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  • From: KAKerby AT aol.com
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Vetting Local Producers
  • Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:16:07 EDT

I guess I'd toss my hat into the ring of "well intentioned but disconnected", in the context that they're asking reasonable questions but painting black and white answers in a very diversified spectrum of possibilities.  The animal questions stood out to me as being the greatest example of that.  The comment about "no grain, ever" could be straight out of the Weston A Price literature, which is nice and well intended.  But if you've got high producing animals, even on rich pasture they sometimes need at least some grain or supplementation to maintain body condition.  Leave them on insufficiently rich pasture alone (which can fluctuate by the hour and/or with cloudcover) and they can go into metabolic imbalance which can become life threatening.  Put them on super-rich pasture so they don't need the grain, and they risk bloat and grass tetany.  Sometimes, that grain ration can keep an animal balanced very nicely at a very healthy condition.  But that document doesn't allow for a mix of grains; it assumes grass pasture or feedlot-style massive amounts of grain.  No middle ground.
 
The same thing occurs with the question about sick animals.  It asks if those animals are giving antibiotics, and whether those animals are then withdrawn from production.  It makes zero allowance for holistic measures which often allow (even encourage in the case of mastitis) the continued milking, and which require no withdrawal time.  That option just isn't on the document.
 
And finally, it uses the word "Organic" as if there's only Organic versus Conventional, with no mention of sustainable or renewable or naturally raised.  The questions were fine; the black/white nature of the answers were not.
 
What this document screams to me is "I am interested; teach me about these other possibilities!"  I think having a flyer to proactively give potential customers which asks these questions and answers them in ways that fit our individual farms is a great idea.
Kathryn Kerby
frogchorusfarm.com
Snohomish, WA
 
In a message dated 4/14/2010 5:22:15 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, liz AT marketfarmshoptalk.com writes:
>this thing is scary!

I don't see a problem with these questions at all.  In fact, I think
it's a very responsible way for consumers to educate themselves.  Having
a flyer to give out where these questions are answered could "presell"
potential buyers while growers are waiting on other customers.  (These
are very similar to the same questions I ask when I'm buying from the
farmer's market.)

I don't see where the disconnect comes unless you're a conventional
grower.  Then I can see where it might step on toes, but this isn't
about feeding the nation, it's about individuals doing what they can to
feed themselves as responsibly as possible, and could be a boon for
small growers whose only market is local.

And no this isn't drawing a line in the sand between conventional ag and
all other forms represented on this list.

Liz
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