Full Of Grace Farm

11/18/2025

11/17/2025

For Everyone in Eastern MA, please support this caring & insighful SGARS-free industry leader! Small biz owners need our support, but small biz owners who go the extra mile & make efforts to find better solutions are rare these days, let’s lift them up!

It’s now been one full year since Banner Pest Control stopped using SGARs (second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides).

Back in October 2024, I attended a powerful Zoom presentation by Jane Newhouse from Newhouse Wildlife Rescue. Jane works in wildlife rehabilitation and sees the devastating effects of secondary poisoning in animals every day. The test results she shared, showing hawks, owls, and foxes testing positive for the very poisons we were using, really hit home. That night, I reached out to her.

Our first conversation was interesting. We were both cautious. She was the passionate wildlife rehabber I’d seen all over Facebook, and I was the pest control guy who had relied on the very products she was trying to eliminate. But the more we talked, the more we realized we were trying to solve the same problem, just from different angles. Over the past 12 months, we’ve worked together to find that middle ground: helping people manage rodent problems without harming the wildlife that naturally keeps those populations in check.

Through this journey, I’ve also been lucky enough to connect with some incredible people from groups like Lowell Loves Wildlife, Save Arlington Wildlife, Save Chelmsford Wildlife, Operation Woburn Wildlife, Save North Andover Wildlife, Protect Andover Wildlife, and many more. Each has been a strong voice for protecting owls, hawks, and other predators from SGAR exposure.

Here’s where my perspective might be a bit unique. From the industry side, I get it. I understand why SGARs have been such a trusted tool for decades. But the world is changing.

More and more towns and homeowners are looking for rodent control and prevention without the use of anticoaugilant rodenticides. If a customer doesn’t want SGARs on their property, that’s their choice - and it’s our responsibility to provide safe, effective, and sustainable solutions. This past year we’ve enjoyed exploring and studying alternative solutions, and Banner Pest Control will continue to be an SGAR-free company.

11/13/2025

Would Love to see this in the US!! Def better for the environment overall… however, I’m concerned about the number of animals US drivers might hit. Thoughts? 🤔

Where Science Meets Kindness On Ice

In Sweden, innovation has taken a compassionate turn and it’s saving lives. Engineers have developed an edible road salt designed not just to melt ice, but to protect the country’s birds and wildlife from deadly dehydration during freezing winters.

Traditional road salt, though effective at clearing snow, often poisons animals who ingest it while searching for food. Each year, countless birds suffer dehydration and organ failure after consuming it. But Sweden’s new formula changes everything.

Made from beet extract and maize starch, this eco-friendly blend melts ice efficiently while remaining completely safe for animals. When spread across roads, it leaves behind nutrients rather than toxins. Birds can safely peck at the residue, gaining hydration and energy instead of harm.

The concept was born out of Sweden’s deep respect for nature and its drive toward sustainable living. It’s already being tested across several icy regions, showing remarkable results safer roads, cleaner water systems, and healthier wildlife.

It’s a small change with an enormous impact, proving that even winter’s harshest challenges can be met with empathy and science working hand in hand.

11/12/2025

Did you know: Wolves will not, in fact, eat all the deer and elk.

We know, shocking. Despite popular myths, wolves aren’t lurking in the woods planning the extinction of their natural prey. In reality, they make up a relatively small percentage of deer and elk deaths. Most are caused by humans (hunting, cars, habitat loss, you name it).

Wolves actually help keep herds healthy by targeting the sick, old, and injured. In fact, studies in Yellowstone show that wolves typically select for elk that are around 15 years old. That means stronger, more resilient populations in the long run, not fewer.

So next time someone says “the wolves will eat them all,” remind them that ecosystems worked just fine before people decided to play referee.

11/12/2025

UPDATE: The number of representatives cosponsoring the bipartisan Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act reached 186 this week.

This important bipartisan legislation would ban the export of American horses for slaughter and impose a lasting ban on horse slaughter here at home.

