Support Local Farmers
One problem of many to solve right now– how do we support the local farmers who worked hard for their harvests this year?
All photos by Katie Currid
Local photographer Katie Currid gets the scoop on how to support local meat, dairy and produce farmers in Kansas City.
I don’t even know where to start when I address the supply chain problems we’re seeing at grocery stores and the issues local farmers are having through the coronavirus crisis. It can be mind-boggling. We go to the store and shelves are empty, yet pigs at factory farms are being euthanized and not processed for consumption, and dairy farmers are dumping out their milk.
The problems are numerous, but one of them is logistics. The farmers who sell a lot of their products to restaurants — who have seen declining sales since they can’t be open for regular service — are still making their farm products and all of a sudden have to pivot their business models very quickly or risk hard financial times. And if you’ve ever operated a small business, it’s not always easy to know how to switch gears.
Sometimes, you can’t even pivot. Dairy farmers don’t just sell their milk in those gallon jugs you find in the store. A creamery like Shatto bottles their own milk— they have their cows, their pumping stations, the cooling tanks, the homogenization and pasteurization machines, the bottling operation, refrigerators and then a sales team to market and get the milk out to consumers, whether that’s at the grocery store or through their own delivery service on refrigerated trucks.
Most dairy farms do not have all this on their own farm — they will have the cows, the pumping station and then a cooling tank to store the raw, unpasteurized milk in a sanitized place. They don’t have a machine to pasteurize their milk to sell it according to government regulations, and they certainly don’t have a bunch of bottles sitting around to sell it to you, or a machine to bottle them all. And because cows have to continue to be pumped or their milk will dry up (nursing mothers will understand this better than anyone), the farmers have to continue to work so their cows will keep making milk — only to have that hard work poured down the drain.
And then there’s the factory farms— shut due to outbreaks within their factories, they can’t process the meat from the livestock that’s there, so they’re euthanizing those animals in huge quantities. And yet we want to buy meat, but can’t find it.
So, let’s fix the problem.
Local farmers have a surplus: they’re not selling as much to restaurants, since restaurants are forced to be closed. They need people to buy their products, and this benefits us because 1) we want to buy food that we aren’t finding at the grocery store, 2) it will help support the local economy and 3) we can endorse better farming practices by supporting smaller-scale operations who take better care of their products and livestock because they can and want to. And if you’re worried that you can’t afford sustainably-farmed, or locally-owned groceries, many times, it’s no more expensive than the stuff you find at the super market. Bonus point: You’ll be eating so well and your tummy will love you for it.
Let’s vote with our dollars and endorse farming practices we want to see more of while we support our neighbors and community.
This is by no means a complete list. KC Food Circle has a great directory of local farms so you can find some in your area. Or if you want to be added to this list, email us and we will be happy to add your farm!
Meat
Based in: DeKalb, MO
Sells: Meishan pork — antibiotic and hormone free, non-GMO, sustainably raised
How to buy: Contact them directly through their website or find them at the Overland Park Farmer’s Market
Based in: Weston, MO
Sells: Waygu beef and now pork and lamb
Note: KC Cattle Company has always been a direct-to-consumer retail operation, selling their Waygu beef. Recently, they’ve partnered with their processor, Paradise Meat Locker out of Trimble, MO, to add more meat from other local farms to their line-up to support farmers who are having issues finding buyers for their meat and to also meet demand. They restock on Tuesday.
How to buy: Buy online and have it shipped or they do Kansas City delivery, free for qualified purchases
Lee’s Summit, MO
Sells: Grass-fed beef, forest-raised pork, pasture-raised chicken and turkey
How to buy: Email contact@farrarfamilyfarmkc.com
Kingsville, MO
Sells: Bison meat, including jerky, summer sausage, brats and bacon
How to buy: Place orders through their website
Sells: Beef and eggs
How to buy: Order from their website
Dairy
Weston, MO
Sells: Award-winning cheese, lamb meat, Amish eggs
How to buy: Place orders on their website
Osborne, MO
Sells: Hormone-free dairy products like milk, cheese, ice cream, butter and soap.
How to buy: Get on their delivery route if you’re in a serviceable area or find them in most Kansas City grocery stores, like Price Chopper and Hy-Vee.
Butchers and Processors
While not all of their meat comes from the same farms, most of the local processors sell locally-raised meat. Check them out for some great cuts and oftentimes, some more inventive and cool cuts.
Kansas City, KS
Bichelmeyer is a Kansas City classic. They’ve got a huge meat counter with almost any beef cut you could imagine, and more. They also raise some of their own beef, which you can buy in the store.
How to buy: Visit their shop or call in an order and they will deliver to your car curbside.
Kansas City, MO
Get your classics, or something a little new, like their flavored brats — like the coffee brat!
How to buy: Order online and pick up curbside
Paradise Locker Meats
Trimble, MO
With the widest array of cuts available, Paradise is a more rural operation that works with a lot of small-scale farms. The Fantasma family runs the processing plant, where they process their own pigs that they raise on their farm, as well as meat from other farms.
How to buy: Order online
Other products and resources
Kansas City, MO
Sells: Freshly baked bread, cakes and pastries. The olive loaf is a personal favorite.
How to buy: Find them at Messenger Cafe or Black Dog Coffee or place orders by emailing kathryn@ibisbakery.com
For produce, please check out your local farmers’ market! And if you’re looking to join a CSA or get a market box, Cultivate KC put together an open spreadsheet of local farmers who have them.
Farmer’s Markets
You can find many of these farms and more at your local farmer’s market. Though there are many in the Kansas City area, here are some of the larger markets that are still operating. Many are offering drive-thru and curbside services through the stay-at-home orders. You can read about the adjustments in the links below.
Overland Park Farmers’ Market: Saturdays
River Market Farmers’ Market: Saturdays and Sundays
Parkville Farmers’ Market: Saturdays and Wednesdays
Brookside Farmers’ Market: Saturdays
