The Power

written by

posted on

November 26, 2019

After Worse than Monsanto and then the Concentration Farms post, a lot of you are asking good questions.

Since USDA Certified Organic foods are sometimes coming from Concentrated Animal Farms, and these industrial farms quite likely are sourcing their organic feed from imported, possibly fraudulent sources:

How can we know?
Who can we trust?
Which foods are pure and safe?
Which brands sell food from confined animal compounds?

These are good questions. And 10-15 years ago we would have simply said: "Look for the green seal... Buy Organic!"

Sigh...

But those innocent days are over. It's not so easy anymore.

Industrial Organics are Powerful

And they've hijacked USDA Organic. These multi-billion dollar institutions are giants with mega power: They have perks for lobbyists, political clout for Washington, millions for green-washing and lawyers for truth speakers.

But there's a Secret Power that's stronger.

It's a power that Industrial Organic giants can't control. And they know it. They tremble, because it spells their doom every time.

And guess what!

You Hold that Power

You have the power that Industrial Organic fears. It's yours and they can't take it away.

'The Power' is your Freedom to Choose

You can choose to stop buying industrial organic foods. It's as simple as that. If concentration animal farms seem wrong to you–stop buying their stuff. If you're sick of fake organics–buy real organics. If deceptive marketing breaks your trust–choose to support farmers that you can trust.

There is power in grocery shopping!

When shoppers choose to stop buying

foods from industrial organic giants,

their power will be broken,

their influence lost,

and their game over.

But you Need Information

And that's where we come in. Sometimes our family feels like double agents, privy to inside information. My wife and I are 4th generation farmers, our children are 5th. We've been organic farmers for 14 years and have connected directly for a dozen years with thousands of customers.

Whether we like to be in this spot or not, our boots-on-the-ground connections do put us in a position to know the inside information on industrial organics.

And since informed choice is the only true choice, we're offering you that insider information. You'll need it to exercise your power.

So stick with me and I'll share a few tips.

Tip #1: Be Wary of Organic Foods in the Supermarket.

Almost all organic food in the supermarket is industrial organic.

I know this is disappointing, but it's the truth. And when we stop to think about it, we shouldn't be surprised... Supermarkets are simply the visible sales front for the industrial food system.

The industrial food system looks like this: Industrial Production > Industrial Processing > Industrial Warehousing > all delivered to the Industrial Supermarket... so really, we shouldn't be surprised to find supermarkets full of industrial foods, should we?

Notice I said "almost all." There are a few exceptions of organic family farmers whose foods came be found in some of the better food markets, especially in health food stores. Organic Pastures in CA, and Alexander Family Farm in CA, Maple Hill Creamery in NY, and Greenfield Farms in OH, Lancaster Farm Fresh in PA are some that come to mind.

But these are the exceptions and they are few and far between. Unless you really are committed to doing deep research, you need to assume that supermarket organics is industrial organic.

Note: For some foods, the supermarket organics may be your only option. Bananas, coconut oil, coffee, avocados, rice and some other foods just are not grown locally. So you'll need to make your best informed choice on these. When I speak of avoiding supermarket organics, I'm referring specifically to organic meats, milks, cheeses and fruits and vegetables that are native to USA and therefore available direct from the farmers.

Tip #2: Buy Real Food from Real Farmers.

These high integrity, sustainable, regenerative, non-industrial farmer families need your support. They depend on you. Without you, they and the choice of the foods they grow will cease to exist. And when that happens, it will be too late. The only organic option then will be industrial organic CAFO foods.

And this is why I'm finally speaking out. Small, high fidelity organic farmer neighbors are being ruined by industrial organics all around us. It's very sad.

Just in the past two years we have watched half a dozen organic family farms sell their animals, close their doors, and sometimes sell their beloved land. Several more are weighing their options.

Here's what Cornucopia said in an email a few days ago: "Authentic organic dairy farmers are being undercut in the marketplace by factory farms whose certifiers interpret unclear regulations to their economic advantage. As a result, many authentic organic dairies have closed their doors. Most organic consumers are unaware of the bait and switch."

But by wielding the power of your choice to buy real foods from real farmers, you can stop this outrage. You can bring industrial organic to its knees.

You are the hero! You are needed! You can rescue real organic farmers and secure the future availability of your real organic foods all in one fell swoop.

How do you know if you are buying from a real organic farmer?

It's pretty simple.

Do you know your farmer's name? Do you know the address of the real farm? Do they have an on-farm store?

Are there a lot of photos of the actual farm and farm animals on their website? Can you email your farmer or call him with questions about imported grain or concentration animal farms or GMO's? Can you expect a clear answer from the farmer directly or one of the family or one of the farm team who are on the farm?

