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Focus on Co-op
Suppliers: Whitney Farms
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by Suzanne Fisher
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Whitney Farms in Avon,
about 20 minutes south of Rochester, is a small family farm that
provides pork products to Honest Weight.
Judy and Dave Whitney ran a conventional dairy on their 365-acre farm
before converting to organic methods for producing beef and pork. They
received their organic certification from NOFA in August of 2006, and
now their products are sold at farmers' markets, Syracuse Real Foods,
and Abundance Coop and Palermo's Meat Market in Rochester, as well as
at Honest Weight.
Cheng Hua-Lee, the official meat purchaser for Honest Weight since
July, explained that we purchase pork from such a distance because
Whitney Farms is able to supply us with their high quality, organic
products consistently throughout the year in sufficient quantities. She
pointed out that raising organic beef is easier for farmers because
beef can grow to market size on grass, while pigs require grain, which
adds a significant amount of labor to the farmer's workload.
The pigs at Whitney Farms eat organically grown corn and soy while
roaming freely in pastures. Dave grows organic corn, oats, and wheat,
and the pigs receive homegrown grain in their feed for about nine
months of the year, supplemented by purchased organic grain for the
remainder of the time.
When there is snow on the ground, they are housed in large yards inside
a converted dairy barn with access to the outside all the time, as
required for organic certification. In winter they are fed outside, and
seem to be comfortable going out to eat and move around in the cold.
The only time the pigs are ever confined is when they are very young
and when a sow is waiting to farrow, or give birth.
The life span of a pig being grown for market is about seven months.
They spend eight to ten weeks with their mother, after which they go to
live as a group in a pen with outside access. When they reach 100 lbs.,
they are big enough to be out in the pasture until they reach their
full size of about 260 lbs. Dave transports about a dozen animals every
month 2½ hours to a certified organic butcher, Leona Meat Plant
in Troy, Pa.
They are kept overnight in a pen in the same group to make sure that
they are not stressed at butchering time. To comply with organic
regulations, only organic animals can be processed and in the smoke
house together at the same time.
At the butcher, pork is turned into chops, steaks, roasts and spare
ribs. Some of it is processed using only organic ingredients into hot
and mild Italian sausage, smoked and unsmoked kielbasa and andouille
sausage, breakfast sausage, hot dogs, and smoked bacon.
Dave explained that the hams and ham steaks are about 80% cooked by the
smoking process and need to be cooked some more before serving. After
butchering and smoking, the meat is frozen and Dave picks it up, takes
it home, and distributes it to his customers.
Honest Weight buys about 200 lbs. of pork from the Whitneys every
month, which amounts to about $1,000 worth of meat, with some
fluctuation. In order to better advise you, I tried out some of their
ham steaks, which are steak-sized cuts from a smoked ham. It was
delicious, and my family did not leave any leftovers for sandwiches.
Dave recommended the hot dogs, which he said are exceptional, but
unfortunately they were absent from the freezer when I went to look for
them. If you eat pork, Whitney Farms provides you with a more
healthful, humane, and environmentally friendly option. For more
information on Whitney Farms, check out their website at www.whitneyfarmsny.com.
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