DO SMALL FARM PRODUCTS TASTE BETTER? a side-by-side comparison 

Hi Pete from a fellow small Dexter farmer in Ireland. I follow you since you had less than 200 subscribers. Great to see your numbers went up a lot this year. You and your family do a fantastic job on your farm and youtube. We share the same principles and raise Dexters, pigs and hens on pasture. Just as you say the breed and how you raise them makes a huge difference. Farmers like us have to work hard to get the well deserved return. Thank You for sharing your views and learnings with all of us and help people educate why small farms are the future!

True story: we immigrated from Eastern Europe to Canada. I was young, but My parents said everything lacked flavor. Bread, buns, milk, cheese, meat, eggs, veggies, fruit. I heard that for many years after we landed. Now we grow our own as much as possible.

The small farm beef just looks so much more tasty.

The first time I saw a pasture raised egg compared to a grocery store egg, I switched to pasture raised. What a difference!! They taste like the eggs I used to eat in the U.K. We have been cheated and taught to eat garbage food instead of healthy food. Blessings.

Everything stated is true. I love the conviction to your craft sir. Folks, go to your farmers market and enjoy.

Way to go! Give 'em some stick, Pete, give 'em some stick. That's telling it like it is. The big store products are disgustingly tasteless and I blame a lot of this on the various State University food laboratories . I've worked in them. Sold their souls and produced long-lasting garbage for their supermarket paymasters. As an example, we once could buy delicious and aromatic tomatoes; now they are rock hard and tasteless, and they should sell them to the Navy as designer cannon balls. And dont dare to read the frightening list of chemicals they cram into this crap. Well done, Pete.

Definitely could taste the difference when my family was butchering our own cows compared to meat from a super market. I also agree fresh fruit from the plant is a lot nicer as well.

Hey, man. My wife and I just started our first farmstead on 6.6 acres. I watched this vid and subbed right away. Looking forward to learning.

The blandness in USA food might explain why literary every time I see somebody cooking it’s smothered in some type of source or dry flavour mix.

Yes. The stuff I grow tastes like freedom. Dexter beef and milk is delicious too.

I found your channel a few weeks ago, and trying to binge watch the videos. This one really made me think. During the pandemic and with the food shortages, this route has been in my mind, but seeing this video, I researched local farms in my community that sale at our local farmers market and I'm looking forward to this Saturday shopping and buying in a new way for me. We have a few raised beds and have enjoyed growing some vegetables for us, and I've always loved going to farmers markets, buy never committed to get my meats and eggs from there. It's on now! LOL. Thank you! We love watching your channel from NC.

We are slowly working towards at a minimum, growing our own meat and eggs and produce. We currently buy pork and beef from local ranches. About 5 yrs ago, I bought my first local beef. The first steaks we cooked took me back to childhood when "real" meat was available in the grocery stores. Thanks for the great videos and inspiration. My biggest take away from all your videos is, I'm gonna need more land

Amen to all of that Pete. We raise our food for ourselves. Tried selling some locally, but people mostly aren't willing to pay a premium price for premium food, so we quit trying to educate them.

This is quite the eye-opening lesson on the quality of mass produced meat and eggs vs that produced by small farms and sold at farmer’s markets. Thank you. I’m now going to search the area where I live for farmer’s markets.

Wow Pete!!! Outstanding comparison of food, and a great explanation of what goes into our food. Great video!!!!!!!

My parents used raised hogs until about 15 years ago. They are a relatively small farm. I think we had 2 herds of about 15-20 sows each. Our pigs wen't raised on grass, but they did spend most of their lives on dirt (the sows were only in crates when the pigs were born mostly to minimize how many were squished and were still let out to eat and drink). We hauled them to the sale barn on the back of our pickup most of my childhood. Anyway - it was pretty apparent the buyers could tell the kind of live our pigs lived just by looking at them. Ours frequently took the highest bid the days we had pigs at the auction. They eventually gave up because they didn't have the volume to compete with factor producers on price. I don't think they ever considered direct-to-consumer sales. We're in a pretty low population area, which would make it hard anyway and I don't think they wanted to have to deal with people every weekend.

I was skeptical before we started our small farm the first food ready was eggs I couldn’t believe the color. My wife started selling that at work she’s a medical assistant and I had to ask her to slow down bc our family was buying eggs because we were sold out of our own needles to say I was a 100% believer after this and everything in this video is so true we have old spots and Spanish turkeys all better btw turkeys are the best examples of taste difference your videos are amazing 🤩

Just subbed to you from Australia. As a retired professional chef, I couldn't agree with you more !!.

Pete you are so right they picture are worth a thousand words

Pete I really enjoy the videos you are providing. This was the first time i was a little set back and only one statement. We also run a very small beef operation here in Wisconsin, 100% grass fed and grass finished farm to table. Your reference to the Angus breed, we raise Red Angus is somewhat of an personal opinion. Ours are not the commercial size nor breeding but a throw back to the original size before the commercial ranchers meddled with them. Much small and do wonderfully on our grass. Agree on the 15 months for the commercial Angus as ours are 25 months minimum before I would call finished. So your point regarding how the animals are raised and treated are even more evident in our case. Sorry but just like you and the Dexter breed I am very passionate regarding the "original Angus" breed when it comes to temperament, mothering and flourishing in a complete grass pasture environment.

This is the most important video of this channel. And it even goes beyond taste, it affects the environment and the maintenance of our farmland. Bravo!

It’s not just America I’m in Northern Ireland and find the same.

“It’s just nasty!” I couldn’t agree more. Great video Pete!

I grew up in the city, we did have family that raised cows, pigs, eggs, chickens and they had a horse corral for the horses they liked to show. Get to know your small farmer and buy from them as much as you can. We split a whole beef every year. And we got chicken and eggs. We were lucky, today we are lucky to have a independent butcher who has sent use to some farms to talk to the farmers. We see the animals and are welcome to come visit anytime we want. They have some time restrictions because they have to. We go out and pick our beef. The farm sends it with our name on the animal and we are called when we can come pick up our meat. Get as close to your food as you can.

I agree! I go to the supermarket every year and it some years it’s okay some years it’s bland. Then I go to my mothers or grandfathers he has a garden and his thing were fantastic, my grandfather had a farm very similar to yours. He had a lot of farms an Allie charmers and a David brown. The David brown is still running today with the original engine and not many major fixes so far, just minor changes. Also it looks like breeds of pigs have to be raised in the right state or you don’t get good meet... Anyway thanks for the video Pete, I love these sort of videos, they are a lot more in depth, I showed my friends your channel and I brought 5 more people to your channel and I am just thankful for what you teach us! Thanks Pete have a good day!

This is so true. I've found every product I've bought from a regenerative farm has tasted much better than anything I bought previously, including a steak I got at a steak restaurant in March. That includes cheese, milk, and butter, btw. I've even switched to raw cream and milk from a dairy about 110 miles from here that is moving their cows to fresh grass every day, and their products are delicious. It's a great feeling thinking what little I do eat (I'm a widow) is grown in a manner that helps the earth rather than depleting it of fertility. And the animals are very happy, too. And btw, I never really had raw milk before, but I'm on my second half gallon, and it hasn't killed me yet or made me sick. :) It's nice to know I'm getting the real deal while I support a regenerative ranch. Very nice!

When I worked in military commissaries, that steak of yours with the big bone was called a "pin-bone" steak. They were never put out for sale, but we squirreled them away for our own purchases.

I live in a small town, more urban and rural, and I started a garden and bought some chicks in April 2020, just because I was worried about food security for my family during a time of uncertain future. I will never go back to store-bought eggs or produce! I am getting ready to purchase a very small farm (5 acres) and will be raising some heritage hogs for meat and a few Dexters for meat and milk. I so appreciate your insight and knowledge, and inspiration! Thank you!!

Amazing videos. I believe this happen a lot more in the states than in my country, Spain. Unless if you go to big supermarket to buy meat, which I don’t. The small supermarkets here usuallly have a butcher independent inside. When I studied my degree (economics they told me that this happen because of the fast food restaurants. They increase the way to do it and made it cheaper. So after that they went to their meat suppliers and said, if we did it fast and cheap, you must do it too

I love how excited you get when you talk about things you are passionate about.

So true on better taste on home grown food, vegetables, and farm fresh eggs.

