WTF - Farmers that Lie

I haven’t done a WTF in awhile, so here goes.

I know a lying farmer. That farmer took thousands of dollars from me over almost three years and sold me food that was not as advertised. The farmer claimed that the “organic” vegetables were raised on their farm and the free range, pasture raised, hormone-free and antibiotic-free meats and eggs were raised on their farm. Most, and possibly all, the vegetables that I was sold came from other non-organic farms. Much of the meat and eggs came from farms in other parts of the country and most of it was not pasture raised or antibiotic-free. So much for the premium prices I paid for healthy, locally grown food!

I trusted that farmer. I trusted what the farmer told me, trusted their website, and trusted their literature. I never would have suspected they were liars until I visited the farm and began to put the real story together. It took a couple of months to verify my suspicions. I made many phone calls, spent lots of time thinking and reading and eventually the puzzle was completed.

Visiting the farm is the only way to verify that your food is what you think it is, and even then you can be misled. If I didn’t know this farmer and have a feel for the volume of business done, I wouldn’t have known I was being lied to. When I visited the people I trusted, the farm appeared to be in order and supportive of the claims the farmer made. Still, something was subtly wrong. I could see there was not enough product to meet the demand of the many people I had referred to them in addition to all the other customers, restaurants and stores that the farm serviced. The eggs from the pasture didn’t match the eggs being sold at the farmers market. The food had to come from somewhere, and down the rabbit hole I went to find it. It was a very educational and disappointing experience.

Even after all of my research and all the fraudulent representations I have uncovered, I have other suspicions. Were the animals that were raised on the farm really fed antibiotic-free feed and were they truly hormone free? I will never know the answers to those questions, but I will ask to see the feed labels of future farms I visit.

I hope to have an e-book written in a couple of months to help people verify where their food comes from. Counterfeit organic/pasture-raised/antibiotic-free food seems to be a growing problem and consumers need to be educated. Too many people are financially struggling and still finding a way to pay premium prices for what they believe to be exceptionally raised food. Those people deserve what they are paying for.

Kudos to the organic, pasture raising, antibiotic-free, hormone-free farmers who really do the right thing by their customers, and kudos to the farmers who tell the truth about their conventionally raised food.

Comments

[Katie]

Oh, that is so disappointing! I hope it's not the farmers you recommended when we spoke via email about Raleigh resources. I now have my mom and sister shopping there!! Where are you shopping now? I will be up in your area again in October and would love to discuss any changes to your recommendations...we are soooo close on our move to NC. :) We've been buying from the farmers at the Wake Forest Farmer's Market and Rainbow Meadows Farm at the NC State Market. (Those were your recommendations when we spoke in the Spring anyway. Any changes? I spoke to another WAPF Chapter Leader in your area and she offered to meet up at Durham Market. I've never been there before.

[Melissa]

I can't agree more about the importance of visiting the farm you plan to purchase from, especially when it comes to raw milk and meats. Know how the animals live, what they eat, how the product is obtained from the animal (i.e. meat processing and milk collection). Sorry you found out you've been duped all this time :(

[Elizabeth]

Ummm, not happy to read this- do you mind sharing privately? I can understand not wanting to put the name out their publically, but I would like to know and be able to let a few other friends who frequent the farmer's market know too...

[Pike Cindy]

I am just floored! I recently started purchasing from a supplier at the FM b/c I believed they had a decent product. Please could you PLEASE email me or message me on FB the farmer in question. I am really worried now :( Thanks so much!

[Emma]

I would like to know as well Laura. If it's who I suspect it is, then I have paid quite a bit of very hard-earned money to this farmer for nothing.

[Maria Droujkova]

The reaction of that farmer when I tried to organize a CareerExchange kid tour with them: "Oh, it's so wet now, and we need to prepare for the big tour, and maybe in 3 months... or 4... we are not ready!"

In contrast, the reaction of Rare Earth Farm's Karl Hudson when I asked him last week: "That would be fantastic! And you can help us preparing for the farm tour!"

Joel Salatin said in his presentation: "There can be no accountability without transparency. You can visit my farm 24/7. Just don't wake me at 2am - come quietly!"

Joel's autograph page and graph sketch for our Math Club, and some photos from the presentation: http://naturalmath.wikispaces.com/Joel+Salatin