01/09/2026
We have some answers!
First, thank you so much to EVERYONE who has been following along, to the folks who reached out privately, and the dozens publicly offering support, encouragement, and input. It was all so, so appreciated by our family!
For those of you who don't know, last week we found out our little family farm stand was targeted by an anonymous complaint and we were told by the department of agriculture to shut down, without explanation.
While thousands of similar farm stands operate locally without issue, and we *did* receive approval for our farmstand from our local township, enforcement of various State regulations are... inconsistent and subjective.
Thanks to some helpful State employees and some local friends, we have been able to piece together not only "why" we were targeted, but also "who" felt threatened by our existence and decided to get "Big Brother" involved to try and shut us down.
We thankfully have a resolution, and approval to remain open!
For liability, we have to be careful what we say publicly. But what we *can* share, is that last week someone asked about where to buy sourdough bread, and a farmer's market was mentioned, as well as our little farm stand.
Shortly thereafter, we received the Cease/Desist email.
In conversation with the Ag Dept, we learned that the accusation was *specifically* related to us "selling sourdough bread".
No site inspection was done, no cleanliness standards were broken, no food safety issues, etc...just an anonymous complaint from "someone" who didn't want us competing.
To settle the dispute, we were given 2 options:
1. Become a registered and regulated "Food Establishment".
2. Promise to not sell or advertise-for-sale our sourdough bread.
In reviewing the stipulations to become "registered" we realized that certain restrictions (no pets, no children, not allowed to make food for yourself at same time as you make food for sale, etc.) would require us to stop "making amazing homemade food for our family throughout the day that we also share with our community " and force us into becoming "business-oriented production facility."
This whole thing started when some friends tried Anna's fresh bread and begged her to make a loaf for them!
From there we would occasionally put a loaf of bread out in our shop, and the requests grew.
It's always been about meeting the needs of our local community and finding opportunities to turn neighbors into friends.
Not about becoming a big business! And honestly, we don't want to lose the "family feel" with this.
So we thanked the department of agriculture for their information, declined the opportunity to register, and have promised to not "sell" our sourdough bread moving forward, granting us the opportunity for to remain open.
However, while promising to not "sell" our bread, we never said anything about "giving" our bread away! LOL
If you've been following along, and you'd like to see what all the fuss was about, we invite you to stop by this Friday or Saturday.
You're welcome to ask questions, browse the shop, and have a free slice of our "Outlaw Sourdough". No need to purchase anything, it's just our way of sharing something we love with the local community.
And of course, if our lack of "Approved Food Manufacturing Status" makes you uncomfortable, there are a plethora of bread options available from Dept. of Ag. approved manufacturers available for sale at a farmers market in the area.
Again, thank you all for your prayers, support, advice, and encouragement!
We are proud to be a part of this community, and are excited to continue bringing this old farm back to life!
