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Why Young Families Matter So Much to Us

written by

Dustin Schnabel

posted on

December 19, 2025

    Erin and I have a special place in our hearts for all of the young families raising children with our food. That isn’t something we say lightly, and it isn’t something we learned from market research. It comes from lived experience — from raising our own daughters on this farm and seeing, firsthand, what real nourishment can do.

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At a very early age, Sierrah and Morgan were connected to food production by growing produce and raising chickens

    Sierrah and Morgan grew up on raw milk and farm food.  At the time, it was fringe.  Erin led the effort during a period when butter and eggs were bad and low-fat cereals were good.  She was a true food renegade. She read mountains of books in an age when the internet was still on dial-up -- long before podcasts ever existed.  Looking back now, it’s impossible not to notice the difference it made. They grew up healthy and strong. They were rarely sick, and when they did get sick, they recovered quickly. Their bodies were resilient. Their immune systems were robust. That foundation followed them into adulthood.

    Today, Morgan is raising her son Dylan on the foundations Erin laid twenty years ago. Watching her nourish her child with the same kind of food she was raised on has been deeply meaningful to us. It feels like a full circle moment — one generation pouring into the next — and it reinforces why Erin and I are so committed to the work we do here.

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Dylan will go out of his way to get a hold of fresh produce when we put it out on the shelves.

    We love seeing young families choose to raise children intentionally. Parents who are budgeting for nourishment instead of luxuries. Moms and dads who are thinking long-term about health, resilience, and what kind of foundation they’re laying for their kids. These are not always easy choices, especially in a world that constantly pulls families toward convenience and distraction. But they matter.

    When families choose nutrient-dense food, they’re not just feeding their kids — they’re investing in the future of their community.  Strong bodies.  Clear minds. Kids who grow up connected to real food, real land, and real values. These children become tomorrow’s leaders, neighbors, builders, and caretakers of the places we all call home.

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Alexandria and Sarah both fed their babies ZOE Farms bone marrow as their first food that wasn't mom's milk

    We see this unfold every day at ZOE Farms, and we’re deeply grateful for it. Grateful to share our mission with families who are on their own mission to raise children with the finest nutrition anywhere. Grateful to steward land and animals in a way that supports that calling. And grateful to know that the food leaving this farm is helping shape not just healthy kids — but a healthier future for all of us.

🙏 ❤️ Dustin (and Erin)

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Driving Deeper: Regenerative Farming Below the Soil

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