I had just finished the chapter on industrial beef practices in "The Omnivore's Dilemma," when the doorbell rang. It was my mother-in-law coming to visit. "Oh, by the way," she said after hello, "we're making a dinner tonight. Is pot roast okay?"
Ugh. Needless to say, I ate light that evening. And, if I needed any additional incentive to go local, grass-fed bison, I just saw this article link on Chow.com. Apparently, the USDA is being sued by a Kansas beef producer because, allegedly, the USDA PROHIBITED the producer from voluntarily testing the herd for Mad Cow Disease. That's right. The entity that is supposed to protect the consumer is being accused of preventing voluntary testing.
