Know Your Farmer: Questions to ask at the market

Both sustainable farmers and conventional farmers bring their goods to farmers markets, so the first time you visit a market you need to find out who’s who. Here are some suggested questions to pose, with possible responses:

Q: How do you fertilize your crops?

A: A sustainable farmer will avoid using petroleum based fertilizers. The farmer’s answer to this question might include compost, manure, biochar, worm castings, word chips, soil microbes, minerals, and humus.

Q: How do you control pests?

A: Some farmers spray with vinegar or cayenne pepper in water. Others use insecticide only if they see aproblem. In the case of orchard fruits, the farmer may spray up until the time of blossoming and then stop, so the fruit doesn’t get sprayed.

Q: Do your chickens eat grass, worms and insects?

A: Chickens should be outside on pasture. They may consume grains as a supplemental feed, but their entire diet shouldn’t be grains. If a farmer uses the term “free range” or “cage free”, ask if the chickens are out on grass. In conventional poultry operations, “free range” and “cage free” mean inside a chicken house. Avoid birds raised on “100% organic vegetarian feed”. Chickens are omnivores, not vegetarians. They need grass, insects, worms, and small rodents.

Q: What do you feed your cows?

A: 100% grassfed is best. Grain finished beeves are fed grains for 3 to 6 weeks before slaughter. You would think that after years of being fed only grass, 3 to 6 weeks of grains wouldn’t matter. Think again. In about 10 days to 2 weeks, all of the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) disappears from the fat of cows eating grains. This also applies to chickens, pigs, and other herbivores. CLA is an important nutrient that protects against many of today’s prevalent chronic diseases.

Q: What do you feed your pigs?

A: Pigs should be raised in forests and pastures. Pigs root for tubers, munch on mushrooms, catch small rodents, and forage for nuts and a variety of plants growing wild in the shade of trees.

Q: Do your animals receive hormones or antibiotics?

A: When raised properly on pasture accessible to grass and sunlight, antibiotics are unnecessary. Even on the best farms, sometimes an animal becomes ill. Antibiotics might be used to save its life. Once it recovers, antibiotics are discontinued. But if daily antibiotics are routinely given to all animals throughout their lives, there’s something wrong with the operation. Good health is normal. If animals are prone to illness every day, their food and living environment need improvement.

Q: Are you certified organic?

A: Certification fees are expensive. Required paperwork and record keeping is time consuming. Small farmers would rather use sustainable, regenerative, better-than-organic farming methods, produce higher quality food, and pass the savings on to you. Local grocers or farmers market prices are more reasonable than certified organic.

Local, non-certified foods aren’t shipped long distances or kept in storage for months before distribution.
They’re often picked the same day they’re sold, or the day before. You get fresher, more flavorful and
nutritious, higher quality food at lower than organic prices.

Enjoy your conversations with your farmers, and be on your way to a healthier, tastier menu. May you be
deeply nourished!