THANK A FARMER: Vintage Meadow Farms keeps people close to their food | News

GOSHEN — Owned and operated by married couple, Ryan and Katrina Schrock, Vintage Meadows Farm has been experiencing steady growth.

Located just off Ind. 4 near the city, the owners seek to bridge the gap between the local community and their food sources.

The small, family-run business puts a strong emphasis on farm-to-table foods, providing an area from Elkhart Country to northwest Indiana and Chicago suburbs with fresh, pastured-raised foods. The farm supplies eggs, meats, cow and goat dairy products, vegetables and more.

Though not fully organic, the Schrocks are committed to not adding hormones, vaccines or antibiotics to their animals. They also do not use genetically modified grains.

The farm began in 1998 after the couple bought a few head of cattle, which was followed a few years later by chickens and pigs.

“My grandpa was a lifelong farmer, so the love of the land and livestock was always a part of my life,” Ryan said. “It was all very small scale at first, focused on feeding our family then our neighbors and eventually we sought out customers from that point.”

Information that Ryan stumbled across led him to shift his thinking from more conventional agriculture approaches. He began to think about food very critically. As a result, the couple explored the world of natural, whole foods and began seeking like-minded people to partner with and buy their products.

“In 2014 we moved on from the family business and decided to start farming full time. Then in 2015, we found the opportunity to purchase our existing buying club and it’s grown from there,” Katrina said. “We were at Goshen Farmers Market from 2014 to 2020. We just pulled out last June due mostly to COVID-19.”

Though the pandemic impacted the agriculture industry at large, Vintage Meadows actually benefited from the outbreak indirectly. As more and more consumers faced empty shelves and limits on essential items like packaged meats, eggs and milk, they were forced to seek out new sources of foods.

“The pandemic helped raise awareness in people as far as where their food comes from. It made people stop and think about their actual connection to food. I think people are relaxing what their dependence on large grocery stores is. People reached out and discovered there was a farm in their area which had meat available,” she explained.

MORE THAN PRODUCTION

As much as providing the community with the basic need for food is rooted in the production end of farming, the couple believes farming should be so much more than just production. In fact, Vintage Meadows stresses the importance of establishing and maintaining healthiness in all aspects of farming, including customer relationships.

“When you buy from your neighbors you have a relationship. You have a face and a family and know where your dollar is going,” Ryan said. “I think everybody should know their farmer. Everybody should know where their food comes from and nobody should trust a label.”

Healthy relationships are just one aspect of a healthy farming system. Healthy food is not something the couple believes can entirely be put into one box because everybody has different needs. The emphasis at Vintage Meadows Farm is on good quality food all around rather than dictating what foods may or may not be healthy for certain individuals.

“We believe in pasture-based foods. Animals who have been raised on pastures are low stress and that all affects the quality of meat. With produce we eliminate pesticides and herbicides. The quality of goods is really important to us and then people can make their own healthy choices.” Katrina added.

However, good quality and healthy foods don’t happen spontaneously. This is where the critical work of the farmer comes into play. At Vintage Meadows Farms, it really is the active cultivation of the environment on every level that allows for the couple to provide good quality, reliable food for the community. The best cultivation practices happen on every level beginning with the tiniest of soil particles.

“Healthy soil grows healthy plants which makes healthy animals which makes healthy people. It’s all connected,” Ryan said.

Adding his thoughts on the organic certification system in relation to good quality foods, he shared that system is a good place to start but fails to realize the importance of other considerations in farming.

“The organic certification program focuses on the elimination of toxins rather than building a healthy animal and a healthy food system from the ground up. Pursue farmers who are willing to pursue that through the very bedrock of their organization,” he said.

Soil health is one of the biggest challenges the Schrocks face because much of their land is rented. As a result, they have to invest money into minerals to bring the soil back to a healthy level for cultivating plants. That transition can be a real challenge, but one they view as rewarding as they notice results in pastures within three to four years.

WEEKLY CUSTOMERS

Currently the farm operates under a weekly pickup model. Customers place orders earlier in the week online and the orders are packaged and ready for Saturday pickups. With the package dock off of their circular drive, pickups are super easy and convenient for people in a hurry or who want contactless shopping. However, the couple also welcomes anyone to step out and chat and enjoy hot coffee with fresh cream.

“We have so much fun on Saturday morning when customers come to get their orders. Some stand and chat for an hour or two or three depending on the day,” he said.

Connecting people with their food and establishing those customer relationships is what Vintage Meadows is all about. Both Katrina and Ryan continually circle back to those important elements with excitement when discussing their goals.

“People know what they want when they come to us. Yes, they are looking for food but, they are also looking for health, for communication on how we are treating our animals, and assurance that there are wonderful people in this world who care about them,” he said. “We provide all of those things. Creating space for customers, budgeting time for those connections, and putting yourself into the customer’s shoes are integral to building customer-farmer relationships.”

Though the farm is small scale with just six part-time employees in addition to Ryan and Katrina, demand for their type of operation is growing. Even within the six years they were active at the Goshen Farmers Market, the couple noted a rising demand for local and transparent food systems.

“The evidence supporting our type of farming is growing. More people are talking about it and there is less suppression and more awareness of our food,” Ryan said. “As a nation we aren’t getting healthier and people are seeking to understand that.”

As farmers, the couple finds joy in hearing customers come to them with stories of feeling healthier after trying their products. They often have people come to them after years or a lifetime of avoiding certain foods, like dairy, then trying raw dairy products and feeling better instantly.

THE FAMILY BENEFITS

However, as much as the couple adores farming because of the bridges it allows them to build between local communities and their food sources, they also like farming because of the flexibility it allows them to have with their family.

“I love being personally able to send my kids off to school and be present there in the morning. I love not having to always be somewhere at eight in the morning,” Ryan said.

The Schrocks hope to continue providing food to their community and focus on staying local rather than expanding. The farm’s name itself refers to how farming used to be when communities provided for themselves on a small scale.

“We look back on those times as vintage before big agriculture became big agriculture [as we know it], farmsteads were very common and quite a few people raised their own food,” Katrina said. “The other aspect of the word ‘vintage’ is the idea of something being high quality and appealing,” Ryan added.