The Fight Against Big Food
Welcome back
Today is going to be a rant on some of the things I’ve been thinking about for quite a while now.
Some of the newer subscribers here may be thinking…who is this farmer dude?
Well, to be honest, I’m still trying to nail that down for myself.
As I’ve told you a few times in the past… I’m a fake farmer.
I’m not driving around in a huge field in a $90,000 John Deere tractor planting rows of corn.
I’m not running 180 head of cattle on a ranch somewhere.
For the past couple of years, I’ve thought of my self as a “homesteader”.
Until I watched this video last week…
I guess technically, a REAL homesteader would be off grid. Living totally off of the land.
In that case, I’m a fake homesteader too!
I live plugged into the local electricity grid. I don’t even have a wooden fireplace, I have a propane fireplace with a remote control! Haha
Now, to be quite honest, this guy in the video, is probably at least half way full of shit. I think 100% of people online are larping in someway or another.
I’m saying all of this, in an effort to let you know who I am and where I think I’m headed.
So I guess you could call me a small farmer.
I enjoy growing my own vegetables for myself and my family. I like sharing the leftovers with friends. The taste is so much better than what you buy in the store and it’s 100% chemical free. The nutrient content in my vegetables is way higher too. (Source)
I enjoy drinking fresh goat milk (only from one specific goat we own, all the other goats we have, their milk is not great). We make kefir and cheese with the milk. (Source)
This is so cool, can’t even describe how amazing it is.
I enjoy raising my own cattle to butcher. I get a freezer full of fresh, antibiotic and growth hormone free beef each year.
I ask myself all the time why I enjoy doing these things because honestly, its alot of work.
Here is what I came up with…
Reason #1 - Money
My family and I can eat a steak twice a week and ground beef most of the other nights for less than $400 butcher fee, per year. (If we aren’t having beef, we usually have deer meat or some type of fish I caught in the past few weeks.)
This is possible by raising my own cow.
I broke down all of the costs of raising cattle in a previous post here.
I can drink as much milk as I want, for basically nothing. (Video Link)
Sure, I had to buy the goats, and put up fences, but once you have these investments set up, the only other cost is feed. I can sell the kids (goat babies) each year to cover the cost of feed.
I eat about a quart of honey per month just myself alone, for free. It’s fresh, chemical free, pure, raw honey GUARANTEED! (Source)
Sure it cost money to get set up and maintain the bees, but most of the start up costs have been financed. Its now starting to finally pay for itself with the help of many of you. Thank You! Getchu some honey
I eat 4 raw eggs every morning, big dark yellow yolks. My chickens are big and healthy, and happy. They free range all day, tearing up my front flower beds and laying in the sun in the wood line. (Source)
Reason #2
All of these food sources are controlled by me. I use zero chemicals on any of my animals/crops. I know exactly what I’m eating.
So reason number 2 is getting chemical free, fresh food for me and my family.
Reason #3
This is currently the biggest and growing concern I am feeling deep down in my loins…
It’s my form of rebellion.
Rebellion against the big corp, the WEF, the status quo, the grid.
When I go into the grocery store and look at all of the shiny plastic wrappers and drinks it kind of makes me sick. Why does the grocery store look like an amusement park?
We have gotten so far away from the source of our food as a species that most kids, (and adults) don’t even know where their food comes from.
Does this mean I never shop at a grocery store? NO
Does this mean I don’t enjoy a diet coke or a Bang energy drink every once in a while? NO
It just means that I like to do as much as I can the old fashioned way. There’s something about getting a big ass cow in the back of a trailer by hand, without a cattle chute and driving him down to the butcher in my old trailer and antique Ford truck.
I’m redacted I guess.
Is it kind of sad? Hell yeah, I shed a tear that day I took ole brangus down there.
But it’s part of life. It’s the way of this world we live in. Yeah, I could go vegetarian, but I’d rather die to be honest.
The wealthy farmer killed the fatted calf when his lost son returned. That’s in the Bible, look it up. They weren’t vegetarians.
I could have sold the cow to someone else, but he would have ended up at the same place eventually, probably treated worse.
So why not let him feed my family? He had a good life here in my pasture, eating good grass and hay. Happy beef is good beef.
You know what? Ole Brangus did a great job. It’s the best beef I’ve had. I think about him every time I eat a steak.
This story is kind of weird, I know. But it’s real! That shit is deep ain’t it?
The point I’m trying to make is I’m doubling down on The Natural Life every day because every day that goes by I become more convinced that this is the life for me.
So I’m going to do everything I can to spread the word and help others live it too.
What you can do to fight big food
If you’re limited on space and time to do what I’m doing, I suggest finding someone like me in your area and try to support them instead of Big Food!
I wrote up an article detailing ways to find small farmers here. (LINK)
It’s a long article so here’s the TL:DR
go on facebook and search for groups in your specific location
If you’re looking for beef, type in “cattle farmers of northern Ohio” or “cattle farmers of Ohio”
Several groups will pop up, pick one that looks close to your location
Ask to join group and make a post. “I’m looking to buy a half beef directly from a cattle rancher”
You should get several responses with recommendations
Go and look at the different recommendations and try to see if they seem legit, call the ones that look good.
They will walk you through the process and pricing and should answer any of your questions.
This will work for any farm food you need, fresh vegetables, search for gardening groups, fresh eggs, look for chicken groups.
If you’re not interested in doing any of this, that’s fine!
You’re welcome to sit back and watch, welcome to the show. I’ll continue to provide updates on what I’m doing and where I’m going. Hopefully providing good content for you along the way.
WAGMI
Farmer