Is it possible to be more transparent?

written by

posted on

October 16, 2020

As you probably know, almost all of our weekly news stories are inspired by our awesome customers. I’ve been getting a lot more questions than normal lately. They’re on a variety of topics but all have an underlying theme - trust.

Some examples - How can we be sure your milk is A2? How do we know you do not give your cows hormones? How can I be certain that your animals are treated humanely? Are you sure there’s no soy in your feed? It didn’t say “sourdough” on the bread label, is it really sourdough?

You get the point. Our customers want to know that what we say about our products is true!

Miller’s Bio Farm prides itself in transparency. I mean, can’t you tell? We send out lengthy posts about what we do every week.

Do you want quality info on the website? We try our best to keep the website up to date and continuously add more info.

Do you want reviews? We have that! Check out our Google reviews (oh and if you haven’t left one already, we’d love your personal and honest feedback).

Do you want excellent customer service? We have that, too! You can email any questions to hello@millersbiofarm.com, and I’ll reply. I try to reply ASAP but definitely within 24 hours. Consider me your farm liaison. I speak with the farmer nearly every day. And I visit the farm multiple times per year. And, I’ve been buying Miller’s food for my family for 8 years, way before I became an employee.

But, I get it. Especially in our current world, it can be so hard to trust information. How can we know what’s true and what’s “fake news”?

Add this to the fact that, as a society, we’ve become so very disconnected from our food. According to recent polls, about only 27% of Americans cook every day and 35% of households grow food at home or in a community garden.

Really, the only way to 100% be certain about how your food was produced is to grow it and cook it yourself. Not so easy these days considering busy work/school schedules and lack of garden space (especially me on my 0.15 acres in the woods).

What else can Miller’s Bio Farm do? How can we be more transparent?

Do you want food labels? Labels like “certified organic” and “fair trade” and “GMO free” and “certified humane” can make you feel safe and supported. But, if you’re reading this, you likely know that the labels can be misleading. Miller’s Bio Farm is not certified in anything. Farmer Aaron feels that it’s a waste of time and resources. You can read a bit more about that here.

Do you want photos and videos of the farmer and his family? Or how about social media? I’m sorry, farmer Aaron does not do this. He is Amish and does not participate in things that promote an individual’s vanity. At first, I was shocked and disappointed by this. But now, I have a profound appreciation for these convictions (anyone watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix?).

Do you want to visit the farm or meet the farmer? Usually we host at least two events a year where this is possible. This year all events were unfortunately cancelled due to… you guessed it... the pandemic. Also, we know that not all customers live close enough to make attending an event on or near the farm possible.

That being said, if you do live close enough, you are welcome to schedule a short and private farm tour with farmer Aaron. If you live far away, you are also welcome to speak with farmer Aaron on the phone. To do either of these, leave a message at 717.786.7895 ext 0. The farmer is usually good about calling back quickly.

What else can we do? What can we do to help you feel secure in your food sources? Videos or info sheets on certain topics? Signed affidavits from all farmers we source from? More info about our local vendors? Is there particular information that’s lacking from the website? Any ideas?

We want to hear from you!

Opinion

Should I choose animal rennet or vegetable rennet in my natural cheese?

Let’s take a look at what rennet is and why it’s used in cheesemaking, compare the different types of animal and vegetable rennets, check out the labeling requirements for rennet, and consider the potential health consequences. Keeping all this in mind, Miller’s Bio Farm aims to produce the most nutrient-dense, natural, A2/A2 cheese we can and gives you all the info you need to make the choice that’s best for your body!

Is yolk color is no longer a great indicator of the egg's nutrition?

It used to be true that, if your egg yolks were darker in color, then the better the egg's nutrition. Conscious consumers of the past would look for that deep orange yolk and stray away from lighter yellow yolks. It's sad, but this simply isn't the case anymore. Here's why you can't trust cheap store-bought eggs with orange yolks and need to know your farmer instead.

How did pork get a bad rep anyway? Why is Miller's pork exceptional?

