Eliza MacLean began her work with animals as a veterinary technician and wildlife rehabilitator who then went on to become an environmental toxicologist. She has now decided to combine the best of all these those worlds as a ground breaking farmer who treats her animals with the greatest possible care on a beautiful farm.

Fred Dobson was raised on a farm by a father with lots of know-how. That’s where Fred learned about raising animals, and it gave him the inspiration to keep farming to this day. He now raises pigs on his own land, explaining, “From the start, I have been very particular about my farm practices and the safety and welfare of my animals.” Applying to Animal Welfare Approved gave him a set of standards that consumers could see he adhered to, and in addition a valuable marketing niche.

Mike Jones operates a pastured pork operation in Louisburg, N.C. Since he was a young boy, Mike has dreamed of owning his own farm. In 2004, he and his wife Suzanne were able to realize that dream, and they now rotate 230 pigs on 73 acres. On the property, pigs are able to express their natural behaviors – playing in the mud and giving birth in nests they build in the woods.