In About Ten Minutes, This Pig Farmer Will Show You Everything Wrong With the World of Processed Meat

 

There used to be a time when farm animals roamed freely on the land in an idyllic system of family farms, which are incredible for the health of animals and the environment.

Some farmers like Mark Baker, who raises heritage pigs on pastures with non-GMO feed and plenty of fresh, green grass and dark brown mud pits for them to roam in, insist that the natural way is still the best way to do things.

Despite the growing number of farmers who care for their animals this way and feed them natural diets, farmers like Baker are still persecuted. Life can be difficult for farmers like Baker, but they have continued to ‘fight the good fight’ with a stated goal to improve the food system one day and one animal at a time.

Farmer Says He’s Been Persecuted By the U.S. Government 

In 2015, Baker and his wife Jill had all of the pork confiscated from their farm, ‘Baker’s Green Acres,’ because of what the advocacy organization ‘Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund’ described as “trumped up allegations of selling either uninspected or mislabeled pork products to a restaurant.”

The Michigan Department of Agriculture has harrassed Mark and Jill in an ongoing rift that lasted for several years, during which the the couple’s “illegal prosciutto” was seized at a restaurant.

Restaurants were allegedly harassed and told by the state Department of Agriculture not to accept Mark’s pork products. Butchers were pressured not to work with him and the Baker’s Acres farm.

The Bakers’ local butcher was repeatedly messaged and harassed by the Michigan state veterinarian as he went through the door to process his pigs, one of several incidents that showed how closely the Bakers have been watched.

One follower of the case and supporter of the Bakers had words to share in a post on the Defense Fund’s website.

“Now, if the state vet gets to decide ultimately whether you keep your license or not, would you continue to take questionable animals?

“Do you see how this is beginning to work? Nothing concrete, just subtle hints dropped to get the desired results. Boy, it must be great to be king.”

Despite suing the state’s DNR and having their heritage pigs declared legal and free to sell a year earlier, the persecution continued, culminating with a clandestine raid of the couple’s Marion, MI operations in December 2015.

The harassment happened under the banner of safety concerns.

The Bakers have continued to build and improve their operations since, relying on the power and unity, family and community to stay in business.

In 2024, Baker’s Acres remains in business. The organization operates out of Kalamazoo County, Michigan in the community of Sutton’s Bay.

Factory Farms Get Free Reign to Poison The Environment 

Factory farm polluters (including one shown in drone footage in North Carolina continue to poison the environment with toxic “lakes” of feces, urine, and other contaminants).

These farms have overtaken the landscapes in several regions and created environments filled with toxic sewer sludge, glyphosate and Roundup pesticides, feces and other animal waste.

A 2023 estimate shared by reporter Hannah Ritchie showed that 73% of animals raised for food worldwide live on factory farms. If you live in the United States, it’s more difficult to find meat and seafood that is not raised in a factory farmed setting. A 2017 study found that 99% of United States livestock raised for food is raised in factory farm conditions like the ones shown below, accounting for 10 billion animals total.

Watch the drone footage of a toxic factory farm for pork production in North Carolina:

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Mark’s Farm is Different – With Pasture Raised Animals and Organic Feed

Baker takes the time to film videos that show the audience how he raises his pigs in a closed-loop manner where factors like cover crops, soil quality, and crops that heal and build the soil (like clover, which is used to fix nitrogen) combine to form a healthy farm and home.

His herd of pigs roams free. It feasts on clover and radishes, along with acorns and other delicacies. Baker’s homestead is a healthy one with healthy soil, food and animals.

Despite harassment from the government, Baker and his farm remain. The ]family still showcases the benefits of its homestead in 2024, an oasis of land that produces food for those who live on it and those who order food from outside areas.

The lead farmer, Baker’s Acres’ most recognizable face and personality, said the soil is one of the top components of his method to grow healthy food and raise healthy animals.

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“Soil is a key component to a successful homesteading operation,” Baker has said in the past.

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“Homesteading is about fertility; fertility of the mind, fertility of the body, fertility of the land…It’s all really true.”

You can follow Baker’s Acres on social media here.

Check out videos of Baker’s Acres on YouTube and feel free to let us know what you think if you have a chance.

The first video shows how Baker’s farm differs from others across the country and why it is has been the subject of government scrutiny and harassment:

Thanks for reading! You can support the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund at their shop here. You can also find the best organic, pasture-raised meat for 20% off by clicking on this link. 

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