Does the farm allow shoppers to visit the farm at any time to see the animals and look around and ask questions?

If you are buying from a real organic farmer, the answer to these questions will be an open, comfortable yes.

If the answers are no... you had better do some more digging. You may be supporting industrial organics.

How do you find a real farmer?

Here is a website that will be a big help with that! YourFamilyFarmer.com :)

Or you could check out some of our real farmer friends below. We know all of these farmers personally. The farming practices of our friends are not all exactly the same as ours, but at least you can ask them questions and they will tell you the truth.

Some of them are certified organic, but not all. So it will be up to you to ask the questions that are important to you. But I will assure you that none of these family farms are concentration animal farms and none are industrial organic!

And these are only a few of the more notable. As you exercise your power and choose to move away from the supermarket fake industrial organics you'll find many more of these noble farmers.

Michael Pollan had it right so long ago... "Shake the hand that feeds you."

We'd all be better off if we lived by that simple maxim.

The power of a weekly 'handshake' with your farmer will break the hold and expose the fraud of industrial organics every time.

In this week of gratitude, we thank you for giving us 'a hand.' :)

Your farmers,

Edwin and Dawn Shank and Family

Get Truly Pastured Soy-Free Food

Many people who care about what they eat are being deceived by industrial organics in the supermarkets... That's why our family grows and delivers real organic, truly pastured, soy-free food. It's only right you can trust your food again!

God Designed it. We Respect it. That Explains it.

Rodrick & Jeanette are moving to Colombia, South America

Good morning Family Cow friends, Today I have some news that's a bit personal, but it only seems right that you should know. Our oldest son, Rodrick, with his wife, Jeanette, and family are planning to move to Colombia, South America next month. Yes, you heard right. Colombia South America. Just above the equator. We still can hardly believe it either :) Our church conference is starting a new congregation there at the request of local Colombians asking for a Biblical church and faith community. But it's also located on the border with Venezuela, so a big part of their work will be to help relieve the ongoing Venezuelan refugees crisis. This new congregation, "Amigos del Prójimo" (Friends of the Neighbor), is located near the border town of Cúcuta, Colombia. Jeanette grew up in Guatemala, and Rodrick has spent time there so both of them are fluent in Spanish and understand the Latin American culture. For this reason, Dawn and I were really not totally surprised that the mission board thought of them when looking for families to establish the new church plant. Their combination of skills and cross cultural experiences made them seem a natural fit. But that did not exactly make giving them up any easier! We are still working on that process! Here are a few pictures from the area near Cúcuta. Distributing meals to the homeless... Música, anyone? 😉 I'm not sure what the point of this car was, but Rodrick said they heard it coming from several blocks away... Checking out the countryside... Sofia with a new little friend Exploring a mountain road (part of the Andes mountain range) After months of prayer and consideration and several visits to Colombia, Rodrick and Jeanette made the tough decision to answer the call to move there for an indefinite length of time. Though it is hard for us to let them go, we do give them our blessing.One comfort is that Rodrick is not abandoning The Family Cow. With today's technology, he'll still be able to do much of the management work and accounting work that he has done before... so this change shouldn't necessarily impact you, but it will represent some definite changes for our family and team.Rodrick plans to work remotely, doing many of the same business administration duties, but he will turn over the General Manager role to his younger brother Wesley. Rodrick also plans to continue giving management support to the Olde Tyme Meats butcher shop team.The other four brothers tell Dawn and I not to worry about the farm and business management, but I know there will be changes. We'll just need to find our way one step at a time.Dawn and I are not sure who's making the greatest sacrifice—the ones staying or the ones moving. :) I guess it is all of us. And that's ok.As far as Rodrick and Jeanette's Amen Acres farm, if all goes as planned, we'll have one of the other brothers live on that farm to manage the care of the grass-fed beef and pastured pork.There is no doubt about it... we will greatly miss having Rodrick and Jeanette, Andre, Clara, Sofia and Leo nearby. But they remind us that airplanes fly both ways, that they will return a few times a year for visits, and that we of course can come down to visit them too.Who knows—maybe someday Rodrick and Jeanette can grow cacao beans and make single origin organic specialty chocolate for our Family Cow tribe. How neat would that be? Don't think it's impossible. Just last week we introduced single origin organic coffee straight from Jeanette's family in Guatemala. :)In spite of unknowns, some things never change. We do know that "all things work together for good to those who love God." (Romans 8:28) So... we'll just focus on loving God and we'll trust Him to work out the good that only He knows! Faith, Hope and Love,Your farmer - Edwin for Dawn too

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