healthy food - Farmer Friday - 8 O'Clock Ranch - SIBEJO

Intern Amands Korb offers us another reflection on food and farming issues on the last day of her internship...

In the 21^st 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. 

healthy food - Farmer Friday - Lay Z Ducks Farms - SIBEJO

GardenShare summer intern, Amanda, reflects on another farm visit this week...

When I went grocery shopping at Price Chopper with my parents this week, I couldn�t help but notice distinct differences in our shopping habits now that I buy food for myself. My mom reached for a head of lettuce, leaving me to sigh loudly as an expression of my disapproval because I knew Dulli from Birdsfoot Farm offers a great salad green mix with signature fresh dill. Watching her pick between the six shelves of jams and jellies, I again shook my head knowing Mary-Ellen from Circle G cans the best strawberry-rhubarb jelly in St. Lawrence County. Then, I stopped myself. Was I becoming a food snob?

�Voting with your forks,� as Michael Pollan says, or changing the consumers' shopping habits seems to be the only way we can alter the American style of eating. After all, large-scale farmers produce what the government subsidizes (corn rather than broccoli, soy rather than kale). When one goes to the supermarket, the consumer is essentially foraging for energy. So naturally when one buys to keep essentially alive, stretching food dollars is top priority. For example, one dollar spent in the processed section of the grocery store can offer 1200 calories. Conversely, spending that same dollar in the produce perimeter will get a shopper 250 calories worth of carrots. As a mother, feeding children snack packs after soccer practice then is much cheaper compared to a bag of carrots with a scoop of (organic) peanut butter. The decision is a no-brainer.

I thought back to my visit to Lay-Z Ducks farms, owned by Wendy and Phil. Tragically, a lot of kids in St. Lawrence County don�t understand what real fruits and vegetables are as an upshot of opportunity expenditures.  Not too long ago, Wendy brought carrots to her grandson�s sporting event. She offered the snack to other children, but they declined, claiming her carrots didn�t taste as good as the orange Cheez-its or fruit snacks they are typically accustomed to for a snack. Wendy and Phil have reared their grandson as a locavore. Every Friday, Wendy takes him to the Canton Farmers market. He always makes a pit stop to see Jean Tupper for her famous homemade doughnuts, and he gets excited to pick their produce for the week. His taste buds salivate for a fresh vegetable. �Unless you have been raised to appreciate fruits and vegetables, you just don�t know,� Wendy commented.

This knowledge is something Wendy and Phil practice on their farm. Wendy�s husband, Phil, came home 18 years ago with ducks in an attempt to begin a duck farm. Wendy�s ducks were horrible; they wouldn�t mother their young. �They were just lazy!� exclaimed Wendy, which is how the farm got its name. Fast forward to present day and one can find ducks, heritage breed turkeys, several varieties of chickens, and Overhasli goats. From the goats, Wendy makes three types of cheeses: chevre, mozzarella, and ricotta. The two mothers are milked by hand once a day. In the future Wendy wishes to increase her herd to meet the growing demand for goat cheese. However, Wendy claimed finding fellow goat farmers are difficult; there are only two other locations in St. Lawrence County. Goats aside, Wendy raises approximately fifty Cornish hens for pre-order meat sales each year. Just recently, Phil butchered thirty twelve-week old hens. Wendy is passionate about eating locavore, a term used to express diets largely sourced from local food. All of her animals are fed organic or natural feed. She does not use chemicals on her property.

 For now, Wendy�s profits generate mainly from home base, but she is open to selling at both Canton and Massena Farmers Market. She has found just from her house sales the difference in demographics. Some areas of St. Lawrence County are willing to pay the added value of her labor, even though Wal-Mart or Aldi�s is a cheaper option. Currently, the chickens sell for either $4.50/lb. for pieces or $3/lb. for a whole. Wendy said she tries to present the data on growth hormones, economic development, human treatment, but has found �financial restrictions� prevent many customers from purchasing her products. For Wendy, her bottom line of healthy food outweighs a few extra pennies. �I would rather pay full price and eat half a pound of high quality food (fruits and vegetables), than three pounds of the nutritionally lacking counterpart.� This made me think of �food elitist,� a term used to describe someone who strongly advocates for a return to the healthy basics of buying fresh, local food. The lifestyle can be expensive and largely unrealistic for many, a group that once included myself. So how can we support the local movement without putting up a wall between the public and their choices for healthier living?

This made me wonder the possibility of changing a child�s eating habits if they aren�t the ones footing the bill. Of the families receiving SNAP, approximately 50% are children. If a working mom chooses the less expensive snacks for her children, they will surely learn to prefer that over the healthier alternative. Wendy wishes at school events there was more representation of good quality food. The classic hot dogs, hamburgers, potato chips and Coca-Cola may be tasty, but Wendy desires an apples or orange. �I believe if you are raised out of a box, you stay in a box. I refuse to let our grandson live that way. We actively take him to different markets and the Potsdam Co-Op.� This I recognize is a form of privilege in the form of purchasing capability. However, it is this very privilege GardenShare tries to eliminate through our CSA program and our Double Up program and the Farmers Market. By providing families with an incentive to shop locally, we hope to encourage them to change their eating habits.

healthy food - SELLING KIDS ON VEGETABLES - SIBEJO

The same marketing techniques used to convince children to eat junk food are highly effective in promoting fruits and vegetables, a new study has found. Researchers assigned 10 elementary schools to one of four groups. In the first, they posted vinyl banners around the salad bar depicting cartoon vegetable characters with �super powers.� In the second, they showed television cartoons of the characters. The third got both cartoons and banners, and a control group got no intervention. Compared to control schools, TV segments alone produced a statistically insignificant increase in vegetable consumption. But in schools decorated with the banners alone, 90.5% more students took vegetables. And where both the banners and the TV advertisements were used, the number of students taking vegetables increased by 239.2%.

Source: New York Times, 7/5/16, Kids & Vegetables

healthy food - INCENTIVES HELP SNAP PARTICIPANTS EAT HEALTHIER - SIBEJO

Financial incentives can help SNAP families eat healthier foods. According to a randomized controlled trial, a 30% rebate on fruits and vegetables increased their daily consumption by 26%. The trial evaluated USDA's Healthy Incentives Pilot program, which offered a 30% rebate for 1 year on certain fruits and vegetables purchased at participating retailers using SNAP benefits. The rebate was offered for fresh, canned, frozen, and dried fruits and vegetables without added sugars, fats, oils, or salt. White potatoes, dried beans and peas, and 100% fruit juice were not eligible for the rebates.

Source: MedPage Today, 6/28/16, SNAP Incentives Work

healthy food - IS SUSHI HEALTHY? WHAT ABOUT GRANOLA? - SIBEJO

Americans think granola bars, frozen yogurt, and SlimFast shakes are healthy; nutritionists disagree and counter with quinoa, tofu, hummus, and wine.  Why the difference?  One possibility is that everyday Americans don�t notice all the added sugar in the foods they, but not nutritionists deem healthy.  And, many average consumers may not be familiar with newer foods, like quinoa (which many nutritionists praise as a �supergrain), or ethnic imports, like tofu and hummus. There are some areas of nutritional consensus. Nearly all nutritionists and consumers surveyed agreed that oranges, apples, oatmeal, and chicken could be described as healthy and that chocolate chip cookies, bacon, white bread and soda could not.

Source: New York Times, 7/5/16, Healthy Foods