I had the most refreshing and invigorating discussion with the man who sells my pork. He is on a mission to feed good people good food and get good farmers a paycheck. This is how it works. On a given day the growers in his group add to his spreadsheet when they have to sell. Vegetables are the major contribution of course but there is also oils, honey, flour, seeds, beef, pork, lamb, etc. Lots of different foods.
The restaurants look at the spreadsheet and order what they need that week. Marty and his son sends the farm their each order, then the farmer picks and cleans and packages and labels the vegetables and transports them to Marty’s farm by a certain day. He has huge chillers. The next day he transports the products to Chicago and does the rounds of the restaurants delivering our goods.
This should take you to the link to his documentary.
For me I deliver the animal to the abbatoir on organic day and Will collects the carcass in his refrigerated truck and takes it up to the restaurant who ordered it.
The farmers, Marty, and his son Will, go through this process 51 out of 52 weeks a year. All the food is organic. He only works with growers who are guardians of the land and who ‘get it’ and he only sells to restaurants who are dedicated to good food and understand the concept of locally grown. (For instance, you are not going to get tomatoes and piles of eggs all years round in the midwest). He turned down almost 50 restaurants last year. So the demand is larger than what he can supply.
Last year he took the last of my pork. I was recommended by Jake and we were all flat out and in the middle of the season so he took me on to sell those last 8 plonkers without even meeting me. My little farm did well out of the arrangement.
Yesterday I went through a proper introduction and discovery with Marty and am now officially a part of this organisation.
And I can proudly say that I am the only woman he has who supplies pork. And now he has undertaken to buy my beef too! This summer he is all set to literally double his output. So, if I want to, I can grow and sell even more this summer. They love my pork – the chefs – they really do.
I have told him I cannot grow bigger than my land can handle, but I think I can become a bit more efficient and use the land better and maybe steal more family land from corn and beans.
So next I will have a meeting with my financial backers (John and his mother: The Matriarch) and we will discuss putting more land into pasture for cows, and we need to look carefully at the fences we use to pasture the pigs so I can extend their pastures.
I see the biggest loss being the garden – I just cannot have that huge garden to manage anymore. The garden takes more time than everything else combined and made very little last year. Having said that our plan as a couple has always been for me to grow the farm to just more than I can handle, by the last year John works in construction, then he will be available to farm with me and there will be enough work for him. (OK that sentence is way too convoluted) Let me put it this way. Our John retires in October and then he can help on the farm too. Though I may have to smash his IPad.
And he will be the gardener. I will still need my milking cows garden! And the kitchens garden.
In fact I was thinking of reducing my animal numbers because of Johns retirement. He has been heavily subsidising the farm. I could not see it working. But with the introduction of selling beef to the restaurants we may just get our heads above water.
So after having laid the groundwork for years and slowly growing my land and my herds and my network it looks like we are set to make enough money for the farm to pay for itself. I just need to hold steady and not take fright and flight.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
WEATHER: More clouds. Cooling off. How did it get to be Saturday again – already?.
Saturday 01/27 20% / 0 in
Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 47F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday Night 01/27 10% / 0 in
A few passing clouds. Low 26F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Sun
7:07 am 5:04 pm
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 78% visible 1:19 pm 3:01 am
The Kitchen's Garden 
79 responses to “ONWARD”
Blooming heck ! Thats a very exciting onwards and upwards…yet at the same time a very daunting prospect. Great things will happen on the farmy and many changes to be made. But however many changes will be made two things will remain constant..your love and care of your animals. So l say Cheers! Miss C many congratulation for progress onwards and upwards. Lots of love
Not daunting really – the changes will only be a few more animals – nothing I cannot handle..
YOU CAN DO IT! 👍 What fabulous news and plans. All is falling into place!
Yes – this is how I am thinking too – the work day will not change much – just a few pay checks to enable more feed!
This is great news – I’m happy for you and sending many vibes for your rising success. Thank you for providing good, clean food! 🙂
and that is exactly it – i just want people to be able to eat good food. and know its benefiits
Exciting stuff, great system.
