UPDATED 4/18/23: A few of you asked about the meat vaccine status for these farms, so I've updated some of the below info to address that based on information I received from the farms directly in early 2023 (before April 2023).
With rising costs of food and my desire to feed our family with more organic, non-GMO, healthier, and ideally locally-grown or raised foods, I decided to start buying fresh from nearby farms whenever possible. This has helped me limit my buying from biz big grocery stores (though there are still a few things I get from Kroger or Aldi, as needed). I'm currently using Fresh Harvest and loving it! It allows me to get a variety of produce (fruits and veggies), meats, eggs, dairy, and so much more, all in one order from many different farms. I've also tried Rise n Shine and liked that too! That one just has fewer options to choose from.
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Fresh Harvest (mostly GA local, delivery subscription) - GET $20 OFF YOUR FIRST FRESH HARVEST ORDER
Produce
Dairy & Eggsods
Dairy & eggs
Meat & Seafood
Bakery
Snacks
Drinks
Pantry
Health & home
And more!
VAX INFO:
- Wauka Meadows Farms: "We do use a non-gmo feed and some of our feed is organic, we are trying to grow more of our own feed. We do not vaccinate any of our animals and we do not lock the chickens up, we have guard dogs that protect them. We do not use any chemicals or commercial fertilizer on our pastures."
- Four Bellies: "Chicks are often vaccinated for Marek's at hatching. We choose NOT to do this. None of our poultry receives vaccinations or GMO's."
- White Oak Pastures: "Our ruminants are vaccinated. We vaccinate against pinkeye, vibrio, lepto, and respiratory illnesses. Our chicks come already vaccinated. Our hogs have no scheduled vaccine at wean. Dewormer will be used if any issues come up later in life, but this does not happen often. We try to do everything we can to avoid any vaccines. We do not give any mRNA or Covid vaccines! Our meat is not certified organic, this is because we believe that our way goes even further, and you can read about that right here! Our cows and lamb are grass-fed and grass-finished, and/or other animals also graze but are fed a non-GMO feed to supplement."
- Hunter Cattle Co: "We don't use antibiotics or steroids. We do not feed anything but grass and minerals that are free from GMOs. With cattle herds, in accordance to the requirements American Grassfed Association and Global Animal Partnership that we are members of, we do have to vaccinate our herds. We use vaccination for healthy cattle 3 months of age or older as an aid in the prevention of disease caused by Clostridium tetani, C. chauvoei, C. septicum, C. novyi Type B, C. haemolyticum, C. sordellii, and C. perfringens Types C & D. Even meat certified as organic is allowed to use vaccines. It is part of the herd preservation and animal well-being."
- Pine Street Market: "All our pork from Riverview Farms and all our chicken from Springer Mtn Farms are fed non-GMO feed, both companies implement organic practices but are not certified. Please know there are no COVID vaccine or mRNA vaccine authorized to be used for any agriculture animals. There seems to be some recent misinformation being shared on this topic."
- Riverview Farms: "Our animals are fed organic/non-gmo. We do vaccinate the sows and the heifers. No vaccines for Covid or mRNA."
- Springer Mountain Farms: "In regards to your email, our fresh chicken products are Non-GMA Project Verified, while our frozen chicken products are not Non-GMO Project Verified. Unfortunately, we are not able to source enough American-grown, Non-GMO grains to feed all of the chickens that we raise. We do vaccinate the chickens. These vaccines are administered to immunize the birds against diseases. USDA approves vaccines for animals. If you are inquiring about the recent concern of mRNA vaccines, you’ll be happy to know that there are NO mRNA vaccines approved for use in poultry, so we have not, do not, and will not administer those to our chickens. mRNAs are approved by the FDA for use in humans only."
- Mountain Fresh Creamery: "Our milk is not organic or non-gmo. We grow feed here on the farm and we buy protein such as ground corn and soybean meal, and our cows are fed a total mixed ration. They also have access to pasture when weather permits and are on grass during that time to make up some of their intake. We do vaccinate with a respiratory vaccine (bovishield gold) and also use a clostridial and ecoli vaccine, as well."
- Southern Swiss Dairy: "We don’t feed organic, as we live in a huge farming community and if we grew organic feed, it would be cross-pollinated with nonorganic. Our cows are important to us and not just any replacement would be ok. Yes, we do vaccinate to keep our cattle healthy. We have wildlife amongst us and deer and wild hogs carry a variety of diseases that do transmit to cattle, as do flies and mosquitoes. We hope our girls live a long healthy life, some as long as 18 years. I’ve not heard anything about COVID/mRNA vaccines... I have friends that are salesmen of the cow medical companies, and I’ve not heard anything."
