Patchwork Family Farms, a non-profit program of Missouri Rural Crisis Center, connects 15 family hog-farmers with consumers, helping to strengthen the declining number of family farms in Missouri who raise pigs. Missouri has lost 90% of its pork farmers since 1985. This is due to the proliferation of factory farms, also known as Concentrated Animal Feedlot Operations, commonly referred to as CAFOs.
Corporate owned farms produce cheaper, but lower-quality meat, eggs, and dairy. This is in large part because of their size, subsidies, and their non-traditional methods of food production – typically animals raised in CAFOs are kept in extremely confined spaces, causing health problems that require lots of antibiotics to keep them alive. The animals’ feed is typically corn-based, which is not a natural source of food for most of these creatures. The animal’s food typically contains growth hormones that cause them to grow at accelerated rates.
Animal waste is another serious problem with big farms. While the waste from the animals on family farms can often be put to good use as fertilizer for other crops, the enormous volume of waste (poop) from pig and cattle CAFOs can pollute streams and rivers, occasionally creating contaminated drinking water.
Family farms use traditional methods for raising food, which tend to be more environmentally responsible and treat animals more humanely, are put at a disadvantage due to the economy of scale. CAFOs can charge less for their meat because they can raise more meat, much faster than their family farm competitors.
Family farms also have a hard time distributing their products to buyers. Farming is hard work, and takes a good deal of time to do right. It is difficult for individually owned farms to find time to connect with markets and deliver their products.
This is where Patchwork Family Farms comes in. Patchwork Family Farms connects the farmers in their network with a processing facility and delivers their hogs to markets in Columbia and St. Louis, ensuring that farmers get a fair price for their wares, helping to make family farming a viable option for those in rural communities.
Pigs raised for meat in Patchwork Family Farms have access to fresh air, sunshine, and are spared non-therapeutic antibiotics. Farmers follow environmental stewardship guidelines, ensuring their land will be productive for generations.
Patchwork Family Farms has pork products available for restaurants and for individuals – Local Harvest and City Greens Market carry a wide selection of their products, Supporting family farms is one tangible way you can support a more sustainable food system.
For questions about getting their pork into your restaurants or grocery store, contact Patchwork Family Farms here.
The featured photo came from Patchwork Family Farms Facebook page – follow them here to find out more about their news and events!
Missouri raised ham from Patchwork Farms.
