What did you have for dinner last night? There’s a pretty good chance your answer is chicken. According to the National Chicken Council, Americans eat chicken an average of 4.5 times every two weeks.

If you did answer chicken, do you know what that chicken was fed? Most Americans probably don’t know the answer and it’s not a subject most people want to start delving into – especially since the answer is most likely less than appetizing. Beyond what that chicken ate, how was it raised . . . or even how was it slaughtered?

The answers are hard to come by (and usually pretty grizzly) unless you have gone out of your way to purchase chicken that’s Certified Humane. That seal is the best assurance that an egg, dairy, meat or poultry product has been produced with the welfare of the farm animal in mind. It also assures consumers that the food they’re buying was raised under conditions that animals are supposed to be raised in.

While working on a profile of Adele Douglass, the woman who created the Certified Humane seal (www.certifiedhumane.com), I had an opportunity to speak with Craig Floyd of Footsteps Farm in Stonington, CN. Floyd, who retired from the US Postal Service to pursue farming, is full of enthusiasm for what he does. He and his wife Sheryl are passionate about resurrecting the farm that’s been in the Floyd family since 1712.

The way the Floyds farm is different from most working farms. They follow many of the same techniques his ancestors used before chemicals and industrialization turned farming from a way of life into a big business. He told me how he proudly wears his Certified Humane apron when he goes to farmers markets, joking that a lot of people mis-read the apron and ask him what it means to be “Certified Human.”

The thing is, Floyd is actually a fitting example of the word human. Used as a noun, human means a person – which of course, he is – but so is everybody else. However, when used as an adjective human describes the “characteristic of people’s better qualities, such as kindness or sensitivity.” Craig Floyd represents the human side of being a farmer – yes, even to the point that I would say he should be “Certified Human.”

“We do things a little bit differently here on our farm,” he says. “We treat all of our animals with respect.” Floyd says his animals are like family and he even names all his livestock (and some of the chickens).

“Our personal belief is that the Lord put animals on this earth for our consumption but it must be done with respect. We gather our chickens on Friday night in a trailer and we try to keep them calm. Anytime you stress an animal you change the flavor and the tenderness of the meat. Saturday morning is when it’s time for them to go. We give thanks to the Lord for giving us these chickens and we give thanks to each and every chicken for giving their lives for us.”

In addition to chickens, Footsteps Farm raises pigs and cows. They have a wonderful website (www.footstepsfarm.com) that includes both a journal of their farming experiences and a blog. It’s a great place to visit, especially if you’re interested in the human side of farming.

-Michele Harris

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”

I happened upon this quote as I randomly surfed the internet looking for inspiration for my blog. This particular quote grabbed my attention because it speaks to the three words printed just under the masthead of THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE – Inform, Inspire, Involve.

We reporters strive to give the stories we write for the Trib those three qualities. Given the limited amount of space available in the print Trib each month, there’s always more “good news” than there is room to print it.

The need for good news, however, has never been greater. The war, the economy, gas prices, food shortages, natural disasters, the list of bad news grows longer each day.

Despite all that, there are people who are themselves good news. People who are finding out how great they can be; How much they can love; What they can accomplish; What their potential is; and just to raise the bar up a few notches, these folks are doing it in the second half of their lives.

So – without further ado, I name my blog “And now for some good news . . .” In this space I will share some of those tidbits all reporters collect – impressions, quotes, and observations that might not make it into a full blown story – but are worth sharing nonetheless.

By the way, the author of the quote might surprise you. She was born June 12, 1929, and had she lived, she would have just celebrated her 79th birthday. She made a huge impact by declaring her unshakable belief in the goodness of humans, despite the horrific circumstances of her own short life – and her book, first published in 1950, is still one of the most widely read in the world.

The author of the quote is none other than Anne Frank.

A funny thing happened to me at AARP’s Life@50+ expo in Boston which attracted over 25,000 attendees this year. The sheer number of attendees attracted anyone with something to sell – be it back medicine, LASIK surgery, a new book or even a presidential platform. I am not old enough to qualify as a member of AARP, but as a reporter for The Erickson Tribune, I was there to report on the event and take photos to go along with the stories I’d file. That’s where the funny thing comes in. Read the rest of this entry »