Welcome to Natural Key Farm
We work a small pasture based farm in the gentle slopes outside of Keymar, MD. We focus mainly on poultry products and various CSA options offering eggs, meat and seasonal vegetables. Our three acre farm rests beside Francis Scott Key Highway (Rt. 194) within the Big Pipe Creek watershed of Carroll County, MD.
Taneytown Farmer's Market: Every Saturday, June 2nd - September 1st, 9am - Noon
This is a "producers only" market, meaning that only vendors who produce their own produce and foods can sell. There will be other local producers with vegetables, baked goods, honey, herbs and flowers. there will also be entertainment, coffee, breakfast and a cooking demonstration, using produce from off vendor's tables to educate how to prepare and enjoy this wonderful locally grown food. Come and be a part of this market and our first year in it!
My Interests
I became interested in farming when I broke my collarbone Halloween 2010. That winter left me with time to read and think. Read about farming through Joel Salatin's books and think about my ability to do it. By spring 2011, I was ready to work and found a position on a local organic farm to work and learn. On the organic farm, I learned how to grow vegetables without chemical inputs and keep nutrient levels in the soil optimum to grow superior produce. I started the 2011 season with a small 30x40 garden and a small flock of 40 laying hens. I gave much of my produce away to family and friends and even sold some eggs. All in all, it was encouraging and this 2012 year I am upping the ante.
No Added Chemicals
To almost prove the point of local and natural farming, here is an article by the New York Times reporting on the FDA's crack down on animal antibiotics and hormones used by commercial meat producers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/0 1/05/health/policy/fda-restricts-use-of-antibiotics-in-livestock.html
Guess what? We do not use these antibiotics because our animals eat naturally, breathe naturally, excrete naturally, move naturally and live naturally. Most antibiotics administered are to correct deficiencies encountered due to unnatural environmental conditions. Cattle shouldnt be eating animals proteins, especially those from chicken rears (there is an allowable legal percent of chicken shit within cow feed--not at our farm!) and chickens dont naturally cannibalize unless they also live unnaturally. Hormones and antibiotics remedy--to a point--these environmental-turned-biological deficiencies. Fortunately, Natural Key Farm does not have these deficiencies.
"Organic"
We are not interested in joining the ranks of certified "organic," "naturally raised" or "naturally grown" farms. We are lackluster to this trend because these words represent legality now. "Organic" has been subsumed by the government for fulfilling certain requirements about your farm. Fulfilling the "Organic" requirements does not necessarily mean that your farm uses less petroleum, hires American labor, prohibits the use of pesticides and herbicides (there are "approved" "organically" chemicals for AgriBusiness, which we feel compromises the whole idea behind "organic" and "natural"), limits fertilizer inputs and targets the local economy.
Take for example, this quote from "organic" certified Stonyfield Farms Chairman, Gary Hirshberg, in Bloomberg's Businessweek online publication. When asked about why their "organic" milk comes from New Zealand in powdered form, Hirshberg replies: "It would be great to get all of our food within a 10-mile radius of our house," he says. "But once you're in organic, you have to source globally" (http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_42/b4005001.htm). "Fresh" "organic" "milk" directly from... New Zealand?! Wow. Organic should mean something more to farmers and customers than another approach to reap money from the market.
Because we do all of these above mentioned activities, I feel it is not right to sell our products under a label that does not explicitly state these facts. "Organic" should mean your food is being produced in more traditional methods with less chemical and petroleum inputs. Agricultural corporations have usurped this language for their own purpose and used government regulation to enforce their possession of it. Meaning, without the correct government certificate, which creates much more cost to a small farmer than a corporation, and without the "correct" facilities, many of which are completely unnecessary at the small farm scale because small farms do not create the same problems as industrial farms, a small farmer is put into much the same mould as large Agri-Business producers.
Federal and State governments have done much to allow these two different farming scales to co-exist. Indeed, without legislation allowing the on-site slaughter of up to 20,000 birds, we could never even attempt to offer premium raised chickens. However, simply becoming "certified" and "in compliance" with government regulations places a small farm within the same category as larger industrial farms. We shirk "organic" certification because 1.) it is costly (on a shoe-string budget, paying for these certifications and becoming compliant can be a major setback for our progress) and 2.) we do not want to associate ourselves with industrial farming. We can afford to not be "organic" because we desire local support based upon our reputation. Why do we need to call ourselves "organic" if all of our customers know exactly how we grow their food? Labels are needed in the grocery store because that food comes from all over the world. Grocery store customers have little clue how any product within those pillar-like shelves originated. I find I spend most of my time reading than shopping in the grocery store. One hint organic doesnt mean what you think it means is when Wal-Mart is one of the biggest sellers of organic products. Case closed.
