10/20: Beef Study Update, Letters to the Editor & More
Cooler temperatures are setting in here in New England. No frost yet, but it is on the horizon. No longer is the desire to go jump in the pond to cool off in the midst of a hot day in the field, now it is the pleasure of sitting in front of a fire in the living room in the evening. We had a full month of events across the US last month, and a tour across the British Isles coming up next month, but this month is one of confirming new partnerships, following through on projects, and settling in for the cooler months ahead.
In this issue of our newsletter, you will find:
Some very exciting preliminary results for the beef study
An interest survey around our next study on nutrient density
A new section: Letters to the Editor
An update on the more than 20 screenings of Regenerating Life that our local chapters have coming up across 3 continents
An exciting opportunity offered by our long-term good friend and ally John Kempf
Upcoming events that I will be attending
I hope you are well,
Dan
Beef Study Results
We are excited to be halfway through our Beef Study. The first time anyone anywhere (that we know of) has worked to categorically define nutrient density in a crop. Our target is 750 steaks from 200 farms and ranches from around the planet, and 150 from off of the supermarket shelf. We are currently at about 400 steaks. While we certainly have many more from North America, we also have samples from Europe, Australia, and South America. Dan was able to present preliminary findings from this project at the Grassfed Exchange annual conference in Pennsylvania and at the Thousand Hills 20th anniversary event in Minnesota. The following slides are highlights from that presentation.
The first highlight is the categorical difference between grass fed and grain fed beef is the omega 6:3 ratio. Nutritional guidelines generally recommend omega 6:3 ratios below 4:1. Our work shows cows finished on grass have ratios below 2:1 and some as low as 1:1! Studies in humans also suggest that grass-fed beef, with such favorable omega 6:3 ratios, can make meaningful contributions to omega-3 levels in the diet of consumers.
There is obviously a range of production systems and some in each perform much more well than others. In fact, it seems that we have the ability to determine whether or not claims on packaging align with the nature of what is inside of it. As this slide shows, we can potentially identify when samples submitted were actually finished on grass or perhaps were fed other products.
Our data also found that when cows graze a wider diversity of plants on pasture, this correlated directly with the critical omega 6:3 ratio. Basically, greater diversity = more omega-3 fatty acids!
Beyond things like omega 6 and 3 fatty acids, which are more commonly known, beef from cows finished on pasture had higher levels of health-beneficial compounds produced by microbes in the soil. Some people have heard about ergothioneine, a health-beneficial compound produced by mycorrhizal fungi. The graph below indicates that higher levels of ergothioneine are found in grass-fed beef, which may be related to having more “life” in the soil.
As well, phytochemicals are higher in grass fed beef. These nutrients that are well known for their anti-chronic disease impact on us humans, are generally understood to be found in plants and herbs. Well, if the cows are eating things like that, then the levels of those nutrients are higher in their meat as well.
Finally, even though we are just halfway through this project, the hypothesis that we started with seems to be being born out in the data. It doesn't seem to matter what part of the world or what the climate and soil type are. Cows that finished their lives consuming a broad spectrum of plants produce beef with more beneficial nutrients! Our goal is to expand the number of grain-fed samples in the study over the next 6 months to further investigate the potential health benefits from well-done grain-fed operations. Please reach out to us if you might be interested in submitting samples that are grain-fed or finished.
Due to the excitement that many of the producers in this study are experiencing after seeing these results, there is a demand for them to be able to make nutritional claims on the packages they sell. Red meat has a bad name due to the fact that much of what is produced has nutritional levels outside what is recommended for health. While still finishing this study, we are actively working to get this preliminary data published and then to coordinate with the USDA to help these companies make their claims next year. A wonderful proof of concept of the nutrient density hypothesis.
Interest Survey
Research projects are often inspired and supported by farmers, ranchers, and organizations who come together to fund and source samples for a specific crop. We are gathering allies for our next nutrient density study. If you are interested in a particular crop and want to see results similar to our beef study, please fill out the survey below. Each study needs funding and producers willing to contribute farm-specific samples. Thank you for your interest and support in increasing the quality of our food supply!
Upcoming Events
October 24: Dan will be on a panel at the Common Ground super screening in Arlington, MA. More information here.
November 7-8: Dan speaking at NOTS BioFarm 2023 in Adare, Ireland. More information here.
