As the only national nonprofit organization that audits, certifies and supports farmers raising animals on pasture, we are fortunate to have become the most highly regarded food label for sustainability and outdoor farming systems.

With an ever-growing family of certified farms, AWA helps consumers find sustainable, pasture-raised products and connect with the farmers that produce them. We encourage you to seek out AWA farms and purchase their products this holiday season as a way to support pasture-based farms. Please also use this forum and social media to share your thanks.

USE THE COMMENT BOX BELOW TO SHARE YOUR THANKS TO FAMILY FARMERS.  OR… to use Twitter to thank family farmers, use the hash tag #ThankAWAFarmers. On Facebook, use @Animal Welfare Approved to tag your message.  We will share all of these messages with AWA farmers!

Food is a central focus of any holiday, but it has impacts far beyond the table. While the majority of farm animals are raised in extreme confinement, numerous studies have shown that pasture- and range-based farming is better for the environment and brings a wide range of benefits to both animals and consumers.

Our farmers are providing good, healthy food from animals raised according to the highest standards and are moving us all towards a more sustainable future. Every animal we raise outdoors on pasture brings an environmental benefit to us all – in responsible nutrient management, soil conservation and lower environmental impact.

Join us in celebrating these farmers who work so hard to feed us and who are truly stewards of our planet.

Tips for a Sustainable Holiday Season

*    Support family farmers by choosing AWA meat, dairy and eggs for your holiday cooking

*    Use AWA’s online directory to find farms, restaurants and retailers in your area carrying AWA products

*    Ask for Animal Welfare Approved meat, dairy and eggs. If retailers don’t have AWA products this year, your request will encourage them to stock them for the next year!

Unfortunately, Superior Midwest Foods said they wouldn’t be able to tell us the names of the bison farms for their burgers.   They said they get the bison meat from several different farms, make it into burgers and ship them off to the retailers. This means the bison could have been raised on pasture or on a feedlot, no one really knows.

Regarding Certified Organic, sadly, this certification does not guarantee that the animals didn’t come from feedlots.  While certified organic does require that the animals have access to the outdoors, and ruminants must have access to pasture with exception of the “finishing phase”, this doesn’t mean they actually have to go outdoors and graze on pasture to be considered organic or not be on a feedlot. To avoid this issue buy only from AWA or AGA farms as they are the only two labels that prohibit feedlots. A good source of advice would be http://www.organicconsumers.org/.

Here’s the excerpt and link for the USDA document “Access to Pasture (Livestock) Final Rule“:

We have accepted the first version, which incorporates the suggestions of the second and third versions. The prohibition on feedlots in the proposed rule has been stricken from this final rule due to comments received asserting that feedlots can be compatible with organic livestock production. Accordingly, the definition of “feedlot” has been amended to clarify the characteristics by which a “feedlot” would be acceptable for organic ruminant livestock. This final rule contains requirements for the size of a feedlot relative to the number of animals at §205.239(a)(1), and that feedlots are well maintained and do not contribute to waste runoff and contaminated waters at § 205.239(a)(5). We believe that the definition of “feedlot” describes an acceptable area for providing outdoor access when pasture is not available and a location for supplemental feeding. The definition of “feedlot” reads: “A dry lot for the controlled feeding of livestock.”

Earlier this year, we wrote a blog about the lack of oversight within the National Organic Program.  Here is an excerpt and a link regarding the pasture requirements:

The NOP has drawn significant criticism on its lax pasture requirements – 80,000 public comments to be exact. However, even adequate standards are only as good as the enforcement behind them. Schweigert reports a startlingly low number of citations in the first seven years of the program – only $20,000 for three fraudulent operators in a $23 billion U.S. organic food industry. Click here to read the full blog post.

Please let us know if you have any more questions that we can help you with.  And, also, please keep up the good work by asking questions about where your food comes from!

Thanks very much,

Animal Welfare Approved

To read the original article that started the discussion please visit Andrew’s Huffington Post article.

AWA Program Director Andrew Gunther moderated the discussion, beginning by posing this question to the panelists: “How does such a diversified group have an opinion on the future of agriculture?” Panelists’ responses highlighted the issues that affect all of us, including truth in labeling, fair and scale-appropriate regulation, overuse of antibiotics, environmental pollution and treatment of farm animals and workers.

Speakers also addressed the role of the consumer in ensuring the sustainability of our food system. Morison explained, “Consumers need to get more involved in their communities. You’re not only sustaining farms, but the communities as well.” Kirby commented on the disconnect between consumer expectation and the realities of the food we eat: “When you get your cheap yogurt at the mall you’re not thinking about how now someone can’t use their well water anymore.” Niman encouraged eaters to do their homework, understand the systems they support with their food dollars and offered the following rule of thumb:  “I want all my food to come from farms I want to visit.” Dr. Whisnant agreed, encouraging us to “start from the consumer side and demand change.”

We were honored to host such an accomplished and articulate panel.  Their work is creating a truly sustainable path forward – one that sustains farm families, animals and the communities that depend on them.

For more quotes from the event visit us on Twitter (@AWAapproved). We will be posting video footage soon!

fan

/fæn/  –noun

an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc.*

Facebook is a forum for us to communicate with our friends and supporters and sometimes to engage in respectful debate. We are pleased that so many of you have become our “fans.”

It is becoming increasingly difficult not to want to delete posts that are insulting or hurtful to the farmers in our program, many of whom are also fans of our Facebook page.  All of our farmers are making a significant difference in changing the face of farming in America.

Part of what we do on Facebook is share facts that will allow consumers to make informed choices. We are a program promoting high-welfare meat, dairy and eggs.  We have a strong following of people who choose to consume these products, but want to assure that the animals were raised with positive welfare.  These consumers understand that these products are safer, healthier and ultimately better for the farmers, animals and the environment.

There have been lively debates between farmers and those who do not eat meat and we welcome respectful debate, however, single line, invective and sometimes ill-informed comments are very unhelpful. Why is this morning’s article “gross?” Why do we need a “dislike” button?

We respectfully request that if you are not a “fan” of what we do, please find another page to become a “fan” of.

We appreciate all of you true fans who are following us, and really enjoy the diversity, but we will have to take steps if our farmers continue to be insulted on this page.

More people supporting AWA farmers means fewer animals raised in confinement and on feedlots.

*dictionary.com