Favorite Links
LocalHarvest was founded in 1998 and is located in Santa Cruz, California, and was founded by Guillermo Payet, a software engineer and activist .It’s the top site on the Internet where people find information on family farms wherever they may live (there’s a map you click on and up pops the listings of farms in your area). http://www.localharvest.org/
Eat Wild is another national database with a focus on grassfed livestock and where you can locate it. There’s also great information about the benefits of pasture raised poultry and grassfed beef and lamb, among other critters. http://www.eatwild.com/
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is a wonderful organization of people who raise endangered livestock breeds such as heritage turkeys, chickens, sheep, cattle, and horses. Many of America’s domestic farm animals are at risk or are in danger of becoming extinct because only a handful of breeds are raised commercially now. It’s something you don’t hear a lot about but should. It’s an interesting site with photos of farm animals and information on the various breeds. http://www.albc-usa.org/
Elmwood Stock Farm is located in Georgetown, Kentucky, and they are the largest certified organic farm in the state. Ann and Mac are 6th generation farmers on Ann’s family farm in Scott County, KY, where they raise a wide variety of organic meats, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and even compost they sell at the Lexington Farmer’s Market. Ann and Mac are active on a regional and national level in the sustainable farming movement. They work a lot harder than some of us and have a CSA program and sell at numerous farmer’s markets. I’m not sure when they sleep. Mac also has an important job over the organic certification program with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. You can read more about how they do things at their site: http://www.elmwoodstockfarm.com/
Robert Sinskey is an organic wine guru of Napa Valley. His winery, Robert Sinskey Vineyards, produces some of the finest vino on the Silverado Trail. Robert raises the grapes using organic (and biodynamic methods) and makes one of the best Pinot Noirs in the country (on all the top restaurant wine lists—it’s also the favorite wine of Sideways actor Paul Giamatti). He’s married to my friend Maria Helm Sinskey, former Food & Wine chef of the year (Plumpjack Cafe in San Francisco) and author of The Vineyard Kitchen. She is the queen of food and wine pairings. Check out their site and find out where you can buy their wines. http://robertsinskey.com/
I Heart Farms Blog – a really cool blog with great photographs from a woman lucky enough to live in the epicenter of the organic and sustainable farming movement (ie, Northern California). http://smallfarms.typepad.com/
Southern Sustainable Working Group – a nonprofit organization for southern farmers with great information about sustainable practices and a listing of small farmers in the south. http://www.ssawg.org/
FoodRoutes - A nonprofit that helps educate consumers about the importance of local foods in their diet and their communities. http://www.foodroutes.org/
The Rodale Institute’s New Farm website for small farmers. They have a wealth of articles on sustainable practices that are interesting to consumers as well as those who farm. http://www.newfarm.org/
The Organic Consumers Organization website – the latest news for people interested in learning more about organic foods. http://www.organicconsumers.org/
Shady Lane Poultry Farm in Winchester, KY specializes in endangered and rare breeds of poultry. http://www.shadylanepoultry.com/index.html
