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Organic and Sustainable Farm Products
List
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Local Listings
LOS
GATOS MEATS AND SMOKEHOUSE
losgatosmeats.com
Located on 575 University Ave., Los Gatos. You can special
order grass fed beef.
GENE’S QUITO MARKET
18850 Cox Ave, in Saratoga
Sommers Organic is a family run company in Illinois. They
sell and ship organic meats including grass fed beef. Their
web site is educational as well. Use their store locator
for other locations.
sommersorganic.com
LOCAL HARVEST
localharvest.org
LocalHarvest was founded in 1998, and is now the number one
informational resource for the Buy Local movement and the
top place on the Internet where people find information on
direct marketing family farms. We now have about 9000
members, and are growing by about 8 new members every day.
Through our servers, our website and those of our partners
serve about one and a half million page views per month to
the public interested in buying food from family farms.
Local Harvest is located in Santa Cruz, California, and was
founded by Guillermo Payet, a software engineer and
activist dedicated to generating positive social change
through the Internet.
BAY AREA FARMERS MARKETS
urbanvillageonline.com
Old Oakland Sunnyvale Campbell Los Altos Evergreen Santa
Clara Montclair Castro Valley
Urban Village Farmers’ Market Association, a Non-profit
Mutual Benefit Corporation, was formed March 1997 to
provide the best possible opportunity for farmers, food
vendors, and community members to preserve, enhance, and
enjoy regional fresh quality foods. UVFM’s mission is to
promote the family farm; help protect the local environment
by sustaining and restoring surrounding greenbelt areas;
and above all, to help build real community by fostering
economic and social ties between producers and consumers.
UVFM currently operates year ‘round Certified
SAN FRANCISCO ORGANIC FARMERS
cuesa.org
CUESA was organized in 1994 to educate urban consumers
about sustainable agriculture and to create links between
urban dwellers and the farmers who practice sustainable
agriculture in the Bay Area. We are a tax-exempt 501(c)3
non-profit corporation that also has, since 1999, managed
the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Statewide
Listings
CALIFORNIA
PASTURE FED ANIMALS
eatwild.com and
http://www.eatwild.com/products/california.html
Eatwild.com is your source for safe, healthy, natural and
nutritious grass-fed beef, lamb, goats, bison, poultry,
pork and dairy products. This site has three goals:
•
To link consumers with reliable suppliers of all-natural,
delicious, grass-fed products.
• To provide comprehensive, accurate information about the
benefits of raising animals on pasture.
• To provide a marketplace for farmers who raise their
livestock on pasture from birth to market and who actively
promote the welfare of their animals and the health of the
land.
CALIFORNIA
RAW, ORGANIC DIARY PRODUCTS
organicpastures.com
Organic Pastures Dairy Company is California's first raw
milk dairy with certified pasture land. The dairy was
founded in 2000 as an extension of an organic farm that has
been in operation since 1988. McAfee Farms had its
beginnings in the 1950's from the McAfee grandparents
farming and dairy endeavors. The family-owned and operated
dairy is located near Fresno, California, in the heart of
the fertile San Joaquin Valley.
The dairy produces Grade A raw milk using an innovative
mobile milking Parlor, which moves to where the cows are
grazing. This unique design eliminates the need for cows to
walk long distances on concrete and through manure-filled
pens to be milked. The Company has been recognized
repeatedly in independent NFO (National Farmers
Organization) tests as having the best milk taste of the
dairies surveyed. The decentralized milking system was
invented by Organic Pastures Dairy Company's founder, Mark
McAfee.
CALIFORNIA ORGANIC FARMERS
ccof.org
CCOF promotes and supports organic food and agriculture
through a premier organic certification program, trade
support, producer and consumer education and political
advocacy. From apples to zucchini, from almonds to wine,
CCOF is involved in every facet of organics, with over 750
different organic crops and products, including livestock,
processed products and services. CCOF provides
certification services to all stages of the organic food
chain from farms to processors, restaurants and retailers.
CCOF certifies to the USDA National Organic Program
standards and CCOF international standards.
CALIFORNIA FARMERS MARKETS
cafarmersmarkets.com
The certified farmers market concept is an effort to
re-establish the traditional link between farmers and
consumers in California. Put simply, certified farmers'
markets (CFM's) are "the real thing," places where genuine
farmers sell their crops directly to the public. There are
over 400 communities with Certified Farmers Markets in the
State now and the number is growing every year. Consumer
benefits at CFM's are considerable. The number one reason
consumers shop at Certified Farmers' Markets is quality.
Fresh picked, vine and tree ripened quality produce
continues to attract regular patronage at the CFM's in
California today. Cost savings is also attractive to
customers.
POLYFACE FARMS IN VIRGINIA
(Written about in The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan)
polyfacefarms.com
Polyface believes in local, bioregional food production and
marketing. This website is a tool to disseminate
information and Joel Salatin's information-based
activities, not to promote, describe, or market the farm's
products. We welcome inquiries concerning product sales,
but that is not what this website is about.
Organic
Foods
Effective
21 October 2002, all agricultural farms and products
claiming to be organic must be guaranteed by a
USDA-approved independent agency to be meeting the
following guidelines:
•
Abstain from the application of prohibited materials
(including synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and sewage
sludge) for 3 years prior to certification and then
continually throughout their organic license.
• Prohibit the use of genetically modified organisms and
irradiation.
• Employ positive soil building, conservation, manure
management and crop rotation practices.
• Provide outdoor access and pasture for livestock.
• Refrain from antibiotic and hormone use in animals.
