‘Zola on the Go Blackberries’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

The story people were talking about on Twitter this morning, you know, before Metro went silent, was the organic farm that had supplied several DC restaurants turning out to be a pretty horrible place for animals after all.

Black Eagle Farm, in rural Virginia, was found to have its animals in a variety of filthy, hazardous, and inhuman situations, including animals being left with the corpses of other animals, dogs being locked in sheds with their own feces, and a dead goat still tied to a fence.

The story illustrates the difficulty of knowing whether one’s suppliers and producers are continuing to operate in the way that one expects, or if they’ve gone off the rails and just stopped feeding the chickens. Trust is extended all through the food supply, whether one is buying grocery store garlic that’s been imported by the ton from China or taking deliveries from the organic farm 100 miles away.

The farm had been in financial trouble for some time, and the owner, Ralph Glatt, insists he knew nothing about the conditions, having been in Europe for several months trying to raise money to save the farm. He is currently attempting to reorganize under another name and regain the agricultural land that had been sold off in bankruptcy.

Tiffany Bridge

Tiffany Baxendell Bridge is an Internet enthusiast and an incurable smartass. When not heckling the neighborhood political scene on Twitter, she can be found goofing off with her ukulele, Bollywood dancing, or obsessing about cult TV. She is That Woman With the Baby In the Bar.

Tiffany lives in Brookland with her husband Tom, son Charlie, and two high-maintenance cats. Read why Tiffany loves DC.