As a new columnist on all subjects meaty, and writing for a publication focused on organic, sustainable living, I feel a little sheepish considering fast food in my first article. But with the new school year upon us, and the grilling season waning on the horizon, I’m thinking of my 6-year-old son, Jonah, and his brief obsession with a certain set of golden arches.

Warning: If you are distressed by the concept and/or practice of raising and harvesting animals for meat consumption, please read no further.

Many small farmers in the Palouse raise livestock for meat production and sell directly to the consumer. There are hurdles for the small farmer to be able to sell meat to the consumer.

Last month I introduced you to one of our suppliers of beef for Country Natural Beef, Mark and Tami Rietman; just as I toured their ranch, I have also toured our lamb supplier Anderson Ranch.

I have been asked some specific questions about the meat that is sold in my department. While I do have some knowledge of the product and the companies who sell it to me, I decided to get a better working knowledge of some of the products and producers. To this end, I made a trip to Oregon to visit some of these producers, one being Anderson Ranch, our grass-fed lamb source, and Country Natural Beef, one of our beef suppliers.  (Here is the article about Anderson Ranch).