Intern Amands Korb offers us another reflection on food and farming issues on the last day of her internship...
In the 21st century, the
rise of grass-fed, all-natural, free-range, cage-free, pasture-based animal
products is certainly evident. We buy the bloodless package of ground beef with
a sticker of a picturesque red barn and white chickens in the yard and the
cleanly washed pearl-white eggs. We are living in a food illusion, and the lack
of transparency between the farmer and the consumer is only getting wider. I
believe we must ask ourselves what are our personal beliefs are in terms of
food, or rather, what do we demand as consumers when we purchase items. On a
more personal level, we might ask what is it like for a chicken to live in a
cage, to be given certain feeds or various medications? And furthermore, do we
care?
From pig to cow to chickens, the large-scale
production of animal meat (think 2 million hens per “warehouse”) personifies
the broken American food system. We all know the horror stories of the industrial
farm—some of us turn a blind eye, thinking, “How else will be feed the world?”
while others choose to eliminate the product from their diet as a form of animal
solidarity.
These were a few questions Kassandra
and John Barton asked when they first started
8 O’clock Ranch in 2001. Their
200-acre mission to raise non-GMO, soy-free, pasture based meat is far from the
images Food Inc. portrays. On the larger farms, “ag gag laws” forbid any form
of filming or photography of farms without the consent of owners. Even with
consent, the images do not portray the full story. This was not the case with
Kassandra, who specifically invited me to come on butcher day. I pulled into
the ranch’s driveway, greeted by her amiable face. She instructed me to the barn
where her sons and neighbors were at the head of the butchering assembly line.
They were in charge of killing, scalding and then chilling the birds. I was
impressed by the cleanliness, efficiency and humaneness of the process. One
might think the birds would be squawking as they faced death, but these hens
cooed sweetly.
After chilling, the hens were then
cleaned and split into parts. All portions of the bird are consumed except for
the head. (Customers do actually ask for them, but Kassandra hasn’t figured out
a way to package them safely.) The liver, heart, necks and feet are packaged
for sale elsewhere. 8 O’clock Ranch used to work at the Canton Farmers market,
but slow demand led the couple to “follow other marketing strategies,” like
shipping all over the east coast or delivering milkman style to one’s doorstep.
“We wanted to do what they used to in the 1700’s,” Kassandra
remarked. “Sure I use new technologies, and I utilize YouTube a lot too, but a
lot of what we do now comes from old books. If it worked then, why can’t it
work now?” Their land is called a ranch and not a farm to reflect how they believe
animals should be raised—free to roam with ample amount of fresh land, air and
grass. They practice block pasturing and intensive grazing, which has reduced
the unwanted growth of thistles and instead encouraged clovers to flourish. As
Michael Pollan writes, “It is doubtful you can build a genuinely sustainable
agriculture without animals to cycle nutrients.”
Kassandra is a firm believer in healthy soil: “If the soil
is healthy, then the rest falls in line.” They regularly add minerals to the
ground, although they recognize it takes 18 months system integration. Prevention,
it seems, is a better method of treatment. In fact, John and Kassandra have
only called the vet 4 times in 8 years. “If you’re calling the vet, then there
is something lacking in your management practices.”
Around 1,000 hens a year are
processed at the ranch, alongside 40 lambs and 100-120 beef cattle. I asked the
inevitable, given their success, would they consider getting bigger? “Any
bigger and our job would be harder, especially since we insist on sticking to
our standards,” John responded. Their morals are tried and true—a few years ago
the couple threatened to shut down when USDA regulations had them shipping
their meat to far off processing units. Kassandra and John are firm believers
in giving their customers what they desire- transparent, healthy, truly natural
meat because “customer service is what keeps [them] going.”
“Taste is our biggest
advertisement,” she further commented. “When selling meat, the hardest part is
getting people to actually cook the meal. But once they taste it and show their
friends, they understand why we do what we do.” On average, Kassandra and John
have a 90% CSA renewal rate. The word of mouth sales are certainly proving to
be fruitful.
Promoting local healthy food is an
easy feat, but to actually execute the philosophy is a more strenuous process.
8 O’clock Ranch used to participate in GardenShare’s Bonus Bucks program, but
had to demure their participate due to USDA regulations. When I asked Kassandra
what role she thinks government should play in small-scale meat production, she
quickly responded none. “Because they [the government] is involved the cost of
food increases. People who can afford food don’t care that much and we secure
their business no problem; however, this makes access to low-income or working
households difficult.”
Currently, out of house sales are illegal
unless permitted otherwise. This means Kassandra’s customers must pre-order meat,
a process deemed inconvenient due to our instantaneous society. “If a customer
could simply come and go it would be easier. Also, this would help keep prices
lower for people to try new meat. It would be easier for people to say, ‘I want
to eat healthy, local food.’”
When I asked how to fill the gap the
USDA creates between her meat and the customer’s plate, Kassandra further said,
“Many mothers ask, how do I cook, look up recipes, share that knowledge, and have
the ability to eat? You can’t expect to cook all meats equally. Visits to a
farm, where a meal can be shared, are conversational and relatable way to cook
food.” I invite all North Country residents to give Kassandra a call. 8 O’clock
ranch is a 100% transparent operation that produces ethical and sustainable
meals for families and friends.
