Monday, October 19, 2020

The People you Meet Along the Way

Y'all all know that my family has been farming on the same piece of ground for over 100 years. In 2006, we started selling our food directly to consumers. Our customers have always been those of you that appreciate how your food is produced. We knew what we could do. Dairy farming was our strength due to many years of practice, but we knew we could also produce other products. We first expanded to Eggs, then beef, then chicken, then pork, then turkey, and finally lamb. We were most comfortable with the milk, meat, and eggs, so that's where we live. Fortunately, we knew where to draw the line. There are many areas of agriculture that are out of our wheelhouse. For those items we turn to the many awesome people we have met in this field over the past 15 years. Brian Hager and Wendy Crager were some of the first folks we met along this journey. Crager-Hager farm is a small organic vegetable farm in Temple, GA. They were both part of a food co-op in the Carrolton area that we worked with back in the early days of the clean food movement. Brian and Wendy grow fantastic vegetables and are just good, nice, people. Knowing people like this really blesses my life and helps me not worry as much about the world when I watch the news. Having these people in my life also benefits you. This week Wendy called to say that they have a nice ginger crop and wanted to know if I would offer it to you guys, our customers. Of course, I did, and that ginger is online now before it is even dug. All of that happens not because of a polished and well-tuned business plan, but because of relationships. Respect and trust on all levels from producer to consumer is what makes the wheels turn around here. Crager-Hager farm and many other local farms know that I will pay them a fair price and represent their products respectfully and transparently. We do what we do, and we let other farmers excel in their field of choice. Ultimately, I hope you know that we and the other farmers we work with, strive to produce the highest quality products possible. It is my goal to be a connection between the excellent farmers in our region and the conscientious consumers we serve. It really is a beautiful thing and one that is not replicated often enough. Win - Win - Win.