I never used to think too much about where my food came from. Especially my meat, eggs and milk. Then I married a farmer. I saw everything he put into making sure the animals were fed, watered, sheltered and cared for. I see the late nights he drives to the barn to check on the cow who’s going to freshen any day (and if we’re being honest, I didn’t even know what freshen meant-for those of you still wondering…..it’s having a baby). Then I started thinking about if the meat I bought from the store had a dedicated farmer like that. I started wondering if the package of ground beef was even from cows that are raised on the same farm, in the same state or even the same country. I still can’t answer that question. I can however answer that question if you purchase directly from your local farmer. That pound of ground beef is from one, healthy, and well cared for cow. On our farm, our kids probably laid with that cow from the time it was born, caring for it as a pet even as it’s out on pasture to graze, and even then I catch our kids out there petting them and loving on them. Our animals our happy, and research says there is a direct correlation to taste of happy, healthy animals- but that’s for another post, another time.

Today I just want to encourage you to stop and talk to your local farmer, they love to tell you about their animals, how they care for them, what they feed them, and the practices they use to make sure they are producing the best product that they know how for their community. You still may decide to purchase your meat from a grocery store, and that’s ok. I do hope that you at least will listen to the dedication in their voice and see the joy in their eyes as you talk with them. I guarantee you will realize they love the animals they raise to produce the best meat, eggs and milk that they possibly can.