Lee and Georgia Ranney and their cattle and egg laying hens are living the good life on Kinderhook Farm in Valatie, New York. “When we first started with the farm,” Lee says, “there was minimal fencing and pasture water, so we knew we had our work cut out for us to move to an intensive rotational grazing system. It’s been five years of hard work, putting up miles of fencing and placing water systems but it’s all been worth it. We really wanted to get the animals outside on pasture where they belong.”

Last month, Animal Welfare Approved farmer Rose Marie Belforti of Finger Lakes Dexter Creamery was interviewed by Lorenzo Ragionieri for the Heritage Radio Network’s Farm Report.

Interview highlights include:

* The unique traits of the Irish Dexter cow
* Finger Lakes Dexter Creamery’s strict animal welfare husbandry practices
* Pro-biotic Kefir Cheese -why it’s so special and what does Pro-biotic mean?

For more information on the Finger Lakes Dexter Creamery and to order their cheese visit [...]

Chef Noah Sheetz recently visited Kinderhook Farm in Ghent, NY and he was so impressed by the farm that he blogged about his experience. Noah said, “It undoubtedly is one of the cleanest and most picturesque farms in all of Columbia County.”

Noah is a strong advocate for supporting local NY farmers and has more recently started educating children about eating healthier foods.

Below we’ve included a snippet of Noah’s recipe which showcases Kinderhook Farm’s Animal Welfare Approved beef ribs:

Honey and Chili Glazed Beef Ribs with Creamed Swiss Chard and Potatoes

Albert Pereira raises Animal Welfare Approved dairy cows on his farm, Pereira Pastures Diary, in Abernathy, Texas. With his wife Veronica, Albert produces delicious, quality raw milk from his grassfed herd of Jersey cows. As Albert explains, a glass of Jersey milk has 20% more protein and 15% more quality calcium than a glass of average milk, making it one of the richest, most nutritious varieties of milk in the world and a superior choice for families!

There was something about the simple life of farming that drew in Teresa and David Folsom. They hadn’t grown-up with it, but after spending time in Amish communities and appreciating the practical and wholesome lifestyle, the two leapt at an opportunity to begin their own farm. Teresa and David raise grassfed sheep and laying hens on their farm. For controlling weeds and woody plants in the pasture they also have three donkeys and three goats that are eager to help.

Robert Yoder raises Animal Welfare Approved beef cattle and laying chickens at Yoder’s Natural Farm in Bloomfield, IA. Here in the hills of Davis County, Robert manages his farm with the philosophy that “nature knows best.” Robert uses an integrated method of farming that mimics nature’s natural succession in the food chain. Cattle and chickens graze freely on open pastures–building soil fertility, reducing the rate of erosion, and living out their lives in the way that nature intended.

Syrinx Farm is owned by Cyndy and Dave Carroll. When they moved down south in 2007, they bought a house on 9 acres, most of which was open pasture with the rest being forest.

Cyndy has been around animals her entire life and has always loved chickens. She explains, “I hated the way factory farms treated their animals, especially the laying hens. I wanted to raise my ‘girls’ the way chickens should be raised – the normal, humane way with plenty of pasture to run around in, dust to bathe in and to just be chickens.” After looking into the many programs out there for farm animals, Dave and Cyndy decided to join Animal Welfare Approved because the standards mirror what they believe to be the right way to farm.

Terry and Laurie Carlson, along with their grandson Brian and 38 dairy goats, work as a team, making raw milk aged cheeses on a seasonal basis. It’s a small-scale farm in the Willamette Valley of western Oregon. The family sells at farmers markets, outlets in Portland, and at an on-site farmstand.

Dwight Hall raises hogs on his farm in Beulaville, North Carolina for the North Carolina Hog Growers Association.

David cooking for the Animal Welfare Approved Thanksgiving Dinner at the Food Bank for NYC
One of our favorite chefs, David Schuttenberg of Cabrito restaurant in NYC, was interviewed by Patrick Martins, Heritage Foods USA, for his Heritage Radio show last month.rnrnSome of the topics discussed included:

Animal Welfare Approved’s Supply Chain Summit in Alfred, NY
Why the [...]