Is grass-fed farming radical? In some ways it is but to those who practice grass-fed farming, is not radical just a smarter, better way to farm. Our hope at this party is not to alienate but to include. I grew up surrounded by dairy farms that grew their own corn to supplement their hay during the winter months. I loved walking by the cornfields as a kid and I knew my neighbors where treating their cows well. They all had names for goodness sake! But I also witnessed those same farms start to struggle, against an ever dwindling milk check and ever increasing costs for fertilizer, GM corn seed and fuel. Most of the dairy farms of my childhood are now gone, their cows shipped and their barns silent. Some upstate New York dairy farms have been able to make the transition to grass-fed beef production: it is far more profitable because it does not compete with our industrial agricultural process. It is a new process all together, one in which the farmer, and the custumer profits not just corporations. This might seem radical but I am not a radical. I have just seen the family farm become almost extinct in my lifetime and this has a lot of implications that make me sad and alarmed.
This moooovement should be able to include the radical and the conservative because we both can agree that grass-fed farming is a better way to farm. It is about empowerment. Empowering the rancher, the land and our health. Grass-fed farming might seem radical to many, and it might even seem threatening to traditional farmers but I hope that traditional farmers who are struggling seriously consider what grass-fed farming has to offer. It is not easy for farmer’s to make the transition because there is not much support or policy initiative or even expertise to promote a grass-fed America but that is our hope here. We want to get everyone talking, asking, and getting together. Lets start a dialogue! One that is not exclusive but inclusive!
