S1E33 Do The Best You Can With What You've Got

This week I had a potential customer reach out to me with some great questions.  She wanted to know what I fed my animals and why my general philosophical approach was to farming.  I loved those questions.  First, I love that someone is actually thinking about and caring about where their food comes from. Second, it was an opportunity for me to again think about what we do and why.  And so, on this episode I share with you my response to her.  In part, I describe the pragmatic approach that we take to farming.  We simply are trying to do the best we can with what we've got.  My goal is to be as organic as possible.  But, I use a conventional feed?  Why?  One one hand it is a matter of availability.  I want a locally grown feed; not an "organic feed" that is trucked in from Timbuktu.  Why?  Because, unless I know the farmer that raised it, I don't trust the organic/non-GMO label.

I reference these articles in the podcast as to why I do not trust that label.

https://www.cornucopia.org/2016/09/organic-grain-imports-threaten-domestic-markets-standards/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/the-labels-said-organic-but-these-massive-imports-of-corn-and-soybeans-werent/2017/05/12/6d165984-2b76-11e7-a616-d7c8a68c1a66_story.html

The other is a matter of cost.  The one farm that is local to me that sells an organic/non-GMO feed is charging almost 3x's as much as what I pay for my "conventional" feed.  After reading this book, I am not sure that the benefit is there. 

Now, I understand that my approach won't make everyone happy.  But, I do think that sometimes we pressure people into seeking an ideal that either isn't possible or isn't possible now.  And, if we aren't careful, what we mean to be helpful, can serve to be discouraging.  Failure to live up to the ideal can and will either keep people from the homestead journey or it will cause them to quit.  Instead, my goal is to encourage you and everyone  you know to simply "Do the best you can with what you've got."  Your situation might not be ideal to others; it might not even be ideal to you.  But, do the best today with what what you've got today.  And then take the next step.  And the next step.  And the next.  If you do that, I think you'll be ok.  And you might raise and grow some delicious and nourishing food along

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