A
Field Trip to Polyface Farm
March
2007
A
LONG AND SNOWY TRIP:
Last month I took a trip down to Swoope, Virginia with
Cathal Armstrong of Restaurant Eve and Patrick
Horn of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.
We were off to see Joel Salatin and the 550 acres of
pristine rolling hills he calls Polyface Farm. Winter
can be depressing, but even in the Valentine’s
Day sleet storm this land felt prosperous and whole
– the barren winter landscape still so full of
life, simply at rest before its big spring debut. There
is good work going on down there, and a variety of farms
indicate a diverse farming community. We are all working
to bring attention to the region’s many products,
which even at this time of year find their way through
the changing landscape and into DC’s kitchens.
KEEPING IT REAL:
This was my first trip to Polyface, a farm whose renown
extends beyond the mid-atlantic region. Joel’s
books are models for farmers and the environmentally
conscious everywhere, and his poly-phase farming model
is considered one of the most compelling farm philosophies
in agriculture today. He was recently featured as the
hero of Michael Pollan’s book The
Omnivore’s Dilemma. And yet for all of the
hype surrounding Joel and what he represents, there
is nothing notable about the facade of his farm. As
we were introduced, I looked around and found exactly
what I thought I would find: a dirty working farm. It
seemed a comfortable old machine finely tuned to peak
performance. For all of Joel’s contributions and
inventions, there’s no shiny “latest and
greatest” mechanism here; instead this is an example
of how the forefront of modern agricultural and sustainable
thought has ostensibly become a replica of the past.
HAPPY
COWS:
What is so interesting about his operation is that it
is purposefully small. Joel has developed a method that
works for his farm. It works for the cows by creating
a healthy environment, whose results are clearly evident
in the meat. It works for the chickens and the myriad
other species that live on the farm (Polyface produces
unbelievably tasty chickens and eggs). Importantly,
it works for Joel and his family. The farm supports
two generations of Salatins, and is an integral part
of a healthy and vibrant community. It is uncommon to
find an operation that is so contented being all that
it can be within its given frame. Joel does not want
to have a maximum output model like the USDA recommends.
He could cut down all of his trees and confine his herd
to a very small area. He could have 10,000 cows, which
would all live in misery. Instead he has a farm where
the well-being of the animals is taken into account
and each species is allowed to act as itself. He has
become a steward of the land, working with it, not against
it, to produce for our needs. This is how he stands
apart from the agricultural machine.
RECIPE FOR
SUCCESS :
In the last agricultural revolution small farmers began
to grow what the big companies wanted, and in the process
assimilated to the industrial complex and essentially
disappeared. Now the big companies want what the small
farmers are growing. This reflects a change in the way
the consumer is thinking, much of which has come about
through the efforts of chefs.We all agree that it’s
important for food culture to come back around to supporting
local foods. But the question on our minds is: will
it be the large corporations or the small independent
chefs that make the big difference? Joel spoke of a
plan in which he would provide Chipotle with pastured
dark meat chicken, but that would mean a huge commitment
and scaling up the production of his grass-fed operation.
Which leads us to wonder, how will fine dining chefs
react to the popularizing of their once-exclusive ingredients?
It’s important that the restaurants that helped
to promote the product in the first place continue to
have adequate access to the product. If not, there’s
a chance that restaurant trends will once again shift
away from local, in favor of a ‘return of the
exotic’ as chefs seek to be unique. It is important
that small farmers and chefs alike continue the process
of incorporating local ingredients on our own terms.
Just like Joel, we all need to find our own recipe for
success.
Feel free to contact
me with any questions or comments.
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