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Farming as if Everything Matters |
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Bacon, Bacon, Bacon! It's on Sale! Visit the order form for our selection.
Our MissionTo produce the highest quality organic grass fed beef, pasture raised pork, and pasture raised poultry and make it available at a reasonable price to all those who seek it.
A Little Bit About “Who We Are”!
Our herd and flocks are grazed in an Intensive
Rotational Grazing system to ensure that they are eating only from lush, tender
pasture, which is grown from soils receiving only natural amendments such as
compost,
Our beef and pork is processed in a USDA inspected butcher shop (Pete's Market) and packaged in easy to use portions. Our poultry is processed in a USDA inspected facility, packaged and frozen whole or in many different packaging options. We would love to hear your comments and questions; please call us toll free: 1-888-941-4343, or use our feedback page to send us an e-mail.
A brief history of our farm, Gifts From the Good Earth Gifts From the Good Earth Farm came into being in 1995 when we purchased an 80 acre dairy farm near the central Wisconsin community of Milladore. When we came to this land, the farming activities that had been in place for the past 100 years had just about exhausted the life from the land. There were very few trees, the cows were allowed to walk through the ½ mile long waterway leaving nothing but mud and canary grass, and the buildings had been neglected. There were many days that we wondered what God had in mind for us when he landed us on this piece of ground. We eventually uncovered his plan, but it took trust and patience. We immediately began working towards organic certification of our farm. In 1998, once our three-year transition period was complete, we achieved Certified Organic status through OCIA (Organic Crop Improvement Association). Two years later we switched to our current certifier, MOSA (Midwest Organic Services Association). We have maintained certification without interruption to this day.
Spring 1996
Summer 2004 We manage our farm following holistic farming practices and have worked each year to improve the farm where we live so that it not only supports us financially, but enriches our lives through its increasing diversity. In our early days we grew pasture-raised chickens and a few head of beef. We worked hard to improve the biodiversity of the farm itself by planting a few thousand trees each year, restoring wetland areas and planting native prairie grasses and forbs. We fenced the cattle out of the waterways and restored the original drainage. Today, we have diversified our farm with the addition of pasture-raised turkeys, pasture-raised pork, and a foundation herd of purebred Belted-Galloway cattle. In 2005, we teamed up with a group of Amish farmers who are certified organic and share our commitment to animal welfare and quality products. As a team our production for 2005 included 15,000 Certified Organic Pasture-Raised Chickens, 2,400 Certified Organic Pasture-Raised Turkeys, 24 Organic Pasture-Raised Hogs, and 73 head of Grass-Fed beef of which 35 where harvested for meat. Our farm is sustainable because we work with nature, not against it. First, all of the land we own or rent is kept in permanent sod. We try to minimize the disturbance of soil from cultivation so that the roots of our grasses can build the organic matter in the soil. When we do need to work the ground, we let the pigs do the work whenever possible. They don’t produce the soil compaction problems common with large tractors. Second, we protect and enhance the fragile pieces of the landscape such as wetlands, waterways and woodlands. Finally, we don’t use man-made chemicals or fertilizers on our farm. We’re not certified organic because it’s a sales pitch, we’re certified organic because it’s what we believe in. Contact InformationIf you would like to call with questions, do so. We'd love to talk with you anytime before 6 pm Monday through Saturday. We don't answer calls or do business on Sunday. Farmers don't spend much time in the house when the sun is out so either leave a message or E-mail is a great way to contact us. We are very good at returning calls and mail daily. If you will be in the area and would like to visit. Please call first. We would love to show you the farm, but we need to be here to do that. If we're not too busy, I'm sure we can make arrangements that will work for all.
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Send mail to
farmer@goodearthfarms.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
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Hello. We are Mike and Deb Hansen, and along with our three children,
we own and operate an 80 acre
farm named "Gifts From the Good Earth" near the central Wisconsin community of Milladore. We strongly believe in
the benefits of organic production and raise our grass-fed Belted Galloway beef cattle
Pasture-Raised Chickens and Turkeys, and Pastured Pork in methods that meet and
exceed the National Organic Program standards. In 1998, we achieved organic
certification and are currently certified by the
green
manures and minerals. Because of this, we believe that you will find our meat to
be a more pure, fresh and flavorful product than most.