Your absolutely right Pete that’s why I want to start my own family farm because I know and can tell the difference here in Idaho especially when I go to the farmers markets

Good word here. America is an amazing country that has food options. For families with lots of kids and tight budgets they can eat the bland food. For families with more margin in their budgets they can buy from farmers markets. It’s amazing to have options!

Could not agree more with what you have to say!! Keep the great videos coming, watching from Tasmania, down under. 🙂🙂

I grew up being self sufficient , really like you’re videos a lot of valuable information thank you, your products are by far better, good luck and god bless

Heck yeah it does! Just like you said, you know what they eat and how they taking care of!! We drive 1.5 hours inland to pick up our beef, pig, lamb, birds, etc at a family farm/butcher that been around since 1700's here in NC!!

So. Much. Wisdom! Can't thank you and yours enough, Pete! This reply is in 2022 so we all know the challenges of the current time. I hope more and more people watch these videos and take a little knowledge away from them so that they can have more control over their food and happiness.

We bought a quarter cow from a local farm this summer and wow, the steaks are SO good, the flavor is very different and what struck me was, you have a steak, it DOES NOT SHRINK really if it's fresh :) the store's is so pumped full of juices to up the weight and shrinks a lot.

Doing a great job Pete!! My wife and I love watching your videos

We raised Red Wattle X Large Black. We'd give pork to our older kids for gifts. Our son-in-law made som at a BBQ and his friends there swore it was beef and couldn't believe the color and taste.

I'm thankful to all the small farms doing what is best for consumer and the animals. Thank you for bringing awareness to this problem. I don't see it being fixed in my life time but maybe at some point.

Omg the difference is incredible. Your food looks amazing I can't believe I feed my family food from the store this is a eye opener thank you

whenever you talked about bones like they are less desirable, i know you didn't intend this because bone means flavor. I wish I lived closer to your farm!

Love your marketing approach. Reminds me of the way things used to be growing up.

Well done Pete ! I really enjoy your videos. I was inspired by Joel saleton about a 10 years ago, and I've heard you speak of him as well. I totally agree with letting the animal live the way they're intended to. The animals are so much more healthier and we are too by the food they produce. Keep up the good work !

Love your videos, nothing beats home grown food.

This principle follows through on almost everything: meat, vegetables, fruits, herbs, furniture, tools, lumber, etc. Find a craftsman, farmer, producer or manufacturer as local as possible, it's almost always more expensive but almost always superior in every way: flavor, quality, durability. My spinach lasts 6-8 weeks after cut in the fridge, can't even get 6-8 days with stuff from the store.

I grew up on a small farm where we raised almost everything we ate. As my Grandparents grew older they started to eliminate the livestock. The last thing we raised was a red Angus that kept getting out and going 2 miles down the road to be with other cows. My parents weren't into growing a big garden so it fell on my Grandparents. My grandpa raised a huge garden right up until he died. There was always enough for the whole family. You are right about the flavor of the vegetables. The home grown ones that are allowed to ripen on the vine are far more tasty than what you buy in the store. The meat is also much more flavorful. My wife had never had home grown beef until we had a family reunion on my cousins dairy farm. He always raised a beef cow for their own use. He figured he was feeding a herd of dairy cattle so one more wasn't any big deal. Plus the beef cow was out in the pasture most of the time. When my wife bit into the burger made from his beef she was amazed.

Very good points Pete. My neighbors can tell the difference between my vegetables and store-bought vegetables.

Excellent review and presentation. Another point I think about is preservatives, substances added to large commercial enterprises products. Cancer is so pervasive in our country; maybe it’s safe and maybe it’s not but how do you really know as a consumer. I trust Pete’s products and organic methods as safe food to consume not withstanding how delicious it is.

There was a time that people went to the market for flour, sugar and coffee; maybe some spices. Everything else they raised on the family farm. We can't go back to that time but your approach in marketing maybe the closet thing to what my parents experienced on the family farm. Thank you for your insightful information..😎

I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I won over some customers by offering to corn finish, because they had a negative experience trying grass fed from a farmer who improperly grazed his animals. The thing is, I doubt they ate a cup of feed per day. I drag a feed trough around the pasture, but given the choice, they like the grass more.

You bet there is a difference in quality and taste. When we moved away from the farm for a few years our kids had their first taste of store-bought ground beef. Their reaction was "Yuck, this tastes like the plastic it came wrapped in!" It is great to be back on the farm again and enjoying fresh food.

I just love listening to you I can listen to you all day if I could but thank u do much Pete !! You make America great again

I agree 100%, grocery store veggies are what’s left over same with their meat. Always buy local if possible if you want food to taste good. I was was raised eat what my grandparents grew/raised, it tasted great, it actually had taste.

I agree with the fact that you can bring premium products to the table, just wish everyone could experience the family farm quality

Surprised you didn't mention modern corn. I can't even digest it. When I was a kid August was my favorite month because we got to eat fresh corn on the cob from local farms multiple times per week.

Pete I loved your message- your vegetable and meat comparisons were spot on- your primary function should be to educate because you do it so well - modern food production is main reason our health and well being is a losing battle - remember the old adage “ you are what you eat”

Love this video. Your food is totally worth it and i think your the most reasonably priced vendor at the farmers market

Hi Mr. Pete! You can't beat homegrown.

Excellent video/s, I grew up om a small farm in Cornwall, England back in the 50's & 60's, your farm reminds of those days, we had about a dozen milking cows, we kept some milk for ourselves and made clotted cream the rest was sent to the Milk Marketing Board, our cows were guernseys, jerseys, shorthorns the old breeds same with our pigs, saddleback, landrace & Large white they lived free range often farrowing outdoors, all our poultry was free range, chickens, geese, ducks & turkeys, we knew where most of the eggs were laid but often went hunting for new egg nests, surplus eggs were sent to the egg marketing board, we would eat what ever eggs were available, I have had boiled, fried and scrambled turkey & goose eggs, when I tell my children and grandchildren they are bemused, we grew our own hay, and cut rough pasture with rushes and ferns in for animal bedding, initially hay was cut by a horse drawn mower the gearing worked off the wheels, the hay was carried in loose on a horse drawn wagon and put into ricks, we had several pieces of equipment all horse drawn, later on we bought and old Standard Fordson which started on petrol, when the engine was warm it was switched over to TVO, the horse's became redundant and were sold, the horse shafts on the equipment were sawn off and tractors hitches fitted.

All very true Pete! I WILL not eat eggs from any where but our egg laying ladys! Beef is the same way. Unbelievable the difference in taste alone! This video is so right on how people only care about the bottom line. With better food you can eat less be more full and be healthier! Well done sir!

You are such a inspiration I love watching your videos you are very knowledgeable and seem to know about little bit of everything on the farm I’ve always wanted to live on a farm never hadOpportunity but just watching you I really enjoy it so keep up the good work you and your wife and your sweet babies and don’t worry what all the bad people say I’m just now southern girl from Alabama

Hi Pete - I dare say that the ultimate consequence of commercial bulk food on our bodies is degraded health. Great video.

I can understand the difference. But you can buy higher quality meat, eggs, fruit, vegetables etc. In the Organic grocery stores and most regular grocery stores too.

Well said from an small irish beef farmer

Great vid Pete. Hope your channel continues to grow.

We have run Angus and square meter for years and we love it it tender and red like your dexter

What an excellent video. I'm looking so forward to part two. :)

Love your passion! Another great video!

God bless Pete and yours and Godspeed!

I raise domesticated red jungle fowl( cause that's native to where I live india) in foraging system. And people buy it at 4 times the price of commercial Broiler chickens. It does take a lot more time for them to grow. But people buy it because of it's taste and use of very little medicine and antibiotics.

Red meat was bred out of pork for a reason. Consumers preferred it. Same reason Cornish x took over the chicken industry, breast meat and more of it. Beef... it takes 2 weeks in a commercial processing system to go from kill to packaging. The inbetween is a cool/aging stage. I worked for IBP where the chain speed was 350 cows per hour. Pork, I worked for Murphy/Smithfield for 8 years on a 3600 head commercial sow farm. Yes the sow lines are large white/Yorkshire, but the boars/semen are duroc/spot/hamp/ etc.

We recently purchased some property and our neighbor raises beef cattle. I’m hoping to talk with him about purchasing a beef and then have it sent to the butcher and cut out the middleman and get some quality meat and support a local farmer. If I lived close to you I would do the same. Thanks for the content.

