Making a Vital Difference
Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel
With the holidays here and everyone thinking about special meals and celebrations it’s nice to see a family farm that is devoted to “improving the lives of people, animals and the planet through food.”
The chickens and cows at Vital Farms couldn’t be happier. At this collective of family farms that was established in 2007 “the girls” are allowed to roam free with year-round outdoor access. The goal is “to bring honest food, ethically produced to your table.”
Vital Farms says that it began as a single-family farm in Austin, Texas. “As we grew, we didn’t want to make our farm bigger. So, we found more like-minded farmers who put the welfare of their feathered friends first. And today we partner with over 225 small family farms who give the girls the outdoor lifestyle they deserve.”
Unlike conventionally raised “factory” chickens that are kept in cages, the pasture-raised chickens at Vital Farms each have at least 108 sq. ft. of pasture and plenty of fresh air and sunshine.
And the cows aren’t confined to barns or fenced-in yards either, but allowed to contentedly graze in open pastures, putting them in a “mooed” to create delicious milk for an array of dairy products.
The company’s website has a video that lets you see the chickens enjoying the outdoors, stretching their legs and foraging for local grasses, succulents and wildflowers.
And it prints the name of the farm where the eggs came from on each box so you can see for yourself. When SurfWriter Girls looked at the box we had just bought we were surprised to see that the name of the farm – K & K – was the same name as Patti and Greg’s consulting business. Small world.
SurfWriter Girl Sunny discovered the delicious eggs from Vital Farms a few years ago and has been a fan of them ever since. She’s not alone. The farm’s egg and milk products are sold nationwide in over 16,500 stores.
So, they’re sure to find a place at many Thanksgiving tables and holiday meals, making everyone – the chickens, cows and us – all a little happier.
Happy Holidays!
Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.