Dirty Dispatches: Gathering Local Grains

Ever since we made the decision to buy some chickens, we have been scrambling to find organic grain and feed for them.

I thought that this would be rather easy. But, I can't tell you how wrong I was.

Actually, I can tell you.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I walked into a chain feed store. I walked around all their animal feed and couldn't find one thing that was labeled organic.

When I asked the young woman who worked there about organic feed, she actually snickered. She followed her snicker by saying, "Organic? I have chickens and I use this feed and none of my chickens have died yet!"

I replied, "So, I guess that means that you don't have organic feed?"

I don't think that she was amused. But, the answer to my question was a definite "no."

So, Jen and I have been searching all over the internet to find a supply of organic grain and feed.

And, it has been very depressing.

It seemed as if our only option was to buy organic feed from across the country and have it shipped to us. This really defeats the point of our little chicken experiment. Sure, we would have farm fresh organic eggs. But, they would be fed on grains from across the country that traveled to us through a fossil fueled delivery system. Not to mention that we would pay as much in shipping as we would for the feed.

I was about to give up hope.

Then, through Local Harvest, I found a farmer named Alfred Farris who runs Windy Acres Farm in Orlinda, Tennessee. This farm is located less than 45 minutes away from us near the Kentucky border. I contacted Mr. Farris and he sent me his price sheet.

He sells 50 pound bags of organic corn and wheat from him for under $0.30 per pound.

I just got back from Windy Acres Farm and Mr. Farris is a wonderful Tennessee gentleman. He is committed to organic and sustainable agriculture. I enjoyed my brief visit with him and look forward to returning for more grain in the future.

Mr. Farris also gave me a contact for another farmer who is raising and roasting organic soybeans. This other farmer is located just over the state line in Kentucky. It seems that there is a great market for organic grains in Tennessee and Kentucky to supply the growing number of organic dairy farms in the area. Interestingly, many of these farms are run by Mennonite communities.

We are thrilled to be able to purchase organic grains. But, it is even more satisfying that these grains were grown about 35 miles away from us by a small farmer committed to organic and sustainable agriculture. We are hoping to be able to revise our entire food chain by locating small farmers in our vicinity who are selling organic meat, dairy, and produce.


I hope to report back soon with the success of our attempt to act globally by eating locally!

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