The modern food system is broken. The problems with the system are well documented and the general public is slowly becoming aware. I will not go into the many issues here.
What we need, is a return to something simple and transparent.
This is important for protecting your health. After all, you are what you eat and if you don't know what exactly you are eating how can you be confident it will not endanger your health? Clear information about food sources and inputs is the key to safe guarding your health.
A simple and transparent food system is also important for protecting ecological health. Do you know how your food was produced or what kinds of ecological damage may have been caused in the production process? Environmental issues are not private issues. Like before, it is only when information is readily accessible that we can be confident about what we are supporting.
Transparency in production is important in all production sectors in order to protect human rights. You've heard about the sweatshops and mistreatment of laborers. Do you know if and when your purchases contribute to these crimes?
And we don't need to passively trust the salesmen and information brokers for this knowledge. In our modern world we can have direct access to the sources of things. And when direct access is not realistic, we can and should expect a third party or a community review platform like yelp to give a decent account. These things are commonplace in most parts of the economy.
There is no excuse. In our modern age of technology and information over-load there is no reason why these things should not be clear... unless there is something to hide.
You can find out almost anything online these days. And if you've noticed, most companies who do honorable work go out of their way to not only make it known but to show it. weather it is pictures or videos or real time social media coverage, they make their behind the scenes known. They are proud of it.
The overwhelming lack of transparency in the food system is at worst an intentional obfuscation of what is really happening in the background. At best it is just an outdated and excessively complicated system. Either one is a problem for the consumer.
Thankfully there is an alternative food movement. In this food system, farms are proud of the good work they are doing and like so many other honorable companies they go out of their way to make direct and personal connection with their end customer. Whether its an open door policy, public farm tours, informative websites, or ongoing social media presence, these farmers make sure to show the public exactly how their food is being produced.
Markets are complicated and things can be rigged, but we still generally live in a free market where the customer decides which companies stay in business and which ones don't. And generally speaking, Americans are a concerned group of people. They can get quite worked up about things they don't agree with.
That is why transparency is so vital. IF the customer knows their product is an unhealthy, earth damaging, human abusing product, chances are they will opt out and buy something else. But that only happens IF they know. unfortunately, it is hard to know in the modern mainstream food system. And unfortunately, most consumers have stopped asking questions. They value efficiency and cheapness and stop asking the tough questions.
But you don't have to buy your food blindly. It is possible now to buy a large portion of your food directly from a farmer who is willing to show you where your food is coming from and is unashamed about his practices.
When buy your meat directly from a farmer you are opting out of a broken food system. You are bypassing all the middle men and layers of obfuscation. Assuming that farmer is transparent, you can see all the repercussions of your purchase. When you are working with a conscientious farmer, your purchase heals the earth, and supports the continuance of someone who heals the earth for a living. So not only do you avoid participating in the negative effects of irresponsible land stewardship and protect yourself from consuming perverted foods, but you support and thereby participate in the positive opposite.
When you buy beef directly from a farmer you can trust, you are supporting exactly the change you want to see and fighting against the ills that make you uneasy.
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It probably goes without saying that we stand confidently behind our products. We believe in what we do and we we are pleased to share it. The food we produce is farmed with extremely high standards. Our product is excellent and our practices are honorable.
Please join us in healing the earth, feeding people, and engaging our community. We need people like you to make the decision to change their eating habits and buy directly from a source they can trust.
