Looming problem in Rural America

Meth labs in Rural America are a serious problem. Last Thursday I was driving up Hwy 65 in Saline County, near Grand Pass, Missouri. The Highway Patrol and Saline County Sheriff were busting a meth lab at Shawn Summers residence. I stopped to visit with Deputy Wilma Garrett about how prevalent these labs actually are. She told me “this is the time of year when anhydrous ammonia tanks are rolling and I just cringe”. I just completed a two part series on Loos Tales about this problem. Click here if you want to know what to do if you suspect a meth lab in your neighborhood.

This is a live link the Loos Tales airing today interviewing Deputy Wilma Garrett.

Incidentally, Wilma notified me today that Shawn Summers is still at large and a warrant for his arrest has been issued.



Speaking of drugs

My daughter Lindsi was seven months old on Saturday. The first seven days of her life she received IV antibiotics because her body temperature was below normal at birth. Upon further investigation, I learned that this practice is very common. Yet according to the “plant based diet” eggheads, it is my fault as a livestock feeder that humans are becoming resistant to antibiotics. The Sierra Club is an example of one such group with this accusation: “Each year in the United States, roughly 16 million pounds of antibiotics are routinely added to animal feed to speed the growth of livestock. Bacteria that are naturally resistant to the antibiotics survive, reproduce and spread. This leaves us, the consumers, at a greater risk of being exposed to deadly drug-resistant bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli and Campylobacter”.

These groups always estimate that 70% of all antibiotics produced are used in livestock feeding. Do you know how they come up with that number? They take 9 billion head of livestock times the maximum dosage according to the label; you and I know that doesn’t happen. By the way ANTIBIOTICS ARE THE MOST EXPENSIVE COMPENENT IN FEED, why would we feed one more pound that absolutely necessary?

Many of you have requested more information about this. Ron Phillips at the Animal Health Institute is a great source for this data. On his website you will find the presentation Antibiotic Resistance and Food Producing Animals by Dr. Richard Carnevale,