Faces of Farming

 

Bigger isn`t always better. Sometimes, going small allows for attention to detail.

That`s the case for these Kentucky farmers and food producers. Their care and scrupulous methods have made all the difference between an average food product and something that`s truly special.

Elmwood Stock Farm, Scott County, www.elmwoodstockfarm.com

The Bell family used to be like the majority of Kentucky farmers: growing burley tobacco and raising grain-fed Angus beef. But as siblings Ann Stone and John Bell began to take over more of the day-to-day production of the business, they saw how the changing times required the family farm to diversify.

At first, they expanded to more produce and found that selling to wholesalers and directly to customers in a farmers market worked well. Then, sometime in the late 1990s, Ann`s husband made what was considered a fairly radical suggestion: Why not poultry?

Today, conscientious consumers can purchase certified organic poultry meat from Elmwood Stock Farm. And while the definition of organic may seem fuzzy to some, the owners of Elmwood have worked hard to attain that rating. As owners of one the few farms in the state that can make that claim regarding poultry, they`re understandably proud.

`Certified organic ensures a level of confidence in the product,” explains Stone. `We have to provide organic food, raise them without cages, and they are outside in a safe, enclosed area.”
We aren`t talking solely chicken, either. Elmwood is one of a few farms in the region where customers can purchase a heritage breed turkey.

These breeds are not the massive birds you see in the grocery stores every November. The majority of those birds are Broad-Breasted Whites and have been so interbred that they must be artificially inseminated to reproduce. Elmwood`s breeds have names like Bourbon Red, Narragansett and Royal Palm and are in an entirely different league from their more-commercialized cousins.

Just like organic chicken, the turkeys receive the same care and their production requires the same relentless scrutiny. But it isn`t simply about treating the animals humanely. It`s about a better final product.
Certified organic poultry is lower in cholesterol and is higher in omega-3 fatty acids. The meat has a slightly darker color and a richer taste. `To me, it`s like a lobster versus fish comparison,” Stone explains.

While the extra care requires a higher selling price, Stone says the market is expanding as consumers not only are realizing the benefit to the animals, but also becoming educated about the positive effects organic meat has on them as well. Their customer base is growing steadily, and she says she welcomes any farmers who want to grow organically, even though it would effectively increase Elmwood`s competition. `I believe the more, the merrier!” she says. `Organic is better for consumers. It`s better for all us.”

Weisenberger Mill, Midway, www.weisenberger.com

Some people are experts at sports. Others may be particularly knowledgeable about stocks and bonds. Mac Weisenberger knows his flour.

As a fifth-generation miller, Mac along with his son, Phillip, are something of a dying breed. Large mills take up a lion`s share of the marketplace, but Mac Weisenberger calmly explains he`s not in competition with them.

`We don`t compete with those big mills,” he says. `We can`t even try. We just do our best, and we`re proud of it.”

And rightfully so.

Long before eating local became a culinary craze, Weisenberger was milling only high-quality flours from locally grown corn and wheat. When the mill started in 1865, it was supplied by nearby farmers pulling their grains in a wagon.

While that may be a sight for a bygone era, the mill still gets the bulk of its grain from Kentucky farmers, a fact that is a point of pride for Mac Weisenberger.

`I know what I`ve bought and where it came from. I`m certain of what I make,” he says. `A big mill might buy treated grain or treat it themselves. And at some point, those chemicals go into somebody`s mouth.”

Whereas most small mills are disappearing as fast as the corner grocery, Weisenberger`s has been able to remain steadfast. Its success can be summed up in two words: perseverance and quality.

Still housed in its 1913 facility and using some of the nearly century-old equipment, Weisenberger processes have changed little over the decades. The attention to detail and high quality have garnered respect from area chefs. Consequently, the mill`s products are used regularly in restaurants like Holly Hill Inn and Wallace Station.

However, Weisenberger isn`t a one-trick pony. In addition to a variety of wheat flours and cornmeal, it now provides an assortment of mixes that include muffins, pancakes, biscuits, spoon bread, fish batter and funnel cake. Most require only water. For the more advanced cook, Weisenberger has potato flour, buckwheat, rye and even semolina. The goal is to provide the Kentucky baker—commercial or home—with just about any flour needed.

Kentucky grown wheat ground by a local mill: It`s better than a baker`s dozen.

Chelsey`s Eggs and Jared`s Beef, Dutch Creek Farm, Shelby County

It started as an effort to give the owners` children a role on the farm and to teach them the importance of hard work.

Thirteen years ago, Doug and Susan Schlosnagle wanted to involve their children, Chelsey and Jared, in the day-to-day operations of Dutch Creek Farm. At ages 5 and 6, respectively, the kids seemed a bit small to handle the cattle. So, the Schlosnagles purchased a handful of chickens and began to give away the eggs to friends and family.

Little did they realize how much the venture would grow.

Today, the Schlosnagle farm is home to roughly 2,500 Golden Comet hens laying anywhere from 90 to 120 dozen eggs per day. Named Chelsey`s Eggs, the business—now run by a teenaged Chelsey and Jared—distributes these protein-packed wonders to restaurants, bakeries and retailers in the Lexington and Louisville areas.

