Evangelical, libertarian, environmentalistic, lunatic farmer...

This is interesting reading. Mother Jones, liberal San Francisco magazine, writing a positive piece about an evangelical Virginian farmer who describes his practices as "beyond organic."

I might never have found my way to Polyface Farm if Joel Salatin hadn’t refused to FedEx me one of his chickens.

Salatin refuses to sell long-distance, to supermarkets or wholesale. It harks back to the simple American value of knowing the person you're doing business with. For Salatin though, it's also about knowing that their farming practices are ethical and that your food isn't better traveled than yourself.

Will anyone buy like that? Well some already do and they're true believers:

“This is chicken as I remember it from my childhood. It actually tastes like chicken.”

“I just don’t trust the food in the supermarket anymore.”

“These eggs just jump up and slap you in the face!”

“You’re not going to find fresher chickens anywhere.”

“All this meat comes from happy animals—I know because I’ve seen them. And the pork tenderloin is to die for!”

“I drive 150 miles one way to get clean meat for my family.”

“It’s very simple: I trust the Salatins more than I trust Wal-Mart. And I like the idea of keeping my money right here in town.”

Obviously at the moment not everyone lives within driving distance of a farm - let alone an ethical beyond organic one - but it's interesting to hear of people who do and like things that way.

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