Cognito Farms

If you know me or read this blog, then you probably have an idea that I'm a major animal lover and so when I found out that Cognito Farms was having an open farm day today, I suggested to Ryan that we check it out. We actually bought a chicken from them for Thanksgiving (They sold out of their turkeys in one day). When we searched for local farms that raise animals the old fashioned way (No pesticides, humane treatment, etc) we found out that they come to the Green Market once or twice a month in Jacksonville Beach.

Heritage turkeys
If you have read or researched where most meat comes from today, you know how important it is to keep these farms in business and you also know that many of the "bad" farms would NEVER allow consumers to tour their grounds. It was so interesting to follow the owner of the farm around as he explained how the animals are raised, how they are "harvested" and the things he has learned since he started farming in 2006. (Many things through trial and error and he had many humorous stories about the various errors)
Happy pig


3-4 day old chicks under the heat lamps to keep warm
If you get a chance, I highly recommend you check out their next open farm days, March 6 and April 30, or you can go to their website: www.cognitofarm.com for a product list and you can either drive out to Starke and pick it up yourself, or check for when they will be in your area. If you're vegan or vegetarian, I still recommend that you check out this tour and see how happy these animals are and how all animals that are raised for human consumption should be treated.