The top 3 farm goals for 2021 that will improve your life

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January 1, 2021

Goodbye, 2020! Gee I’m so happy you’re over. I do very much hope that 2021 will be… well… better.

There’s a lot going on in the world that I’d like to change but it’s largely out of my control. I need to work from my place of power. I can improve myself and my family, I can choose which companies to support, and I can affect change in my community… and that includes Miller’s Bio Farm.

The farmer and his team are also looking forward to the New Year. There are lots of plans to enact, and I wanted to share with you the top 3 goals of 2021. These are pretty big, and I think they will improve your life, too!

1- We are introducing loads of smaller bundles that will help you save.

Not everyone has an extra freezer for storing a whole cow or 30lb of butter. We want the savings of buying in bulk to be accessible to all.

We are rolling out lots of 3-pack and 6-pack bundles that will help you buy in quantity and save! There are a bunch on the store already, and there are more to come.

2- We want your friends and family to have access to healthy food, too. So we are doubling the referral bonus!

That’s right. The referral bonus is doubling to $10! That means that, when you refer someone, you both get $10 in store credit.

When you’re logged in, go to Menu → Account → Referrals. Share your unique referral link. Your referee will click the link and create an account. Then, when they pay for their first order, you both automatically get $10 in store credit!

3- We’re taking sustainable packaging to the next level!

Being conscious of our impact on the environment is so important to Miller’s Bio Farm. From your supportive feedback, we know it’s important to our customers, too. It’s not just about right now; it’s about inspiring healthy generations to come.

We rolled out sustainable packaging at the end of 2020. This has been after years of research and testing. But, our current sustainable packaging only covers the big things we use to bag and box your food.

This year, we get into the nitty gritty. What ink is used to print with? How can we replace the zip ties? Is our paper recycled and unbleached?

This year, we also move forward with sustainable product packaging. I hope to see butter wrapped in paper, a milk jug that’s made of something other than conventional plastic, and biodegradable or compostable vacuum seal bags for meat.

This is a BIG endeavor and will take many, many hours of research and testing and pricing. But, it is absolutely worth it. We do hope to get close to 100% sustainable packaging by the end of 2021.

From the team at Miller’s Bio Farm, we thank you for your support! We wouldn't be able to do what we do without your orders and awesome feedback :)

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 😊

The top 3 farm goals for 2021 that will improve your life

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