If there is one thing that keeps coming to mind as food and fuel prices go up it’s the curious urge to make sure we are getting what we are actually paying for. Even before inflation kicked in a lot of folks were wondering about what was in their food. Here in Canyon County, we are the bread basket of SW Idaho with over 180 crops and ag products being raised in our back yard. Agriculture actually accounts for just shy of $700,000,000 in annual sales in Canyon County. From apricots to teff, wine to beef or cherries and honey, there are a lot of folks out on the AgVenture Trail making sure they can put high-quality food in our pots, in our glasses, and on our grills.
One of those producers, McIntyre Pastures, has just opened a new farm store out south of Lizard Butte on their sloping farm overlooking the Snake River. With family farming roots stretching back to 1909, growing crops isn’t new to these hard-working folks. When the latest generation came back to the farm in 2009, they started to realize that the health of the soil was the key to their future. With a commitment to no-till farming, soil conservation, soil health, and grazing rotations the McIntyre clan started to reinvest in the ground they currently farm
By bringing back cattle and hogs to the land, they started to rebuild the soil. The larger animals also helped make the decision to bring back pasture-raised chickens and poultry to help deal with the “side effects” of hogs and cows. As the biology got healthier and flocks and herds grew, more folks heard about the quality of the products they were selling at local farmers’ markets and local specialty retailers. They had a tiny shed with some freezers for onsite sales but they quickly outgrew that space.
Starting in June of 2022, you can cut out the middleman and purchase their quality Grass-Fed Beef, Pastured Pork and Poultry, eggs and produce right on the farm at 17708 Lewis Lane in Caldwell (Closer to Marsing). While it might not be possible to source all the food for your family from local suppliers, it is vitally important to support these intrepid folks whenever we can. Whether you swing by Peaceful Belly Farms, Lakeview Fruit, a local market like Cliff’s Country Market, or the Destination Caldwell’s Farm to Fork Farmers’ Market, this is one way you can make sure you are helping to secure our local food supply for the future and also ensure you have fantastic, healthy food on your plate right now!
Remember, eat local when you can. If we don’t have farmers, we won’t have food, or wine, or beer so we all have a vested interest in making sure we help farmers plant crops as well as houses in this fertile county we all can share!
The Wandering Ambassador
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