“How can you go through with processing animals that you have raised?” This is one of many questions we are asked on Sunny View Farm. There are so many ways to answer this question and we always answer it in the deepest and most sincere ways possible.
There is so much concern these days about how farm animals are bred, raised, processed, and sold. I have seen dozens of documentaries and articles designed to make farming look like something straight out of a horror story. I was on the band wagon for a few years. I was even vegan for about 8 months until I found out my body can’t live solely off plant based meals. Organic, Non-GMO, Almond Milk, Gluten free, grass fed beef, and more. I fell victim to the scare and marketing tactics that our new age culture has been obsessively exposed to. Don’t get me wrong, GMO and food allergens are a real thing but there is no specific diet that is the holy grail where everyone will be in there best health. Everyone handles foods differently and because of this I chose to feed my body what it needs and from there I feed my family similarly.
We chose to eat meat in this family. We support your decisions so please support ours. We have cattle, pigs, chickens, and turkeys that we use for meat. Being a small farm we do get attached to them. We have bottle fed our calves, incubated eggs, and raised pigs from 8 weeks old. How could you not get attached? When it comes time for them to be processed it is not a happy time. We have spent a portion of our lives with these animals and they spent nearly all of their life with us. A part of our farm is transforming from a dependent to a provider so there is a lot of emotion and thanks to be given during these times.
So when someone ask how can I process the animals I raised, my best answer is that I prefer to raise my own animals because I am responsible for providing them their best life. It is the least I can do for something that gives me back so much, the ability to be healthy, thrive, and provide for my family.
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