The lack of beauty and truth in modern agriculture is not a benign side effect of efficient production. In the short term, it represents a design flaw to be overcome. Marketers are tasked with painting over the truth, and laws are passed to limit public visibility into these operations. These techniques have propped up the system so far. But make no mistake, in the long run, the combination of ugliness and deception is the system’s Achilles’ heel.
Since 2018, we've served thousands of customers and we continue to expand our production of pasture raised chickens to meet the local demand. But the truth is, we've still got a LONG way to go before this type of farming becomes the rule, rather than the exception. With this in mind, we've partnered with an incredible team based in Seattle to begin generating more local awareness of regenerative farming practices. This team is called Mt. Joy:
... factory farming is not inevitable, despite its prominence in America today. Even a generation ago the food system for animals looked totally different than it does now. The products that we see in the markets and the farms dotting the landscape are the outcome of a very intentional process, mostly by a small handful of very large meat companies, to produce a system that predominantly benefits them.
To help you become a truly discerning pastured pork customer, we've listed our top 6 questions to ask your pastured pig farmer.
How can we go about finding the most ecologically regenerative, high-welfare, and high-quality pastured pork? Here are nine key considerations that should get you rooting in the right direction.
Raising chickens on pastures in a country where over 99% of chickens raised for meat are raised in indoor confinement facilities (including those "humane washed" as free-range and organic) is an act of defiance. While the frustration many feel with the "conventional" way of doing things causes some to seek out local, pasture-raised products, it causes others to throw conventional career advice out the window and join the ranks of a growing number of pastured poultry producers.
Demand for better meat in Washington is on the rise, and our little farm will simply not be able to keep up. What is needed is a rich fabric of locally-adapted and economically-viable farms stewarding the land and producing better meat for their local communities...
When you eat fruits and vegetables, do you ever pause to consider where their life-sustaining nutrients came from? In a world where veggies typically come from the veggie aisle, and meat from the meat aisle, it can be easy to forget that all food - and life - is born out of a web of intricate interdependencies formed over many millions of years...
It's clear that in a direct, objective sense, pasture-raised chickens are much better for you. But perhaps even more compelling are the indirect benefits...
"...Here's the thing: This type of farming is called "regenerative agriculture." Why? Because it regenerates our soils, our communities, and what it means to be a farmer. Oh, and its better for wildlife, ecological diversity, and our oceans, all while reducing our carbon footprint..."
It should be intuitive why raising chickens outdoors in pastures is a better deal for the chickens than living on a factory farm, but let's go ahead and break it down anyway. Here are 3 reasons raising chickens on pastures is a whole lot better for the birds:
If the pork you're buying isn't labeled as "pasture-raised," then it was raised in a Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO,) also known as a "factory farm." But why should you care how your pork was raised? Here are 3 reasons:
