Blog - Nature's Gourmet Farm

The Art of Science

Farm Update – Inventory control is one farm principle we use at the farm. Inventory is rotated to insure the oldest cuts are sold first (First-in First-out). Our freezer is separated by beef, pork, and chicken. And then by cut within beef, etc. Boxes from the processor are marked with the cut & date so we can easily keep this straight. After our monthly deliveries are made I organize the remaining stock and take an inventory that is then updated on my website. We want our inventory to be accurate to insure you are not shorted at delivery. Then, when you place an order, our website allocates inventory to your order and takes in out of available inventory for sale.The Art of Science - when in school science was not a favorite subject for me and really does not come easy. At the GrassFed Exchange Conference this year we heard from a very interesting scientist named Jonathan Lundgren, Ph.D.Dr. Lundgren is an agroecologist, Director ECDYSIS Foundation, and CEO for Blue Dasher Farm. He received his PhD in Entomology from the University of Illinois in 2004, and was a top scientist with USDA-ARS for 11 years. Lundgren received the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering by the White House. Lundgren has served as an advisor for national grant panels and regulatory agencies on pesticide and GM crop risk assessments. Lundgren has written 107 peer-reviewed journal articles, authored the book “Relationships of Natural Enemies and Non-prey Foods”, and has received more than $3.4 million in grants.During his early years with USDA-ARS he practiced "industrial" agriculture. Then, he visited a regenerative farm that mimic's natural ecosystems and was amazed at the difference. It challenged his science! So, he started studying these natural systems and writing about them. He quickly received pressure from "Big Ag" and was eventually forced to leave USDA-ARS. One of the slides he used at the conference said: Science is ManipulatedThe Tobacco industry helped revolutionize the art of obscuring data-driven discussions 1. Obscure inconvenient studies 2. Discredit and intimidate inconvenient scientists Bottom line is the Big Ag machine went after Dr. Lundgren because he challenged the status quo that would affect their pocket book. Note that the Big Ag machine is driven by Corporations but includes government, politicians, insurance companies, lobbyist, etc. or basically anyone that benefits from the sale of convention or industrial agriculture.After leaving USDA-ARS Dr. Lundgrne started Blue Dasher Farms and has trained 5 post-docs and 12 graduate students from around the world. One of his priorities is to make science applicable to end-users, and he regularly interacts with the public and farmers regarding pest and farm management and insect biology. Lundgren’s research and education programs focus on assessing the ecological risk of pest management strategies and developing long-term solutions for sustainable food systems. His ecological research focuses heavily on conserving healthy biological communities within agroecosystems by reducing disturbance and increasing biodiversity within cropland. Customer Feedback- "I picked up our first order of beef on May 30, 2018. I have cooked two pounds of ground beef and one two-pound sirloin tip roast. This is the best beef I have ever eaten! Excellent flavor and melt in your mouth tender. My husband grew up on a cattle ranch in Kansas and he is also very impressed with your beef. We will not hesitate to purchase again and highly recommend to anyone considering purchasing from you. Looking forward to also purchasing chicken and pork.." ~Cindy Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “Your body is equipped with powerful healing mechanisms that will typically self-correct most health problems, if you provide it with the nutrients it was designed for and requires”. Dr. Joseph Mercola As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Refreshing!

Farm Update – As you read this, Beth and I will wrapping up and returning from the Grass Fed Exchange Conference in Rapid City, SD. The conference has been extremely rewarding and productive. The SD Grasslands Coalition was a tremendous local partner. The tours were impressive and showcased stewardship, hard work, and commitment to protecting The Great Plains ecosystem. Many organizations to include ranchers, non-profit, and government organizations are actively engaged and working together - truely amazing! Presentations were informative with many takeaways. I will share more about that later. No doubt the greatest benefit is the relationships made. Continuing Education is a strategic objective that helps us provide a quality product, regenerate our land and properly care for our animals as well as sustain our business for the next generation. Have you made July 4th plans with family and friends? It's time to get your shopping done for some great tasting burgers, steaks, ribs, etc. from Nature's Gourmet Farm. June 27th is our next delivery - just in time for your July 4th celebration. Customer Feedback- "I did alot of research on where to buy grass fed/pasture raised and was overwhelmed by the whole process. I am glad I chose Ben and Nature's Gourmet Farm. Their website is easy to use/navigate and they deliver to multiple locations making pickup much easier for me. I've tried the chuck roast soo far and it is very tender! I can never go back to buying typical grocery store meats. I feel great knowing that I am getting good quality meats with good nutrition for me and my family. I am also happy that Nature's Gourmet Farm is passionate about their work and believe in being a restorative farm. I am all for humanely raised animals and soils the way they are suppose to be!". ~Phi N Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.”. Wendell Berry As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

What are your July 4th Grilling Plans

So, did you watch any of the videos from last weeks newsletter? All were equally good from their perspective. The Magic Pill especially hit home for me because it clearly described the #1 cause of peoples health issues - processed food - and provided a simple solution. Demonstrated results were shown what can happen when processed foods are replaced with grass fed meats and healthy vegetables & fruit. Today, a customer told me it is hard to convince family & friends - maybe invite them over to watch The Magic Pill and serve some NGF beef, pork, or chicken. This year the GrassFed Exchange will be back in South Dakota where it started 10 years ago. Kate's family has been ranching there for 3-generations. That is no small feat. This year I am looking forward to several presentations to include: Jonathan Lundgren, Blue Dasher Farms Christine Jones, Soil Health Nina Teicholz, The Big Fat Surprise Clay Nash & Allen Williams, Grassfed Carcass Quality Grading Continuing Education is a strategic objective that helps us provide a quality product, regenerate our land and properly care for our animals as well as sustain our business for the next generation. Have you made July 4th plans with family and friends? It's time to get your shopping done for some great tasting burgers, steaks, ribs, etc. from Nature's Gourmet Farm. June 27th is our next delivery - just in time for your July 4th celebration. Customer Feedback- "I did alot of research on where to buy grass fed/pasture raised and was overwhelmed by the whole process. I am glad I chose Ben and Nature's Gourmet Farm. Their website is easy to use/navigate and they deliver to multiple locations making pickup much easier for me. I've tried the chuck roast soo far and it is very tender! I can never go back to buying typical grocery store meats. I feel great knowing that I am getting good quality meats with good nutrition for me and my family. I am also happy that Nature's Gourmet Farm is passionate about their work and believe in being a restorative farm. I am all for humanely raised animals and soils the way they are suppose to be!". ~Phi N Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.”. Wendell Berry As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Can It Really Be That Simple?

Farm Update – Today I want to introduce you to three documentaries found on Netflix. They are well worth your time. What if most modern diseases are really just symptoms of the same problem? The Magic Pill follows doctors, patients, scientists, chefs, farmers and journalists from around the globe who are combating illness through a paradigm shift in eating. And this simple change – embracing fat as fuel. LOOK & SEE: A Portrait of Wendell Berry is a documentary film of the world as lensed through the works of farmer, writer and activist Wendell Berry. Shot across four seasons of farming, this documentary features interviews and observations about writer Wendell Berry’s agrarian lifestyle. A vital investigation of the economic and environmental instability of America’s food system, from the agricultural issues we face — soil loss, water depletion, climate change, pesticide use — to the community of leaders who are determined to fix it. Sustainable is a film about the land, the people who work it and what must be done to sustain it for future generations. Customer Feedback- (regarding Ag Commissioner visit) "Thank you for pursuing this avenue. We value you, your time, your family and your products highly!!! This is an awesome step forward!" ~B SmithQuote Worth Re-Quoting – “Always in the big woods when you leave familiar ground and step off alone into a new place there will be, along with the feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging of dread. It is the ancient fear of the Unknown, and it is your first bond with the wilderness you are going into.”. Wendell BerryAs always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth Simmons

Farm Update

A big decision we made back in the Spring was to sell our hay equipment which we have done. Cutting hay is counter-productive to growing soil health even when you feed it back onto your pastures. And, it takes a lot of time - about 1.3 hours per acre. A bigger problem concerns scheduling. With the trips to Attala for processing and deliveries that are set dates it is hard to schedule time to cut hay - then there is the weather to consider. There are plenty of folks who love to cut and sell hay so we have decided to buy our hay needs and import those nutrients onto our pastures. Of course our 1st objective is to have grass for grazing. Hay is a backup to grazing for drought or periods of extreme cold when the grass does not grow. Some of the capital from the hay equipment will finance a "new to us" freezer and processing room for chickens. The freezer and panels for the processing room delivers today. There will be some concrete, plumping, and electrical work to accomplish as well. All should be accomplished before the July processing date. Many are asking about our eggs! Well, the heat has caused the size to drop and some of the older hens have stopped laying. As you know, we did add 350 pullets a few weeks back. They are starting to lay small to medium eggs. Please be patient. We will have eggs for our June pickup schedule for sure. This is the BIG week we have been waiting for. Mississippi's new Agriculture Commissioner visits our farm this week. I am looking forward to getting to know him and sharing concerns about issues we face. From what I have heard, our farm is his first visit and folks are watching close to see his response. Please pray that God will use us and our farm to open hearts and minds. Customer Feedback- "Real food the way it was intended", Obtaining high quality food from high quality people right from the community in which we live.....WOW..... what more could you ask for? The flavor and tenderness is superb in both the beef and pork offers. No need to cover the meats with excessive seasonings and marinades.....lightly season with your favorite herbs then sit back and enjoy the natural flavors. ~J Bazor Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “Always in the big woods when you leave familiar ground and step off alone into a new place there will be, along with the feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging of dread. It is the ancient fear of the Unknown, and it is your first bond with the wilderness you are going into.”. Wendell Berry As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Because People Need To Know

Never would I have thought MS Agriculture was so political. I thought our elected officials would all want what is best for MS Citizens and would want to support small farms. Right? Well, that has not been my experience with Cindy Hyde-Smith and the agriculture department she led. Many of you know that for 2-years I have worked with Senators Hill and Hudson to change MS law to allow on-farm processing up to 20,000 chickens per year vs. the current 1,000 - and be able to sell them into retail. Currently, 40+ states allow up to 20,000 chickens per farm each year. However, after SB2060 passed the Senate Ag Committee unanimously - Cindy Hyde-Smith called Senator Dean Kirby and told him to kill SB2060 - thus voting AGAINST Small Farms and MS Citizens and FOR large political donors like Sanderson Farms. So, who does she REALLY protect? Sanderson Farms is a MS corporation and one of the top three largest chicken processors in the USA. They opened their last plant in NC in 2017 with a weekly capacity of 1.25 million chickens. The total capacity for all 12-plants is 12.5 million chickens per WEEK. NC has a strong small farm presence with 1000+ direct marketing farms. This suggest Sanderson is not concerned about any impact small chicken producers would have on their business. Frankly, we both operate in different markets! Back in MS, the few farms that I know who direct market chicken - 1-has quit and 3-are struggling. These are young families who have a dream and invested a lot of effort to raise healthy food. MS needs more of these young folks but, that want happen until roadblocks like Smith are removed and laws are changed. Based on my direct experience with Cindy Hyde-Smith, the only vote she deserves is a vote to go home! Some positive news! You have read quotes I have used before from Wendell Berry. He recently turned 83, is a farmer and author with about 30 books published and who lives in KY. Recently, I watched a 1-hour show about Mr. Berry on Netflex - do a search for Wendell Berry and find the show titled "Look and See". It is a very good and well worth your time. In the show they played a recording from 1974 by then Sec. of Ag Butz that he wanted to put PROFIT back into agriculture. Sec. Butz is also credited with our current industrial ag model. So, I went back into USDA data and found in 1974 the farmer's percentage of the retail food dollar was about 36%. In 2015 the farmer's percent was 15.6%. By the way, the farmers percentage has not been anywhere near 36% since Butz industrialized agriculture. Customer Feedback- We've tried Nature's Gourmet Farm's beef, eggs, pork, and sausages, they are all very tasty. The meats are tender and easy to cook. It's good to eat food that's directly from a farm. You can't get anything fresher. Thank you very much, Ben and Beth! ~A Tull Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “As I see, the farmer standing in his field, is not isolated as simply a component of a production machine. He stands where lots of lines cross – cultural lines. The traditional farmer, that is the farmer who was first independent, who first fed himself off his farm and then fed other people, who farmed with his family and who passed the land on down to people who knew it and had the best reasons to take care of it... that farmer stood at the convergence of traditional values... our values.”. Wendell Berry As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Are You Ready For Grilling Season?

