CBLM Farms, located in the rural hills of Steuben County, New York, has operated under the principles of low impact and natural farming for over 20 years. Owner and operator Lee Kosow graduated from the Animal Science program at Cornell in 1973 and has been stewarding land and animals ever since. His philosophy has always been to balance the needs of soils and animals. Raised on local pasture land, his beef cattle are happy and contented.

Owners of Cedar Meadow Farm, Julia and Brian Cronin, have a strong faith in healthy, natural food that produces a more balanced life. In fact their creed is easily found wherever they go: “We believe your food should not contain antibiotics and growth hormones, or be shipped hundreds of miles across the country and handled by countless individuals.” This simple belief is what drove them to start their own pasture-based farm about ten years ago. Beginning as poultry hobbyists, they have expanded to also raise pigs under the Animal Welfare Approved label. Selling eggs from grassfed hens and pork from their free ranging pigs is a part of their effort to change the food landscape, and provide local, fresh products without pesticides or synthetic hormones to their community.

Rose Marie Belforti and her husband Tim Wallbridge run Finger Lakes Dexter Creamery, a micro-dairy where they keep a small herd of Irish Dexter cows and produce the nation’s only authentic, pro-biotic Kefir cheese. “I love my cows and their well-being comes first,”says Belforti. “I want them to have the best life possible.”

Sharon was always on a path towards working with animals, earning a degree in Equine Science and Agriculture Business, followed by work with a small animal veterinarian and work on a number of dairy and horse farms. Sharon’s fate was sealed when she received goats as a birthday present 10 years ago!

If the system is so poor that it must be propped up with off-label and subtherapeautic antibiotics, perhaps its time to revise the system?

In an apparent win for pharmaceutical companies, the Food and Drug Administration has recently rescinded a proposed ban on off-label use of cephalosporin drugs in animals raised for food. According to the Wall Street Journal, this last-minute reversal came just five days before the proposed ban would take effect.

Has the FDA lost its way? The official mission of the agency states, “The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs,” (among other responsibilities like regulating radioactive materials). Despite significant evidence that off-label and widespread agricultural use play a major role in creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the FDA has caved under pressure from the very companies selling the drugs.

This decision not to ban off-label usage begs the question: What is the point of having a label in the first place?

A recent article on the Organic Consumers Association website joins the vetting process for Obama’s Secretary of Agriculture appointment. Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff’s name has surfaced as a potential pick for this post, and anyone that remembers his campaign against rBGH-free labeling will wonder how this appointment could possibly bring the change Obama [...]

Meadowbrook Farm is run by Mike Brown, his mother Lynn, and his grandfather Larry. Mike decided to apply to be Animal Welfare Approved after visiting a farm an Animal Welfare Approved farm in Texas. When he looked into the program he realized his farm already practiced all of the requirements. Meadowbrook farm’s cows always have access to pasture, over 40 acres to roam and are never in an over-populated area. They have access to a barn in the winter, a dry area in the spring, and fresh water during summer.

Green Dirt Farm is a partnership between Jacqueline Smith and Sarah Hoffman. The two friends raise 100% grass-fed lamb and dairy sheep just north of Kansas City, Missouri. The operation grew out of a combined passion for farming and a talent for breeding high quality sheep. “We breed for high production, good milk quality, good mothering skills, and disease resistance,” says Jacque (pronounced “Jackie”). “It is important for customers to be able to buy with good conscience.”

Animal Welfare Approved will be represented tomorrow at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Lockwood Folly Marketplace, a specialty food and gift store in Supply, North Carolina. The newly opened store will feature produce, meats, dairy products and artisanal goods from North Carolina’s finest growers and craftspeople. Store owner Lindsay Hewett will be purchasing pork exclusively [...]

Animal Welfare Approved program director Andrew Gunther is pleased to announce a new partnership with the American Grassfed Association (AGA) in which Animal Welfare Approved will audit AGA members for both AGA standards and Animal Welfare Approved standards. This new partnership begins immediately.
“Our standards require pasture and/or range access, which aligns us philosophically with [...]