This past spring a young farmer named Julie Friend decided to avoid food waste and save some pigs from euthanasia to feed to local families in need. What was especially remarkable is that Julie had just started farming weeks prior. Let’s back up. Growing up and through her early 20s, Friend had depression, sinus infections, and digestive issues. She started eating a whole foods diet…
state legislation
County Tax Commissioner Wastes $26,000 Fighting Small Farmer Over Serving Size Definition
Chris Couch owns and manages Dreaming Tree Farms, a small farm outside of Richmond, Virginia that sells prepackaged salad kits for a weekly-delivered subscription service under the name Farm-To-Salad. He started out as a hobby farmer in 2009 and in 2017 decided to leave his job as a management consultant to pursue a more fulfilling career growing healthy food for his community…
Local Government Tries to Shut Down Virginia Farm
Our whole fiasco with the government trying to shut our farm down came on a Monday in mid-March and began with a call from one of our chefs we sell to. He notified us that the local Loudon County health inspector came into his restaurant, impound stickers in hand, and…
How’s Your Farm Business?
We are starting to see a lot of changes in our food supply as a result of COVID-19. Large meat processing plants are closing in South Dakota, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and likely more to come as workers become ill from COVID-19. Perhaps this can lead to changes in the regulation of processing plants and our meat supply…
Shuttering Farmers Markets Over COVID-19 Is Stupid, Dangerous, and Counterproductive
“It is more vital than ever that small producers be able to provide fresh foods direct to consumers,” says Alexia Kulwiec, Executive Director of FTCLDF. “Losing the ability to provide food through the farmers’ market could also be the last straw for small farms struggling to make ends meet…”