Farm Update – May is National BEEF month. Why not celebrate with Nature's Gourmet Farm Grass-Finished Beef? We have plenty of ground beef - everyone's favorite - for grilling hamburgers as well as many other delicious meals. Ground beef is very versatile and can be used in so many different ways. We offer it in 10#, 25# and 50# bundles that are individually vacuum sealed in 1# packs. Order yours today - and remember you can pickup directly from the farm. Our new hens are settling in fine. While there has been some "drama" between the older ladies and the new pullet girls they are getting along pretty good. Our egg business has been very strong. The stores and restaurant sales have picked up. Not sure we will have many available for our May 30th delivery. The good news however, is our new girls will pick up the slack very soon. This week I have spent time getting my thoughts together for MS new Ag Commissioner's visit early next month. He will not have to try hard to do better than Cindy Hyde Smith! She left the bar on the ground. She did nothing to help small farms or to grow MS Ag Economy. MS Ag Economy is only 11.5% of North Carolina's Ag Economy and they have the goal to be $100 Billion by 2020 - the increase is double MS current Ag impact! North Carolina is growing through small farms - there are 1,000 plus small farms in NC that direct market like NGF. NC proactively encourages & trains small farmers (many are new). Cindy Hyde Smith was reactive - looking for ways to penalize and fine farmers for breaking the rules - many of which are vague and subjective. Several times when I tried to discuss this with her she would not listen. Cindy Hyde Smith only took care of the big Ag Political Donors and attend events to get her picture in the papers - both to support her political career and not the best interest of MS Farmers and Citizens! Also, Senator Hudson has asked me to speak at a meeting he is sponsoring in Jackson on June 12th. He is bringing in several farmers from around the state to speak to the Senate Ag Committee members. Lobbyist, Farm Bureau, etc. will be in attendance but NOT allowed to speak - only listen. And, the news media are invited to attend. This is a BIG DEAL! Recipe Spotlight: Beth has fixed this 4-Way Beef Roast recipe several times and it has been thoroughly enjoyed by all. She has served in tacos, sandwiches, stand-alone and with eggs for breakfast. The recipe calls for a chuck roast but you could easily use our shoulder roast. And its great to know our beef is a healthy choice and very affordable - especially when you buy the 15 lb bundle and save 15%. Check out the recipe here. Customer Feedback- "Great fat and flavor in your ribeyes!" ~H Trussell Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.” Wendall Berry As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Hen House Spring Cleaning

Farm Update – Wednesday afternoon Beth & I "Spring Cleaned" our portable hen house and then sanatized it. We regularly take out, clean, and replace the next box bedding - but after a year the structure just needed a good overall cleaning. Additionally, we wanted to clean it in preparation of receiving our new pullets on Friday. Yesterday, we received 350 new pullet hens. We had some extra folks on hand to help us put a white band on their leg so we can tell them apart down the road from other groups. These came from the same farmer in WV that supplied our first group. He sales about 1.2 million pullets per year. Amazing! The Bloomin' Eggs - did you know? A hen's body creates a protective layer over the shell of an egg right before she lays it. This is called the “bloom”, which seals the shell pores and protects from bacteria entry. When eggs are washed, the "bloom" is removed which decreases shelf life and requires refrigeration. This can result in bacteria sneaking through, which is why you must refrigerate washed eggs at a temperature of around 45 degrees. Have you ever noticed your eggs tasting like whatever they were stored near? Believe it or not, because of these pores, eggs tend to pick up hints of flavor of whatever they are stored around. As hens age their eggs tend to grow larger. Beth has gathered several eggs that weigh as much as a standard large egg - WOW! Currently our production is about 50% Jumbo & Ex Large and 50% large. With our diverse customer base including grocery stores, restaurants, and website customers, we are able to move all the eggs our girls supply. Recently a customer shared a PBS video (12 minutes) about organic eggs. People can really take something simple and make it complicated and confusing to consumers. To watch the video please click here. Recipe Spotlight: Beth has fixed this 4-Way Beef Roast recipe several times and it has been thoroughly enjoyed by all. She has served in tacos, sandwiches, stand-alone and with eggs for breakfast. The recipe calls for a chuck roast but you could easily use our shoulder roast. And its great to know our beef is a healthy choice and very affordable - especially when you buy the 15 lb bundle and save 15%. Check out the recipe here. Customer Feedback- "Great fat and flavor in your ribeyes!" ~H Trussell Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “We’re not talking about feeding the world like this. You know the world wants cheap food. You got some people that want a Mercedes, and some people that want a Hyundai. It’s not good and bad, It’s just what you want.." Will Harris, White Oak Pastures As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Testimony & Blessings!

