Although Captain John S. Pope Farm has been family-run since 1852, it doesn’t mean cousins Bob and Tommy Pope are afraid to let in a couple hundred visitors. As part of a strategy to directly market their grassfed lamb they open their farm yearly to the Piedmont Farm Tour. Festivities include viewing the farm and animals, eating lamb dogs and lamb burgers, and a Saturday night “Dinner in the Big House” where a local chef showcases their meat along with other local gourmet fare.

Live Oak Farms is an 80 acre Certified Naturally Grown farm dedicated to the preservation of heritage breeds. Chuck and Allison Schaum, the owners, raise lamb together and sell from their own farm store. Their St. Croix hair sheep are Animal Welfare Approved, and live happily on pasture in a low-stress environment.

New York Times Op-Ed columnist Nicholas Kristoff recently published a piece on the connection between the rise of MRSA-related infections and industrial hog farming. “Our Pigs, Our Food, Our Health,” documents new and frightening research on this antibiotic resistant-bacterium that kills over 18,000 Americans a year (after eating their flesh and causing agonizing lesions). [...]

On Sunday, I attended the Just Food:CSA in NYC conference and I was impressed with the great turnout. The Meat and Egg Share workshops connected NYC CSAs with pasture-based farmers in the NYC region. The panelists and attendees discussed the logistics of getting the products from their farms to the various NYC CSAs – from the best refrigerated truck delivery service for the farmers to use down to how much product each CSA member could reasonably contain in their small NYC refrigerators. I had already been talking or emailing with many of the farmers at the conference and was so glad to be able to put faces to their voices and names. It was also great to put a face and voice to the blogging/emailing voice of Kerry Trueman from Eating Liberally. Thanks for stopping by the table Kerry.

Thanks also to everyone who signed up for our listserv. I’m so glad Just Food set up our table next to the wine tasting from Martha Clara Vineyard. It certainly made for a steady flow of attendees at the Animal Welfare Approved table. And to all of the farmers I met at the conference, I hope we’ll be in touch soon.

Jesse Kornbluth on the Huffington Post sings the praises of Omega-3.
He writes: “I started paying attention to these fatty acids when I read Nina Planck’s Real Food: What to Eat and Why, and was dazzled by the range of benefits they provide: heart health, brain growth, mental balance.”
And continues:
“So…what’s the best [...]

Deneane and Mark Ashcraft have farming in their blood. Both are sixth-generation California farmers and both feel a deep connection to their land and their animals. North Valley’s goats are born and raised on the farm and Deneane, who is the goat keeper, puts their well-being first and foremost. “Our goats are so important to us and we want them to have as natural a life and as contented a life as possible,” she said. “And our goats are healthier, too. Their high standard of living means they live a longer, healthier life and produce longer.”