We are in the process of becoming certified by The Food Certification Alliance. They visit the farm and examine all that we do: how we manage our livestock, where they come from, where our feed is sourced, what we plant, what we put on it, what happens to our water, our animals waste; how we deal with employees, what environmental impact we have..it is very comprehensive. And when this idea was introduced to us we were fed this beautiful lunch, sourced locally and beautifully prepared and plated..delicious and beautiful! We look forward to the certification, as it means that not just our claims but confirmation from trained inspectors.

cool..

Finally, we are not broiling here on the farm. We have central air in the house but do not use it. Seems like the times we are away or cannot hear are the times awful things happen to our livestock and our vegetables. So we sleep with windows open as much of the year as we can. The results?! Overheated farmers! It has cooled off and water consumption is down dramatically, Homer has even left the farm to attend cookouts and dinners with friends, and work on the vegetable/flower beds is well under way. This time the drip tape is going down with the compost on the beds. This summer we had 4 weeks with no rain, 1 day with 6 inches of rain, and another 3 weeks with no rain. Drip tape has turned out to be essential but was not in place. We will not make that mistake again.