Locations for England and Scotland to follow the NOTS conference are being finalized now. For those in the UK interested in attending an intro lecture with Dan watch our social channels for details. The current plan is as follows:
November 10: Edinburgh
November 11: Birmingham - Bishops Wood Village Hall Staffordshire (ST19 9FG)
November 12: Cornwall - Treverbyn Community Hall (PL26 8TL), at 6.30pm
November 13: Forest Row
Letters to the Editor
Every newsletter we send out results in a bunch of good questions that we usually respond to personally, but often they are questions many in the community have. We will be using this section of the newsletter to develop that community exchange. Feel free to respond to this newsletter with your questions and they may be responded to for everyone!
Q: Looking at the graphs from your last newsletter, what correlated with high BQI? We are considering now adding basalt rock dust from the 7 sisters mountain range to our soil blends this year. Do you still believe this basalt rock is a good local source of minerals?
A: From all of the root, leaf, fruit and grain crops that we assessed, the only thing that correlated with increased nutrient levels was soil respiration. As in, the amount of outbreath of life in the soil. So, more soil life, higher nutrient levels. We’ll be releasing additional graphs from this data in upcoming newsletters.
To take this to a bit of a longer explanation, and to review the points from this newsletter: just because you are certified organic, does not mean that there are high levels of life in your soil. Just because you are selling at a farmers market, or through a CSA does not mean you have high levels of life in your soil. Just because you use cover crops, or minimize tillage, or add compost does not mean you have high levels of life in your soil. It seems to be much more about the continuous sensitive engagement with the land through the year than any other specific claims or certifications. It is entirely possible for a large farmer, a thousand miles away, to be managing their land well, and producing crops that are going into the conventional supply chain.
As to your other question about basalt, yes I still think local basalt rock dust (if you can source it) is a wonderful amendment to address underlying mineral deficiencies. And, putting it into your compost pile when building it is a great way to get those minerals pre-digested and bioavailable for your crops.
Q: I listened to your talk today at Grassfed Exchange. Was hoping to meet you but will need to be next time. I do have a proposal for an additional data point to add to your nutritional analysis study that I’d be willing to provide the time and energy to provide. I think you should consider adding in the level of electromagnetic pollution for the county or zip code (whatever the most granular data point is you have about the farm location) and see if there is a correlation that is revealed. This landmark study makes a strong argument for capturing this data and no one else is doing it or tying it to nutrition. But in my experience in the last 4 years working with farmers to mitigate EMF on their farmers with biophotonic devices, I can see a nutritional impact on pasture grass due to EMF radiation, but I’m curious how/if that shows up in the finished product.
Studies:
A: I'm certainly of the opinion that electromagnetic frequency fields created by humans affect the world around us, and likely in negative ways that most of us don't understand. Thanks for sharing those papers that may be of interest for those who may be curious about this topic. I'm also in favor of working to bring those fields into a coherent form that is as minimally disturbing as possible. I've said in my course for years that "if we can project incoherence into the environment around us, then we should thus be able to project coherence as well". I don't feel like I understand enough to make recommendations about how to do that, but certainly support the concept.
I have certainly wanted to integrate as many environmental conditions as possible into the meta-data that is used to understand what causal factors can be found to cause life to function more well. And, while EMF is the kind of thing that we have not yet prioritized, I would love to talk to you about how to bring it in. I'm also of the opinion that prayer or intention is also a major factor in crop vitality, but have not figured out how to assess that. :) At least it could be a question we ask on the questionnaire!
To take it to the next level, I have thought since before beginning the science work through the Bionutrient Institute in 2016 that the best kind of meter to develop would be one that assesses vibrational coherence in the food, not just nutrient levels. My guess is that coherence is a big piece of how our food affects us, beyond the chemistry of nutrients. What is coherence, and how to build a meter that anyone could afford that tests it is an even bigger project than a spectrometer though. And, vibrational coherence sounds much more woo-woo than levels and ratios of nutrients, so the thought was to start with nutrients and get to coherence later.
Q: Thanks for the great info! How do I read the graphs from your last newsletter? What does fifths of the range mean? And the color codes?
A: Translating science graphs into a common sense understanding is not necessarily a natural thing to be able to do! The fifths of the range on a scale of 1-100 would be 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80 and 81-100. The colors were supposed to be showing from red through yellow to green. Red is 1-20 out of 100, yellow is 41-60 out of 100 and green is 81-100 out of 100. Orange is 21-40, and light green is 61-80. So basically, red is the crops with the lowest nutrient levels and green is the ones with the highest. What you see in these graphs is that most of the samples that we tested showed levels that were in the 10th to the 40th percentile. It didn't matter if they were from organic farms or what variety was grown or whether tillage was used or cover crops. Some crops showed up with high levels of nutrients, those in the green section, but as you can see, not many. And, we over-sourced crops from smaller, one would think doing a better job kind of growers. The same humility necessary when looking at your produce with a refractometer is applicable here. Excellent is possible, but most of us are not accomplishing it.
