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"Is cheapness EVERYTHING there is?"

written by

Ben Simmons

posted on

May 21, 2017

Product Update 

Chicken - batch #2 was delivered Saturday with inventory added to our website for purchase. 

Beef - the first of the steers are getting close to being ready for market. This year pre-orders have been very slow. If you plan to buy a half or whole Custom Processed beef from me then you have until June 1st to place your order and pay the deposit with delivery expected before mid-September. After June 1st, the remaining steers will be marketed elsewhere. 

Eggs - I will have eggs added to our website this week for purchase and delivery May 30th. This was our first week in all the Corner Market stores with Petal taking delivery Thursday. Sales at Vitamins Plus have been good and we appreciate Ms. Helen a lot. Cotton Blues has also purchased eggs. 

Joel Salatin – most folks today have heard of Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farms in VA and best selling author. His farm has been included in numerous film documentaries. Joel is an experienced farmer and expert marketer. Beth and I visited his farm in July 2011 back when we were putting the pieces together. Today, Joel is also the editor of "The Stockman Grass Farmer" after the death of Alan Nation last November.

Here is one of Joel's quotes from the documentary Food Inc., “Is cheapness EVERYTHING there is?  I mean, who wants to buy the cheapest car?  We’re willing to subsidize the food system to create the mystique of cheap food when actually, it’s very expensive food. 

When you add up the environmental cost, societal costs, health costs, the industrial food is not honest food.  It’s not priced honestly.”

Along this same line of thought, Dr. Mercola's newsletter this week discussed a new film titled "Before The Flood". Several quotes listed are: "Carbon displacement is real, and soil erosion and the burning of fossil fuels are taking carbon from the land and moving it to water and air. Regenerative agriculture is the most promising and productive means we have to remedy this situation while improving the quality of our foods and water efficiency." 

 "As noted by Gidon Eshel, Ph.D., a research professor of environmental physics at Bard College, one of the absolute easiest ways to opt out of destructive systems — without appealing to or waiting for governments and corporations to change — is by changing your own diet.

Eshel is a scientist who studies the effects of agriculture on climate. According to Eshel, 47 percent of the land is used for food production and, of that, 70 percent is used to grow feed for cattle in feedlots. Fruits, vegetables and nuts account for a mere 1 percent of the agricultural land." 

At Nature's Gourmet Farm, we believe that both farmers and consumers are responsible for stewardship of the Earth. That means individuals need to be accountable for learning where their food comes from and for developing a connection with local farmers and food sources. Additionally, we believe in personnel responsibility. That everyone should take responsibility for their own health and that of their family by understanding the effects of food on their body and secure sources of healthy foods. 

The best (maybe only) way to change the industrial food model in the U.S. is for consumers to vote with their food dollar for Stewardship, Accountability, and Responsibility!

Quote Worth Re-Quoting –

“Tell me and I forget.   Teach me and I remember.   Involve me and I learn.”    ~ Benjamin Franklin

Don’t delay… place your order today!

More from the blog

Taste Test

Greetings Ben and Beth, I'm really looking forward to my next order pick up. I'm trying to improve my cholesterol numbers, thus eating more chicken, and ran out of your chicken products. I ended up buying some industrially produced chicken, and man was that a mistake! It smelled terrible raw, also while it was being sauteed, and also later when I reheated it to put into an otherwise healthy salad. I have enough of this subpar stuff to last until I pick my order, but I don't think I can ever buy this CAFO stuff again.

Beef Update & A New Product

Beef Update – Typically this time of year folks are hesitant to buy bulk beef for their freezer due to hurricane risk. That is why we have delayed our next custom half & whole beef processing until September. If you are interested, our next harvest will be September 2nd with pickup on September 22nd. If you want to be included then please email me your name, email, and cell number to be added to our wait list - and be the first folks contacted and guaranteed to receive an order. Beef prices continue to increase and hit a new All-Time high this week fueled by strong demand and limited supply. For example, based on what a 700 pound steer sold for at the Hattiesburg Stockyard Monday, I could make more than feeding him till he weighs 1100 pounds and sell as packaged beef - but our mission is to provide nutrient-dense, clean food to our customers. Effective immediately custom beef half and whole prices will increase $0.50 to $6.25 per pound based on the hanging weight. Retail cuts will increase for September deliveries as well.

Real Health Is NOT A Pill. It's A Practice!

Two Great Must Read Articles – Typically I don't make a big deal about articles we have read, but these two are so good that I felt they needed to be shared. The first is by Joel Salatin titled "Food Think" that is part of his The Lunatic Farmer blog. You can read the full article at this link. The second article is one Beth forwarded to me from the Health Viewpoints section of Epoch Times titled "Americans Spend Trillions on Health Care but Remain Unwell - Here's Why" Dr. Yang, FAPA, a board certified psychiatrist, begins by stating the difference between treating disease and building true health lies in a proactive and preventative lifestyle. Note - Beth and I would agree with other folks who commented that his article is spot on and very important for folks to read and understand. You can read at this link.