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Resources and Related Links

Country Life Natural Foods is a wholesale and retail distributor of natural, organic and vegetarian foods. We buy lots of different flours, spices, dried beans, peas, lentils and the like from them. Prices are wonderful and the quality is even better.

Local Harvest, a way to locate natural, organic and locally grown farm products in your area.

SustainLane, a people-powered sustainability guide.

Locavore Network - Locavores are people who make a serious effort to understand where their food comes from, and then make the effort to eat locally produced food as much as possible. This certainly does not have to be an all-or-nothing venture. Following our "15 Step Program " will help support your local small farmers as well as your local economy. The added benefits of protecting your family's health and discovering the fabulous flavor of locally grown produce are merely "icing on the cake".

GreenPeople.org - Eco-friendly products and services.

Michigan Family Farms ". . . a true gathering place for family farmers, the products they grow and those of us who love to eat them. Buying local food is good for your body, your peace of mind and our local economy."

Farmer's Pal ". . . a guide to organic living." This is a national guide to finding organic foods and products.

Salt of the Earth Restaurant, Fennville, MI - Matt and Jesse are going "whole hog" with Berkshire pork from our farm. Classical kitchen, interesting beers, and frequent entertainment by well-known local musicians make this a great spot to go.

Clearbrook Country Club, another West Michigan restaurant that likes to buy local and cook from scratch, rather than buy portion-control "mass meat". They have had our chickens in the past, and hopefully in the future, and have also just gotten a Berkshire hog from us.

West Michigan Fresh Guide to Local Food. A directory of Western Michigan family farms, farmers' markets, Community Supported Agriculture farms (CSA's), u-pick farms, restaurants, grocers, caterers and bakers, bed & breakfasts, and other businesses that sell locally grown farm products. This is the online version of a book that is printed each year as a collaboration between the State of Michigan Department of Agriculture, The Greater Grand Rapids Food Systems Council, and WMEAC (West Michigan Environmental Action Council). Many providers of organic and natural fruits, vegetables, meats and related products can be found here. Or, you can go to this site and download a PDF version or order printed versions of the food guide:

Rural Heritage, a little about a lot of topics, including gardening, small farms, and much more, but mostly about draft animal power.

Small Farmer's Journal. This is the large distinctive international quarterly, famous for its fierce support of the independent family farm. Small Farmer's Journal offers detailed, modern information on the use of animal-power for twenty-first century farming. Also included in each issue is a rich array of information on any and every subject appropriate to the small farm. Thousands of Journal readers consider SFJ an indispensible farming tool.

NoNAIS.org  is an effort by a small farmer in Vermont to make information available to the public about the harm a National Animal Identificaton System will do to small farms, locally bought livestock products, even raising your OWN backyard hens for eggs, or a pig or cow for milk, having a horse - anything classified as livestock would have to be tagged (for a fee), reported on and tracked. Read more about this misguided attempt to control food sources in this country and understand what it might mean to you as a consumer.



Comments

  1. Clearbrook Restaurants recently bought a Berkshire Hog and feel this product is far superior than any we've ever tried. The finish feed process seems to make all the difference.

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