Introduction

[Guest guest]

Hello, my name is Barb Lee. Thank you for allowing me to participate. We

live outside the Portland, OR metro area on a small farm where we raise a

few lambs, etc. We are deeply immersed in soil mineralization according to

the science of Dr. Albrecht, both for our pastures and our garden.

It has been really exciting to be able to delve deeply into Albrecht's

writings and connect balanced mineral fertility with plant fabrication of

amino acids, enzymes, vitamins, etc., while still delivering an intact

payload of minerals to the consumer, whether human or animal. The mineral

fertility crosses all farming and gardening modalities, from organic to BD,

except for the NPK concept of fertility. I have a weblog devoted to my

findings. The blog was started as a way to get to the bottom of an epidemic

of metabolic diseases that afflict horses, so it is written in with that in

mind. However every word of it is relevant to human consumers who are

seeking nutrient dense foods, and want to understand WHY they can't find

them. Please note this is NOT a veiled advertisement. We raise food

primarily for ourselves. I simply have a compulsion to share everything I

learn with others. It has been hard finding interest - most horse owners

are so focused on managing symptoms that preventive health seems to be a

threatening concept.

The problem for horses, and more and more ruminants, is high levels of sugar

and starch in their forage and feeds. The plants that animals eat (humans,

too!) require minerals from the soil to turn the products of photosynthesis

(sugar and starch) into all the other nutrients they (and we) need for their

own growth, reproduction and immunity. In the leached, over-cropped soils

of the NW, the grasses that should be feeding the animals are metabolically

" arrested " at the photosynthesis stage, not being able to complete the

process of making amino acids. Instead, the grass delivers a load of

nitrates, sugar and starch to the grazers. The protocol for afflicted

horses is to soak their hay to remove the sugar (I noted a thread on soaking

high starch veggies and nearly fell out of my chair in surprise!), and never

allow the horse green grass grazing. If ever there was a sad consequence of

low fertility, it is denying an animal its almost sacred need to graze. Of

course in the soaking of hay, other nutrients are washed out, such as

globular proteins (enzymes).

I believe this information is critical to growers - and seekers - of

grassfed products, as well as gardeners and vegetarians. The more fully

mineralized the soil, the more nutrient dense the products, and the more

disease resistant and healthier the animals and humans. Supplements out -

soil fertility in!

Thanks once again for allowing me to sit in, and I hope you will enjoy a

visit to the weblog. Anyone who would like to chat more is welcome to email

me privately at lee@ ccwebster.net (omit the space)

Best Regards,

Barb Lee

http://albrechtsanimals.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Feed the Soil - Feed the Horse