A couple months ago I was approached by the Standlee Hay Company to conduct a series of product reviews for some of their hay feed products. I was provided with a $120 dollar voucher to purchase and conduct an unbiased evaluation of several products for use on our farm. We chose to evaluate their alfalfa hay pellets, alfalfa hay cubes, and shredded beet pulp products.
After several weeks of using the products, we have come to the conclusion that Standlee produces what anyone would consider to be a premium forage product. In short, we were impressed.
We have used beet pulp for years, and have generally felt pretty good about the quality of the product that we get from the feed store. To our surprise, the Standlee beet pulp product stood out immediately as soon as we opened the bag. It smelled noticeably richer and fresher than we were used to. It was also a darker color and consisted of larger flakes. This seems to infer that Standlee uses higher quality beet shavings and uses more molasses in the manufacturing process than other brands.
Both the alfalfa hay cubes and alfalfa hay pellets were used interchangeably. Neither of these products should be fed straight out of the bag, but rather soaked in warm water to soften them up before feeding. We feed native alfalfa hay already, so our animals had no problem making a transition to a mix of whole forage and commercially refined forage product. We observed that both products were bright green and fresh smelling. Of the two, we were really surprised how much alfalfa actually is packed into the pelleted feed. In fact, if we were to recommend only one product from them, it would probably the alfalfa pellet. A cup of alfalfa pellet expands to nearly the volume of a full scoop after soaking in warm water.
Based on our experiences with with evaluating these products, we were very pleasantly surprised by the quality and value of the Standlee Hay feeds, even at the higher price point that a premium feed generally sells for. We had no problems with any of our animals while on the feed. If you’re considering a commercial forage-based feed, we can tell you from experience that the Standlee product line would be worth looking into.
Bitcoin has been in the news recently and is quickly gaining steam as a robust and anonymous currency – essentially a viable replacement for cash in the digital realm. For those of you that understand the economic underpinnings of personal liberty, you will also understand how important it is to get involved with this project.
As such, we’ve been busy little bees working to modify our shopping cart logic to accept Bitcoin as a form of payment. You’ll soon see it under the payment options as part of the checkout process. Stay tuned!
Tons of GMO corn are now being wiped out by pest insects that have adapted to GMO based methods.
But don’t worry, the biotech companies knew this would happen and are standing at the ready to introduce even more GMOs and toxic chemicals into the food supply. That’s right, we’ll fix the problem that was caused by using GMO’s and toxic chemicals excessively, through excessive use of GMOs and toxic chemicals. Sounds like a real winner.
What’s next, they say, is even worse. To combat the growing wave of resistant weeds and bugs, biotech companies like Monsanto and Dow Chemical Company are poised to launch a whole new arsenal of genetically modified seeds that will accelerate the chemical warfare. Some are designed for use with older, more toxic herbicides that scientists say pose an even greater risk to the environment and human health.
The biotech companies say they will educate farmers and extension agents on how to minimize the health and environmental risks, and that the multiple genetic weapons contained in the new seeds will make it impossible for pests to develop resistance.
I shudder to think what ‘education’ means to Monsanto.
After all, what could possibly go wrong? Oh wait, everything that already has.
Ask anyone today and all but the most socially oblivious will tell you that we’re in trouble. It seems that everywhere we turn, we are faced with some bureaucrat making every effort to spit in the face of personal liberty in the name of some faceless greater good. Many of us have chosen to wrap ourselves in a warm blanket of normalcy bias, clinging to the misguided idea that things will “just work out.” While I consider myself an optimist, I can’t ignore statistical data that says otherwise. No amount of grandstanding or political feelgood speech will change that. There is little doubt in my mind that we are in for some tough times.
When times get difficult, it becomes even more important to highlight the positive. When we bring positive change to light and into the public eye, we do something very powerful. We show that a path exists with new choices and possibilities; we show by example that it can be done. It’s an illustration of how far we have fallen when a sheriff just doing his job becomes an internet icon for liberty literally overnight.
In the face of increasingly militarized police forces on our streets, where legitimate protest footage is nearly indistinguishable from that of a war correspondent – this man took a stand. In an environment where our political leaders say it’s acceptable to pat down infants, our seniors, and even our veterans for the sake of security theater – this guy took a stand. He did nothing less than uphold his oath to the principles of personal liberty.
Folks, I wish I could say that everything will be rainbows and daisies, but we all know that there is a storm coming. No one can predict how it will play out, but one thing is clear. If you wear a badge, then at some point you will have to make a choice between political forces and the oath you took to our nation’s principles. And when the smoke clears, you will have to live with that decision.
Sheriff Lenic, thank you for making the right choice.
“After months of protesting a policy requiring high school students to wear an RFID-enabled ID badge around their necks at all times, Andrea Hernandez is being involuntarily withdrawn from John Jay High School in San Antonio effective November 26th, according to a letter sent by the district that has now been made public.
The letter, sent on November 13, informs her father that the Smart ID program, which was phased in with the new school year, is now in “full implementation” and requires all students to comply by wearing the location-tracking badges.
Since Andrea Hernandez has refused to wear the badge, she is being withdrawn from the magnate school and her program at the Science and Engineering Academy, and instead will have to attend William Howard Taft HS, which is not currently involved in the ID scheme, unless she changes her position.”
A big BubbaTanicals thumbs up to Andrea Hernandez for taking her fight for liberty to the front lines. I remember being in high school and I can tell you that I would likely not have the maturity or the courage to wage such a fight. Andrea, you are an inspiration and more of us could stand to take a page form your book.
What you said