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Farming north of the 48th parallel means short growing seasons and long winters. Raising meat animals rather than produce in the North means having products available for delivery almost year round. Yet when your nearest big market is 250 miles away, making winter deliveries can be hazardous. 
Quick! What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words “dairy cows?” Probably black and white cows in a grassy field in front of a red barn, right? That’s the image that every confinement dairy operation would like you to imagine, but very few cows are raised that way. Rick Adamski, Full Circle Farm, Seymour Wisconsin, is a grazer. No, he doesn’t eat grass; he milks about 90 cows that do. 
Last week, we heard Heidi’s story of the beginning of Wise Choice Farm; this week we celebrate the farm’s first anniversary. 
Heidi Norman Wise and her husband John moved from Minneapolis to a small farm in rural Wisconsin to live their dream. Sometimes it’s better NOT to know what is coming… 
Farmers and orchardists who clearly love the land and the fruit and vegetables they grow are discovering creative ways to make unique products that consumers seek out and are willing to pay a premium for. We profile five Washington orchards ranging from Broetje Orchards, a very large commercial and organic orchard, to four small artisan growers and producers of a variety of organic tree fruit including apples, pears, and stone fruit. 
We took a “drive about” to apple country and met John and Beth Sinclair at their organic orchard in Twisp WA. They grow Honey Crisp apples on 8,000 trees in the Methow Valley of Washington. GoodFood World heartily recommends their sweet cider! 
Over the last 70 years, the beef industry has changed considerably, evolving into an intense, industrial enterprise designed to put as much weight on as many cattle as fast as possible and get the resulting meat to market as quickly as possible. In response to the damaging impact of feedlot production, more and more farmers and ranchers are choosing to return to – and improve upon – traditional methods of raising cattle on grass. 
Dairy farming has made a full circle on the land where you’ll find Fresh Breeze Organic Dairy; five generations of Dutch farmers have made their living here, just south of the U.S./Canadian border. Farming methods have changed over the last hundred years, yet Shawn Langley’s great grandfather would surely have been comfortable on the farm today. 
Situated on a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi, the 50-acre Malinowski farm is a mix of oak woods and open pasture. Currently the cattle are rotated among 5 paddocks spread across 20 acres; in past years as many as 50 cattle a year were finished here, with cows and calves housed at a second farm nearby. |
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