Top 10 Nature & Wildlife Areas in Mystic Country, Mystic Country

We are Certified Humane! Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) is an international non-profit certification organization dedicated to improving the lives of farm animals in food production from birth to slaughter. The goal of the program is to improve the lives of farm animals by driving consumer demand for kinder and more responsible farm animal practices. When you see the Certified Humane Raised and Handled(R) label you can be assured that the food products have come from facilities that meet precise, objective standards for farm animal treatment. In order to be Certified Humane, the farm must fit these qualifications: That the producer meets Certified Humane's standards and applies them to animals from birth through slaughter. No cages, no crates, no tie stalls. Animals must be free to do what comes naturally. For example, pigs must have the space to move around and root. A diet of quality feed, without animal by-products, antibiotics or growth hormones. Producers must comply with food safety and environmental regulations. Processors must comply with the American Meat Institute Standards (AMI), a slaughter standard written by Dr. Temple Grandin, a member of the HFAC Scientific Committee. To become Certified Humane, Firefly Farms had to submit a detailed application. The application was reviewed and as we met the standards, we received a farm inspection. The inspector looked into every aspect of farm life and met with our animals to make sure that they have the best life possible. Once again, all the information is reviewed before we received our certification. We became Certified Humane on 16 April 2014! Our Animals are INCREDIBLY Rare! Our animals are all breeds that number fewer than 500 animals in the world. Through selective breeding and excellent stewardship, we are increasing the overall numbers and quality of the animals. If they are so rare, why sell them as meat? The big picture answer is the need to preserve genetic diversity, but the easy answer is they taste exceptional. When someone has an incredible meal with our meat, they want more. Thus our breeding programs and others can increase production to meet the demand and bring the animals back into popularity with name recognition. Our Meat Tastes Fantastic! In blind tastes tests, our breeds won! The the Randall Lineback, (cattle), Dorking (chicken), and Mulefoot (swine) were selected by seventy food professionals as most tasty over other comparable breeds. Come taste the difference for yourself!

For nearly 70 years, we have provided visitors the opportunity to experience nature first hand, whether it be on our 10+ miles of trails, in our natural history museum, our Nature Store, or as part of one of our many programs. The creation of the Coogan Farm Nature and Heritage Center in 2013 has added additional layers of education, history, and ecology to our offerings. Our mission is to inspire an understanding of the natural world and ourselves as part of it - past, present and future. It is our hope that through DPNC and Coogan Farm that we will help our visitors foster a personal environmental ethic.