The minute details of really natural farm food

Miller’s Biodiversity Farm goes deep.

The farmer doesn’t simply trust a product label or offer short answers to his customers. He finds fellow farmers and companies he trusts and provides accurate and transparent information about his products.

Every detail counts.

Sure, the farmer feeds his animals a natural diet and makes sure they live an active lifestyle. No, he doesn’t give vaccines or routine antibiotics. No, he doesn’t use chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. No, he does not feed or sell GMO crops.

But those farming practices are the broad strokes. He goes deeper.

For example, you may have read last week’s news about the routine use of chlorine for washing chicken, even certified organic chicken. We disclosed the alternative sanitizer that our processor will use -  Chixcide. Chixcide is lactic and citric acids made by fermenting corn and cassava.

A few customers reached out to see if the corn is GMO-free. Great q uestion! We followed up with the Chixcide producer and found out that the corn is in fact GMO free. They even gave us the certificate to prove it.

We also learned that all of Birko’s products are approved for use on certified organic food. This is a company who is headed in the right direction.

This is all great, but... if you’re reading this email, then you probably know that GMO-free does not mean that synthetic herbicides and pesticides (like glyphosate) are not used.

You probably also know that the “certified organic” label is not all it’s cracked up to be.

So the research continues. We are working with Birko to find out the source of the corn and find out definitively if glyphosate (or other chemicals) would be present in the chicken washing solution.

Every minute detail counts. Anything that would touch your food - the soap for cleaning equipment, the iodine for cleaning teats, the solutions used at the processor - affect food quality.

It’s not only about how the food is raised but also about how it’s processed.

Our farmer wants to keep his food as natural and nutrient-dense as possible. So he does his research. And, as a consumer, I hope you do, too.