Polk farmers finding hog heaven with pork products
Summer i s proving fruitful for local Farmers who gathered at Rockmart's Farmers Market on Thursday to show off their hard work. Fresh produce was visible as far as the eye could see, but what stood out the most was The Falls Farm's collection of natural raised meats.
Often times the term “farmer” is simply associated with greens. Many people see farmers as the bearers of vegetables, the drivers of tractors, or the harvesters of crops, but being a farmer can also include raising livestock, caring for animals, and making sure the public gets tasty, natural meat.
Bennett, Rebecca, Aubrey, and Nolan Jacobs of The Falls Farm focus on selling clean, natural meat, and they are all most definitely farmers.
From pastured pork to grass fed beef, The Falls Farm takes care of what they sell. Pigs owned by the Falls Farm are born in the barn and are then allowed to “romp and stomp like normal pigs,” said Bennett Jacobs, “We put them in areas where cows aren't suited.”
While the pigs are left to their own accord, the Jacobs are no doubt left with responsibilities. Just like a produce farmer has to protect their plants, Jacobs and his family must keep an eye on their pigs, look for signs of illness, feed them, and help them grow.
The Jacobs hard work pays off when following their motto, “a happy pig is a tasty pig.”
Furthermore, just like produce farmers must know which plants strive in which environment and season, livestock farmers such as The Falls must demonstrate adequate knowledge of their animal's biology and preferred environment.
By supplying their cows with large pastures to move about and an all you can eat grass buffet, the Falls are ensuring healthy, rapid growth of their beef; had the Jacobs known less about their pigs, they may have neglected to worm the animals and would have simply lost out on large amounts of pork.
The Falls also demonstrates superb knowledge of their animal's biology by breeding their own livestock. Choosing and maintaining the best genes allows for only the best animals to graze the Jacobs farm.
There are multiple ways to "be a farmer." Whether one chooses to raise plants, livestock, or both, farming in general requires dedication and knowledge worthy of acknowledgement. Feeding the public is a serious job, after all.
People love to eat meat, but not everyone takes mind of where their meat comes from. There are plenty of hard working farmers dedicated to bringing the public hormone free, natural, lean meat, and The Falls Farm is one of them.
This vendor and many more farmers of all kinds can be found at Rockmart's Farmers Market every Thursday on Water St.