Niman Ranch Rocks
Did you know that Iowa is the largest polluter of the Mississippi River?
As a native Iowan, that’s hard for me to admit. I wish I could proclaim that I had nothing to do with making the Mississippi toxic sludge. But growing up as I did, eating factory farmed pork, I unwittingly did my part in making the problem worse.
You see, the volume of runoff from fields and livestock confinements (jammed with 4,000 pigs or more in each enclosure) is toxic, and it’s created an ever-increasing dead zone where the Mississippi drains into the Gulf of Mexico. Not surprisingly, hog confinement contributes to dangerous bacteria growth in drinking water, too, not only in Iowa but in parts of Florida too.
A Niman Ranch farmer at A-Frame Acres in Elliott, Iowa, explained how crop rotation and using pig manure for fertilizer is an added benefit to the soil, making it rich in nutrients. He said Niman Ranch humanely-raised business model was a “perfect fit” because, “It embraces my philosophy of how to care for the animals…of how to support the family farmers…how to support the community.”
Supporting businesses like Niman Ranch means helping natural hog farmers do good work. I’ve met many in my travels. You can see in their faces how proud they are of their operations and the quality of meat they produce. They’ll show you photos of their farms much like this one: A manageable number of pigs with plenty of sunshine and room to move around and root in the earth.
So, if you want to support clean water, make a choice to eat humanely raised pork and beef like the Niman Ranch brand at CCM. You’ll also be doing a favor for the pigs and the farmers who raise them, many who live in Iowa.
In cooperation,
Community Co-op Market CEO