Every Monday is Member Photo Monday where we feature a member photo on our Instagram and Facebook pages. Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund is proud of our members, and we take great pleasure in highlighting their operations and the awesome work they are conducting in sustainable farming, animal husbandry, artisanal production, and homesteading. See below for a roundup of September’s member photos!
Adrian and Rosanne grew their own vegetables, kept bees, and were dreaming of ways to raise their own meat. Soon they had five cows on their land in Flushing, Michigan, followed by sheep, chickens, and turkeys. As the farm grew from a hobby to something more substantial, their son Luke and his wife Caitlin Eising moved onto the land to help. Luke and Caitlin were becoming inspired by Joel Salatin, growing their farm, and becoming passionate about growing food naturally. In 2012, they decided that they wanted to start profiting from farming, and after a year on the small farm, they all moved the whole farm to 80 acres in Western Michigan. They are still producing healthy, natural meats and providing their animals and customers with good food for a good life.
High Spruce Farm originated in north-central Pennsylvania in the mid 1960s. Ellen Cole’s father, Don Cole Sr., purchased the 235-acre farm that sat up the hill of Snedekerville Road next to his home farm. This is where he started his herd of beloved Brown Swiss cows. Don and his wife, Sandy, farmed side-by-side daily. They named the farm High Spruce due to the two large Blue Spruce trees that towered over the lane by the house where the cows grazed the pasture daily. Ellen grew up on the farm and developed her own love for Brown Swiss cows. Ellen’s love keeps her on the farm today, and she still proclaims she would rather clean the barn than the house.
Graze the Prairie’s goal is to work with nature to provide the best quality grass-fed beef to their customers. They do not use chemical fertilizer, growth hormones, or antibiotics and their cattle live their lives on pasture, year round. Mineral supplements, clean water, and high-quality stored forages for feeding during winter months, as well as cattle with the right genetics, are all essential factors for their high-quality grass-fed beef. Graze the Prairie is passionate about mimicking the movements of the animals that historically lived on the prairie and so they move their cows daily during the growing season. This provides their cattle with the best lives possible and helps preserve the remaining tall grass prairie in Kansas.
Twenty years ago Mary was diagnosed with Lyme disease and has vowed to fix her health through nutrient-dense foods. She started her farm 10 years ago in Maryland, with the goal of producing high-quality products for busy families trying to get quick healthy meals on the table. Customers can buy their nutrient-dense beef and raw goat milk (for pet consumption) here on Mary’s farm and perhaps rent Mary’s goats for their next party or goat yoga!
Thank you to all of our wonderful members! We are a nationwide membership-based nonprofit organization and couldn’t do the work we do without you! Learn more about membership here.
YOUR FUND AT WORK
Services provided by FTCLDF go beyond legal representation for members in court cases.
Educational and policy work also provide an avenue for FTCLDF to build grassroots activism to create the most favorable regulatory climate possible. In addition to advising on bill language, FTCLDF supports favorable legislation via action alerts and social media outreach.
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