Think on this scenario: Let's pretend you want to learn where your food comes from (unfortunately, this statement doesnt pertain to the majority of America, but let's pretend it does). Try driving up to Perdue and having a chat with the president about his chicken. If he doesnt have a meeting or something else going on, he probably still wont talk to you. Now, try driving up to our farm and have a chat with us. You will find us in the fields or up near our house (since we live where we work) and more than likely we wont mind chatting with you. We might have to keep moving (lots to do, since we are the people who do it), but we love talking to interested people about our food. Regardless, we are confident our food will taste better, be healthier and cost less than any store bought "organic" food. We encourage customers to learn about where their food comes from and how it is produced. Anyone is welcome to come and check out our production method. As the Salatin's say as well, we have nothing to hide.
To learn more about the good and bad of organic, check out these sites:
http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-206
This is a really good article, quoted above that looks at the good and bad: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_42/b4005001.htm
A response to a British article bashing organic food: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/the-great-organic-myths-rebutted-822763.html
Another article debugging "organic" production: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/myths-organic-food
Quality of our Food
Buying food from us means you are getting the best value for your money. Our food is superior in quality to any store bought food because it is actually fresh. Your food will be either picked or slaughtered the day you pick it up. Our food requires less oil inputs because food is not delivered to us, we grow it. Therefore, a trip to our farm is your trip to the grocery store; a journey you would have made anyway. Neither our meat or produce require chemicals to be as healthy as nature intended them to be. Our food creates community because your money supports our lifestyle as our food supports yours. We teach proper care of animals, plants and the overall environment. Our food is better for the environment because we work within its natural parameters and cycles. We dont produce tomatoes in the winter because they wont grow naturally that way. We raise pork, chickens and soon cattle on grass because they naturally live on it.
Strong Local Economy
This article on the cantaloupe listeria outbreak underscores another thread of this debate: decentralized production and processing. This article by the New York Times highlights the devastating effect the Colorado cantaloupes had on Californian cantaloupes. If people were not used to having fruits brought from all other parts of the world, but got them from their own backyards, they would never associate a Colorado food-borne outbreak with Californian produce. If the food industry were more decentralized and local, outbreaks would be more easily contained, instead of being spread country wide, almost instantaneously (and this is not a small country!). Local consumers in other areas would feel safe eating that same fruit in their home area because they would know there was very little connection between the two, especially considering Colorado to California. http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/05/business/la-fi-cantaloupe-crop-20120106.
This Food is too Expensive
I have heard and understood the arguments to not buy healthy food because its too expensive. I have played this game too. Now, I am trying to offer superior quality food for a reasonable price. While it costs more than at the grocery store, you cannot even begin to compare grocery store chicken with our "Natural Key" chicken. Read this excerpt in Mother Jones on the philosophy behind why Polyface Farms, Joel Salatin's farm, sets its prices:
"I asked Joel how he answers the charge that because food like his is more expensive, it is inherently elitist. “I don’t accept the premise,” he replied. “First off, those weren’t any ‘elitists’ you met on the farm this morning. We sell to all kinds of people. Second, whenever I hear people say clean food is expensive, I tell them it’s actually the cheapest food you can buy. That always gets their attention. Then I explain that, with our food, all of the costs are figured into the price. Society is not bearing the cost of water pollution, of antibiotic resistance, of food-borne illnesses, of crop subsidies, of subsidized oil and water—of all the hidden costs to the environment and the taxpayer that make cheap food seem cheap. No thinking person will tell you they don’t care about all that. I tell them the choice is simple: You can buy honestly priced food or you can buy irresponsibly priced food.”
As it is, artisanal producers like Joel compete on quality, which, oddly enough, is still a somewhat novel idea when it comes to food. “When someone drives up to the farm in a BMW and asks me why our eggs cost more, well, first I try not to get mad,” said Joel. “Frankly, any city person who doesn’t think I deserve a white-collar salary as a farmer doesn’t deserve my special food. Let them eat E. coli. But I don’t say that. Instead I take him outside and point at his car. ‘Sir, you clearly understand quality and are willing to pay for it. Well, food is no different: You get what you pay for.'" (http://motherjones.com/environment/2006/05/no-bar-code)
Eat Our Food
By supporting local farmers, your money goes back into your community and is used to make wholesome food that benefits the health of the community and the land. At Natural Key Farm, we believe in producing quality food that surpasses commercial organic food at competitive prices. Join us in reforming American farming! We are literally nothing without our customers to support us.
