I recently had
the opportunity to visit Amy’s Farm in Ontario, California. Thanks to the
recommendation of someone I just met, I found this humbly beautiful farm. I got
to visit on a beautiful Saturday morning. The very first ones that caught my
eyes were the friendly goats who ran to me without hesitation. They look
peaceful and in great condition.
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| Amy's Farm |
Then, I
proceeded to the backside of the farm where I found the beautiful green
landscape for growing of fruits and vegetables. I felt the calmness and serenity
in simple being there and living that moment. I wish we have more of these in
San Bernardino and Los Angeles County area.
I was
originally there to buy some cage free eggs, but the various locally grown
vegetables like parsley, cilantro and kale also got my attention. What amazed
me the most is the farm’s Honor System.
Honor System
is a certain way of purchasing your merchandise. There is no cashier or sales
customer involved in the process. No need to check out your products or scan
your items. One simply purchases the produce by donating money depending on the
total amount of items he/she plans to get. In other words, Amy’s Farm puts its
faith and trust in people that they would remain honest with their purchases!
I also got
the chance to visit the petting zoo. Therein houses some more goats, lambs,
pigs, cows and poultry. They were all looking lovely and happy. They could not
be any more excited to get to and greet me. I couldn’t stress out enough how much
I find it amusing that these farm animals seem so excited to see me. It just
goes to show they live in a happy place by being in Amy’s Farm.
I’m not a
vegetarian nor am I vegan. But I’m certainly on my journey of cutting down on
my meat consumption so more farm animals can be spared from the misery and
cruelty of factory farms. I just couldn’t bear the thought of pigs crammed in
small gestation crates, chickens crowded in battery cages, dairy cows attached
to milking machines, mothers and babies getting separated, tail docking, ear
notching and mistreatment of downed animals among other things.
I could go
on and on about other political and social changes that we can implement to
better the lives of these gentle farm animals but in all honesty, it all goes
down to several things:
- Transition to vegetarian or vegan diet
- Reduced meat consumption
- Switch to organic, local produce
- Spread the word about factory farms to others, so they can make conscious decisions about their health and lifestyle
- Promotion for local farms
- Educational trips and outreach on farm animals
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Despite the proliferation of factory farms in our current society, we always have the ability to challenge and change the system. Factory farms operate because we let them. As long as people stay ignorant or turn a blind eye on this source of animal cruelty, health crisis and environmental degradation, it will continue on. The key is to get educated, be knowledgeable and empower local farms and organic farming. The more we empower them, the more we empower our health, animal welfare and the environment.
Source: www.amysfarm.com
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