The Truth About Industrial Organics

And how our farm is different!

First of all... What exactly are these "Industrial Organics"?

Industrial organics are commercial, industrial, factory-farming, multi-billion-dollar food industry giants who transformed themselves into angels of light when they took note that today's smart moms are willing to pay a premium for organic food.

Green dollar signs flash on board room calculators.

"Let's get that premium!"

"We just need to figure out how to get that USDA Organic seal on our foods and just look at all the money we could make! Oh yeah... we'll have to take some crafty pictures so that these organic moms don't pick up on the fact that the animals are still actually in confinement on factory farms. But it won't be too hard to fool them... most of these moms aren't very bright. That's why they buy organic food in the first place!"

These multi-billion-dollar companies are usually not committed to organic farming values at all. They think organic farming is a joke. They see organic principles as only a game... something inconvenient to be worked around... a marketing ploy.

But there is one thing these industrial organic factory farms do very well. They churn out mounds of cheap, so-called 'organic' food which drives real, authentic organic food off the shelves.

This fake industrial organic food threat is huge and it is important that you know how to help. We'll teach you more about this in the next few weeks.

1. Industrial Organic label claims can be misleading

Often, they are confusing or intentionally deceptive. Here is just one of the many examples:

Industrial Organic Eggs marketed as free range, but really raised in a Texas confinement barn. Read Dad's blog post on Concentrated Chicken Farms to get the full story. 

Yes, it's the sad truth.

But our farm is different.

We believe you have the right to full transparency. You deserve to know how your food is raised!

That's why we show you real pictures of our animals. Take a virtual tour in our Farm Photo Gallery and see for yourself!

This is Family Cow truly pastured chickens.

2. Industrial foods may travel thousands of miles from farm to table

Did you know, beef raised all of its life in countries as far away as Australia, Chile or New Zealand is regularly sold in our supermarkets?

What's worse, is that it can legally be marketed as "Product of the USA"!

The meat can be shipped in bulk from another country that has too much... The USA Industrial Meat Packing companies do the final packaging and label it as "Product of the USA"... and it gets sold in our supermarket right along with everything else.

Most people would never know the difference...

But now that you know...

The choice is yours.

Buy "Product of the USA" foods raised in who-knows-what-country or trust a family farmer.

We raise everything on our own farm or either buy it from local farmer friends. 

Family Cow foods are as direct from the farm as you'll get it. We like to joke "Our Raw Jersey Milk is so fresh from the cow you might still hear the moo!" :)

3. Free-Range or even Pasture Raised mean almost nothing to an Industrial Organic farmer.

Oh yes, he would say it means something special.

He'd tell you that yes, his animals are pastured! After all, they have access to a pasture along side of his building.

He might not mention that the pasture has been eaten down to the ground and is now essentially a dirt run... or that a very small percentage of the animals actually use it...

This is the true test for pastured animal care.

Does the farmer move them daily to fresh grass?

We almost hesitate to even use the word 'pastured' to describe our farming practices because that word has been so hijacked by USDA organic confinement chicken corporations with 30,000 birds in one big warehouse-style building, and USDA organic dairy confinement corporations with 15,000 cows on one farm. To them, 'pastured' means a dirt lot or a concrete porch on the side of the warehouse even if the chickens or cows rarely go outside.

Those are the sources for the cheap 'pastured' organics of the grocery stores.

When we say 'pastured', we mean the Real Thing – Daily Moved to New Pasture.

It's the kind of pasture that has real benefit to the Omega 3 and CLA levels of the meat. It's the kind of pasture that you can actually taste and see in the yellow of the butter, the milk and the ghee and even the fat in the poultry.

Our hens are totally outside running and catching bugs in our certified organic pastures. We move their wheeled egg mobiles to new grass every day. The turkeys, the same way, get moved to new grass every day. We actually move the meat chickens to new grass two times per day.

Our cows also get moved to new grass each day... and when the grass is not growing during the winter, we move stored grasses to them twice a day plus let them out to romp and relax in the pasture whenever possible, even though there is not grass there for them to eat.

Have you ever seen our photo story, Grass Feeding Cows in the Winter?

4. Soy is in most Industrial Foods these days

Even a lot of farms who are truly pastured feed Soy in their chicken or pig feed.

Not here.

100% of our animals are soy-free. The hens, the meat chickens, the woodland pigs, the dairy milk goats, the dairy cows, the grass-fed beef, and the pastured turkeys. All are soy-free!

If you get it from The Family Cow, it will be soy-free. It's a commitment we made years ago.

5. We ARE the Farmers!

I know this sounds a little ridiculous, like... of course you are the farmers. I hope you are the farmers! Who else would you be?

Well, let's just say it this way... the demand for straight-from-the-farmer, grass-fed, heritage raised meats is attracting an awful lot of venture capital investor types who, with a slick looking website and some farmerish jargon and pair of bib overalls are impersonating farmers.

That's not us. We are the real thing. No impersonating. Check out our Farm Photo Gallery. The photos are all real... taken by our family, on our farms. We promise. Come visit us to see for yourself. See our open door policy.

It seems pretty basic, but if you really want to support farmers and really have your food choices make a difference... first things first: better make sure your farmer is a farmer.

We bring you Truly Pastured, High Integrity foods you can trust.

It’s easy to be fooled by industrial organics in the supermarket.

That’s why our farm is dedicated to only high integrity foods.

You deserve to eat every meal with confidence!