The vast majority of America’s meat supply comes from four major companies, leaving little room in the market for smaller farms to compete. JBS Foods, National Beef Packing Co., Tyson Foods, and Cargill combined hold 85% of the market, leading to the closing of thousands of family farms.
“Any time something is consolidated … you’re going to deal with more issues, like cleanliness, with health issues for animals, because now you’re cramming them into smaller spaces. You’re just worrying about quantity over quality,” says Brooke Ence, co-founder of From The Farm.
Growing up in a family of farmers and ranchers, Ence says, she became troubled as she watched family-owned farms and ranches forced to close their doors, and Americans become sicker eating food that is mass produced.
In response to what Ence calls the centralization of America’s food production system, Ence, an entrepreneur, social media influencer, and former famed CrossFit athlete, together with A.J. Richards founded From The Farm, a company aiming to connect Americans directly to small farmers and ranchers across America.
The goal of From The Farm is to create “a parallel economy, where producers can now have a direct line … to people around the country who are looking for healthy food,” Ence says. “We help a customer shake the hand that feeds them.”
From The Farm’s website allows Americans to find local farms near them where they can purchase goods directly and allows farmers and ranchers to advertise to consumers. The company is fully operational, but it’s still building out its platform and seeking additional farmers to join the platform and for investors to take part in creating that “parallel economy.”
Ence sits down with the hosts of the “Problematic Women” podcast to discuss the issues in America’s supply chain. She also shares her own story of becoming a top CrossFit athlete, a passion that has opened many doors for her, including having a role in the superhero film “Wonder Woman.”
Watch the podcast above or listen to the audio below:
