Good Morning from your farmer,

When do you give consideration to your Food Security? Maybe at the threat of an impending natural disaster? Or another news headline about bird flu? What about the latest weather warning of a snow or ice storm where folks rush to the stores and buy up all the milk & bread?

The fact is, as a nation we are way too dependent on our over-centralized food production system. In some ways it is great at producing quantity - until there is a problem, then it is NOT. Here are a few recent examples:

- May 30th Millions of chickens killed in 5-alarm fire at Farina Farms in IL, One of Nation's largest free-range egg facilities
- May 30th Iowa Governor signs disaster proclamation order killing 4.2 million chickens
- May 30th H5N1 Bird Flu CDC current status 96,565,226 poultry affected
- And, the list goes on

And, this does not include the massive fires two years ago that burned down a lot of food processing plants or the USDA food recalls that come out daily across our nation.

The common theme is each of these is a very large, centralized operation where few (farms, companies, plants) serve many (literally tens of thousands of people each).

When any one of these centralized operations falters, it affects supply - and they are so big that competitors typically do not have the extra capacity to absorb the shortage.

The answer is really simple math. Instead of the few serving the many - switch so the many serve the few. In a decentralized system we would have tens of thousands of farmers serving customers in their communities. Then, when a farm has a supply interupiton there are several other farms nearby who can easily pick up the demand.

What is the biggest barrier to decentralized food security system? Government that favors big business and government regulation that restricts small farm operations.

What chance do I see for a decentralized food security emphasis in MS? Like many folks - slim to none. That is why the homestead movement is so strong. Independent thinkers are taking responsibility for their food security future by raising their own. Sometimes, they may raise their vegetables and buy meat from a local trusted farmer.

One other comment to consider. Have you noticed how impersonal shopping at stores like Wal-Mart is? You grab your cart, select the items you want to buy and self-checkout without interaction with any Wal-Mart employee. Shopping with your local farmer should not be like that. It should be interactive, transparent, and a shared responsibility and commitment between buyer and seller.

I suspect most folks who don't stick with buying from their local farmer is because they bring a Wal-Mart shopping mindset to the relationship.

And, I would be remiss if I did not state how blessed we are for each faithful customer's business. Just this week I reflected on several customers whose children have completed K-through 12th grade since their parents started buying from our farm. WOW!

Next week I hope to share results from our hosting of the Soil Health Academy at our farm and the 30+ people who attended.

** Product Availability Update **

Reminder July 4th is Thurs prior to July deliveries. Be sure to order based on your holiday plans!

NOTE: Restocks are made about 6 PM on the dates indicated below!

Chicken -Restocked May 23rd. Next Restock is June 12th
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Turkey - Sold Out! New poults arrived this week

Eggs - Restocked each Wednesday. We are well stocked on eggs - especially large at this time.

Beef - Restocked May15th. Next restock will be June 20th.

Pork - Restocked fresh cuts Wednesday, May 8th. Bacon on May 20th. Next restock June 12th

Lamb - April 17th lamb did not work out. They were only 50 lb live weight or about half the weight needed for slaughter.