We've been extremely fortunate to get a good bit of media attention about what we are doing on our farm.  The only thing I can attribute it to is that people are talking more and more about local and sustainable food and so more reporters are looking to tell the story.  We are always thankful when they offer to use our farm as an example because we feel that any attention that can be brought to sustainable farming is positive.  Yes, we understand the arguments from vegetarians and the people who feel that small scale farmers cannot feed the world, but we believe strongly in what we are doing and it is a passion that is leading our lives. 

One of the things that I do find disappointing, however, is when people assume that it takes a lot of money to farm this way and money to eat this type of food.  I've been reflecting lately on our priorities and I'm just not convinced that things are as expensive as some are led to believe.  Yes, Tim and I both had stable income for years, which afforded us the ability to buy a nice home in the suburbs.  This is not that atypical, though.  The difference for us was that we decided to trade assests.  When we decided that we wanted land to farm, we also made the decision that we had to move out to the rural country in order to afford land.  As a result we are over 2 hours away from Atlanta, where we are lucky just to be able to get good cell phone coverage.  This lifestyle lead us down a path of trading in many other priorities, such as no more vacations, no more dining out, no new cars, no new clothes, etc.  The daily living expenses that we used to incur have just been allocated elsewhere in order to buy seeds for the garden, investing in tractors and livestock.  Farming has not made us poor, nor will it make us rich, but in the end, our only goal is to sustain.  When we made a change in our lifestyle, we also changed the things we value.  We have no desire for many of the pasttimes we used to have.  Our vacation is sitting in the pasture with the cows or fishing in the pond.  Our nice dinners out are when we can take a couple of hours to make a four course meal in the comfort of our own home.  And new clothes?  Forget about it!  I just try not to have too much dirt under my nails!  I guess my point is that the last thing I want to see happen is for future farmers to feel discouraged because they don't have enough money to take the leap into farming.  When you are willing to dedicate your life to this you will find a way to make it work. 

And the daunting thought that most farmers feel is, "How will I get customers?"  All I can say is that I am constantly amazed at what our customers do to demonstrate their priorities.  For the people who believe that eating this way is beyond their budget because they are comparing chicken at $1.50/lb. at the grocery store to Poulet Rouge at $4.50/lb. I offer you a few examples of inspiration. 

• At the farmers market this weekend a new customer came to our booth with a big smile and said that they were so happy to finally be able to get to the market.  They said they had been wanting to buy food from our farm for some time, but could never get a Saturday off work to get to the market.  They were able to make this particular Saturday because they had lost their job just three days prior.  They bought 5 lbs. of ground beef and a dozen eggs and said they would definitely see us again in the future.  How can they buy this "expensive" food at a time like that?  Priorities.    
• Another couple, who have been great customers of ours for some time have been sharing their story of a long drawn out company closing.  For months they have been facing the fact that they will lose half of their family's income, yet they have sworn to us that they are so dedicated to buying healthy food that they made plans to cut expenses in other areas in order to continue to support sustainable farming.  They will give up cable, home phone, and internet before they give up their nutrition.  It's a choice of priorities.  
• I met a customer last month who called because she likes to support local food, but was having a hard time finding a good supplier.  She apologized in advance for having some weird questions then went on to ask about organ meats and the specifics of our animal's diets.  She explained that some time ago she made a drastic change to the way she eats in order to save money.  She now feeds her family a variety of "cheap cuts" that most people overlook.  She put together an order of many pounds of food consisting of liver, spleen, fat, kidney, and ground beef for less than $40.  She changed her tastes to meet her priorities.  

Our customers come from all walks of life.  They are young and old, well-off and struggling.  Some have very large families to feed and others use our food only on special occasions.  The point is that this is not only for the rich, it is for those who prioritize healthy, naturally raised food over other discretionary spending.  And the overwhelming amount of time most customers come to the realization that it wasn't as expensive as they originally thought.  They tell us how the food is so flavorful and satisfying that they find they eat smaller portions.  They also share how they are extending each cut to make many meals as one of our great customers wrote here on her blog when a single chicken fed them for 13 meals.  After an initial thought of it being costly, they realized that it boiled down to $1.38 per meal!    

So, I believe its a cop out to say that organic farming and food is expensive.  It's extremely challenging and lots of hard work for both the farmer and consumer to have food this way, but when it becomes your priority you realize that you do in fact have a choice.   Our choice was to farm.  We don't feel like we gave up anything at all. Rather, our lives are richer than ever.