Good show. Thank you for the information. I have known for years about fruits and vegetables but the meats and eggs I didn't know. I bet you have the best-tasting meats that are out of this world. I wish I lived by your farmer's market. I would be buying from you all the time.

Not only looks and taste but nutrition! The produce thats picked before its ripened, the animals that have never been able to pasture and soak up the sunlight are all missing key nutrients that we all need. Keep up the great work and thanks for being inspirational.

I'm right there with you on everything you said.

Dear Sir, I am convinced for the difference between small farm eggs, chickens & other meat products. Thanks for Valuable, Efficient, Effective Information for our community Citizens.

We live on a small and raise most of our meat and eggs. You would be amazed how many times friends having breakfast at our house ask what kind of cheese we put in our scrambled eggs because they taste so rich. We tell them they are plain eggs.

As someone who used to get fresh eggs a day or two out of the chicken and now back to consuming store bought, yes there was a difference. The taste may have just been in my head but the shell and insides were different. If I lived close to you I would at least be an egg customer.

I am a kiwi from NZ and the contrast between American farming and Kiwi farming is like night and day. nearly all of NZ beef and lamb is raised on pasture and 55% of our pigs are farrowed on grass. Some how all of the big farming practices employed in the rest of the world haven’t made it to NZ. It shocked me to see the supermarket food you guys eat in the states I can tell it is tasteless just by looking at it. I am pleased that people like you are spreading the word about the taste of the meat and the conditions the animal is raised in.

Pete, I'm totally behind you and your family.....I'm so sorry you have to justify your belief....I wish I lived closer so I could purchase from you...

Well said - local farm food every time !!

I agree not just taste better but is *HEALTHIER* too! Great video!

This was a very interesting comparison to me. I work at the Ag Research Farm located at the college I'm attending. While I'm not an Ag Major, I've always enjoyed agriculture, but I've never been around animals much. All that has changed in the past 6 months though. We pasture our sows during the summertime, but we don't finish our market pigs on grass, and I was amazed by the difference. They aren't in a dark, enclosed area either, but rather a dirt floor barn with some grain feeders in it. They do get to root at least. We raise Yorkshire, Hampshire, Duroc and Berkshire breeds, as well as cross-breeding them. It's all new to me, but I'm loving it, mostly lol.

I’d argue 90% of people don’t know what they’re missing. I didn’t until I explored it on my own. The same percentage of people think big food cheap is a good thing. Problem is the nutrition density in big food is actually less. We need to eat more to feel satisfied. Great video

You are so correct! Love everything home grown

am in the philipines, likes your job very interesting, i manage the rice farm from our great grand parents now monitoring your every stories....

Pete you are so right. Now what you need to do is buy a small farm near Houston, Texas and I would rush to buy from you. Take care, have a good day.

Awesome amount of information and education. Thank you so much for sharing that knowledge with us. Please continue your great work. Thank you.

This subject on taste is great but you should do one on the health benefits differences. How free range eggs are higher in this and that compared to factory eggs, beef and pork.

Ok! Pete! Ma's claro no se puede habar! Gracias! Muy valiosas tus enseñanzas! Arriba Pete! Ok. Use Google translator.

I LOVE YOUR EXCITEMENT ! And even though I giggled a little at you,,,, you are 110% RIGHT ! May God bless you and your family and farm. Blessings !!!

Well done vid super informative and yet so truthful. Thank you for sharing. cant wait for the 2nd Q vid.

Love your videos and passion for old school farming from 30s and 40s

PETE, Totally agree with you. Homegrown food is better. We went from the small farmer to one guy handling five farms in past 35 years. Think people are starting to get the hint. Have you ever thought about milking a small herd of dairy - selling whole milk? . Dont know what New Yorks guidelines are. We have a farmer who does this in Illinois. State licensed . QUITE good. And surprisingly a demand. 👍👍 Keep going 🤠

Nicely done.

Hey Pete, I 100% agree with you, I live in Westchester NY, I wish I could live close to ur farm and buy all the products

It is easy to believe in the quality and your passion shows through on this topic.

I always enjoy your videos, Pete! .