Farm Aid 2023

This year we were invited to participate in Farm Aid 2023, in a variety of ways. From great discussions to great food, we had a fantastic experience and are grateful for it!

Earlier this year, we were contacted by the organizers of Farm Aid. What was first an interest in coming to our farm to learn more about our regenerative methods, and shooting videos and such, turned into a relationship that culminated in our selling of over 1000 pounds of beef to their culinary team!

First, we want to thank the organizers for the time they put into researching what we do, our history, and why we feel our work is so important. They took the time to learn about the Indiana Value Chain Network, of which we are a part, and highlighted many of those farmers and producers throughout.

If you have time, check out the videos of highlighted farmers here.

Events of this scale are important for many reasons. Using the fame and popularity of not only the brand of Farm Aid, and its series of successful events over the years, but also the talent involved that use their platforms for good. That matters. Gathering so many people in one place to share the message of what farmers struggle with, how we as consumers can better support them, and most important of all: learning where your food comes from. 

We were honored to be able to share our story on-stage with so many talented people in the hours leading up to the concert. It was also an amazing feeling to know that many of the attendees AND artists were eating our burgers, short ribs, brisket, and more!

You can watch our video here. 

Sharing this experience with our family and friends was a memory we will keep for some time. Thinking about our role in our local food system and the event overall sparked some thoughts we wanted to share with you here.

"It was great to be recognized by the Farm Aid team as a farm that demonstrated the values that Farm Aid represents. By inviting them to our farm, we were able to provide a glimpse into multi-generational family farming in Indiana. The Farm Aid group was specifically interested in our transformation from a conventional farm into a regenerative agriculture farm that had carved out a direct-to-market supply chain that not only includes products from our farm, but also other local producers. At the festival, it was great to see the advocacy and awareness component of agriculture. Sometimes we feel like the industry has insulated the voice of family farmers, so it was encouraging to be surrounded by groups in support of this mission of speaking on behalf of family farms, like ours. We were able to sit on the same stage as famous artists and hold the mic as we spoke about the role that consumers play in asking for more information about where their food comes from and the role that plays upstream in allowing family farms, like us, to continue." Joseph Fischer

"The Farm Aid concert was a great opportunity to highlight our work at Fischer Farms with carbon sequestration and reducing cattle emissions.  Farm Aid’s theme this year was agriculture’s role in mitigating climate change.  Fischer Farms was selected by the USDA to create a Life Cycle Analysis model for beef production that is focused on reducing the carbon footprint while producing premium quality beef.  Fischer Farms is working with lead scientists from Carbon Solutions and Geospherics in Bloomington, IN, Indiana University, Purdue University and Dr. Craig Rasmussen with the University of Arizona." Dave Fischer 

Craig Rasmussen, professor of environmental science at the University of Arizona and a Geospherics consultant, visited our farm in June.

“Fischer Farms provides an excellent opportunity to measure changes in soil health and soil-organic carbon because it includes fields that have been under these management systems for over a decade to those that are just starting the system this year, providing a time sequence of change,” Dr Craig Rasmussen

Fischer Farms is demonstrating carbon sequestration practices on their farm and incentivizing other farmers to adopt these practices which include forage cover crops, no-till, as well as nutrient & feed management. Combined, these processes can make beef carbon negative and produce premium quality beef.

If you would like to learn more about our on-farm practices, our experience at Farm Aid, or how you can become a part of our regional farmer network- contact Joseph Fischer at Joseph@FFNatural.com