Farm News
I confess. On the eve of this year's Earth Day, I am not optimistic. The evidence for catastrophic effects from climate change is overwhelming and extant. The melting Greenland ice sheet may seem remote and abstract to those of us in the Midwest, but the torrents of glacial fresh water flowing into the gulf stream are very likely to disrupt the gulf stream's essential role in regulating the world's climate overall sooner than predicted. Highs in the 80's in early April and flowers a bloom nearly one month ahead of schedule may seem like a gift from nature, but the gift is wrapped in elevated risks of tornadoes.
Many seem resigned to accept our current reality of extreme storms, wild fires and megadroughts. Many feel paralyzed by the enormity of the issue and perceive that their actions will have no effects on solving the overall problem. Despite the gloomy outlook for the planet, many scientists insist that it is NOT too late to pull us back from the brink of an inhospitable planet. We cannot wait for the politicians to dither and posture, obfuscate and postpone. We must take matters into our own individual hands and take small steps to mitigating climate change.
One small step is supporting a robust and diverse local food system. Buy your fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs and dairy directly from local farms! This has an immediate effect of lowering your carbon footprint. The distance over which those foods travel to get to you is a fraction of the distance that foods travel in our current globally-sourced food economy; less energy is consumed and the foods have higher nutritional value because they are fresher. Support farms that are engaged in regenerative agriculture practices like perennial vegetation, agroforestry and silvopasture (trees in pasture). Such practices have demonstrated effects of storing carbon in the soil and in the living plants.
Our little goat dairy on the prairie has embraced these practices since its inception 18 years ago. Those who have experienced the flavor of our dairy products understand the links between our husbandry choices and the quality of our milk. Yet, the pool of pastured-dairy evangelists is not big enough. We need more patrons who want to take a stand in support of small farms fighting climate change. Farms like ours have chosen a more challenging business model because we believe in our mission and we know that these practices produce superior quality dairy products (and we have the national awards to validate this boast). On the eve of Earth Day 2023, I ask you act with your mouth--drink some of our raw goat milk and eat some PFFC goat cheese.
Farm Events and Other Happenings
This weekend, we will be embracing the message of Earth Day in full force. On Saturday, April 22nd, we are attending Green Top Grocery's Community Market, from 10am to 1 pm in Bloomington IL. For those of you in the Bloomington Normal area, this is a great opportunity to meet the local farmers who supply key products to Green Top Grocery (a Food Cooperative). We'll be offering free samples of our cheeses AND our raw milk. You'll also be able to purchase cheeses from us.
Join us at the farm on Sunday, April 23rd for our own celebration of Earth Day "Grass to Glass." Experience firsthand the connections between our pasture-based, animal welfare approved dairy goats and the quality of our milk to cheese. The adage "you are what you eat" will be on full display! From 11 am to 2 pm, you can visit the farm, enjoy free samples of our raw goat milk and select cheeses AND take a pasture walk with the milking does. The pasture walks are limited to 20 people and require that you make a reservation. We have two walks scheduled: one at 11:30 am and another at 12:30 pm.
If you can't make it to these events, there are still ways to support the farm!
Order from our online store-either for farm pick up OR for shipping.
Patronize our local farmers' markets
--The Land Connection's Indoor Farmers' Market runs through April 29th, and we will be there on Saturday, 4-29
--Urbana's Market at the Square. From May through October, this is one of the best producer-only farmers' markets in Illinois. Supporting local farms is one of the best ways to lower your carbon footprint.
The farm will be open for regular hours (11 am to 5 pm) AND we will offering two "Mom and Me" goat hikes (1 pm and 2 pm). Enjoy a leisurely walk with our favorite goats and their kids and experience the beauty of the farm. Order a special Mother's Day cheese board to share.
Not local? You can still support us! Order a Mother's Day Cheese Box or any of our other cheese gift boxes OR build your own gift box with a number of a la carte cheeses and accompaniments.