Concentration Farms

The problem with industrial organics is much deeper than fraudulent imported grain. In fact, to me, that's not their most deceptive tactic.

The most deceptive is that factory farmed food from concentrated animal farms is intentionally being marketed as 'free range' and 'free roaming' and foisted unto unsuspecting shoppers.

Just check out the eggs featured above. Wouldn't you think they would be from a good place? Maybe almost as good as Family Cow eggs... and from hens at least as happy?

After all, they are certified organic and brown and high omega 3 and soy-free and hey... look at that! They are even free-range to boot! So for what more could we ask?

Forget Family Cow! These guys even got sunflowers on the carton, and sunflowers make us all feel so organic.

Now take a look at the chicken concentration farm below.

How would you feel to find out that these supposedly happy 'free-range' hens as advertised on the sunflower carton were, in truth, confined in a Texas desert chicken concentration farm like this?

I think I'd feel deceived.

And you probably would too... and I wouldn't blame you.

But it's the sad truth. 

These pictures are of Chino Valley's "free range" organic egg production compound in Idalou, TX. Each of these 30 building is about 360 feet long and 40 feet wide and confines roughly 15,000 hens. (Photo courtesy of Cornucopia Institute)

Folks, these chickens are not free or ranging... no matter what the label says. (I'll explain more in another email how industrial factory farms sneak by with calling this free-range under USDA organic inspection.)

But apparently it's good business.

Because today, if you search "Idalou Egg Ranch TX" in Google Earth or Google Maps to look around for yourself, you'll see that the compound has grown to 40 buildings. (4 are off this picture)

So now this "organic free-range" chicken factory has the capacity to confine close to 600,000 hens at once.

But this is an exception, right?

We'd like to think so. But let's look a little further.

Certainly these Best Eggs are from a quality place. Look, they're even 'MOST TRUSTED By Shoppers!'

And when you open the carton... then all doubt is removed. Each egg has its own personal quality seal. You can trust these eggs, right?

Well... Cal-Main is the company who owns the Egg-Land's Best brand (among many other brands). Here is one of Cal-Main's organic cage-free chicken compounds. You decide.

Each of these double story layer chicken warehouses may confine 60,000 hens or more. So these 8 buildings pictured here may hold 400,000 or more hens.

Organic cage-free eggs from industrial confinement buildings may be "MOST TRUSTED By Shoppers" ... but what if the shoppers knew the truth?

I think it's time they know.

Know your farmer... know your food.

To understand this better, you got to see our most-loved pasture story ever: A Morning with Wesley and Roland.

That's me with our hens and Nikki and Tasha, our Great Pyrenees guard dogs.

Which system does your eating support?

Think about it...

Your farmer,
Edwin

P.S. Just so you know... I'm not being inflammatory when I call these places concentration farms. The official USDA classification for animal operations like these is: "Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation" (CAFO for short). Even the owners of these operations are forced to recognize this fact. They are registered with the government as CAFOs, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations.

So don't blame me. It's their words, not mine.

Of course they can't tell the truth on their label. "Concentrated Animal Farm Organics! CAFO produced!" would probably not sell so well.

When you're hiding... the truth is not your friend.

Get Real Food you can eat with confidence.