Taneytown Farmer's Market: Every Saturday, June 2nd - September 1st, 9am - Noon
This is a "producers only" market, meaning that only vendors who produce their own produce and foods can sell. There will be other local producers with vegetables, baked goods, honey, herbs and flowers. there will also be entertainment, coffee, breakfast and a cooking demonstration, using produce from off vendor's tables to educate how to prepare and enjoy this wonderful locally grown food. Come and be a part of this market and our first year in it!
My Interests
I became interested in farming when I broke my collarbone Halloween 2010. That winter left me with time to read and think. Read about farming through Joel Salatin's books and think about my ability to do it. By spring 2011, I was ready to work and found a position on a local organic farm to work and learn. On the organic farm, I learned how to grow vegetables without chemical inputs and keep nutrient levels in the soil optimum to grow superior produce. I started the 2011 season with a small 30x40 garden and a small flock of 40 laying hens. I gave much of my produce away to family and friends and even sold some eggs. All in all, it was encouraging and this 2012 year I am upping the ante.
No Added Chemicals
To almost prove the point of local and natural farming, here is an article by the New York Times reporting on the FDA's crack down on animal antibiotics and hormones used by commercial meat producers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/0 1/05/health/policy/fda-restricts-use-of-antibiotics-in-livestock.html
Guess what? We do not use these antibiotics because our animals eat naturally, breathe naturally, excrete naturally, move naturally and live naturally. Most antibiotics administered are to correct deficiencies encountered due to unnatural environmental conditions. Cattle shouldnt be eating animals proteins, especially those from chicken rears (there is an allowable legal percent of chicken shit within cow feed--not at our farm!) and chickens dont naturally cannibalize unless they also live unnaturally. Hormones and antibiotics remedy--to a point--these environmental-turned-biological deficiencies. Fortunately, Natural Key Farm does not have these deficiencies.
"Organic"
We are not interested in joining the ranks of certified "organic," "naturally raised" or "naturally grown" farms. We are lackluster to this trend because these words represent legality now. "Organic" has been subsumed by the government for fulfilling certain requirements about your farm. Fulfilling the "Organic" requirements does not necessarily mean that your farm uses less petroleum, hires American labor, prohibits the use of pesticides and herbicides (there are "approved" "organically" chemicals for AgriBusiness, which we feel compromises the whole idea behind "organic" and "natural"), limits fertilizer inputs and targets the local economy.
Take for example, this quote from "organic" certified Stonyfield Farms Chairman, Gary Hirshberg, in Bloomberg's Businessweek online publication. When asked about why their "organic" milk comes from New Zealand in powdered form, Hirshberg replies: "It would be great to get all of our food within a 10-mile radius of our house," he says. "But once you're in organic, you have to source globally" (http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_42/b4005001.htm). "Fresh" "organic" "milk" directly from... New Zealand?! Wow. Organic should mean something more to farmers and customers than another approach to reap money from the market.
Because we do all of these above mentioned activities, I feel it is not right to sell our products under a label that does not explicitly state these facts. "Organic" should mean your food is being produced in more traditional methods with less chemical and petroleum inputs. Agricultural corporations have usurped this language for their own purpose and used government regulation to enforce their possession of it. Meaning, without the correct government certificate, which creates much more cost to a small farmer than a corporation, and without the "correct" facilities, many of which are completely unnecessary at the small farm scale because small farms do not create the same problems as industrial farms, a small farmer is put into much the same mould as large Agri-Business producers.
Federal and State governments have done much to allow these two different farming scales to co-exist. Indeed, without legislation allowing the on-site slaughter of up to 20,000 birds, we could never even attempt to offer premium raised chickens. However, simply becoming "certified" and "in compliance" with government regulations places a small farm within the same category as larger industrial farms. We shirk "organic" certification because 1.) it is costly (on a shoe-string budget, paying for these certifications and becoming compliant can be a major setback for our progress) and 2.) we do not want to associate ourselves with industrial farming. We can afford to not be "organic" because we desire local support based upon our reputation. Why do we need to call ourselves "organic" if all of our customers know exactly how we grow their food? Labels are needed in the grocery store because that food comes from all over the world. Grocery store customers have little clue how any product within those pillar-like shelves originated. I find I spend most of my time reading than shopping in the grocery store. One hint organic doesnt mean what you think it means is when Wal-Mart is one of the biggest sellers of organic products. Case closed.
