The Value Of Supporting Small Family Farms

It seems that whenever the mass food corporations see someone making money that they could be making they will do almost do anything to put a stop to it. They really don't care if we farm organically, if we bottle fresh raw milk, or if we treat our animals with respect and never give them antibiotics or inject them with artificial hormones to make them grow faster. The only thing they really care about and do not like is the fact that we sell to the consumer. They think that all the money we work so hard to make could be theirs if they could only put us out of business.

Just recently the FDA started enforcing a new regulation which the large milk co-ops have long been trying to push through and possibly even paid the FDA some money to enforce it. Any small dairy who sends their milk to a grade A milk plant and sells any extra raw milk to their friends and neighbors will now have to test that raw milk for antibiotics! And this is even if the farmer is certified organic and never even uses antibiotics. :(
 
I'll also share a written document on legislative updates regarding FDA and raw milk products. Click here to download

It's pretty ridiculous but that is their way of keeping these small family farms from selling any raw milk to the public. Simply because they know that most of these small family farmers would not be able to afford installing 5K worth of lab equipment. Plus with the farmers trying to get every batch of milk tested even by a third party for antibiotics can be very costly therefore these small family farmers will be forced to go out of business. What does this do to the younger generation? Will there be no more small local family farms in 10 years, maybe 20 years?

At this point it does not affect Dutch Meadows as we have a faithful, dedicated customer base that loves our raw milk, raw milk cheese, kefir, butter and yogurt. These are products that we can produce to balance our milk supply and therefore we do not have to sell any of our excess milk to any grade A milk co-op.

Seriously, you as a customer that shows your support by purchasing from small local farms means more to us than words can say. Thank-you....  

What These Food Corporations Don't Understand
These corporations don't look at the big picture and they don't understand that the consumers who are buying from small family farms often times have 2 or 3 family farmers they buy from. And these family farms are not just a place to shop, but they are friends, they are people who truly care about what goes into your nutrient dense food. And many dedicated consumers will actually drive right past 2 or 3 large corporate stores/super markets to buy this delicious farm fresh food directly from local family farmers.

Another thing these food corporations don't understand is why these consumers will pay a premium price on the local farmers products. What they don't know is that these consumers are paying for integrity, honesty, and peace of mind knowing that their farmer will often times go way above and beyond any organic and certified humane standards.

These are family farmers who truly care about their animals and treat them with respect. These same farmers also truly care about their customers wants and needs, and will often times bend way over backwards to make sure their customers are happy. Who will you support, local family farms or corporate food chains? My friend, the choice is yours...

Corporations Are Focused On Profit
The only thing that really matters to these corporations at the end of the day is that they are making a profit and the more they get the more they want. Sad to say the corporations are now taking over the organic dairy industry by sizing up large 1000+ cow dairies and going certified organic and just barely meeting the organic standards, if they even meet them. A lot of them hire their own inspectors and create most of their own rules and standards. So that means they aren't nearly as strict with their rules or standards. :(

Organic chickens are now being raised in barns with access to the outdoors but they never get out. They are bragging about cage free, but that only means that they can roam about in a stinky, smelly chicken house every day for their whole lifetime, sometimes two or three stories high in the same building!  Certified organic eggs aren't much better if they are raised on a corporate level as there again they will only follow the minimum required standards to abide by these regulations. Folks, this is called green washing our organic and natural industry! We need your help!

There Is Still Hope...
What can you as a health conscience consumer do to help? It is very simple, buy from your local farmers! If you don't have one, find one!  Every time you buy from your local family farmer you are giving them your vote and telling them you love what they do.

Every time you buy from the corporations you are telling them to keep doing what they do, keep on abusing their animals, keep on shutting small family owned farms and businesses down just because they want more money in their own pockets. The choice is yours my friend and the future of small family farms is at stake!

The Choice Is Yours
I get the fact that it seems very expensive to buy from your local farmer sometimes, but think about how much richer, nutrient dense and fulfilling real family farm food is. It's not puffed up with artificial fillers or injected with chemicals, etc. A lot of love and extra care goes into these special pasture raised foods from your local farmer. Everything is produced and processed in small batches, tasted for consistency, handled with extreme care. It's clean, it's real, and nourishes your body with much needed vitamins and minerals.

In the end the money is yours and you are free to spend it as you will, but remember our actions will always, without fail, bring consequences. If we lose our small local family farms we will then be at the mercy of our government and these large corporations. A government big enough to give us everything we want is also big enough to take it all away. Never underestimate a small group of like minded health conscience people, it is a powerful way to bring about great changes.

Once again, the choice is yours and we are extremely grateful for those of you that have already, time again and again have chosen our pasture raised foods for your family. We hope we can continue to be your choice of local family farmed food but that is something you have to decide. Without your support in buying our real nutrient-dense foods our family farm might not even exist. :(

Thank-you again....

The Dutch Meadows Farm Family