Thanks to your support, we’ve helped add 16 new House cosponsors since Oct. 1, despite the government shutdown!

We need to continue building support and pushing for a vote!

🔸 Why it matters:

Until Congress acts, a small number of kill buyers will profit from trucking American horses from auctions to Mexican and Canadian slaughterhouses. Through July, 12,194 were sent to Mexico or Canada to be slaughtered — up 25% from a year ago.

Most exported horses are in good condition, according to a government report. Among them are an unknown number of wild horses and burros captured in government roundups that slip through the cracks after adoption or sale.

Congress has also failed to pass a federal ban on horse slaughter within the United States. Because of that, advocates spend valuable time and resources that could be spent helping horses lobbying for language in annual spending bills to keep slaughterhouses closed.

🔸 How you can help:

Send a message to your members of Congress at https://returntofreedom.org/current_actions/

Rather than phoning congressional offices during the ongoing government shutdown, send a postcard or letter to your members of Congress asking them to support the SAFE Act (H.R. 1661 in the House, S. 775 in the Senate). You can find office addresses on their websites.

Donate to our Wild Horse Defense Fund through our bio. It supports our lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill, grassroots advocacy and selective litigation.

Spread the word: Share this post, tell others about what’s happening and encourage friends to write Congress!

Photo: Essence Captured

11/11/2025

🌺 Lest We Forget 🌺
“They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,
We will remember them.” — Laurence Binyon

Today, we pause to honor and remember the brave souls who gave everything for our freedom. Their courage and sacrifice live on in our hearts. ❤️

11/11/2025

“The One Who Carried Me” -
In memory of the horses lost during war on Remembrance Day ❤

I’ve buried men with medals on, with flags upon their chests,
But none who bore the weight you did with such unspoken rest.
You never asked for glory, nor ever claimed your due,
But every inch of ground we took was won because of you.

Through mud that swallowed wheels and dreams, through storms of smoke and flame,
You pulled, you charged, you never balked, you came when no one came.
You bore my pack, my fears, my hope — and more than once, my frame,
And never once did you retreat, or shy away from pain.

They called us brave, those boys who fought, but we both know the truth —
I leaned on something stronger then, with hooves and endless youth.
When shells fell close and courage fled, I held tight to your mane,
And found the will to carry on, because you bore my strain.

Now here I stand, a frailer man, medals dull with rust,
While you lie quiet, nobly still, beneath this mound of dust.
No statue marks your sacrifice, no name carved in the stone,
But know this much, old friend of mine: you never stood alone.

I speak to you in whispers now, like I once did at night,
When I would rub your weary neck and check your tack was right.
And if there is a place beyond this war-torn, weary earth,
Then may you run forever free — no harness, pain, or girth.

They say a soldier dies just once, when breath and time are through,
But some live on in those they saved — and I still live through you

11/11/2025

Purple Poppies

Today, we wear the purple poppy for those who could not choose.
For the silent and steadfast souls who walked beside humankind through the smoke of war —
those who bore our burdens, carried our messages and trusted us even as the world around them fell apart.

Horses who thundered through chaos.
Dogs who ran through fire to deliver hope.
Pigeons who flew through storms of bullets, guided only by instinct and faith.
Mules, donkeys and elephants who hauled the weight of human conflict through mud and ruin.
And the smaller ones — cats, canaries, camels — each a quiet pulse of courage in the great machinery of devastation and death. 💜

They did not understand our quarrels, yet they gave their all. Their loyalty was not born of cause or country, but of love — simple, steadfast and undeserved.
Their sacrifice reminds us that war’s shadow stretches far beyond the boundaries of humanity.

So when we wear the purple poppy, let it not be only for the human soldiers, but for every voiceless being who suffered and served beside them. For remembrance, if it is to be honest, must include all who gave their lives for our idea of freedom. 💜

Lest we forget —
the voiceless who had no choice,
but gave their all. ❤️‍🩹

11/11/2025

Not all Veterans wear combat boots… Thank you to all our four legged hero’s