Ask a child where their eggs and meat come from and they’ll more than likely name a grocery store chain or a fast-food restaurant, said Robby Lewis, owner of Lewis Farm in north Gastonia.
But with growing evidence of food-borne illness, chronic disease and environmental degradation — not to mention growing waist lines — documented on the news, in books and movies like 2008’s Oscar-nominated “Food Inc.,” more parents are giving their children a taste of life on the farm.
These young families and some nostalgic elders are driving demand for local meat, poultry and produce. They are visiting and buying food directly from family farms that raise livestock without growth hormones or antibiotics. They want to know that the animals feed on grasses and grains free of chemicals and pesticides. And many make certain that the animals are treated humanely in the process.
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