Quote Originally Posted by Atlas View Post
Right now the USDA sanctioned 'free-range' only regards poultry, so any free-range pigs, eggs, cows - that's all marketing. Similarly 'natural' can be whatever the producers want it to be. Hopefully other certifiers, like Oregon Tilth, will become more common for livestock like they have for other products. They seem to have much higher standards than the USDA regulations.
Free-range is NOT all marketing if you follow the basic guidelines outlined in Jo Robinson's book and website www.eatwild.com:
  • buy locally
  • visit the farm before you buy
  • talk with the farmers about their practices
I'm married to a farmer and I live in a farming community. Some farmers treat their animals far worse than they treat their machines. Others treat them with respect and concern.