Friday, August 29, 2014

Wondering About Fly Farmers.

There are a lot of flying farmers and ranchers out there who use airplanes or helicopters to get around their property fast and to keep track of their livestock or to spray fields.

No, that is not the kind of fly farmer I am going to talk about.  This is what the farmer I am talking about raises:
 
Actually, they don't raise adult flies, they raise maggots like these: 
 
 And like these:

Maggots are a huge source of high protein food for animals. . . and yes for people, too.  Now, take a good look at the last two pictures.  Don't they look real appetizing???  Enjoy your lunch today and by all means, have a great day, you hear?

17 comments:

  1. Good thang ive got a steel stomach,,, eating lunch when im reading this..

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  2. Replies
    1. Yes, they have a high "Yuk" factor for sure. But, would you eat them if you were starving?

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    2. I doubt it. I'd eat grass and tree leaves first.

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    3. Make sure they aren't poison ivy or poison oak. I knew a girl one time who, when she was small, ate some poison ivy leaves and almost died.

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  3. Time for my protein fix. Once ate a whole house fly. Complete with the fixtures and fittings y'all.

    Have a real nice weekend, you hear?

    Gary :)

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    Replies
    1. I guess then you need to graduate to barn flies (grin).

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  4. You're in a bit of a mood today! Crap on Billy Bob's page, and maggots for lunch?

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    Replies
    1. I guess I better watch what I say. They do use maggots for protein in animal feed.

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  5. I would rather starve than eat those :(

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    Replies
    1. We have no idea where some of the protein comes from in processed foods. . .

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  6. DD wrote this posting as if this was now a common practice. However, in searching the Web I found an article dated Apr 02, 2014 that began with this as a first paragraph:
    "Relying on proteins from fast-growing insects such as maggots presents many advantages, but we need a better knowledge of these protein sources before they can be turned into animal feed."
    Another article dated 01 Dec, 2012 began as follows:
    "IF USING maggots as animal feed sounds a bit way-out, think again: the world's first maggot factory will be commissioned in South Africa next year. For South African "eco-capitalist" Jason Drew, that's just the first step in a much bigger ambition - to replace the global use of fishmeal as animal feed with maggots, a virtually unlimited renewable resource. "
    Or from an article dated 4 June 2014:
    "AgriProtein, a South African company which began building what it says will be the world's largest fly farm a few weeks ago. Others in the US, France, Canada and the Netherlands are also gearing up for large-scale farming of insects to feed chicken, pigs and farmed fish.
    Hundreds of people attended the Insects to Feed the World conference in Wageningen in the Netherlands earlier this month. Many of them are convinced that bugs can provide a sustainable alternative to more conventional but increasingly expensive cereals, fishmeal and soybeans."

    Certainly possible but not yet quite ready for Prime Time.

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    1. We must adapt or starve. Those huge grain siloes have to be infected with some sort of insects and their larva which gets ground up with the wheat, corn, or what ever is stored there for human consumption.

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    2. You are right DD. The FDA even has a Handbook,
      "Defect Levels Handbook
      The Food Defect Action Levels
      Levels of natural or unavoidable defects in foods that present no health hazards for humans",
      that list how many insect parts, and rodent hairs, are allowed in food products.

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  7. I thot they were still used in the medical field too, for cleaning out bad wounds.

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    Replies
    1. I have heard that both maggots and leaches have been used for wound care.

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