Every Monday is Member Monday where we feature a member photo or video on our Instagram and Facebook pages. Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) 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 and video!
Doniga Markegard
Along with her husband and four children, Doniga Markegard owns and operates Markegard Family Grass-Fed LLC, raising grass-fed beef, lamb, pastured pork and dairy supplying the Bay Area with local, nutrient dense foods. The family ranch leases land throughout the Bay Area spanning over 8,000 acres. Doniga is a wildlife tracker, regenerative rancher, speaker, and author of Dawn Again: Tracking the Wisdom of the Wild and Wolf Girl: Finding Myself in the Wild. Her teen years in nature school started her on a path that led to a career in animal tracking and then permaculture and ranching at her California farm, where she works to regenerate both soil and community through farming. Using the innovative, carbon-storing methods of regenerative ranching, she’s restoring the land she tends, bringing native grasses and wildlife back. Doniga’s work expands beyond her family ranch into policy and advocacy. She has organized a stakeholder working group at the State Capital for small dairy herds. She also took the lead on legislation that would enable family farms to be more sustainable and utilize pasture in an economical and productive way. PHOTO CREDIT Suzanna Hall
Nature’s Pantry Farm
Nature’s Pantry Farm’s journey began after the birth of their first child. Tom and Sarah Fischer of Lafayette, Minnesota were faced with the huge responsibility of keeping their kids safe and healthy. After researching the link between diet and health, they knew they wanted to nourish their children with chemical-free, humanely raised food. They couldn’t find food they could trust so they began raising their own. In the process, they completely revamped their farming practices and went from a conventional dairy operation to a regenerative farm that is committed to healing their land and providing nourishing food for their community. They now supply 175 families with farm fresh food including 100% grass-fed beef, pastured pork and chicken, pastured free range eggs, and raw milk.
Vital Mission Farm
Jeff and Mirka Siewicki own and operate Vital Mission Farm outside Charleston, South Carolina, along with their two young children. Their mission is to be a part of the climate solution and to grow food that is healthy for animals, people, land, and environment. Jeff follows nature as a model to design the farm as an ecosystem. The complex balance of plants, livestock, and animals allows for increased productivity on the same area of land without using fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. The Siewickis use regenerating agricultural practices to produce high-quality meat, nuts, and produce. Vital Mission’s system thrives on an interconnected community with all the parts mutually working and benefiting each other. They consider their meat beyond organic because anyone can feed organic feed to a chicken in a confined chicken house, but it doesn’t do the bird any justice. Vital Mission’s poultry are raised outside, on pasture and bugs, the way they were meant to be. The Siewickis aim to have a net positive impact on the environment, and this is why they apply the principles of regenerative agriculture.
Membership
Thank you to all of our wonderful members! We are membership-based and couldn’t do the work we do without you! Learn more about membership here.
If you’re a member and would like to share your photos with us, email [email protected] for more details.
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.
You can protect access to real foods from small farms by becoming a member or donating today.