Did you know that, globally, pork is the #1 meat? According to the UN, 10% more pork is eaten compared to poultry worldwide. And, 50% more pork is eaten compared to beef worldwide. Wow! But, for some reason, this isn't the case in the US. According to the USDA, pork ranks #3 when it comes to meat. Americans eat 30% less pork compared to poultry and 15% less compared to beef. Why is this? Well, pork has gotten a pretty bad rep in the US. Of course there are some religions that prohibit pork, but that's not the leading factor. Some reasons why pork has a bad rep. 1- Too much saturated fat. The low fat craze started in the 1970s and fizzled out in the 1990s. It came from the belief that (1) fat makes us fat; and (2) that too much saturated fat = high cholesterol = bad things like heart disease and cholesterol. These myths have been debunked. Read more in fats and health blog post. The bottom line is that not all fats are created equal. Natural animal fats from happy, healthy animals are good. It's those highly processed hydrogenated saturated fats that are bad. In other words, eat all the pork fat! 2- Worry about disease. People still seem to think they can get sick from pork. There's fear of parasites (like the roundworm Trichinella spiralis that can cause trichinosis) or bacteria or other things. The reality is that getting sick from pork is really rare nowadays. If you cook pork properly, you don't need to worry about disease. Muscle meat (like chops or tenderloin) should be cooked to 145F. Ground meat and organs should be cooked to 160F. 3- Worry of bad ingredients. This only relates to processed pork like hot dogs and bacon and ham. There's truth to this one. Nitrates and nitrites, commonly used in curing conventional pork, have been shown to cause cancer and other health issues. And stabilizers, artificial colors, preservatives, and other additives have been linked to negative health outcomes, too. But, this isn't the case for all pork. How meat it's processed matters a lot. At Miller's, we don't put any of that yucky junk in our meat, even the salami and bacon and sausages (more on that below). 4- Worry that eating pork will have a negative affect on your blood. The Weston A. Price Foundation did a bunch of research on this. It's true that plain pork can cause blood clotting and inflammation. However, properly preparing pork (by marinating it in vinegar or naturally curing it) or by eating pork with fermented veggies like sauerkraut removes these negative effects. Read more about pork and your blood in this blog post. 5- The belief that pigs are "dirty". I think this one mainly comes from the fact that pigs roll around in mud. They do this to protect their nearly hairless bodies. It's like natural sunscreen. It doesn't mean the meat is dirty at all. It may also come from the fact that pigs are often treated as garbage disposals. They will literally eat anything. And that includes kitchen scraps, meat processing scraps, curdled milk, and more. But again, not all pork is created equal. When you source from trusted farms, you can actually know that the pigs are eating clean food and are rolling around in chemical-free mud. 6- Strange rumors that pigs are deformed. This one came from Nailea on the farm. At some point, she watched a video about how some pigs are born without buttholes or have odd deformities or become cancerous. Yet, despite their weirdness, they're still raised for meat. I don't know how true this is for conventional pigs. But, it's certainly not true for our pigs. They are intact and happy and healthy. And our processor would never give us meat that's weird or cancerous. Why you should eat pork. I'm here to inform you that, when produced naturally and properly, pork is pretty awesome. It's high in protein, zinc, iron, and B vitamins (particularly the "anti-stress" vitamin B1 - read more about thiamine and pork in this blog post). It's packed with quality, healthy saturated fats. And it's the most affordable meat and can be produced year round. This is why people around the world love pork. I think you should love pork, too! Miller's pork is not just any old pork. Here are 6 quick reasons it stands above the rest: 1- Woodland raised. Our pigs get plenty of exercise and forage for countless nuts and grubs and roots. This diverse diet gives our pork some extra flavor. And you can be assured that the environment is free of chemicals and is a happy place for our pigs to live. 2- Corn & soy free. This means low PUFA and no chance of GMOs. We haven't tested our pork like we did for our chicken and eggs. But, if we did, I assume we'd get similar results with our pork having balanced omegas and packed with vitamins and minerals. 3- Heritage breeds. Our pigs are Berkshire, Duroc, Red Waddle, and Black crosses. These heritage breeds are known for their intensity of flavor, juiciness, marbling, and tenderness. It's nothing like the bland, dry pork you often get at the grocery store. 4- No junk like nitrates or additives. We reduce toxins and anything unnatural as much as possible. Our bacon is cured simply with Celtic sea salt (in a store it would have "uncured" on the label). Our sausages have clean ingredients, no weird thickeners or preservatives. Our salami is cured naturally with celery juice powder. 5- Washed in organic apple cider vinegar. No harsh chemicals like bleach or citric and lactic acids touch our pork. We are so fortunate to have a naturally minded processor! 6- No drugs. We don't vaccinate. We don't give antibiotics or hormones or anything like that. Through a natural diet and lifestyle, our pigs stay naturally healthy. Do you eat pork? Why or why not? What do you look for when shopping for pork? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below - no account required (start typing for the guest option to appear). 😊 ----- SOURCES: UN Report: Livestock commoditiesUSDA: Chicken leads U.S. per person availability of meat over last decade False Facts About Pork Everyone Actually BelievesIs Pork Bad for You? Here's What a Dietitian Has to Say

Is it possible to be more transparent?

More from the blog

Should I choose animal rennet or vegetable rennet in my natural cheese?

Is yolk color is no longer a great indicator of the egg's nutrition?

How did pork get a bad rep anyway? Why is Miller's pork exceptional?

Do

Learn

Uphold

Connect

Miller's Bio Farm, 523 Valley Road, Quarryville, PA 17566