- Banner Butter: TBD
- Carrell Farms: "Our livestock are 100% forage fed. Our forages are organically grown and non-GMO. Our buffalo are not vaccinated for anything. Our sheep receive a C,D,&T vaccine."
- Choate Family Farms: "Our lambs are pasture raised and rotated among seasonal grasses. Our focus is to create a nutritional program that is most responsive to the development stages of the lamb. We engage in real-time evaluation of nutritional needs based on developmental stages which will sometimes include a small amount of all-natural feed. There is no law/requirement for us to give the Covid-19 vaccine to our animals and Choate Family Farms has no intention to give this vaccine. Each year we do administer a CD&T vaccine which is universally recommended by vets and major universities that specializes in veterinary/farming practices and also recommended by the University of Georgia. This protects healthy sheep against clostridium perfringins type C and D (overeating disease) and clostridium tetani (tetanus)."
- HERO Farms: TBD
- Porter Road: "All of our beef is pasture raised for the vast majority of their lives, so they feed on all that nature provides, and are never fed hormones or antibiotics. On the pasture we introduce a custom non-GMO grain blend (consisting of corn, soy, and hay silage) to ‘finish’ the beef about 90 days before slaughter. While our farmers abstain from the use of antibiotics and added hormones, the beef are vaccinated to prevent illness from easily preventable diseases such as IBR, BVD, BRSV, Haemophilus Somnus, and clostridial bacteria. All the beef receives a round of shots around weaning, and booster shots at 8-12 months. Brood cows receive booster shots yearly. These shots are standard practice across all types of farming and help ensure the health of the herd. We don’t want any animal to suffer unnecessarily and also want to uphold our promise to you of antibiotic-free meat. In the case that an animal is sick and needs to be treated with antibiotics, our farmers make sure that the beef is treated appropriately (with the help of a vet), then the animal has diverted away from Porter Road’s supply chain. Unfortunately, we do not have an official statement on [mRNA/COVID vaccines] yet. I recommend periodically checking for updates on our FAQ. The issue is being carefully considered by the team."
- Piedmont BBQ Co: "None of our proteins are certified organic. We source our chicken from Springer Mountain Farms. Our pork and beef are from a variety of local sources including HERO Farms, Evans Meats, and ATL Food Hub."
- The Spotted Trotter: "As with ALL our animal proteins, we will only use meats from farmers who raise and treat their animals with the highest utmost respect. Therefore, all the meats are Humanely Sourced, Antibiotic Free, Hormone Free, and pasture-raised."
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Rise n Shine Organic Farm in Calhoun (local, delivery subscription via Harvie) - GET $25 OFF YOUR FIRST RISE N SHINE ORDER OF $250+
produce, dairy, eggs, bread, spices, and more
VAX INFO: Chicks vaccinated at birth but no others after that, and they aren't using any "new" vaccine at this time. Their beef comes from another farm - Riverview Farms - and it is grassfed and grass-finished, but I don't know their medical plans for the cows.
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Farm Fresh Beef & Produce in Ball Ground (pick up)
whole or 1/2 beef and pork
Chicken
Eggs
Raw milk
Vegetables
Cheese, butter, canned goods
Pot pies, cookies, cakes, baked goods, bread, meals
VAX INFO: TBD
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Elsberry Riding and Farm in Rockmart (pick up)
1/2, 1/4, or 1/8 black angus beef
1/4, 1/2, or whole hog
Ground beef
Whole chicken
VAX INFO: TDB
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Texga Farm in Clarkesville (pick up or delivery)
Beef only
VAX INFO: "All of our steers do not receive any antibiotics or hormones. We use a free-choice feeding program where our steers spend their entire life on pasture with plenty of established fescue grass while also being given access to our locally mixed feed ration that is specifically formulated to complement their grass intake. The feed includes cracked corn, cottonseed hulls, soybean hulls and dried distillers grains. Approximately 92% of corn grown in the United States is genetically engineered. The benefit of this is that those corn crops require less water to grow, less land and far less herbicides and pesticides than non-GMO corn. The feed company we work with does buy their feed inputs from a variety of producers and brokers throughout GA and neighboring states and while some actually do grow non-GMO corn a majority of them do use a genetically engineered variety."
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Snapfinger Farm in Henry County (local, delivery subscription via Harvie)
Fruits, veggies, bread, eggs, flowers, and herbs
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Alo Farms in Peachtree City (local, pick up or delivery)
Produce
Other local products
Comment below with your local Atlanta-area food farm info, and I'll add it to this list!
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Local Farmers Markets
You can also shop at your local farmers' market! we are in Marietta, but honestly, we haven't been yet. I hope to check it out soon!
Marietta Square Farmers Market (all year, Saturdays 9am-12pm, local pick up)
Comment below with your local Atlanta-area farmers market info, and I'll add it to this list!
[DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU! PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.]