We”ve had a day now to recover from preparing and serving some 680 New Yorkers at the Food Bank for NYC on the day before Thanksgiving. Chefs David Schuttenberg (Cabrito), Zak Pelaccio (Fatty Crab, Cabrito) and Nate Gross (Food Bank for NYC Community Kitchen) again led the kitchen on the third and final day of [...]

We arrived at the Food Bank for NYC at 6 a.m. to resume our root vegetable preparation. By lunchtime, the parsnips and sweet potatoes had been fully prepped and the turkey was already cooking. Zak Pellacio and Jori of Fatty Crab, Cabrito (and other noted New York City restaurant ventures) began to demonstrate the techniques [...]

This past Saturday New York City’s Greenmarket hosted an informational panel called “The Educated Eater” at First Presbyterian Church. I represented Animal Welfare Approved in a panel discussion on the pros and cons of using labeling as a way to value food. Other panelists included Jonathan White of Bobolink Dairy, Alice Varon of Certified Naturally [...]

The first team of volunteers arrived on Sunday to help prepare vegetables for Wednesday’s event at the Food Bank for NYC. We tipped, peeled and chopped more than 400 pounds of root vegetables to be served roasted alongside pastured heritage turkey from Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch, an Animal Welfare Approved farm. This meal will feed [...]

Farmer Karen Walasek raises East Friesian and Icelandic sheep, Jersey cows, and Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rock hens at Hillhouse Farm in Pulaski, Tennessee. Guests who stay at the writer’s retreat on the farm often enjoy specialty cheeses and organic meals made on premises from homegrown ingredients.

The Wells Family has been raising cattle in Missouri for four generations. Since 2001, Steve and Kim Wells have been raising grassfed cattle and their primary concerns have always been to keep their farm sustainable and to ensure the best welfare for their animals. Talking to Kim, it became clear that their concern for the animals’ health and welfare extends to each individual animal. For example, when one of their calves was injured Steve and Kim nursed him back to health by bottle feeding him and giving him extra special care. The calf, known as Rocky, became famous with their neighbors after the family started taking him on rehabilitative walks with the family dog.

Members of our marketing and outreach team are out this weekend meeting farmers and consumers and sharing information about the Animal Welfare Approved Program.
Meet Emily Lancaster and Brigid Sweeny at the First Presbyterian Church at 12th St and 5th Avenue in New York City at 2:00 PM for a panel discussion “The Educated Eater.” [...]

Dr. John Boyd isn’t just a family farm owner—he is a political pioneer for small farmers like himself across the nation. As the founder and president of the National Black Farmer’s Association, Boyd has been lobbying and litigating for black farmers since 1995.
After campaigning diligently for President-elect Barack Obama over the past several months, Boyd [...]

As Thanksgiving draws near and we remember our colleague and friend Brian Anselmo, we want to share this piece that was in yesterday’s New York Times. Reporter Kim Severson announced that the Standard-Bred Poultry Institute–which would provide training to farmers who want to preserve the genetic pool of heritage breeds of turkeys, chickens and [...]