• Sustain animals on 100% organic feed.
• Avoid contamination during the processing of organic
products.
• Keep records of all operations.
Organic
products grown in healthier soil contain higher levels of
nutrients, and many taste better than their conventional
counterparts. Organic fruits and vegetables test at minimal
or zero pesticide residue levels and, with the passage of
the USDA organic standards, consumers can now be assured
producers follow earth-friendly cultivation and grazing
practices. Millions of people choose organic foods as a way
of showing their support for responsible business, strong
communities, and local farmers.
Organic designations you may see include:
•
"100% organic" which follows completely the above rules.
• "Organic" is used when 95% are organically produced
ingredients.
• "Made with organic ingredients" is used when 70% are
organic ingredients.
• "Transitional" are products that are being grown
according to the Organic Rule but have not yet met a three
year requirement in order to label their products
"organic."
"Free
Range" and "Pasture Fed" designations do not guarantee the
product is organic and it is up to the consumer to find out
more about the product to assure they are getting what they
are asking for.
Sustainable
Farming
Sustainable
farming began to grow in earnest in the US in the late
1970’s. For an agricultural activity to be counted as
sustainable agriculture, it should satisfy three
pre-conditions: it should not upset the natural
environment, while at the same time it should be something
that a farmer can afford to do and it should meet society's
needs. So it should be economically viable, socially
responsible and ecologically sound.
Sustainable agriculture refers to the ability of a farm to
produce perpetually. Two key issues are 1) long-term
effects of various practices on soil properties and
processes essential for crop productivity, and 2) the
long-term availability of inputs. Practices that can cause
long-term damage to soil include excessive tillage (leading
to erosion) and irrigation without adequate drainage
(leading to accumulation of salt in the soil). Long-term
experiments provide some of the best data on how various
practices affect soil properties essential to
sustainability.
More information can be found about sustainable farming
at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_agriculture
Pasture
Fed Animals
You
may see "free-range," "pasture fed" and "grass-fed"
designations on chicken and meat. Those terms have no legal
definitions but are used to imply that if they are
"free-range" the animals are allowed access to fresh air
and movement outdoors and if "pasture fed" they are eating
grass at some point. Free-range does not even guarantee
that the animal takes advantage of the opportunity to go
outdoors. Some free-range chicken producers simply open the
cages during the feeding time and the chickens never even
leave the cage! Currently, there is no government
regulation on the use of these terms.
The label "100% Grassfed" is not regulated. The United
States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) released a revised proposal for a grass fed
meat label claim for its process-verified labeling program
in May 2006 and is currently trying to reach agreement on
the regulations. Pasture fed animals’ diet may be
supplemented with other feed if grass is not sufficiently
plentiful. Some producers will grass or pasture feed and
then grain feed to finish. In order to know the extent of
grass feeding, you need to contact the farmer. That is one
reason the list of local farmers is presented on this site
for you. If you are interested in following the progress of
this proposal, use keywords "usda Docket No. LS-05-09" to
find updates.
In some countries pasture farming has never been replaced
with grain fed. If you purchase lamb from Australia and New
Zealand, it will be grass-fed. Lamb from these countries is
very easy to find even in super markets in the US.
What is the difference between grass-fed and grain-fed?
Some organic meat is produced using certified organic
grain, while other organic meat is produced by allowing the
livestock to feed on certified organic pastures. Some
organic meat is produced using a combination of the two
types of feed. Both certified organic feed and pasture are
grown on land that has been free of synthetic fertilizers
and pesticides for a minimum of three years. In general,
grass-fed meat is going to be leaner (lower fat content)
than grain-fed meat and may have a slightly higher protein
content.
Benefits of eating organic grass-fed beef:
Today, Americans have grown used to eating and buying
grain-fed and grain-finished beef. On many ranches across
the planet, this is not the case. In Australia and New
Zealand, Europe, and South America, grass-fed beef is the
normal practice. The same used to be true of American
cattle until WWII when the supplies of corn and soy were
abundant and cheaper than grass, and there was an increase
in the need for beef. Thus; grain-feeding grew popular.
Feeding cattle grain and soy was an inexpensive way to
feed, and bulked up the animals in almost half of the time.
As for the cattle, the rancher's decision was not to their
benefit. A cow's stomach is not designed to digest grain,
but grass and leafy plant materials. As a result, the
acidity level in the cow's stomach is increased, making it
more susceptible to E. Coli and even helping to breed an
acid-resistant strain. Because these animals are more
likely to become ill, they are often injected with
preventative antibiotics. Nearly 70% of the nation's
antibiotics are estimated to be used for livestock.
Because grain and soy have such high levels of
carbohydrates, the beef produced will have a higher level
of saturated fat and Omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 and
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to our bodies, in that we
cannot produce them on our own. Omega-3 fatty acids are
good fats that help reduce the risk of obesity, insulin
resistance, arthritis, allergies and help promote a healthy
heart. Some studies have shown that Omega-6 fatty acids may
be linked to the development of diabetes, immune disorders,
obesity, and some cancers. A healthy ratio of Omega-6 to
Omega-3 is 4:1. Grain-fed beef can have levels higher than
20:1, which can be harmful to your health. Grass-fed beef
has a ratio around 2:1.
Not only is grass-fed beef higher in Omega-3 fatty acids,
it also contains less calories from fat and has a higher
nutrient content. It contains about twice the amount of
beta-carotene, which can help prevent heart disease, and
contains higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA),
which also help prevent disease. Grass-fed beef can contain
more than 4 times the amount of the antioxidants vitamins A
and E.
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