The food we eat could be killing us (Part 2)

May 4, 2010

Troy Media Special Report

By Bob Weinstein
Editor-in-Chief
Troy Media 

NEW YORK, May 4, 2010/Troy Media/ — Even though industrial farming has radically changed the farming industry, Mike Hansen is optimistic about the future. Change, he says, is taking place - albeit slowly.

Hansen and his wife Deb own and operate Good Earth Farms in Milladore, Wis.

Hansen’s positive attitude keeps him in the game, energized, and motivated so that he can put in 13- and 15-hour days - and take on the giant industrial farms that turn out factory-style meat, poultry and vegetables.

The sad state of the farming industry is not breaking news. And pathetically, most consumers neither know nor care about the issue.  Equally disturbing, they don’t even realize there is a problem that affects them, their children, and future generations.

But the Hansens – along with thousands of farmers just like them – are dealing with the problem every day. Rather than abort a lifestyle that’s in their blood, they’re taking on the agri-giants on their own turf by doing what their ancestors have done for hundreds of years: They’re farming their land and breeding animals the old-fashioned way, without pesticides and dangerous chemical additives to hasten production.

The Hansens are the heart and soul of the organic food movement, which is growing at more than 20 per cent a year.

With six other local farmers, the Hansens launched Good Earth Farms, an organic farm cooperative business, which sells its products (eggs, chickens, beef, and pork) via its website to more than 2,000 customers throughout the US. They include restaurants and natural-food stores, but the majority are consumers who care not only about the quality of the food they consume, but also about the conditions under which animals are bred, fed, and slaughtered. They’re willing to pay a premium for organic products. And it’s not solely because the produce is healthier and tastier than their pesticide-laden counterparts, but because they take pride in funding an important trend that’s gaining new converts every year.

Competing with agribusiness giants

Throughout the past century, farming has become a big industry – agribusiness, to be exact. Farmers who sell the largest quantities of produce at the lowest prices win, says Hansen. “And there is no way a small organic farmer can compete with farmers who turn out factory-style meat and poultry,” he says. “We don’t raise 50,000 chickens in 15 months, or produce power steers pumped full of antibiotics and keep them imprisoned in pens all day long.”

From birth to slaughter, it takes an industrial farm 16 months to produce a steer weighing approximately 1,200 pounds, says Hansen.  “But it takes our farmers 24 to 30 months to raise a grass-fed steer weighing 900 to 1,000 pounds,” he says.

“Steers are not meant to be fed corn and filled with hormones and antibiotics to fatten them quickly. They’re meant to graze on open land and eat grass.”

Because of the longer production cycles, organic farmers must charge more so they can cover their costs and break even. If they sell enough, maybe they’ll see a modest profit.

It’s all about money

By joining forces and combining their produce with that of other local farmers, the Hansens’ food cooperative stands a chance of nudging a place beside and competing, on a small scale, with the giant industrial farm complexes.

Hansen knows that there is no winning the war against the mega-industrial farms. But coexistence, carving a profitable niche for organic/natural farm products, is a realistic goal. 

Like the other farmers in his cooperative, Hansen has strong ideals, and a moral sense of doing the right thing by his animals, land and customers. Many of the farmers are products of second- and third-generation farm families. Having grown up on farms, they understand the basics of land preservation and conservation. But it’s only recently that they’ve learned to think like pragmatic  businessmen and -women.

That’s largely due to the Hansens, who manage Good Earth Farms’ business operations.  Outgoing and chatty, Mike Hansen does the marketing, and his wife Deb keeps the books.  “We’ve just started to market our products more aggressively,” says Mike. “Most farmers want to be left alone to just farm their land. They’re very independent and don’t like to take risks, and it’s very difficult getting six farmers to agree on anything.  But we’re learning together.”

The Hansens’ goal is to create a business model that works, so that a half-dozen or more small farmers combining resources yield a profit-making business enterprise.

The good news is that Good Earth Farms cooperative is a sustainable business enterprise that’s growing rapidly, adding new customers every week.  Yet it’s not at the point where it can also meet the living expenses of the farm cooperative’s seven families. To meet their household expenses, one member of every family has either a full- or part-time job. 

The joy that comes from doing the right thing

Hansen loves farming, and considers himself fortunate to work at something that delivers value. “I don’t have to apologize to anyone,” he says. “We take great pride in our animals, our produce, and the way we do business. I can sleep comfortably knowing I’m doing the right thing.”

To learn more about Good Earth Farms, visit http://www.goodearthfarms.com 
 or call (888) 941-4343.

Troy Media Special Report: The food we eat– Part 1, Part 2, Part 3