UPDATED FOR 2019! ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED POSTED BY MONICA MCLENDON ON AUG 24, 2018 4:30:00 PM
Maryn McKenna's Eater's article,The Jámon Went Down To Georgia, is titled after the Charlie Daniels Band song The Devil Went Down To Georgia. But in our story, the Jámon has replaced the devil himself and is now living in South Georgia - Bluffton, to be exact. McKenna’s keen observations of these rare, exquisite creatures allow readers the privilege of sharing her experience firsthand.
Under a new rule, "the Trump administration will allow pork plants to reduce the number of Department of Agriculture line inspectors assigned to them and run their slaughter lines without any speed limit".
Brian Sapp, White Oak Pastures' Director of Operations, compares it to "the fox running the hen house". With this "modernization", large plants can push the limits on speed and capacity while also remaining the ones determining the safety of the product.
White Oak Pastures has been a leader in illuminating the role meat production plays in climate change for years. But recently, we've been hearing that industrialized agriculture products made in a lab are the going to be future of meat. Fake meat companies like to say that they are a better choice for the environment, but at White Oak Pastures, we've been busy fact-checking their impossible claims. Most recently, on an episode of CNN Vital Signs with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Will Harris destroyed the myth that they are benefiting future generations, pointing out that the trendy plant-based proteins are contributing to climate change while our grassfed cattle help reverse it.
There's a little strip of land down here in Bluffton that we call "The Bluffton Ridge". It's about 15 miles long, and just a few hundred yards wide. It's where the Appalachian Mountains have gone underground, and combined with the coastal plains weather, where about 52 inches of rainfall pretty evenly throughout the year, this uneroded, incredibly rich mountain soil can provide aplenty. This little strip of land has an extraordinary history.
We know that many of our customers and supporters are aware that carbon emissions from industrialized beef production contribute a significant amount to man-made climate change. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has estimated that livestock is responsible for at least 14.5% of greenhouse gases being released worldwide. With numbers like that, conventional wisdom holds that a diet containing meat isn't compatible with climate change activism.
With our unconventional operation, we weren't convinced that was the full story; but, then again, we're not scientists. Luckily, there are some scientists out there interested in this question as well.
We love hosting workshops at White Oak Pastures, because, well, we love company. You may have been to one of them, like pastured poultry, valued added goods, and pasture remediation. We've done a lot of hyper-focused workshops - but this June, we're trying something different.
This time, you get the whole dang farm.
The Prescribed Grazing Workshop, coming up June 1st, is designed to be a producer-focused, bird's-eye view of our farm and pasture operations. We're taking the managers from all the departments on the farm who have something to do with pasture, and putting them all in one room.
(As you can imagine with a farm with a whole lot of acres and goings on, it's rare to actually have everyone in the same room.)
Cured meat has been around since 3000 BC, and we are so excited to add it to our offering for our customers. We partnered with The Spotted Trotter in Atlanta to develop 3 delicious Summer Salamis: Genoa, Black Pepper & Sorghum, Cured Chorizo. We’re sure you’ll love them! Using our pasture-raised pork and simple ingredients, we could not be more proud to have these available in our online store.
We are proud to announce that Green Cell Foam Insulated Shipping Coolers are now available to protect White Oak Pastures' frozen and perishable products during shipment. The perfect combination of sustainable technology, thermal performance and shock protection, these shipping coolers have thermal protection equal to polystyrene inch-for-inch.
Manufacturing Green Cell Foam requires 70% less energy and produces 80% less greenhouse gases than petroleum based foams. It is also backyard compostable, biodegradable and water soluble (ASTM D6400 and BPI certified). The primary raw material is U.S. grown, non-GMO cornstarch, an annually renewable resource.
At White Oak Pastures, we are always looking for ways to better the land, animals, and people. This mission doesn’t stop when it comes to looking for creative ways to serve our devoted, passionate customers. Over the last 150+ years, we’ve been breeding our cattle for their maternal instincts because we understand how important certain genetic qualities truly are. Since we started marketing meat and poultry to the end customer, we’ve also tried to select animals that have adequate marbling and other taste features. At the end of the day, we know that our customers are the ones we must please, which has kept us marching down a path to find the perfect combination breed to give customers exactly what they want: the Porken. A holy union of poultry and swine, the Porken has two claw-like...
In a victory for White Oak Pastures and for small farms in America, The National Appeals Division (NAD) of the Farm Service Administration (FSA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, determined that the farm is entitled to compensation for the loss and destruction of its poultry due to bald eagle attacks. To date, White Oak Pastures estimates that bald eagles have destroyed nearly 160,000 chickens, resulting in over $2,200,000 in losses. The decision followed years of disputes between the farm and the FSA, the organization responsible for compensating producers and farmers under the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). The NAD ruling determined that FSA failed to follow its own rules for...
Jeff Lackey, manager of poultry livestock production since 2016, describes White Oak Pastures as “Enviro-agrarianism”. Prior to White Oak Pastures, Jeff became increasingly interested in raising livestock, producing food, and improving the environment. Those three things led him to White Oak Pastures and Jeff has fascinating information to share!
There are numerous aspects of White Oak Pastures that are unique, fascinating, inspirational, educational, beneficial, and productive. Learn how our Garden Crew is literally planting seeds of success.