Q: Can you give an update on the Bionutrient Meter?
A: Thanks for that question. We are no longer selling the version 2 meter that we made available in 2021. We were clear that it was a functioning prototype that was calibrated to polyphenols in zucchini or antioxidants in carrots or BQI in wheat or oats for example. People want something that is calibrated to nutrient density however, and we have not gotten far enough with the science to be able to provide that level of function.
In fact, until we have a definition of nutrient density we can't really calibrate any meter to nutrient density. That is why we are now working on the beef project, and starting with other crops next year. What we found in our initial work from 2018-2021 is that nutrient variations are massive in the food supply. Until characterizing that it was not a fact that others agreed with. Now that we have shown that variation is significant we need to determine what nutrient levels and ratios are superior and inferior so that we can have a meter that says this carrot is 80 out of 100 and that carrot is 20 out of 100 for example. As those understandings are developed we can share them with people around the world. As a non-profit educational, organization it is not our strong suit to be building hardware, so we are very happy to explore with others who have those skill sets how they may be able to build meters calibrated to nutrient density that we can tell you all about. Step by step, it is a process:)
Q: Any plans to come to Australia and talk about this to us down under?
A: I always say that I "go where invited". There have been a number of people over the years who have asked me about speaking in your part of the planet, both Australia and New Zealand. Maybe it's time to put that together. Anyone else who is interested in being part of a tour over there should respond to this newsletter to that effect. And, those interested in helping coordinate events in their local area should feel free to do similarly.
COMMENT: Just a short note to tell you how much I enjoy reading about the work you are doing. Keep up the great work. I love this summary as it illustrates how terroir is so dependent on complex interactions among the variety of plant and the environment (sunlight, moisture, nutrients, temperatures...) where a plant is conceived and then reared from year to year. That echoes what we found when we looked at native plants and their chemistries in different environments, all varying from year to year. Dan points out that no particular type of management (e.g., regenerative, biodynamic, real organic, till, no till and so forth) has a lock on nutrient richness. That means it's up to each farmer to figure out how to create the most flavor with the varieties and conditions under which they grow fruits, vegetables, and meats on their place. Long live terroir and our ability to work with that.
Best Wishes
Fred Provenza, Professor Emeritus
Dept. Wildland Resources, Utah State University
A: Thanks Fred, your affirmation of our work means a lot to me. And yes, the fact that what we are finding fits in line with all the cutting-edge work you did in your career leaves me feeling confident that our experimental design is well-founded. I know you are in close contact with Stephan, and am curious about what you think of the preliminary beef data we are presenting here.
Regenerating Life Screenings
The BFA is excited to be partnering with Hummingbird Films to host screenings of the film Regenerating Life across the US and beyond! We are currently lining up more than 20 screenings. See the list below - dates and details to come! To learn more about the film, click here, and to watch the trailer, click here.
USA:
California - Los Angeles, Mendocino, San Diego
Colorado - Fort Collins, Douglas County
Connecticut
Florida
Illinois - Chicago
Indiana - Lawrenceburg
Kentucky
Maine - New Gloucester
Massachusetts
Minnesota - Twin Cities
Pennsylvania - Carlisle
New York - Bedford
International:
Australia - Victoria
Canada - Chilliwach, BC
Portugal
Advancing Eco Agriculture Fundraiser
Advancing Eco Agriculture and its Founder, John Kempf, are launching their first community fundraise on Wefunder!
John Kempf is a long-time dear friend, as well as a brilliant man. I've had a first-hand view of AEA since its inception in a shed off of the barn on his parents’ farm until its new cutting-edge facility in Denver just opened. From everything I understand about what the details are of work going forward, this company is at the cutting edge in its space.
What AEA has done and is doing, is global in its import and trajectory.
In offering the upside potential to own a part of this business to anyone and everyone is exactly in line with everything John is about. This kind of opportunity to be a part of a real solution does not come around every day. Put your money where your mouth is!
Join Us!
Our work depends on the support of people who are passionate about the health of our soil, food, community, and planet. People like YOU!
As a BFA member, you'll receive:
Discounts to innovative events, programming, workshops, and our annual Soil & Nutrition Conference
Periodic newsletters with regular updates about our lab testing progress.
Invitations to join our new webinar series: Let’s Talk Bionutrient!
Option to purchase valuable tools. We offer our members access to toolkits at a discounted cost for testing, evaluating, and improving the quality of their crops, produce, and soil.
Click the button below to learn more and sign up to become part of a community of citizen scientists, farmers, and businesses, all focused on increasing quality in the food supply. We look forward to having you on board!
