Becoming a certified humane farm

Listen to this radio story (MP3 download) or read below.

Radio interview source: Craig Floyd, owner, Certified Humane Farm

I think we raise our sheep very humanely. They're out on pasture most of the time and are quite content. With a growing consumer emphasis on natural and organic foods, the designation of a "certified humane farm" is increasingly popular.

So far, there are roughly 60 farms in the U.S. that have met the tough standards for becoming a certified humane operation. To assure fairness, the USDA's Marketing Services verifies the process, and the inspectors are either veterinarians or are trained in animal science.

Craig Floyd's farm in Connecticut is one of those certified, and he says the inspection procedure is rigorous.

"She checks all your records, she checks all your feed labels to find out what it is you're feeding them, and she checks square footage and size of any buildings that you might have," Floyd says. "She wants to know that you've got emergency numbers in case something happens, and what do you do in the wintertime when it freezes, and how often do you change the water and what do you clean the waterer with?"