About Our Farm

Church View Farm

A Sustainable Artisan Farm

About Our Farm

Church View Farm is located in Hampshire County, WV in the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia. The farm is near the small village of Three Churches, WV which is about 10 miles from the county seat of Romney, WV, the oldest town in WV. We follow sustainable agricultural practices which generally means we avoid toxic pesticides and other things which can contaminate the food supply. We believe that local food products are healthier and safer for all of us. All of our animals are pastured on grasses, resulting in better tasting food with higher nutritional value. Read about the nutritional value of pastured products at Eatwild.com.

Thinking Globally, Eating Locally - What does that mean exactly?
It means eating food that is better for you and the environment. Locally-grown food requires less valuable natural resources to get to your table. How can you do your part? Here are some steps:
• Learn what foods are in season in your area and try to build your healthy diet around them.
• Shop at a local farm, farmers’ market, or retail market that carries fresh and local produce.
• Ask the manager or chef of your favorite restaurant, cafe, supermarket and/or cafeteria how much of the food on the menu is locally grown, and then encourage him or her to source food locally.
• Buy extra quantities of your favorite fruit or vegetable when it is in season and experiment with freezing, drying, canning, jamming, or otherwise preserving it for a later date.
• Plant a garden and grow as much of your own food as possible.

You can learn about developing a diet based upon healthly local food at 100milediet.org.

Key Reasons for Buying Locally-Grown Food

BIOLOGICAL Freshness and taste- Locally-grown fruits and vegetables are usually harvested within 24 hours of being purchased. Produce picked and eaten at the height of ripeness tastes better. Imported produce from distant places can't be that fresh and is often treated with preservatives to endure a long haul and storage. Variety- Farmers markets can offer produce varieties bred for taste and beauty rather than for shipping and long shelf life.

ECONOMIC Regional economic vitality- If residents spent $10 (of their total grocery dollars) every week on locally grown food, that would amount to a significant amount every month invested in local people, local farms, and independent local businesses.

POLITICAL "Homeland Security"- Dependence on far away food sources leaves us vulnerable to supply disruptions, and reduces any real accountability and relationship between producers and consumers. Buying locally grown food is a community-building process that supports diversified farms, producing a wide variety of food crops for local consumption.

FOOD SAFETY After reading the New York Times bestseller Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, or seeing the PBS FRONTLINE report on "Modern Meat," you will realize that food from a global supermarket is troublesome, and that strengthening local food connections is a practical necessity.

ENERGY CONSERVATION An average food item travels nearly 1,600 miles before reaching our tables. In contrast, fruit and vegetables sold at Farmers Markets have traveled an average of 15 miles or so. Buying locally significantly reduces the energy used in packaging, shipping, distributing and retailing.

ETHICAL A new way of eating- A growing number of people are interested in knowing how their food was grown and who raised it. Did the farmer receive a living wage? Was the land properly cared for? Were pesticides and antibiotics used routinely? Was the working condition of people who processed the meat safe and just? Current food labels are silent about all of these questions. Consumers closer to their food source can find answers to these questions.