`It`s pretty much chicken heaven,” Jared Schlosnagle laughs when he describes the 30-by-50 foot hoop house the hens use and the care the duo takes in keeping the chickens healthy and happy. The structure is on skids and is pulled by a tractor every few days to give the chickens a new pasture in which to scratch and feed. This free-range, healthy lifestyle for the chickens makes for a healthier egg. The eggs are lower in cholesterol and higher in omega-3 fatty acids and beta carotene than most eggs in your local grocery. Not only are the chickens happier, but those who eat the eggs are better off as well.

But there`s another upside to raising grass-fed chickens. They`re a perfect complement to grass-fed beef.

Doug and Susan Schlosnagle also raise Angus beef. After the chickens move on to a greener pasture, they`ve left a naturally fertilized area for the cattle. Eventually, the cattle come in and graze. The result is grass-fed Angus beef that is lower in fat, calories and cholesterol than their grain-fed counterparts. Keeping with the trend of naming their products after their children, the Schlosnagles call the meat Jared`s Beef.

`Last year, every steer we sold was USDA choice,” Susan Schlosnagle says proudly. `People say you need grain-fed beef to get that. Not true. If you have the right genetics and the right grass, you can get exceptional beef.”

Others seem to agree. The markets for both the eggs and the beef are growing rapidly.

Yet there is another perk that no one could have predicted when the venture began all those years ago.

`Those chickens are helping to pay for my college,” Chelsey Schlosnagle says with a laugh. `I have to thank them for that!”

Stone Cross Farm, Cloverdale Creamery, Spencer County, (502) 477-8561

When Patrick and Leeta Kennedy wanted to expand the product line of their already-diversified farm in Spencer County, the two decided to go back to Patrick`s roots in working with dairy cattle. But having grown up on a conventional farm, Patrick Kennedy knew he wasn`t interested in running a traditional fluid dairy. He knew they needed something different.

After some research, the Kennedys turned to Kenny Mattingly of Kenny`s Farmhouse Cheese. Mattingly generously allowed the couple to participate in the cheese-making process for a day. The experience proved to pivotal, if not nearly prophetic.

Over the next several years, the Kennedys began the painstaking task of establishing Cloverdale Creamery, a small-scale operation dedicated to producing high-quality cheeses, starting from what is put in the cow`s mouth all the way to the consumer`s plate.

`I wanted something where I could control the process,” Patrick Kennedy explains.

The Kennedys started by taking their time and building a facility that meets state and federal standards. It is now used as an example for other aspiring cheese-makers to follow. Much of the work was done by Patrick himself. The couple also invested time and money creating an underground cheese aging facility similar to those found in Europe. This requires very little electricity or refrigeration and allows the cheese to produce a natural rind.

Of course, the process requires milk, and through research, the Kennedys decided to use a combination of Jersey and Holstein cattle primarily because the Jersey cows produce milk with a higher fat content. They discovered that this milk combination, coupled with their farm`s environment and grasses, made the production of English cheeses a nice fit.

Test batches of the cheeses went out to local restaurants and consumers just a few years ago. The response was phenomenal. Cloverdale Creamery is making a name for itself with English cheeses such as Bellemoral and Cowbells in Clover, the Kennedys` version of Double Gloucester.

Patrick Kennedy isn`t at all worried about competing with large-scale producers. He firmly believes that the products from his farm are unique and cannot be duplicated.

`We`re not here to compete with some­body like Kraft,” he asserts. `We don`t do that. It`s necessary to be unique. It`s all about place and making something that`s an expression of yourself and your location. You make something no one else can do.”

After sampling a little Bellemoral, you`ll undoubtedly agree.

Marksbury Farm Foods, Garrard County, www.marksburyfarm.com

Everybody knows fresh is best. And no one can dispute that Kentucky`s farmers are some of the finest.

But in Lancaster, a diverse group of friends with a passion for food had become frustrated by the lack of finding locally grown products. After all, not everyone can travel to the larger cities to shop at co-ops. This seemed especially true for meat. Their solution: build a meat-processing facility along with a retail store and sell the best and freshest the community has to offer.

It`s a fairly simple concept, but as food production has become more industrialized, the local meat processor and butcher have become something of an endangered species. The people of Marksbury Farm Foods (MFF) are out to change all that—at least in their neck of the woods.

`We want people to have easy access to products from local farmers,” says Richard McAlister, one of the owners. `We`re simply an option. We`re smaller-scale, transparent, and hope to build a level of confidence with the consumer and the farmer.”

Similar to a traditional European meat seller, MFF, which opened in December 2010, provides customers with a view of the available cuts of meats and of the farm from where the meat came. And shoppers can request almost any type of cut. Workers are happy to give clientele tasty pointers on how best to prepare purchases. MFF sells only food that was raised using ethical, sustainable farming practices.

Yet, MFF isn`t solely about selling freshly cut meats. The company also provides produce and prepared products, such as turkey and chicken potpies, meatballs, homemade soups and handmade sausages. The idea is to make the store a one-stop shop for anyone who wants to eat healthy, locally grown food—and to offer some already prepared dishes for those who don`t cook or simply don`t have time to put a meal together.

`I once had a customer who purchased three potpies,” explains associate Rachel Correll. `She said she loves to cook but doesn`t always have time, and our potpies were as good as anything she`d make for her own family.”

Good food for good people at good prices. Sounds like a perfect business plan.

By K. Melissa Burton