To Tour or Not to Tour; That is The Question (and the risk)

As seen in todays issue of http://www.therenegadefarmer.com/



When folks call us to ask about our farm, its products, location, etc...they invariably ask the toughest question of all, "Do you give tours?"

The answer is indubitably Yes, unless of course it is No, not really. Why so wishy-washy? I'll have to refer you to our insurance carrier, who gets nervous about tours. Where we see opportunity to educate city dwellers, share techniques with other farmers and provide children with the means of touching a real live animal, she sees it as a lawsuit waiting to take root and spread faster than a pack of Morning Glory Seeds.

School children love the opportunity to visit farms and help with chores
Make sure the parents come along to help.

Her advice to us is to avoid labeling it a "Tour" and whatever you do, don't charge for it. Instead, she suggests, call it a "Walk-a-Bout" and inform people they can leave a donation if they so desire. If we do decide to give real tours it could cause our liability insurance to double. She also strongly recommends we have all farm visitors sign a waiver, something like this;

Thanks for visiting us. Farms are highly dangerous and could kill you. A cow might gore you in the abdomen, a boar might bite off your arm, a chicken might peck your eyes out and our milk could curdle in your stomach before you get back down the driveway. We are not responsible for anything. Have a great day.

Or something similar to that. We understand her concern, farms can be dangerous, but then again so is life in general. We hate to assume the worst of people, that they might sue us if our turkey pecks at their open-toed sandal (and WHY would you wear those to the farm?) and we love teaching them about the benefits of free range eggs and pastured meat. We really love seeing a child pet the soft warm nose of a newborn calf.

We're just strange that way.

Stranger than many of our own farmer friends who don't allow visitors for fear of disease that might be brought onto their farm from outside sources. I've been on a few farms like that where visitors wore more masks, booties and gloves than a medical team did prior to open heart surgery.

Allowing Graduate students and journalists to visit your
farm can be a real asset, unless you see it as a risk

How did farms and folks get so leery and untrustworthy of each other? How will we ever foster the love of farming in our youth, enough so that they might want to own or at least work on a farm of their own, if we don't allow them to touch the farms livestock or taste its produce before giving full disclaimers and 10 page liability waivers?

What do you do at your farm? Do you give tours? Do you charge a fee for them? Do you have visitors sign waivers? Do you carry extra insurance against injury claims?

Or do you just put up a huge NO TRESPASSING sign at the end of your driveway, and be done with it? I'd love to hear what you are doing about this on your farm and why. You can comment publicly here or send me an email at opies99@gmail.com.

Hello, my name is....

Welcome to Farm House Friday , just another fabulously fun way to communicate via http://www.therenegadefarmer.com/

"Know Your Farmer" is  just one more of the ever popular agricultural phrases making the rounds lately. For some customers it's as simple as asking a few questions while they are picking up their weekly supply of raw milk, burger of veggie CSA, while for others; it means spending several days working alongside us and actually getting dirty.

Most farmers love to talk about their operations
but don't expect them to sit still for long!

And then there is the whole range in between which includes the customer who decided that investing in our small farm store fit her needs better than investing in yet another Wall Street venture. That investment fit our needsfabulously  as well!

But the point is, we highly recommend you get to know a little about your farmer before you begin purchasing items from them directly. Just because someone calls himself a farmer, does not automatically infer wholesomeness. Sad to say there are "farmers" who raise little of their own produce or meat, contracting instead with other growers and then marketing the products as their own.

Attending a field day at a local farm is a great way
to walk and talk with "your" farmer

Bottom line: ask questions, LOTS of questions.
Some to consider of your meat farmer might be:

How are your animals raised?

What (specifically) are your animals fed?

Do your animal feeds contain antibiotics, hormones, steroids ?

Does your farm hold any certifications such as; certified organic by the National Organic Program, certified grass fed by The American Grass Fed Association, or certified humane by the Humane Farm Animal Care Organization  (keep in mind professional certifications does not automati-cally infer a well managed farm but it can make a good farm, better. Some certifications are cost prohibitive to small family farms)

 How are sick animals cared for on your farm?

Are your animals on pasture or feed lots?

How are your animals slaughtered?

And then one of the best questions you can ever ask...


May I visit your farm?

A visit to the farm you are interested in, will tell you far more than anything a farmer shares with you over the phone or via a shiny, happy brochure or professional web page. In fact, some of the most ethical farms have neither blogs, Face Book pages or Web Sites. What they do have is hard working people growing the best meat, vegetables and milk you will ever find, if you willing to take a drive and take a walk.

Keep in mind, farmers usually work where they live and one should not expect a farmer to drop whatever it is he is doing to give you a tour of his farm, but most farmers are very proud of their operations and are more than happy to make an appointment with you for a brief visit. Be respective of their work load and keep an eye out for the things your farmer may not talk about. Are the animals inquisitive and friendly towards the farmer or do they appear fearful? Are the shelters adequate against rain and snow and without overcrowding?  Is there evidence of clean water supply?

Finally, look at the animals. Are their eyes clear and bright without drainage? Do they have shiny coats of hair or are they dull and brittle? Are they standing knee deep in manure? Remember again, manure is part of farm life and although some areas may have more manure than others, as long as animals have places to go which are dry and clean, an immaculate barn is not necessary or practical.

The best way to get to know your farmer is simply to talk with him. Ask him or her or them WHY they do what they do and why is it important to them, and if you can spare a little time, volunteer a day to work with them side by side. The best way to learn is by doing. Farming is hard work.

Help is always wanted.