Cherrie and Lee Nolden both came from agricultural backgrounds. Cherrie was raised on a five acre “farmette” and Lee spent his summers on his uncles’ farms in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. The couple began their own farming ventures in 2001 and since then have raised livestock both in Wisconsin and Kansas. They presently raise Animal Welfare Approved laying hens, meat goats and meat sheep on their 56 acre property next to the farm Lee’s family still owns in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin.

When it comes to public relations there is spin and there is downright deceit. A recent press release from the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) on the potential link between antibiotic resistant bacteria and industrialized farming definitely falls into the latter category. At issue here is a statement released by National Pork Producers Council President Doug Wolf on the new Government Accountability Office report, “Antibiotic Resistance: Agencies Have Made Limited Progress Addressing Antibiotic Use in Animals.” Wolf says, “Not only is there no scientific study linking antibiotic use in food animals to antibiotic resistance in humans, as the U.S. pork industry has continually pointed out, but there isn’t even adequate data to conduct a study.” He continues, “The GAO report on antibiotic resistance issued today confirms this.”

Wolf’s comments are hogwash and he knows it. The truth is that the GAO report does nothing of the sort, nor was that ever its intention. Even from the report title it’s already pretty clear what the overall conclusion is: key government agencies – namely the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) which are primarily responsible for ensuring food safety in the U.S. – are not doing enough to combat the growing threat of antibiotic resistant bacteria to public health.

Shelley Bouyea, Bart Charland and their children Andrew and Matthew raise Animal Welfare Approved laying hens and sheep (wool, breeding stock) at Gleann Dair Farm in West Chazy, NY. While Shelley grew up on a dairy farm and always wanted to farm as an adult Gleann Dair has only been a working farm since 2006.

George Washington University’s Urban Food Task Force, Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) have joined forces by providing a platform for DC’s vibrant culinary community to focus on strengthening the supply chain for sustainably raised meat.

Stone Hollow Farmstead was founded by Deborah and Russell Stone in 1999 in Harpersville, AL. The Stone family comes from a long line of Alabama gardeners and farmers, who share their history in all facets of the farmstead. Lessons learned from Deborah’s grandparents, who ran a sustainable farm and grocery store, are evident in the jars of rose petal jam, the hillside of happy goats, hives of the honeybees, and the heirloom vegetable gardens.

After careers in the hardware and real estate businesses, Jim Wood began breeding show pigs in Southeast Florida just a quarter of a mile from the dairy where he’d grown up in Avon Park, Florida. Jim’s plans for his pig operation changed drastically in 2004 when he was invited to an event at the University of Florida where he tasted pastured pork next to conventionally raised pork. The differences were extreme and led him to leave show pig breeding behind in order to find the best breed for meat quality. After tasting more than a dozen breeds and crosses, he decided on the Hereford breed for its superior meat quality. They have required, however, genetic selection for mothering ability and heat tolerance. After 12 years of researching and raising pigs, Palmetto Creek Farms LLC now produces some of the most consistent, highest quality pastured pork available according to many top chefs in Florida.