Farm Update – Potential customer's that visit our farm to learn about our principles hear testimony of our belief in Genesis Chapter 1 and how memecing nature is the foundation of our stewardship efforts to regenerate the land (soil) and how we care for the animals. We think holistically! And, then do what is best for the whole of the farm given the environmental, weather, and objectives for regeneration. So, what do I mean by regeneration? We believe that in the beginning our soils included all the nutrients, biology, organic matter, etc. needed to grow and sustain a healthy ecosystem for animals to move in, consume and move on to the next area. However, today our soils are mostly depleted because of extensive tillage and mono-cropping systems. Therefore, we only No-Till Plant diverse seeds to include grasses, legumes, brassicas, and broad leaf plants in an effort to rebuild or regenerate the soil biology. Diversity in both plant and animal life play a complementary role in regenerating soil biology that is responsible for nutrient exchange between the soil and plant roots. An ecosystem requires soil biology, plant diversity, and animal impact to properly function. When any one area is degraded or missing then the whole ecosystem cannot function holistically. We also believe our naturally raised farm products that do not include GMO's contribute to a nutritious diet and supports our physical and mental health. We have numerous testimonies from customers who improved their health by changing their diet to include our farm products. We strive to make ordering easy via our website and convenient from our farm store or pickup locations. Did you know our website also supports mobile devices? A recent report stated 78% of millennial shoppers use their mobile phone to research product, check prices & availability, and to place an order. We have checks in place to help us fill your order correctly. However, we are prone to mistakes - if you have an order issue we will gladly correct it. Lastly, each morning during my prayer time I ask God to help me be a better steward of his blessing and that our farm would be a testimony to his grace. Customer Feedback- After our first taste of the grass-fed beef, my husband proclaimed, "I think we've just discovered real food!" After only one visit to their farm and only one taste, we were sold. The taste difference between grass-fed/pasture-raised and commercial meat is just short of amazing! EVERYONE needs to experience what real food tastes like, and Ben and Beth are the people to deliver that. We just bought a half steer and a half pork, as well as our weekly flat of eggs from Ben and Beth, and we can't wait to try the chicken. My whole family (especially my children) love going to the farm to pick up our eggs and meat. My kids love being warmly greeted by Tess (the dog) and seeing the "chick-chicks" and I always learn something new about sustainable farming and raising livestock the correct, God-intended way from Ben. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts (and stomachs) for all you do, you truly are a God-send! ~S. Harrington Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “Food is not just fuel. Food is about family, food is about community, food is about identity. And we nourish all those things when we eat well." Michael Pollan As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Following Through

Farm Update – Today was our FIRST chicken delivery day for this year! As a local direct marketing farm one of the perks is meeting and getting to know your customers - and most customers would say the same - they like knowing who raises their food and can ask questions. It is a trust relationship we take seriously! The big topic of discussion today was "Why people don't follow through?" Many customers tell stories of folks they know who they have shared our product with and confess it is much better then industrial AG food in the stores AND say they want/should be buying from the farm but never follow through. I'm sure there is no clear or even single answer. Another topic is our new AG Commissioner. Unfortunately the meeting for this week has been postponed until the first week of June. The article I referenced a few weeks ago about Andy Gipson has now been posted online. You can read it here. Well, it is time to follow through! Get your orders in for delivery next Wednesday. Customer Feedback- Ben and family are a delight to deal with. Great product, even felt like I got more than I paid for. Please ask the state of Mississippi to make it easier for him and people like him to provide us with good quality products. Ask you legislators to remove restrictions on small farmers so we can afford to buy local. H. Trussel Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “Food is not just fuel. Food is about family, food is about community, food is about identity. And we nourish all those things when we eat well." Michael Pollan As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Farm Improvements

