Blystone Farm family caters to locavores, diverse cultures

ThisWeek CW 05/03/2012

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2012/05/02/blystone-farms-family-caters-to-locavores-diverse-cultures.html

A fifth-generation Canal Winchester farming family is providing central Ohioans with a new option for fresh, local, naturally raised meats.

The Blystone Farm and Butcher Shop, 8677 County Highway 222, is run by family members Jane and Joe Blystone, and her daughter, Katherine Harrison. The family opened its first retail store in March after four generations of commercial sheepherding.

“There were definitely some challenges along the way as we learned the regulations for on-farm slaughterhouses,” Harrison said. “But we were the first in the state to be licensed to do custom on-farm slaughter, which means customers can come and pick out the animal they want and then we’re able to process it for them to their needs.”

According to Harrison, this was an important consideration when the family saw an opportunity in 2004 to cater to central Ohio’s growing religious diversity, as well as other wholesale customers.

“We originally thought we could cater to the growing ethnic communities around Franklin County, providing to populations with very specific religious requirements,” Harrison said. “We were also catering to local restaurants to provide products at wholesale.”

Joe Blystone worked hard to conform to government and religious requirements to be able to provide Halal options, Harrison said. The next logical step for the family then, she said, was to open a retail butcher shop.

“It definitely takes someone who will persevere and work hard to make sure we’re meeting all the necessary rules, and Joe does that,” Harrison said. “The trick was figuring out who had authority where and making sure we were meeting all the codes.

“We’ve found that regulations have, in some cases, made it difficult to connect local farmers directly with their customers because most regulations are developed for the large-scale producers.”

Harrison was recently elected to a state trustee position in the Ohio Farm Bureau, representing Delaware, Franklin and Union counties. In this position, Harrison said, she hopes to continue the Farm Bureau’s work of connecting farmers with consumers and protecting farming families like her own.

“Not so long ago, there was a local butcher shop in every community and that’s not true any more,” she said. “I think people want that, though. This has been a lot of work to get (the butcher shop) going, but we’ve received a lot of positive feedback from the public. And with the current locavore movement, we think this is very viable.”

The retail butcher shop sells lamb, goat, beef, pork and chicken as well as products from other local farms, such as eggs, honey, pasta and bagels. Harrison said in addition to selling their own products, the family sources products from other Ohio farmers who share their standards for naturally raised livestock.

“It’s of utmost concern to us that we’re good stewards of the land and take the best care of our animals,” Harrison said. “We raise our animals humanely and with respect, and we will provide a food product to our neighbors and customers that meets their desire and highest expectations.”

Blystone Farm is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. More information is available online at www.blystonefarm.com.