Blog - Nature's Gourmet Farm

Listening To Our Customers

This week Beth started making calls to a cross section of out customers. We wanted to hear first hand what motivates them to buy from our farm as well as areas that we can do better to serve their needs. By far the #1 motivation that Mom's are concerned about "Is all this stuff found in industrial food, where did it come from, and what are the risk to my families health?" Guess what? You are not alone. In fact, a recent study by The Center For Food Integrity found that consumers are asking more questions than ever before about their food. The conversation today is less about "What's for dinner?" and more about "Should I be feeding this to my family?" We hear you!

Old Ways

Hello from Ben. This week we had a new customer call to schedule an appointment to visit and buy beef and pork for their freezer. They are originally from the mountains of North Carolina and she was telling me that when she was growing up that October was typically the month her family would purchase their meat before winter set in and that she is going back to the "Old Way" of her family. Much of what we do on our farm is based on nature's proven ways.

Meet Our Non-GMO Feed Supplier

Hey, this is Ben. Customers tell us they are concerned about the extensive use of chemicals in growing their food. A key concern is genetically modified crops that allow farms to spray the herbicide Roundup that includes the active ingredient glyphosate. There is a lot of reasons to be concerned! The World Health Organization has classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen... that causes cancer. This week the Environmental Working Group reported that Austria announced a total ban of the pesticide in early July and that Germany would also ban glyphosate - because research shows the toxic weedkiller to be linked to cancer in people. Carey Gillam, author of Whitewash

A Common Customer Theme

Hey, this is Ben. A common theme from customers we hear is "We are so glad we found y'all! Many go on to explain family health problems they are trying to solve or now grocery store food just does not taste like it is suppose to as well as concerns about all the chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones (and other stuff) that industrial grown "food" has. That is why our farm exist - to provide a healthier food choice to support your family's need for beef, pork, chicken, and eggs. It's hard work and long hours, but our reward comes when families express how much our farm makes a difference in their family. We really appreciate your kind words. Many customers have learned to ask the right questions. Like Matt did Friday, he asked

Check Out This New LOCAL Eating Experience!

Hey, this is Ben. You may remember me sharing a short piece on Kyle Bass a few weeks ago. Kyle is a local Petal fellow who went to Austin, TX after high school and worked in the high end restaurants there that sourced their food from local farms. He told me that many customers eat at certain restaurants because of the farms that provided the food. Now, Kyle is back in town and has a new food truck. He has visited our farm and is great at communicating his needs. September 1st he made a dish that used our pork shoulder roast, lard, and eggs. For this Sunday, he has purchased our grass fed beef chuck roast to make "Beef Grillades & Grits". It's braised and stewed beef served over stone ground grits with a Nature's Gourmet Farm fried egg. Kyle will be serving this Sunday from 10a-2p at the Equinox Coffee Shop located at 1901 Hardy Street

September Sale & USDA Poultry Plant Update

Hey, this is Ben. We have a September sale on ALL Beef Roast - now 15% off. Additionally, we decided to extend the sale on our #1 selling item - the 25# Ground Beef Bundle - save $10. Sale is good through midnight September 16th. Now is a great time to take advantage of sale prices on great tasting beef. If you have already placed an order for these items - no worries! I have edited your order for the sale price. USDA Poultry Plant Update - numerous times per week someone contacts me looking for Non-GMO Pastured Chicken. It is disappointing to have to say we are sold out for the year because MS regulations limit us to only 1000 per year. The good news is this is about to change! Exactly one year ago this month Beth and I attended a regional pastured poultry meeting where we toured a small on-farm USDA poultry processing plant. The month prior I had presented

HEALTH: The #1 Reason Customers Choose NGF

Hey, this is Ben. HEALTH: The #1 reason folks choose Nature’s Gourmet Farm products. Research confirms more and more consumers are choosing “Real Farm Food” vs. processed food stuff to improve their health. They know something is wrong when chronic disease has increased from 4% of U.S. citizens in 1964 to more than 50% of U.S. children today. We hear you loud and clear! That is our life’s work - to raise healthy, nutrient dense beef, pork, chicken, and eggs that are GMO FREE, Chemical FREE, and antibiotic & hormone FREE.

Farm Stories

Hey, this is Ben. Some days (actually most days) you never know what the day will hold for you at the farm. This week after I moved the steers to the new pasture I heard one mooing from the pasture they were suppose to be out or. So, i went to investigate the situation and found a heifer with her head stuck between two trees. I tried all I could to coax her to lift her head high enough to get loose - after all she had to raise it high enough to get it in there! It soon became clear she was not going to cooperate so

Consumers Hold The Key!

Hey, this is Ben. Consumers hold the key to changing agriculture in America by voting with your food dollars. Currently, more then 95% of the beef sold through grocery stores, restaurants, and meat markets is raised in a feedlot on a corn diet. For pork & chicken it is even higher. Research has documented the impact different farming practices have on our environment. The following chart shows the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere pound per pound of production.

Hello from Beth

Hey, this is Beth. If you have followed our newsletter for a couple of years, you probably read my article about my health issues with prediabetes. Just to quickly summarize, I have been prediabetic for over 10 years. My numbers (HbA1c) had actually gone over into diabetic range, but my practitioner gave me a chance to lose some weight and get it back down so it would not be on my medical record which would follow me the rest of my life and which could affect things like getting insurance or having to pay more for it. She told me about Trim Healthy Mama. I had never really followed a “diet” before, but

Remember Your Farmer

We often hear about the “dog days” of summer but few know what the expression means. The Dog Days of Summer describes the most oppressive period of summer, between July 3rd and August 11th each year. But where did the term come from? And what does it have to do with dogs? The phrase is actually a reference to the fact that, during this time, the Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth and part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog. This is why Sirius is sometimes called the Dog Star. During this time of year we typically experience our greatest

Around The Farm Happenings

What a really nice day Wednesday was for order delivery. I really appreciated the cooler temperatures in the mid-80's for July and the sunny sky. Everyone was in a good mood. Gentlemen were helping the ladies tote their orders and in Picayune we have a new customer that is not shy engaging folks in conversation. It was really great to see the sharing of experiences, suggestions, and questions. One person asked me what we do about popcorn trees?

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Nature's Gourmet Farm