Waking up at the crack of dawn to visit the Cory farm was definitely worth it! Their family-oriented farm influenced by the famous environmental farmer, Joel Salatin, was incredibly cool to see in person. With my interests in sustainable farming, it was fascinating to see many practices I’ve only read about or heard about in lectures. Their animals have lots of roaming space – not kept in damp, dark buildings, and they utilize cover crops. Even more impressive, everything they feed their diverse group of animals (goats, sheep, cows, chickens, kitties, dogs, and horses) was produced right there on the farm – from the grain to the grass and hay: a real sustainable family production. Moreover, I really enjoyed going out into their fields and learning about how cover crops are grown and how it helps their land and feeds their animals. Not only do they make an organic product, they try and keep the soil safe from erosion.

Another interesting aspect about the Cory farm was its intense marketing strategy. If the Cory family could teach other farmers how to market their products like they do, then many more organic farms would continue to thrive. Organic/ free-range farmers have to sell their business to people through all the strategies they can: online, farmer’s market and even word of mouth. The Corys market their product for white tablecloth gourmet restaurants. Mr. Cory made the interesting comment that his mother-in-law lamented at his outrageous prices – but she is not his market. When in a specialized food market, the prices are totally different. Especially in this food-fad era, people will pay top dollar to consume food that is produced under animal welfare standards the consumers embrace. Moreover, they will pay a premium for food that is organic or free of animal biotics – which they consider to be healthier. not only ethical, but assumingly healthier foods. In our readings, a statistic stated that the average American spends 10% of their money on food. Now, with the obesity crisis, many people will pay more money (upwards of even 20%) to raise a healthier family and get out of bad health situations like high blood pressure or cholesterol. The Cory’s market their organic, free range animals and grains to a market more than welcome to pay top dollar for the unconventional.