Buying Locally Raised Meat Supports Humane Animal Treatment

There is more than one reason to support local farming and it hasn’t to do with fresh, colorful veggies. It has to do with meat. The dinner staple, the wonderful centerpiece of the meal the veggies so nicely accommodate. Buying meat raised and processed locally is a healthy decision, for us the consumer, for the farmers, for the local economy, for the farm animals.

Why the animals you ask? Support local farming and you’re supporting humane treatment of farm animals. You are choosing to feed your family meat that was raised locally from animals that are allowed to live their lives naturally, from farmer’s right here in the Ozarks.

Local farmers are benefiting from the slow food, buy local, food movement. We want to know where our food comes from and how the animals supplying our food are treated. Large confined feeding operations (CAFO’s) are known for the horrific conditions animals are kept in and the inhumane treatment they are given. The animals are treated as if they are a commodity such as paper, with no central nervous system, no familial connection to their young, no desire to forage, graze or walk outside.

Taking a stand, saying YES, to buying meat from local farmers is a strong message to make. As consumers we have a voice and our buying decisions are noticed and reflected. There are more stories making the news about the horrific conditions farm animals endure in CAFO’s. Light is finally being shed on this very dark subject of farm animal cruelty and abuse. In response we are seeing more cage-free and free range on meat packages. Taking a stand, saying YES, to purchasing local meats sends a powerful message. We are choosing to support our local farmers and their families; we are choosing to support farming practices that are humane and ethical. We are choosing to feed our families meat that is healthier and tastier and cruelty-free.

Feeding our families healthier, locally raised beef, poultry and pork just makes sense. We have the choice to choose where we purchase our meat and choosing to purchase meat raised locally impacts not only our families, the farmer’s family, our economy, but also the farm animals themselves.

Buying meat from local farmers is easy and convenient too. There are plenty of farmers markets such as C-Street Farmers Market, Eastland Farmers Market, Greater Ozarks Farmers Market and a new year-round farmers market planned on East Republic Road. Neighborhood grocery markets selling local meat abound in Springfield as well, such as Homegrown Foods, Mama Jeans, Well-Fed Neighbor, and Wild Root Grocery.

Or you can buy meat straight from the farm. Many local farmers will invite you and your family to come out, take a look around the farm, meet their family, providing a connection to who supplies your food. Buying local meat is a positive experience for us, our community and the animals. And of course, grab a handful of those colorful veggies to go with your cruelty-free, locally raised, meat dinner.