We Built This Before AI

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May 22, 2026

We Built This Before AI

Over twenty years ago, Erin and I were simply trying to figure out how to feed our family. There was no AI to summarize research, no instant answers, and no way to ask complex questions and receive thoughtful responses in seconds. Dial-up internet was all we had... and there were books. Lots of them.

The process was slow. You’d read one expert who sounded convincing, only to discover another claiming the exact opposite. It took real effort to sort through competing ideas, nutritional dogma, and endless confusion.

Certainty and truth are not always the same thing

And remember the era. Eggs were still “bad for you.” Margarine was marketed as the healthier alternative to butter. Low-fat processed foods were celebrated as progress. The experts sounded certain. But certainty and truth are not always the same thing.

Back then, Erin and I weren’t trying to start a farm business. We were trying to make better decisions for our family in a food system that increasingly felt disconnected from biology, tradition, and common sense.

That journey eventually became ZOE Farms.

Not because the world needed another food company, but because we believed our community deserved an easier path than the one we had to navigate.

Our mission has remained unchanged: "To heal relationships with land and animals. Share this healing through the food it produces".

That sentence has shaped every decision we’ve made. It’s why we raise animals in natural setting instead of optimizing solely for industrial efficiency. It’s why we study leading edge soil biology. It’s why we question feed ingredients. It’s why we invest heavily in land stewardship instead of simply adopting the latest marketing language like "regenerative farming".

That was intentional

And honestly, it’s also why our website has always been simple.

I built much of it myself.

Which means it’s practical, straightforward, and far from the polished digital experience you might expect from brands spending heavily on sophisticated marketing funnels, conversion optimization, and customer acquisition strategies. That was intentional.

At every crossroads, we chose to invest in the mission instead—better land, better animals, better infrastructure, and ultimately, better food. Not a better mousetrap designed to capture more customers.

Consistency Leaves a Trail

Today, something has changed. Artificial intelligence is helping families do what Erin and I had to do the hard way twenty years ago: cut through the noise.

People can now ask better questions. They can challenge assumptions, compare competing claims, pressure-test marketing narratives, and reach clarity faster than ever before.

And what’s interesting is that when people go searching for substance instead of slogans, they often end up finding businesses that have quietly stayed committed to their mission all along.

That’s not because we chased algorithms. It’s because consistency leaves a trail.

For over two decades, we’ve focused on the actual work. Not perfectly, but honestly. Long before “regenerative” became a trendy label. Long before authenticity became a branding strategy. Long before AI made it easier for families to ask harder questions.

We built ZOE Farms to serve people seeking something real.

And in a world that gets noisier by the day, that still matters.

🙏 ☀️ - Dustin

Purely Grass - the Gold Standard

"That was the best (steak/burger/roast) I have ever eaten". It is a quote we hear a lot. I want to take a moment to share with you a snippet of how we do it with purely grass.

This is what free range SHOULD look like

Take thirty seconds to watch this video. It's something we take a great deal of pride in -- because it takes a great deal of work to make it happen.

Driving Deeper: Regenerative Farming Below the Soil

Regenerative Farming Starts Underground People often ask what I’m most passionate about when it comes to farming. The answer surprises them. It’s not cattle genetics. It’s not the business. It’s not even livestock management I love all of these aspects of what we do, but my deepest passion is soil food web biology. Because that’s where regenerative farming actually begins. It's the foundation from which everything else is built. If the biology in the soil is broken, nothing above ground will truly thrive. You can put animals on pasture, rotate them beautifully, and use all the right buzzwords—but if the living system underground isn’t functioning properly, the whole thing is mostly optics. Real regenerative agriculture starts with the biological economy inside the soil. This only exists in healthy, well managed land. Microbes are eating, or being eaten. When this cycle is functioning well, the plant's ability to create more energy from photosynthesis put on turbo-charge! The Soil Economy The easiest way to understand soil biology is through economics. Think of soil like a functioning marketplace. Plants are the primary investors. Through photosynthesis, they convert sunlight into sugars. A large portion of those sugars—sometimes 20–40% of what the plant produces—is released into the soil through the roots. Those sugars are the currency of the soil economy. They feed bacteria and fungi living around the roots. In return, those microbes perform services the plant cannot do alone. They mine nutrients from minerals, break down organic matter, and transport nutrients and water through microscopic fungal networks. But the economy doesn’t stop there. Protozoa and beneficial nematodes graze on those microbes. When they consume bacteria and fungi, they release nutrients—especially nitrogen—in plant-available forms right where the plant needs them - when the plant needs them. This constant cycle of investment, trade, and consumption is what scientists call the soil food web. And when that biological economy is functioning well, plants gain access to a much broader spectrum of nutrients than they could ever pull from soil on their own. The Difference Between Slogans and Proof There’s a lot of talk about regenerative farming right now. Pasture photos. Buzzwords. Marketing slogans. But real regenerative agriculture requires something more. Measurement. On our farm, we don’t just put cattle and chickens out on pasture and assume everything is working the way it should. We monitor the biology underground. That means taking soil samples and putting them under a microscope to look directly at the organisms that drive the soil food web—bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and other microscopic life. It’s the difference between guessing and knowing. When you can actually see the biological community in the soil, you can tell whether the ecosystem is functioning or whether something is missing. That crosses the line from marketing language into hard biological evidence. Bulk DNA Analysis has been performed on the biological extracts we are applying to our land. This is hard proof confirmation that we are effectively inoculating our soils with tens of thousands of different species of microbes Healing Relationships with Land and Animals Our farm’s mission is simple: “As farmers, we seek to heal our relationships with land and animals. We share this healing with our patrons through the food it produces.” That healing begins with this soil food web economy. When the soil food web is functioning properly, nutrients cycle efficiently. Plants grow stronger. Pastures become more resilient to drought and stress. Animals grazing those pastures receive a more complete nutritional profile from the plants they consume. The result is healthier animals and more resilient land. And the food produced from that system? That’s the byproduct. That's why "we share this healing with our patrons through the food it produces" is the second part of our mission. When soil biology improves, nutrient density often follows because the plants—and the animals eating those plants—are operating within a healthier biological system. This is a soil sample under a microscope at 400X. The long strand is a fungal strand known as hypha. The bacteria are smaller, round, somewhat translucent. We actually review samples of our soil to be sure the correct micro organisms are present in the right ratios to ensure the soil food web is functioning properly. Raising the Bar on Regenerative Farming The word “regenerative” is being thrown around a lot these days. Sometimes it’s used meaningfully. Oftentimes, it’s used as a slogan. I’m committed to something deeper. For regenerative agriculture to mean anything, it has to be grounded in biological function, not just good intentions. That’s why this year I’ve made a decision that reflects where our priorities truly are. I've set in motion a plan to reinvest the majority of profits this season into a comprehensive soil improvement program spanning more than 400 acres of land under our management. This includes detailed biological soil analysis, targeted strategies to strengthen the soil food web, and management practices designed to support the long-term health of the entire ecosystem. When the biological economy underground is functioning well, everything above ground explodes with productivity and resilience. The Foundation of Everything We Produce At the end of the day, regenerative farming isn’t defined by labels. It’s defined by whether the land is actually getting healthier. Whether the soil biology is becoming more diverse. Whether the ecosystem is becoming more resilient year after year. That’s the work I’m committed to. That's where I'm directing the majority of our investment this season. It's not flashy, fancy or romantic -- but it's where regenerative farming truly begins and ends. Driving deeper - that's where I'll be. ☀️ Dustin

We Built This Before AI