Where’s the Beef? (and Pork)

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UPDATE: Taking orders for delivery every other Saturday to Madison. Next date June 6th.  Email Matthew with order and/or questions: oakgrovelane@yahoo.com. Thank you!

On the hoof at our farm.  Other, much larger farms, don’t have the flexibility of space, and farmers have euthanized their pigs and chickens as a last resort due to complications from Covid-19.

How did we get here?  According to Temple Grandin, the huge, meat processing plants that dominate our industry now, are more fragile than the smaller, more numerous meat packers our industry used to have.

“Big is not bad, it is fragile.”  Temple Grandin

When one of the huge meat packers shut down, the few others available to take more animals, struggle to absorb the overflow.  Animals which are designed to be harvested on a certain date, overwhelm a highly efficient, yet fragile, system.

I’m so thankful to have a close, working relationship with Avon Locker in Darlington.  They’ve picked up a lot of new business and had to turn some away.  Their business is booming, as everyone nowadays is thinking about their food and how to have it hyperlocal, like in their freezer right now!

And with a little patience we will put meat in your freezer.  I’m sharing photos of our cattle on pasture and a new litter, reassuring customers we are working as always.

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As people think more about their food, many are appreciating resilient, local food.  I’ll conclude this post with a quote from one of our best, long-time customers, Heather.

 

“If there is a hopeful note to attach to the mess our world is in just now, I have to say I am so glad for small farmers and small local processors to be getting new business.  I really hope that more people realize the benefits of doing local business on small scale, as they get superior food while helping the local economy.  I started buying meat at farmers market trying to find a more humane source, but the quality is so much better too.  And it is good to know personally and trust the people producing my food.”   Long-time customer, Heather.
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