal of Gastroenterology confirmed the WHOs conclusions about these meat products. Diets high in animal protein in general have also been linked to colorectal cancer.

High fat diets are not the only contributors to colorectal cancer. Sadly, many of the processed, prepared and fast foods found in high fat diets also contain two food additives that add insult to injury. Two commonly-used emulsifiers used by the food industry: carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate 80. Carboxymethylcellulose is frequently labeled cellulose gum on product labels. Polysorbate 80 is often just referred to as polysorbate or called Tween 80. According to Georgia State University research, both of these food additives contribute to the risk for colorectal cancer.

Id rather not just be the bearer of bad news. So, heres some good news to counter your risk of colorectal cancer: your daily coffee may actually be helping you to thwart this often-deadly cancer. According to research in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, & Prevention researchers found that your daily java may significantly reduce your colorectal cancer risk. In this study, researchers found that drinking 1 to 2 cups of coffee daily reduced colorectal cancer risk by 26 percent while drinking at least 2.5 cups daily cut the risk in half.

Eating a diet high in chlorogenic acid has also been found to reduce colorectal cancer risk. In addition to coffee, other foods that contain chlorogenic acid include: apples, carrots, flaxseeds, pineapples, potatoes and strawberries.

Eating a plant-based diet high in fiber can also reduce your risk. Add legumes, whole grains, fruit and vegetables to take advantage of the fiber but also the many plant-based nutrients known as phytonutrients that can cut your cancer risk.

I probably dont need to tell you that it is also important to quit smoking and start exercising to further reduce your colorectal cancer risk.

High fat diets are not only linked to colon cancer. Other research shows that a high fat diet prior to conception of a child and during the pregnancy increases the risk of breast cancer and mental illness in later years in the offspring. Check out my blog High Fat Diet Raises Breast Cancer and Mental Illness Risk in Offspring for more information.

Related:The Vitamins that Protect Your DNA against Air PollutionDont Believe in Herbal Medicine? 10 Things to Change Your MindThe 5 Best Herbs to Soothe Your Nerves

Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD, DNM is the publisher of the free e-news Worlds Healthiest News, president of PureFood BC, and an international best-selling and 20-time published book author whose works include: The Life Force Diet: 3 Weeks to Supercharge Your Health and Get Slim with Enzyme-Rich Foods.

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Is Your Diet Increasing Your Colon Cancer Risk? - Care2.com