Think on this scenario: Let's pretend you want to learn where your food comes from (unfortunately, this statement doesnt pertain to the majority of America, but let's pretend it does). Try driving up to Perdue and having a chat with the president about his chicken. If he doesnt have a meeting or something else going on, he probably still wont talk to you. Now, try driving up to our farm and have a chat with us. You will find us in the fields or up near our house (since we live where we work) and more than likely we wont mind chatting with you. We might have to keep moving (lots to do, since we are the people who do it), but we love talking to interested people about our food. Regardless, we are confident our food will taste better, be healthier and cost less than any store bought "organic" food. We encourage customers to learn about where their food comes from and how it is produced. Anyone is welcome to come and check out our production method. As the Salatin's say as well, we have nothing to hide.
To learn more about the good and bad of organic, check out these sites:
http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-206
This is a really good article, quoted above that looks at the good and bad: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_42/b4005001.htm
A response to a British article bashing organic food: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/the-great-organic-myths-rebutted-822763.html
Another article debugging "organic" production: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/myths-organic-food
Quality of our Food
Buying food from us means you are getting the best value for your money. Our food is superior in quality to any store bought food because it is actually fresh. Your food will be either picked or slaughtered the day you pick it up. Our food requires less oil inputs because food is not delivered to us, we grow it. Therefore, a trip to our farm is your trip to the grocery store; a journey you would have made anyway. Neither our meat or produce require chemicals to be as healthy as nature intended them to be. Our food creates community because your money supports our lifestyle as our food supports yours. We teach proper care of animals, plants and the overall environment. Our food is better for the environment because we work within its natural parameters and cycles. We dont produce tomatoes in the winter because they wont grow naturally that way. We raise pork, chickens and soon cattle on grass because they naturally live on it.
Strong Local Economy
This article on the cantaloupe listeria outbreak underscores another thread of this debate: decentralized production and processing. This article by the New York Times highlights the devastating effect the Colorado cantaloupes had on Californian cantaloupes. If people were not used to having fruits brought from all other parts of the world, but got them from their own backyards, they would never associate a Colorado food-borne outbreak with Californian produce. If the food industry were more decentralized and local, outbreaks would be more easily contained, instead of being spread country wide, almost instantaneously (and this is not a small country!). Local consumers in other areas would feel safe eating that same fruit in their home area because they would know there was very little connection between the two, especially considering Colorado to California. http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/05/business/la-fi-cantaloupe-crop-20120106.
This Food is too Expensive
I have heard and understood the arguments to not buy healthy food because its too expensive. I have played this game too. Now, I am trying to offer superior quality food for a reasonable price. While it costs more than at the grocery store, you cannot even begin to compare grocery store chicken with our "Natural Key" chicken. Read this excerpt in Mother Jones on the philosophy behind why Polyface Farms, Joel Salatin's farm, sets its prices:
"I asked Joel how he answers the charge that because food like his is more expensive, it is inherently elitist. “I don’t accept the premise,” he replied. “First off, those weren’t any ‘elitists’ you met on the farm this morning. We sell to all kinds of people. Second, whenever I hear people say clean food is expensive, I tell them it’s actually the cheapest food you can buy. That always gets their attention. Then I explain that, with our food, all of the costs are figured into the price. Society is not bearing the cost of water pollution, of antibiotic resistance, of food-borne illnesses, of crop subsidies, of subsidized oil and water—of all the hidden costs to the environment and the taxpayer that make cheap food seem cheap. No thinking person will tell you they don’t care about all that. I tell them the choice is simple: You can buy honestly priced food or you can buy irresponsibly priced food.”
As it is, artisanal producers like Joel compete on quality, which, oddly enough, is still a somewhat novel idea when it comes to food. “When someone drives up to the farm in a BMW and asks me why our eggs cost more, well, first I try not to get mad,” said Joel. “Frankly, any city person who doesn’t think I deserve a white-collar salary as a farmer doesn’t deserve my special food. Let them eat E. coli. But I don’t say that. Instead I take him outside and point at his car. ‘Sir, you clearly understand quality and are willing to pay for it. Well, food is no different: You get what you pay for.'" (http://motherjones.com/environment/2006/05/no-bar-code)
Eat Our Food
By supporting local farmers, your money goes back into your community and is used to make wholesome food that benefits the health of the community and the land. At Natural Key Farm, we believe in producing quality food that surpasses commercial organic food at competitive prices. Join us in reforming American farming! We are literally nothing without our customers to support us.