Yes – he does have a great system and it has been up and running for a number of years now – so its also proven which is good. c
YAY! You are doing it!!! Standing ovation here!!!
Chugging along!!
It might feel like chugging, but you have a solid foundation and now are taking leaps and bounds!
Bravo to you and the man who believes in doing the right thing!
He certainly is a game changer
Bravo! I am thrilled for you and happy that you have found a well established group of people to help you market your thoughtfully raised animals.
I am fortunate to live in an area where there are numerous farmers markets and so appreciate having access to locally raised animals and produce.
Have a wonderful day.
Thank goodness for those farmers markets and you don’t have to buy that much food to stay alive and very well fed. c
I’ve been looking all over the place to find an organic, free range, happy cow source for leg bones, knee caps, and hearts/liver/tripe for my dog. I thought that these “extra” parts would be easy to come by but everyone tells me that I have to call around slaughter houses (that’s what they call them) but I just can’t do it. I am so very squeamish (and soft) that I need a middleman to broker the deal. I wonder what Marty and Will do with these parts – and could I buy your farm’s “parts” from them (or you)?
Marty and Will sell the whole animal to the chefs – the kitchens use everything up. Are you close by? I can get you the parts you need next time I take an animal in for mysellf – I always get bones for my dogs. I will be taking a steer in in a few months. c
I disposed of all my “trim” via Facebook. We did our own beeve this year- from walking around to packed into the freezer. By the end of it, I was begging people to take the final joints of bone.
You might try asking in a local to you garage sale group for trim/organs. Granted I live in a rather rural area, so it may take you a few tries.
Such wonderful news, C! And no need for fright or flight; you’ll have the support of an army of restaurateurs (and all of their patrons: ) who clamour for the produce from the Farmy…
And all of us here, of course; )
Yes lots of support – thank you
It is sad that the hardest part of farming can be generating resources just to keep it going. I suppose many things are like that nowadays. We live in a region where it is nearly impossible to pay taxes on our ancestors modest home that was payed for generations ago. Unlike the agricultural land that used to be around it, the home generates no revenue on its own. I can not imagine what the formerly vast orchards (that were here only a few decades ago) would cost in taxes. Maintaining the land in production is not an option.
That is so sad. We have pretty heavy taxes here in Illinois too – the bulk of my mother in laws land is rented out to croppers to pay for that, isn’t it awful that your homes were paid off just for you to have to pay exorbitant taxes. And here if you make improvements you pay even more – even if you put in a concrete walk or patio. So So wrong.
What a good feeling that the chefs value and love your pork. Marty and his son are doing a very good thing for his vendors and for the people who get to enjoy the food. Oddly enough, Bill and I were talking about finding a local source of organic pork and beef liver just yesterday. When he gave blood yesterday, the technician told him that he was low on iron, hence the liver, which I love too. Great news for you, John, and the Farmy!
Great news!!! I am very happy for you that your hard work and your steady vision of what is possible is being rewarded.
Very exciting news, for sure. And the possibility of being able to expand your land puts you in a very enviable position. iPad or not, I am thinking having some help and working companion will be a big plus as well.
Hope you have a great day too. – Mame 🙃
That is very good news Celi. I have just finished reading a book called The Plant Paradox which includes quite a bit of information about American food production and it really needs some help from people like Marty and yourself. (I was reading the book because of food intolerances, the food production info is not the main thrust of the book) Were you ever able to get your ‘organic certification’ or is there some kind of interim ‘in transition’ certificate you can get to sell organic?
Congrats on the news, Celi. I have to agree about the taxes, it’s so stupid to have taxes at such rates. People wonder why family farms have been disappearing but don’t want to hear the truth of the matter. Between not being able to compete with the mega farms, not having places to sell what the family farm produces, the excessive taxes on land, improvements, income, purchases, etc., it’s no wonder family farms are being lost. I’m sure this opportunity will benefit you greatly.