What Success Looks Like On My Farm

When I sit in the back of a cab, seat of an airplane or walk the isles of any grocery store, the one thing I have in common with anyone I meet is that we enjoy a good meal. Whether organic, naturally raised, from a farmers market, a package of Farmland bacon (it could be raised by yours truly!) or whatever label one places trust in, we all eat and enjoy food. The majority of consumers I run into enjoy buying from and supporting local farmers and businesses. During the conversations I have, size always comes up: How big of a farm do you have?

The vision of a farm is somewhat idyllic and the image of American Gothic populates ones thoughts. In the minds of some people, the number of acres we farm or pigs that we raise is a lot. Their response is something like, “You are a mega, factory farm!” The truth is that a farm is not defined by its size, but by the people who work on that farm every day; the people that pour everything they have into raising a quality product. At the end of the day it is a business, not a non-profit, but quality is what demands the premium.