Welcome to this week’s edition of the Redeeming the Dirt Newsletter!

Redeeming the Dirt is the ministry of Noah Sanders and his family, committed to encouraging Christians to live for Jesus, excel in agriculture, and make disciples.

• Thoughts on Food Regulation
• Traditional Skills Summit coming soon!

Well, it is early morning and I just finishing my Bible time, had some tea with my wife, and ground some of our home-grown field corn for a pot of breakfast grits that I can hear her stirring downstairs. Some of the boys just got back from doing their chores, and the little ones are just getting up, looking at their Bible story books before breakfast. Every family has a different culture, but we love our early mornings. In this week's newsletter I want to share an article on some of my thoughts about food regulation and let you know about the Traditional Skills Summit I will be a part of next month.

Wise as a Serpent, Innocent as a Dove

Thoughts on Food Regulation as a Christian Farmer

When I first started my farm business back in 2009, I was excited about serving people with good food. I wanted to give them the very best veggies, meats, and eggs possible. As I told a newspaper reporter interviewing us at the farmers market, “Our goal is to love our neighbor and glorify God through providing healthy food.”

But one of the most confusing and challenging things I had to navigate was government regulation of food. I did a lot of research and printed out the specific state and federal codes for processing and selling meat chickens, eggs, and baked goods. What I found was that, for a small family farm, most of the food safety regulations would have prevented me from ever selling the first product. The requirements are only possible with the overhead of a corporate food processor. So I relied on the exemptions and provisions written for small producers. In Alabama, for example, you don’t have to meet the washing and grading regulations for eggs if they come from your own chickens and are sold directly to the consumer. Selling an animal live and then processing it for the buyer is another provision many small farms depend on.

But my heart as a Christian is not to skirt the rules. I want to wholeheartedly honor God and submit to every authority He has established. Exemptions are a blessing, but I am not trying to get away with sloppily grown food. I want the highest standards. God’s reputation is on the line if I bear His name.

​Click here to read the rest of the article​

Join me for the 2026 Traditional Skills Summit

My friend Josh Thomas at the School of Traditional Skills is hosting an online summit next month, October 12-16th. It will feature a variety of speakers on very practical topics related to homesteading, family, and farming. I will be sharing about making compost on the homestead. The summit is free and extremely educational, with optional opportunities for joining the School. You can use my affiliate link below to sign up for the free Summit. I hope to see you there!

​Free Summit Signup Link​

Until next time, stay humble, be faithful, and keep Redeeming the Dirt!

God Bless,

Noah Sanders

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