The Life Of A Blade Of Grass
By Natalie Skinner
Below is step by step explanation of the process of where the grass goes throughout its "life time."
1st: The grass is grown in many acres. The farmer will only have to plant the seeds once if he continues this process:
2nd: The cows come into a freshly grown pasture. Then they graze it just enough to where the roots aren't completely destroyed. At the night of day 1 the farmer moves them to a new pasture so that the grass has time to recuperate and grow back. The farmer shouldn't have to buy new seeds. I almost forgot the cows will poop all the things they ate from the grass. Just like what we humans do.
3rd: Three days after the cows have grazed a pasture, the farmer brings an "egg-mobile" to the pasture. An egg-mobile is a transportation vehicle in which the chickens can lay eggs and be transported to a pasture. There are doors on the outside which allow you to collect the eggs easily.
4th: Three days after the cows have grazed a pasture, the chickens come in and eat the parasites and bugs in the cow-pies. They then fertilize the grazed grass, with their own droppings, so that it can then grow again.
5th: Then in the spring, when the chickens are in the preferred size range, they get crated. After they get to the slaughter house, eight chickens get put inside eight cones to get bleed. After that the chickens then go into a boiling "bath" with rubber fingers to clean and pull the feathers. When the feathers are pulled, the head, beak, and feet are cut off. When they are "amputated" they are gutted. Some of the guts will be sold and the blood and others will be composted to fertilize the grass.
6th: After the chickens are then again cleaned, costumers pick the chicken they want, bag them, and then go to the "store" to pay. Some costumers actually come to watch the chicken get "processed."
7th: When the costumers leave with their chickens, the farmer and his staff clean the tables and tools. They bring the guts to the compost and soon it will be fertilizer.
8th: The cycle starts again!
You move the cattle each night so the grass can recover and grow back. The egg-mobile transports the chicken to a pasture. While the chicken are in the pasture, the farmers will collect the eggs in the egg-mobile. Although Joel Salatin raises the cattle and pigs he can't process them like he does to the chickens, because of the USDA regulations. They cattle and hogs also have to be sent to be processed because Salatin's processing plant "isn't healthy."
Grass has a very complex life. It goes from beginning grown to be feed to us, humans. Although it seems to be a very simple process it takes many months to get to where it is able to be feed to us. I am just astounded to see that such a simple thing like being a "grass farmer" can be such an important job.
So this essay is in dedication to Joel Salatin; Grass Farmer. I hope one day that the whole world will realize that this is what we need to be: grass farmers.
P.S. the other stuff is good to, don't get me wrong. I fully appreciate teachers, photographers, etc.
Grass has a very complex life. It goes from beginning grown to be feed to us, humans. Although it seems to be a very simple process it takes many months to get to where it is able to be feed to us. I am just astounded to see that such a simple thing like being a "grass farmer" can be such an important job.
So this essay is in dedication to Joel Salatin; Grass Farmer. I hope one day that the whole world will realize that this is what we need to be: grass farmers.
P.S. the other stuff is good to, don't get me wrong. I fully appreciate teachers, photographers, etc.
