"Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" by Debbie
by Embrace Country Life on 11/18/15This site was created almost five years ago with the intention of promoting local farms and connecting those who want healthy foods to farms. Since inception, it has done just that. Cliff and I love to hear from farmers who have ordered more cows this year because their beef business has increased. I love recommending the site to people who are interested in eating healthier and knowing where their food comes from.
This past weekend I was in Rhode Island at a conference. I went with two colleagues and we got to enjoy many meals out. At dinner one night, one of my friends ordered a turkey burger and was told they were out of turkey. She sighed but found something else to replace it. Two days later, in another restaurant in NY, she tried to order another turkey burger. Again, she was told there was no turkey. It was then that I remembered what we were told during the Broome County Fair. Turkeys were going to be limited this year because of the Avian Flu! According to NPR in May: "Now reaching to 15 states, the outbreak has been detected at 174 farms, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Because there's no vaccine, infected and even healthy birds must be killed to try to stop the virus, forcing the killing of 38.9 million birds and counting, the USDA says."
Thanksgiving is next week! No turkeys? Or if you do get a turkey from the supermarket, should you be worried? Have no fear, ECL is here! Just click on our logo in the upper left corner of the site and it will take you to our directory of over 160 local farms. Click on "Poultry-Eggs" and you can find local farms that are raising turkeys! Purchase a turkey from a local farm and know how its been raised.
We have everything from turkey to honey to fresh eggs to beef on our site. It is free for farmers to be on the site and free for them to advertise in our ECL coupon books. We want to see farmers thrive in our area! Farmers are some of the hardest working people we know and our goal is to see them reap the benefits of their hard work. It is a win-win when you purchase directly from a local farmer. The farmer and local economy benefit but you also benefit knowing where your food has come from. That brings peace of mind.
We hope you enjoy this site as much as we enjoy having it. We want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. Don't forget to be thankful for all the farmers who raised and harvested the food on your Thanksgiving table this year. I know we are thankful for all of them at ECL!
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