In our desire to make a change to agricultural practices, how do we navigate the waters of marketing?
Big corporations love playing with our heads, don’t they? As if the modern food industry wasn’t confusing enough. Do we really know what terms like, “free range” and “cage free” mean? The terms probably don’t mean what you think. Not all eggs are created equally. Ever since farmers started stuffing millions of chickens into teeny tiny living spaces and calling it “farm fresh”, we as consumers have had to work hard to understand what it is we really are buying. The nutritional value of your egg depends on how your chickens are raised. Let me tell you, if you have never tasted a REAL farm fresh egg, from a chicken that has had the opportunity roam a pasture and to peck and scratch in the ground, then you haven’t lived. Until marketers get their grubby hands on it, the term you should be on the look-out for is “pasture raised”.
It’s time to raise the bar. Not only should we expect, we should require transparency in marketing so we can hold on to the authenticity of words.
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ― Mahatma Gandhi
Chihuahuan Desert Charities thinks there is no better place to start than with our youth. We want to inspire students to respect all things on this planet while simultaneously learning how to be self-sustaining. Mother Earth gives us all we require, we need to learn to listen to her and use her resources ethically.
Can learning the meaning of a single term actually help change the food system?
David Evans and Alexis Koefoed think so. These poultry farmers explain the real story behind such terms as “cage free,” “free range,” and “pasture raised” so that consumers can make informed decisions when they go to their local supermarket.
Animals are more than ever a test of our character, of mankind's capacity for empathy and for decent, honorable conduct and faithful stewardship. We are called to treat them with kindness, not because they have rights or power or some claim to equality, but in a sense because they don't; because they all stand unequal and powerless before us." ― Matthew Scully
The DYGUP & SUSTAIN Program is a non-profit dedicated to regenerative organic agricultural practices to teach the benefits of land stewardship in the Paso del Norte Region. DYGUP, an acronym for Developing Youth from the Ground Up, is available to youth ages 14-17. The SUSTAIN program targets adults over 18 and combines "Roots Of Success" Environmental Literacy Curriculum with intensive farmer training. The DYGUP/ Sustain Program has many partnerships in the community including Taylor Hood Farms, Backyard Farms LC, First Christian Church, and Las Cruces High-School. Chihuahuan Desert Charities is proud to be the fiscal sponsor for DYGUP & Sustain and support their important work in the Las Cruces community.
Support the DYGUP & Sustain Program at Legacy Farm in Las Cruces by visiting ChihuahuanDesertCharities.org.
