Biodiversity

As we get closer to the farm tour, I like to talk a little about some of the production methods we’ll come across. Kind of a “summer reading” for the farm tour. One of the organic production methods is called “biodiversity.” Biodiversity can be applied to both produce production and animal production, or a mixture.…

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GMO vs Non-GMO Corn (and other crops)

A GMO is a Genetically Modified Organism.  It is a plant or animal in which the genetic makeup of it has been modified by scientists to include selective genes (DNA) from other animals or plants.  The most common use of a GMO is in field corn and soybeans.  Field corn is not sweet corn.  Field corn is a corn raised…

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Sweet Corn

Summer in Ohio means sweet corn to many of us.  However, not all sweet corn is created equally. Many of you who shop the farmers markets likely have been seeing sweet corn for a few weeks now.  Some of the farmers may advertise it as “Marietta” or “Rancine” sweet corn.  Those are two big river towns where sweet…

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Skim vs 2% vs Whole Milk

Last week I was fascinated by the demand for skim milk…so I thought this week might be a good time to start a conversation about milk.  In this section, I’ll cover 3 topics which I find fascinating: – Federal Milk Market Orders – Pasteurization and Homogonization – The health effects of milk‐fat FMMOs: The most…

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Pasture Raised vs Free Range

This is a topic I will rant about all summer and continually educate you on. Free range simply means the birds aren’t caged up.  To many industrial producers, such as Tyson or Gerber, that means free range within a large chicken barn.  So they never see green grass! Pasture raised means that the birds are…

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How Fresh Fork Market Began

Fresh Fork Market was born at the Entrepreneurship Education Consortium in August of 2007.  Four Case Western Reserve University students carried their idea forward throughout their senior year of college.  In June of 2008, Fresh Fork Market launched service in Cleveland, Ohio to deliver fresh local products directly from local farmers to local restaurants.  The…

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From the IFO Conference…Homeopathic Veterinary Medicine

This past weekend I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of about 130 farmers, market managers, and educators at the Innovative Farmers of Ohio Conference at Hiram College.  My topic was fairly run of the mill….farming as a business and how to start, grow, measure, and change it.  I think I did an exceptional job. …

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Biodiversity

This weekend on the farm tour, we’ll be visiting producers and learning about their production methods.  One of the organic production methods is called “biodiversity.” Biodiversity can be applied to both produce production and animal production, or a mixture. It’s a rather broad term that essential means that a healthy ecosystem is created using complimentary plants, animals, and processes that help build fertile,…

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Grass-Fed Beef

OK, no beating around the bush here. If you like your beef cooked well, just throw this meat out now.  It’s not meant to be enjoyed well done.  Steaks should be medium at most; roasts cooked slow with moisture; and ground is A‐OK dark pink in the middle and juicy. The meat is slightly sweet, lean and has a very natural…

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Skim vs 2% vs Whole Milk

Last week I was fascinated by the demand for skim milk…so I thought this week might be a good time to start a conversation about milk. In this section, I’ll cover 3 topics which I find fascinating: – Federal Milk Market Orders (FMMOs) – Pasteurization and Homogonization – The health effects of milk‐fat FMMOs The most fascinating fact…

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