Food choices is a “dangerous” topic. It’s too often a “food choices are great as long as it’s the right choice/my choice” or “here is what your food choice should be”. That’s not choice! We don’t say “Johnny what do you want for dinner?” then say no to ice cream, cookies, popcorn, macaroni and cheese, pizza and hamburgers! If we are offering directed choice it’s “Johnny do you want chicken or pork chops?”

Free food choices mean standing up even when it’s a choice that others disagree with. Some have criticized us as “big ag” for standing with “factory farms” no matter what we *do* while others see us as some kind of traitor for not sticking with “our own kind”. Seriously? Do your white cows stay away from the brown cows in the pasture?! Obviously we want to promote what we do. We want to see more people choose rabbit a couple times per month, and we encourage direct purchase of farm goods whenever possible. Is it because of mistrust of “big food”? Not really, although it can be seen that way I suppose.

I grew up on a family farm. We raised Charolais cattle, a few hogs, corn and hay. We knew from a young age where our food came from and what it took to produce it. We also knew not everyone farmed like us. This was no more evident than taking a Charolais and a Brown Swiss to the 4-H or FFA fair dominated by black or black and white cattle!! We knew we were different and that’s ok!

I grew up and moved away, and used my experience on the farm working for others. In the ’80s this led me to a large dairy in the  Pacific northwest that was not typical of the farmers I grew up with. Sometimes it seemed like the only thing agriculture about it was cows and tractors, for common sense management decisions were lacking. Then came the morning that changed my view. The milking herd was split into four main pen grouped by production, plus a ‘sick pen’ where cows that were on antibiotics or other treatments were until they passed their withdrawal time – this milk was withheld for feeding replacement heifer calves. One night the milkers cleared pen 4 and went to get the ‘sick cow pen’ – it was open. A gate came open and the cows mingled with the other herds. Records meant we know what cows we needed to pull – but those cows had already been milked into the bulk tank. It was tested and showed no trace of contamination due to the amount of milk in the tank. Did it mean the contaminated milk wasn’t in there? Not in my mind!

The milk was shipped to a butter and ice cream plant and that was the last day I bought their products. It made me question many things that I knew to be true. I knew most people would not have risked their reputation – but have seen some will as reputation “doesn’t pay the banker”. This is true but no market doesn’t pay the banker either.

It changed in wanting to do something better. Over the last 30 years our choices in the dairy market have dwindled. That isn’t the case – yet – with other food items. It’s what drives us to providing choices because what is safe sometimes isn’t enough. A taste of peanuts can kill some people – dilution isn’t enough.

So as we set up and have grown we want to provide choices but not at the expense of another farm who is also providing choices. The consumer’s choice of buying direct or buying from the store is a choice. We’re all consumers!

When you get a Toyota Camry or a Mercedes you don’t get just white, black, grey and blue to choose from – and our food choices should also be full! I might choose maroon you might choose green. If we have many choices in clothes, cars, computers and other aspects of life, why not for our most basic one – food?

Talk to farmers – decide don’t settle! Exert action for your food choices!