Feeding Food Providers

written by

Melissa Barth

posted on

May 31, 2024


I might have the best job on the farm!! Shhhh....don't tell anyone else that or they might get ideas. But in all seriousness, my role as the summer farm chef includes some of the most fulfilling work I have ever done! 

The crazy thing is, others can say the same thing about their roles here at Polyface! We are all created uniquely; each of us has been gifted with different skills, interests, and passions. On the farm, we talk a lot about how every job is sacred. So do I have the best job on the farm? No, because there is no such thing. However, I might have the best job on the farm for me. 

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6 o'clock in the evening is probably my favorite part of the day! That is when the day's work is more or less completed and the farm crew gathers for our evening meal. Regardless of what went according to plan that day (inside or outside my kitchen realm), a sense of peace and community occurs as we finish out our day by eating together. 

I may not be moving cows or pulling chicken shelters, but I am feeding the people who do that work. That is important. That is sacred. 

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Perhaps you find yourself in a supporting role right now. How do you view it? Do you view it as a reminder that you haven't gotten into "the big leagues"? Or, do you see it for what it is in truth - the only way those in positions of greater influence can produce worthwhile contributions?

 Even in a job you love, there are always going to be aspects that are less than enjoyable. But realizing that every action we take in our day-to-day work is important to the overall mission can help to keep our spark of inspiration alive. 

Perhaps some of us need to take a good hard look at whether we are investing our time and energy into a role that aligns with our values. Do you feel a sense of calling and purpose in your work? Maybe now is the time to take a leap of faith and begin supporting or doing the work you are truly passionate about.   

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- Melissa

More from the blog

Short of Turkeys and Beef

For the first time in many years, we’ll be short of turkeys for Thanksgiving.  Consistent with our policy of full transparency, here is why.  And we’ve been short of beef now for some time.  The underlying theme of this explanation is to inform you completely about why and what we’re doing about it. Unlike many businesses, we don’t call up other outfits to supplement ours when we’re short.  We figure out how to produce more and until then, simply run behind. Because of that, when we explore new markets, we can’t adjust our inventory instantaneously.We’ve had a couple of incredibly exciting market developments this year.  We’ve always tried to experiment with new opportunities when markets request product.  You never know which ones will be long term, short term, positive, or negative.  Over the years, we’ve given away turkeys when we overproduced due to assuming a certain market opportunity would come through; that’s not financially viable.  As a result, we’re pretty careful about expansion. Three years ago, a large corporation in Virginia asked us to supply turkeys and Christmas hams to their 300 employees.  We had no idea they would hang with us this long, but here they are, happy and showing unbelievable loyalty.  We’ve been reluctant to count on them simply because these kinds of things normally don’t last.  But isn’t it exciting and even exhilarating that a big company is buying our kind of turkeys and hams for their employees? The other thing that developed—and these things develop slowly—was Azure Standard asked us to supply them with 1,000 turkeys as a trial to see if their customer base would like them.  By the time that deal was formalized, we were too late to order more turkeys and did not have the full number for them, but we we did the best we could.  Some of you who are Azure Standard customers will no doubt see our turkeys pop up on their sales platform. When an engine going somewhere wants to hook to us, we always try to at least collaborate in an experiment.  That’s where we are; if all are happy, this could be an extremely positive strategic client for us in the future. In the same way, we’ve been contacted by a new internet marketing outfit wanting some of our beef.  We’ve agreed to let them have five in 2027.  We’re hoping ongoing discussions will lead them to carry our poultry and pork as well—right now they’re only beef. None of this is about building an empire.  It is about collaborating with the cutting edge of authentic food and circumventing Big Food, Big Ag, and Big Pharma.  Innovation comes in many ways.  Polyface perhaps leads the world in the production element.  But processing, marketing, and distribution are also undergoing innovation and staying relevant is a daily objective.  That some of the most creative significant players in the integrity food movement are asking us to play with them is wonderful.  They could just handle industrial organic meat poultry, which doesn’t see pasture and doesn’t enjoy the happiness context of Polyface livestock. But they’re talking to us, and that’s awesome. All innovation carries a ragged edge as it develops, refines, and hopefully becomes efficient over time.  Thank you for indulging us the freedom to explore these new venues and to collaborate with some of the best players in the good food movement.  As you can imagine, growing and experimenting create their own sore muscles.  Being short is not fun for either of us, but be assured it’s not because our animals are sick or we’re getting tired of being farmers. You can laugh at that. It’s because, true to our history, we are committed to putting food worth eating on plates held by friends.  We count you as friends; that’s why we’re taking you on this little explanation behind the curtain.  Hang in there and thank you, thank you for your loyalty and patronage.