Illegal chickens

It actually felt cool this morning. That was before the sun came up!

We recently had a discussion with guests at our farm about chickens, which cannot be legally raised in Sioux Center, unlike other cities such as Orange City and Sioux Falls. Did you know that the USDA keeps track of who owns chickens and where they are located, including small flocks in rural areas? Our guests were surprised to learn that the FDA would actually like to limit small flocks and restrict the access to the outdoors that alternative (cage-free and organic) producers are known for using. There have been discussions on this since 2002 in the theme of “food safety.”

While we do not sell eggs, we know a number of our customers are interested in such issues. You can find out more and learn about an opportunity for public comment on this issue at The Cornucopia Institute’s report from yesterday, “FDA Poised to Release Guidance Restricting Outdoor Access for Organic Poultry.”

This week we are taking some time to work on our greenhouse. The girls have been taking pictures, and they will eventually end up on Facebook, so check our page (http://www.facebook.com/cornucopiafarm) once in a while if you’d like to see the progress.

We are getting seeds planted in between weeding and harvesting, anticipating fall CSA participation and fall markets. If you have already committed and paid for the fall subscription, thank you! If you would like to sign up for the fall subscription, please let us know by August 1 if possible, so we can plan accordingly.

Please send us an email if you are interested, and/or check out our new online sign-up form (https://thecornucopiacsa.com/shares/) .

As always, thank you for your support!

–John Wesselius