Polyface Farm

We have become big fans of sustainably and locally produced foods. I was about to type that I won't get on my soapbox about this, but it is our blog, so I guess I can get on whatever soapbox I want to! :) "The Omnivore's Dilemma" is a thoughtfully written book by Michael Pollan, and it details what all goes in to the production of food in our country. It's a bit scary, but he is very balanced as he reveals all that he learns.

Heavily featured in the book is a farmer named Joel Salatin, who is located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, only about 20 minutes away from Heather and Josh. Joel is a celebrity among people who care about food being produced as it should be and is a self-proclaimed "Christian-libertarian-environmentalist-lunatic farmer." He has written several books, among them, "Everything I Want to Do is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front." He feeds his cows grass (most cows today are fed corn) and no antibiotics or hormones. His chickens and turkeys are truly free range (many "free range" chickens today have about a square foot of space to roam in. Non free range chickens live in disgusting conditions: watch the movie "Food, Inc."). He uses a rotational system of grazing so that the land is fertilized and the animals eat what they are supposed to eat.

Joel also slaughters his chickens in the open air, inviting buyers to take part in the process so they know exactly what they are eating. His chickens are never dunked in chlorine or forms of butane as other food processors do, and yet his chickens test for fewer bacteria than the big warehoused foods. The USDA has tried to shut down his operation, but he has found a way around their more ridiculous regulations. The movie "Food, Inc." is a bit sensational but gives one a sense of some of the craziness that goes on in the food industry.

All that to say, when I found out that Polyface Farm was so close to where we were staying, I had to go! They allow visitors any time from Monday to Saturday, 9-5, because they believe that people should know exactly what they are eating. They don't ship their food, because they believe that getting bigger isn't necessarily better for the earth, the animals, or for people.