Most of the certified organic produce and meats you find at your local grocery chain come from large industrial monocrop farms spanning thousands of acres and are often owned by multinational corporations.
These operations typically have few full-time employees working the land. Labor is frequently contracted—crews brought in for a day to spray crops (yes, organic farms are allowed certain herbicides and fertilizers, as long as they’re on the approved list), along with migrant laborers to harvest and process.
In fact, the majority of organic farms in the U.S. are located in California’s Central Valley, requiring a minimum of three days of shipping to reach our region.
Much of what we purchase comes from within 150 miles, with the bulk of our locally farmed produce, dairy, and protein coming from just 100 miles south.
Our farmer partners at Carnivore in Oak Park live on the land they work – many on farms that have been in their families for generations. They put real effort into ensuring those farms remain productive and in the family for future generations. Several go far beyond organic standards, embracing biodynamic, regenerative practices that prioritize long-term soil and ecosystem health.
Our farm partners harvest at peak ripeness, often delivering the same day. At that point, produce is more densely packed with nutrition. Proteins arrive with a lower embedded carbon footprint and come from animals that are, in most cases, born and raised on a single farm. They are fed a diet of fresh and fermented grasses, along with fermented grains, mimicking what they would naturally consume in late summer.
Kilgus Farmstead in Fairbury, Illinois, supplies Carnivore with Beef, Pork, Lamb, and Goat, as well as select dairy. The family recognized that manure from a mixed livestock farm takes up to a year to fully break down before it is safe for use as fertilizer. They also realized they were losing efficiency, as decomposing manure releases methane into the atmosphere. In response, the family invested in one of the largest bioreactors in the area. Today, that captured methane is used to offset electricity consumption and provide heat for livestock barns and outbuildings.
Large-scale organic farming has also faced ongoing food safety challenges. In some cases, unaged manure has been applied to fields, contributing to outbreaks of salmonella and E. coli and resulting in widespread recalls. Monocrop, industrial-scale organic farming adds little to the local environment while increasing the carbon footprint through thousands of miles of transportation. It also contributes minimally to the economies where food is grown or where it is ultimately consumed. Even major “natural food” chains include, within their store-brand organic packaged vegetables, a significant portion of product imported from overseas.
Doug and Beth Rinkenberger, of Garden Gate Farm, supply all of our Thanksgiving turkeys and many seasonal vegetables. Doug left his full-time job in 2015. At the time, Doug and Beth’s farm was just six years old, already committed to regenerative and biodynamic practices. In the years since, the Rinkenberger family has demonstrated that small-scale, heirloom farming can be both viable and impactful.
While their farm has been in the family for 17 years, they see their role as stewards of the land—caring not only for the present, but for future generations. That commitment deepened when Doug and Beth were able to extend their farming legacy to their daughter Brianna and her family, helping finance a 40-acre farm and home.
Imagine what is possible when we honor small-scale, local foodways.
Learn more by stopping into the shop! We’d love to share more about our local farming partners with you.
