We enjoyed a working vacation this weekend. Along with Randy and Libby Buchler of Shady Grove Farm, we drove 13 hours to Swoope, Virginia to join old friends and make new friends at the Farm To Consumer Legal Defense Fund fundraiser at Polyface Farm. It was fun and inspirational to visit with Joel and Daniel at their farm and see what they’re doing. We also got introduced this weekend to Robb Wolf and the Paleo community. They came out to support the organization that is backing their farmers with great effect. In the process we learned more about what the Paleo diet is and heard some of the exciting research that Robb is doing relating a diet of meat and veggies to total health. It made me think about our diet, which is close already. We may do some fine tuning and see what happens to us. Robb’s website has a good deal of information if you want to check it out.
On the way home, we got fodder for conversation in the form of the decision from our judge. Judge Fagerman issued a well worded, well thought out decision. More on this later (when I’m not scrambling to recover from a trip), but bottom line, we will go to court to argue our case. He gave some points to the DNR, some to us, and identified some issues as needing clarification. The two issues needing clarification in a trial are whether or not Baker’s Green Acres is a domestic hog production facility, and whether or not there are two species of “sus scrofa” and how our pigs fit into that picture. We are satisfied with the decision. We’ll get our day in court. Not soon, but the DNR can explain straight tails and curly tails in court.
