Reflections for the New Year

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December 27, 2019

Here we are. Heading into the new year. As most of us do, the farmer finds himself reflecting upon 2019.

Where did I focus my energy?

The farmer spent the first half of the year focusing on becoming certified for raw milk production by the State of Pennsylvania and switching to USDA certified meat processors.

In the second half of the year, the farmer focused on making sure his business is financially stable and sustainable. He wants to continue doing what he loves - regenerative farming - indefinitely.

What experiences brought me the most happiness?

Customers rallied together to raise over $15,000 so the farm could purchase a milk bottling machine. This was an immense act of generosity and gratitude and support.

Customers also poured their hearts into more than 100 stellar Google reviews. The feedback was overwhelming and much appreciated. Keep them coming!

What were my biggest challenges?

The farmer’s biggest challenge this year was hands down the RB51 situation. This was scary for the farm in many ways. The farmer is glad to have this in his past.

What do I want to keep doing or stop doing in 2020?

Well, the farmer certainly wants to keep producing the highest quality, most natural food possible. That’s for sure!

One thing he’s like to stop doing is using unsustainable packing materials. You can look forward to these changes in 2020 :)

So, what are you reflecting on? What changes are you looking to make in 2020?

The most popular New Year’s resolutions involve improving your health. From my standpoint, increasing your small farm food intake would certainly accomplish that.

Let’s say you just order milk only from the farm. How about adding one more thing like eggs or bread to your order?

Or, let’s say there’s some processed foods that are staples in your home - cereal, granola bars, squeezy yogurt, bread, hot dogs, etc. Try replacing one of those foods with something unprocessed and made by a small farmer.

Or, let’s say you order 50% of your food from small farms. How about upping that to 60%?

We would really love to hear from you. What’s in your plans for 2020?

Farm Updates

Opinion

Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

Not a fan of the confusing, greenwashed labels in store? Yea, me too! And it's especially real for me, because I'm responsible for getting our labels approved with the "powers that be". Here's a little story with a big inside scoop... I made new labels for our bone broth a little while ago. It didn't go as smoothly as planned. Why? I put the little icons about our farming practices on them. They look like this: Yup, despite being 100% accurate and true, they were denied!! We're not allowed to put those statements on our food labels. So, I asked the USDA guy, "What would it take to get those claims on the labels, anyway?" The answer was kinda shocking. First off, there's some guidance on wording. Silly technicalities in my opinion. For example, you can't use the term "No Spray" but you can say "Produced without the use of synthetic pesticides." Or another example is that you can't say "No Routine Antibiotics or Vaccines" but you can say "Raised without routine use of antibiotics or vaccines." Second, the processor needs to update their documents to provide traceability. In other words, they need to document how they make sure the bones for our bone broth don't get mixed up with bones from other farms. I mean, this is pretty simple, especially with small batch foods like ours. But the documentation needs to be meticulous. Drafting it in government-approved language can be time consuming and/or costly. And lastly, once you get the wording and process right, you need proof. This was the real shocker for me: Want to know what proof would suffice for all the claims above? A 2-3 sentence affidavit (AKA a super short letter) signed by all farmers that supply us. That's it!? This lead me to a bunch of questions: What if a company submits a letter from one farmer but actually has other farmers that supply them, too? What if a company changes farmers? Will they submit new letters?What if a company's farmers change their practices in the future? Will they immediately update their labels?Are the "powers that be" checking on this? Is anyone checking on this?Is this why most farms and food facilities don't allow outside people coming in? It seems to me that, if a business isn't doing what the label says, the only way to find out is via a whistleblower. And the only way to make them stop is to take them to court. You know, like what's happening with Vital Farms and their pasture raised egg claim right now. It seems to me that, all that good natural stuff on labels - grass fed, pasture raised, antibiotic free, etc - doesn't mean it's true. Certifications are a little better, but the same kinda thing can be said about those, too. This is why, at Miller's, we choose to NOT sell in stores. No wholesale for us. In fact, we don't even have an on farm store. We only sell directly to our customers via our website. And, we choose to only get certified for what's required. This way, we can make our own natural standards. And, we can provide you will all the info and proof you need. Descriptions, photos, blog posts, test results, and more. So, what do you think? Should we do the affidavit thing to get claims on our bone broth labels? What proof do you need to feel confident in your food choices? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required - just start typing) or contact us 😊

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.

Reflections for the New Year

More from the blog

Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

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?

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