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NEWS
KANSAN.COM
Kevin Ford, local farmer, recycles dairy for livestock
REBECCA DOWD
@Beccapfleger0
Two weeks ago, Kevin Ford packed his family and farm into two semitrailers and moved to Wakarusa from St. Leo, escaping the hail storms and grasshoppers that destroyed his family's 5-acre produce garden.
The family agreed to leave their old life behind in hopes of finding economic prosperity by selling their carefully raised pork and poultry at the Lawrence Farmers' Market.
Ford dubs his unconventional farming technique as "feeding two birds with one seed" — that is, with expired dairy products.
"By feeding our pigs almost-expired milk we provide a marbled and tender meat, as well as eliminating wasted milk," Ford said.
He discovered feeding pigs and chickens whey and dairy products caused their meat to be flavorful and
lean and also solved a major problem of wasted dairy.
Mary Ford, Kevin's wife, said he is the brain behind the farm. His techniques, she said, are a major part of why the family has been able to stay afloat in an industry dominated by mass production and factory farms.
Mass production of meat, eggs and dairy makes it difficult for local farms to compete with factory farms because of sheer costs, according to the Organic Consumer Association. However, some local farms can compete against factory farms because they guarantee food without hormones and their animals are free-range. Ford's farm is one of them.
"Our egg yolks are dark orange, and have high levels of omega-3, which is distinctively different than store-bought eggs," Ford said.
Consumers are more familiar with yellow yolks, which are caused by hormones. Ford said the yolks are orange in his chickens' eggs because he allows them to range freely across the farm eating greens and insects.
Still, factory farms are able to produce more meat and eggs for less money because of advances in genetic manipulation. In turn, the number of farms in the U.S. has dropped from 900,000 to 139,000 in 20 years due to competition, according to the OCA.
Ford's natural, sustainable farming methods aim to provide healthy food to the local Lawrence community, and he attends the Lawrence Farmers' Market weekly. While Ford continues to compete with factories producing cheap meat, he said the move to Lawrence keeps his farm from facing yearly uncontrollable weather.
PHOTOS BY VALERIE HAAG/KANSAN
Top: Kevin Ford converses with customers wanting to buy tenderized meat at the Lawrence Farmers' Market Saturday. Ford and his wife both have pasture-raised pork, chicken, and eggs at the Prairie Hoof Farm.
Bottom: Pigs are pasture-raised and fed almost-expired milk to provide a more tenderized and lean meat from the Prairie Hoof Farm owned by Kevin and Mary Ford. The Fords recently moved to Wakarusa from St. Leo and hope to grow their farming business with the Lawrence Farmers' Market.
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