August Company of the Month: Seven Sons Farms

I think it's always important to know your farmers and know your growers, so that way you really know where your food is coming from. This is especially true when it comes to meat and dairy products. A few months ago, I had come out with a priority list of what you have to buy organic versus what you can let slide if you have to and meat and dairy rank number 1 on my list as the most important food you have to buy organic.

Conventional cows, chickens and pigs are typically fed GMO feed, grains (which is not their normal diet) and are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics. So, when they end up on your plate, you are left with a chunk of meat that is filled with toxins. Dairy is no different either, especially when you consider conventional cows are usually pumped with RbGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) to up their milk production in combination with the other antibiotics and hormones. Aside from all of this, most of the livestock in these conventional farms are subjected to terrible treatment. I know that in the end they are going to be slaughtered anyways but how they live their life in the meantime makes a big difference to a lot of meat eaters.

All of these problems are the exact reason why I love Seven Sons Farms, because they are the complete opposite of all of this. I actually first discovered Seven Sons Farms about five years ago, shortly after I moved to Fort Wayne. It was probably the first major thing I did to take my first step towards a more conscientious and healthier lifestyle. Seven Sons Farms started back in 2000 with Lee and Beth Hitzfeild and their seven sons. Their mission is simple, to produce nutrient dense foods that heal and nourish our land those who eat of it's bounty.

Seven Sons raises farm animals the way they are supposed to be raised. All of their animals are free of hormones and antibiotics and none of them are fed GMO feed. Their livestock are grass fed in the summer and are supplemented with non-gmo/gluten free feed in the winter and they never recieve hormones, steriods, or anibiotics, they are never fed animal by-products and their meat is never injected with nitrites, nitrates or MSG. All of their livestock is pasture raised when seasonally appropriate. Seven Sons is also certified USDA Organic.

Another really cool thing about Seven Sons is that they sort of act like a middle man for a lot of other local area farms and businesses who produce food and livestock with the same morals and values as they themselves do. When you visit their website, you will see that you can not only order meat from them but that you can also buy products from other local organic comapnies such as Swissland cheese, Trader's Point milk and yogurt and they even link you to a source for raw dairy products. As if all of these weren't reasons enough to like Seven Sons, the best thing about them is that you can drive directly out to their farm to pick up your meat and dairy. I like that option, because I think you have to worry a lot less about transperancy if you know directly where your food comes from and you are shaking the hand of the farmer who is raising your food. It makes you feel better when you directly meet your farmers and growers. Seven Sons is doing business exactly the way all farms should be.

For more information about Seven Sons Farms based out of Roanoke, IN, I encourage you to check out their website at www.sevensons.net.