Farm Update – Today (Saturday) has been devoted to Beth's honey do list. Many home & yard task have been accomplished with several more to come. I'm very thankful for her efforts to update our landscape and home. We are always on the lookout for opportunities to learn and improve our operations. Today I want to share a few improvements toward ensuring we only provide a safe product. After the defeat of SB2060 On-Farm Poultry Bill I called and talked with several farms in states that operate under the 20,000 bird Federal limit. One of the things Indiana required was ServSafe Certification. The ServSafe® program is developed by the National Restaurant Association with the help of foodservice industry experts. Their materials help define food safety best practices and involve specialists from regulatory agencies, academia, and the foodservice industry to create them. ServSafe materials reflect the latest science, research and FDA Food Code. Last Monday Beth completed the 8-hour Manager Course and received her Certification. This week North Carolina (through NCChoices) offed 25-Free HACCP online training courses. This is a 20-hour course with a $500 value. I responed and received one of the free slots. Thank you NCChoices! We are also in the process of making some major improvements to our processing area. We will seperate the kill/scald/pluck steps from the evisceration/wash/inspect/cool down steps. We hope to also replace ice (we use about 5-600 pounds per batch) with a cool room. Additionally, we want to improve the "comfort" for folks who help with this major task! Customer Feedback- Hi Ben. Still out in Oregon and will be in Colorado for a year starting August. We really, really miss your grass fed beef!!!! It’s much more available out here but the taste, quality is not like yours. We are coming home for a few weeks and I contemplated buying another 1/2 cow but we can’t figure out a way to ship/ transport it out to Colorado. L Parker Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “I do not want to be sustainable, why would I want to sustain a degraded resource? I want to be regenerative! That is the only way to leave the farm better then I found it.” Gabe Brown – voted top 25 most influential farmers in 2016. As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Good News for MS Agriculture

Farm Update – The picture above was taken in D Paddock on April 12th when I moved the mama cows into the new paddock. You can see the Crimson Clover, White Clover, Vetch (purple flower), Oats, and Brassica. After completing April delivery I came home switched to the cattle trailer and loaded my truck for a trip to Springfield, MO. Drove most of the night to arrive in time to view the bulls to be auctioned Thursday at 1 PM. I had a list of my favorites selected first based on ultrasound data for tenderness, rib-eye area, and marbling. There were many good yearling bulls to choose from. While I did not get my first choice, I did get an equally high quality bull. Additionally, I offered to deliver bulls back towards home to help pay for my trip. I left Springfield with 8-bulls. Dropped mine off at home Friday evening. Reloaded the remaining 7-bulls Saturday morning. Dropped one off near Dothan and then the remaining 6-bulls near Ocala, FL late Saturday afternoon. I spent Saturday night and Sunday morning with some dear friends (a retired Air Force Chaplain) who really helped me a lot during my first Air Force enlistment at Plattsburg AFB, NY. It was a blessing to see them again. On the way home I visited a farm near Pineapple, AL to see about the possibility of buying some yearlings. The farm was recommended to me by Dr. Allen Williams who has worked with the owner for 15 years to improve his herd genetics, soils, and forages. As you may know by now, MS has a new Ag Commissioner. From what I have heard and read he has the potential to help small farms - certainly cannot be worst than Smith was! The MS Market Bulletin had a really good article on Andy Gibson that you can read here once they post the latest edition. During my trip I was thinking who would be best to help me invite Mr. Gibson to my farm. Then, last Thursday afternoon Senator Hill called me to say she would like to bring him to see our farm the week of April 23rd. Of course, we are thrilled to have them come. I will prepare a short presentation about our farm, issues working with Smith & the meat inspection division, opportunities for MS Ag, and solutions. More to come! Customer Feedback- The beef is so tender and juicy! Just very clean tasting beef! The chicken is wonderful! Ben, we love your products and are always satisfied! Thank you again for growing healthy forage for the animals! R. McGarrah Quote Worth Re-Quoting – "Don't you find it odd that people will put more work into choosing their mechanic or house contractor than they will into choosing the person who grows their food?" --Joel Salatin As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. Ben & Beth

Restock Dates: Please see our Farm Blog where we post our weekly newsletter for the latest updates

Nature's Gourmet Farm