Organic living on This Old Farm

COLFAX, Ind. (WLFI) - This Old Farm meats and processing is the first certified organic meat and poultry processing plant in central Indiana.

Owners Jessica and Erick Smith said that their journey toward an organic lifestyle began when the first of their five children was born. Jessica Smith said she wanted to make sure her children were receiving the proper nutrients along with a healthy diet.

"We got these chickens and we got our first set of eggs and they were really nice. They were really orange and big and pretty and so the question came up as to why are these eggs different. And you start to do the research and you find out there's a lot of positive nutrients and minerals in the eggs and that lead us on the journey to where we are today," said Erick Smith of the Smith family's first organic experience.

The Smith family found in their research though that there was a gap in the organic and local farming industry in Indiana. Organic farmers were becoming certified as organic, but there was nowhere in the area to process their poultry or meats.

"In Indiana we didn't even have an option for certified organic processing and so for livestock it didn't matter if you got the farm certified unless you wanted to ship across state lines," said Jessica Smith.

The Smith's decided to fill the gap and get their processing plant certified organic. It was the second in the state to do so.

The Smith family say they are big supporters of buying locally as it's one of the easiest ways to stay green, by cutting down on shipping from the farm to the consumer, thus cutting down on CO2 emissions released in the shipping process.

"Farm to table distance that many people have heard about is typically, on average, 1500 miles from farm to table for an average meal," said Jessica Smith.

There are many criteria for a farm to be certified organic. One of those criteria is that the farm to be certified must not use any pesticides or herbicides for at least three years prior to obtaining the certification.

The Smith's sell organic and local meats. You can find out more about This Old Farm by clicking here .