ch-ch-ch-changes

As many of you have heard, there are changes in our herd....

In beginning the Collective, Kim decided to take a new direction with her farming and good food journey.

I'm sure all of you know how much Kim loves her piggies. Especially Easton folks, you've heard plenty of tales- the "teenagers" mischief, Peppa learning to sit, you've probably even met some piglets at market. Kim knows everyone's names, their personalities, their quirks, and even what kind of marshmallow they prefer. She plants cherry tomatoes and raspberries for them outside their pasture so they can reach the fruits they love so much without destroying the plants. She knows who is grumpy that day, knows who is best friends with who. Kim loves her pigs.

So you know deciding to change her farm focus wasn't easy. However, as Kim said "every farm needs a succession plan and as I get older I need to think about and accept my physical and time limitations. I didn't want to pass up someone who was a perfect fit and who was able to do the work well." Although it's well known that Kim is Super Woman and couldn't stop living her mission of bringing good food to people if she tried, she's decided to take it in a different direction. "Working together as a Collective we can achieve more," has become her mantra.

Farming can often be a lonely and brutal pursuit. In our modern food system, economies of scale are pushing food toward lower consumer prices and lower quality and nutrient density, while the average farmer receives only $0.14 of every food dollar spent. Working as a Collective allows our farmers to focus on the thing they're fantastic at-farming, while we bring their product into new markets. We're not buying and selling- we're a community of like minded people who want to do good and do well, to lift each other up, and to help make farming well and eating well a little easier for everyone.

So while Kim is focusing on running the Collective, she has found the perfect match for her piggy friends. Kim is excited to welcome the Perez family and Abundant Grace Farm to the Black Bottom Farm family.

Brian Perez has purchased the Black Bottom pigs and will be raising them under Kim's mentorship for the next year before he is working with them independently. Upon retiring from the Army after 25 years of service, Brian felt called to grow good food for his family and others. He and his wife Jessica wanted to raise their two boys on a farm, to feed them as well as possible, and to be good stewards of the land. Brian was "just sick of the food system, even Organics," and knew he could make it better.

He has a passion for quality, nutrient dense food and high hopes of producing it for as many people as possible. He sees this pursuit through a lens of very down-to-earth sustainability, "The goal is not to get the most out of the land. The goal is to make it better than we found it."

Although Kim is still the reining queen of piggy belly rubs, Brian is fast winning over the (sometimes skeptical, and usually change-averse) herd. He's the first to recognize when a pig hasn't come up to eat and quick to go check on the missing lady (don't worry, Nipper was just comfy in her nest and not ready to give it up!).

But, this is a process. Just like any business (especially farm) succession plan, it's gradual. In fact, it's more gradual than most. In how many other businesses would you share lunch with both bosses and the employees for a month? Right now, Kim and Brian are taking turns and feeding the pigs together, so the herd isn't stressed out by too much change and can get to know Brian at a comfortable pace. For now the pigs are staying at Black Bottom, but will eventually move to Brian's farm in Denton. Soon, Matt Shultz of Trouw Bidden Farm will begin to grow vegetables for the Collective on this land (more on that later). But this will all take time-there's a lot to learn, and Kim and Brian both want to ensure the same quality of care to the pigs and the land, as well as the same quality of product to you.

So you'll see Brian at markets with Kim (come say hi!). You'll see some label changes in the pork soon, as well. But know that these are still Kim's beloved Black Bottom herd, and they're still being cared for in the Black Bottom way.

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