So, my last blog post was in the Fall. I obviously have time management issues 😩. My email campaign has come to a screeching halt too. Although, I really doubt anyone noticed. According to my account, most of the emails went unopened anyway. People want useful information as well as updates. My brain is FULL of farm information!! I’m going to start blogging that information for all of you to enjoy and benefit as well.

My thoughts lately are around focusing on how far my family’s food travels to get to them. We’ve all read information and have heard about buying locally. BUT, do you really KNOW where your food in coming from? Even if you purchase from a local farm, is it really their products? I recently heard a story about a local farm selling meat as their own that wasn’t produced on their farm. Misrepresentation. When you purchase your meat/eggs from a farm, it should be what you expect. Make sure the label on your product says their farm name. Just saying USDA isn’t enough. That can come from CostCo or Sysco and have that stamp. Products packaged at a local USDA facility will have the processors name and/or the farm name on the label. Walmart buys beef grown outside their business and slaps their label on it. And while I’m at it….WalMart. They have built a meat processing plant in GA, I can only imagine the demand for “local” meaning “in country” to them has forced them to make that move. BUT….. their Angus beef is grown in Texas and Nebraska on a feedlot, then transported to Kansas for slaughter before moving to GA for processing. What? Yes, look it up. I can tell you from my experience that any travel is stressful on animals. We aren’t in the beef business, so I’m just another consumer, like you when it comes to beef. Even if we order meat from a farm in California that is grown and processed all within a few miles of where it was born is better than Walmart beef!

https://thecounter.org/walmart-new-angus-beef-plant-thomasville-georgia/

Now, something I do produce - EGGS! Although some commercial suppliers have said to be converting to “free-ranging” that doesn’t mean your eggs are FRESH! My research has shown that 4 large producers of eggs for a grocery chain have facilities from Minnesota to Mississippi. One grower has plants in 15 states with 6 distribution centers from Florida to Utah.

When eggs are packaged their carton is stamped with a number. 1-365 based on the day of the year they are packaged. But…. how long were there in transport to the packaging facility? So add a week at minimum for transportation. They aren’t flying them 😂. I’m not going to dive into the washing and handling practices.

Anyway, buy eggs from a local farmer! Of course, they are not going to be the ALDI (I love ALDI) .79 per dozen but they will be fresh and have minimal hands on them. Go a step further, take a farm fresh egg and crack it into a bowl and then a grocery store egg. Compare the color and consistency. There is NO comparison. Heck, I’ll give you an egg for your test! Just message me.

Okay, that is it for today! I’ll touch on the 2 other meats we raise next time - Lamb and Pork. By the way, We have lambs going to processing this month and will have it available to purchase later this month. Get on the list now!!

For now, try to be mindful of the food your family eats. Even if it is making small changes a little at a time. I totally understand that buying locally is usually more expensive, so make the small changes that you can afford. When we get the market open our goal is to try our best to keep the prices as low as possible so you can feed your family with breaking the bank. 😘