The Fight for Real Food

CHAPTER ONE

Friends, I'm about to get more real with you than I ever have before.

Last month I shared how Andrea and I nearly walked away from farming before finding renewed purpose. Today, I'm documenting another critical moment in our journey - one that could determine the future of Grass Roots. You've trusted us to feed your family, and that trust deserves complete honesty about the challenges we're facing together.

We're in that precarious position familiar to small business owners everywhere - scrambling as the funding landscape for regenerative agriculture shifts and contracts. My stomach is in knots like when we signed those loan papers for our new land, but my resolve has never been stronger. This is our moment to show that regenerative agriculture can stand on its own two feet.

We're not waiting for the system to change; we're creating the alternative right now. Repairing our broken food system takes big investments with long paybacks - we've put millions into connecting farmers directly to eaters through cold storage, training, processing partnerships, and logistics networks. Due to these necessary long-term investments, Grass Roots isn't profitable yet, and we're navigating the same harsh funding landscape threatening sustainable farms nationwide.

We're up against food giants where four companies control 85% of U.S. beef, three companies control 67% of the pork market, and two companies control 45% of the chicken market. This isn't just business - it's David vs. Goliath, and we're armed with nothing but better practices and your support.

I'm committing to show you the business side of regenerative agriculture - the hard numbers, difficult decisions, and progress as we work toward making Grass Roots self-sustaining. Over the coming months, I'll report on where we stand and what your continued support makes possible. No sugar-coating, no hiding the challenges - just the honest story of building a food system that can support both farmers and land for generations.

This is Chapter 1 in our fight to build something that lasts. Not because I'm worried, but because I believe knowing the real story behind your food creates a connection worth fighting for.

Your farmer (transparent about the struggle and the hope),

Cody