ETHICAL FARMING

Ethical Farming in Pittsburgh Includes Education and Cooperation

by Martin Miron

The concept behind the Ethical are building mobile farrowing huts to allow Farming Fund, founded by Hannah the mama pigs and their piglets to have Ridge and Tim Trout in 2013, was safe shelter on pasture with the $1,000, to help local farmers improve the welfare something enjoyed by a relatively small of the livestock on their farms. Today, that number of pigs in the U.S.,” boasts Ridge. is just one of their programs alongside She notes, “We also have a growing another objective of connecting residents catalog of virtual farm tours which give of southwestern Pennsylvania to sources of you an opportunity to see for yourself how humanely raised meat, eggs and dairy. local farmers raise their animals. Consum

Ridge says, “Our mission is to er education was a big part of this program, strengthen western Pennsylvania’s local and we created a number of evergreen food network by promoting sustainable, resources for consumers, including original high-welfare animal farming practices and infographics and short videos.” by supporting local, ethical animal farmers. The board of directors comprises We mainly serve the stakeholders on each Ridge, Trout and two volunteers. They welend of the food chain: the producers (pascome the opportunity to collaborate with ture-based farms) and the consumers of sponsors that recognizes the many benefits meat, eggs and dairy. We have also worked of sustainable animal agriculture, such as with chefs and restaurants looking to forge increasing regional food sovereignty, savdirect relationships with local farms.” ing natural ecosystems from monocultures,

They are currently awarding their minimizing the impacts of climate change third Farmraiser Grant to Savage Mountain through carbon sequestration on pasture Farm, in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania. “They and creating a more humane food system.

Ridge has spoken at Farm To Table Conferences for several years and at University of Pittsburgh Food Days. Now they engage Pittsburghers virtually through their website. “We also offer anyone the opportunity to help improve animal welfare through the Farming With Love program, which raises funds for the Farmraiser Grant through T-shirts and tote bags,” says Ridge.

“We envision a world without factory farms. In our approach to this, rather than focusing on the negative aspects of industrial agriculture, we present our audience with the humane alternative that is available right in our back yard. By connecting residents of southwestern Pennsylvania to local farms, we can build a local food system that prioritizes animal welfare organically and has long-lasting impact. We also focus a lot on consumer education through our blog and other resources on our website,” shares Ridge. “Through this, we want to teach consumers to navigate an increasingly opaque food market.”

In the coming years, one of their main challenges lies in getting that food to people without weakening the business models of farmers, so some of the opportunities with the most significant impact are logistical ones. “We are always adding to our virtual farm tours and our database of farms that meet our standards. As far as the database, we are working on presenting this information in the most user-friendly way possible so that consumers can find farms that best meet their needs and hopefully become lifelong customers,” advises Ridge.

For more information, visit EthicalFarmingFund.org.