Meet David Bane, Owner of Bane Family Meats

Producing healthy, nutritious food — and doing so in an environmentally friendly way — has made Bane Family Meats a beacon in the local food industry. David Bane and his wife Susan will host a tour this weekend as part of Follow the Farmstead, hosted by Visit Champaign County and Champaign County Farm Bureau. This free event allows participants to get an up-close look at how a variety of Champaign County farms function.

We asked David Bane to discuss his farm and its guiding principles:

Q: What is unique about your farm?

A: We are a small, diverse, pasture-based livestock and poultry farm that markets directly to area families. Our animals enjoy humane treatment — with sun, soil, plants and lots of space.

Q: What can families expect to see when they visit your farm as part of Follow the Farmstead?

A: Pigs, sheep, chickens and cattle on pasture; virgin timber with a pleasant walking path; restored prairie with native plants in full bloom.

Q: Why should families care about eating locally-produced food?
A: It is important to know your farm and his/her production methods to insure the highest quality, most nutritious food. Buying locally stimulates the local economy.

Q: Why is it important for kids to understand farming and the farm community in Champaign County?
A: Proper nutrition is key to health and longevity, so everyone needs to know how to access the most pure, most nutritious foods. Eating locally and knowing your farmer(s) fosters community involvement and an active role in health maintenance.

Q: Tell us a little about the history of your farm.

A: David Bane is a veterinarian with a life-long involvement in livestock production. He has been a veterinary practitioner, a UIUC faculty member and a pharmaceutical industry consultant. Susan Bane is an occupational therapist with a special interest in child development. She has worked in hospital settings, in the public school system, in early childhood intervention, for a private health rehabilitation company, and in private home-based practice. Together they have raised five children on the farm and have focused on a healthy lifestyle. Over the 30 years they have owned the farm, it has evolved into a food business to produce the highest quality, humanely raised meat and poultry products available.

Q: Why is it important that your livestock is grown free-range, free of GMO-altered feeds, in chemical-free pastures?
A: These non-polluting methods optimize the health of the animals, produce the most pure, nutritious food products and improve the health of the soil.

Q: What’s the biggest misconception about free range livestock and/or sustainable farming?
A: The biggest misconception is that sustainable farming methods produce less, and therefore cannot “feed the world.” Most independent research has shown that sustainable farming methods produce equivalent to, or superior to, industrial, chemical-based farming methods — and do so more economically while improving soil health. The recommendations of worldwise scientific organizations are clear that sustainable farming methods are essential to improve the quantity and quality of food; to reverse the effects of climate change; to build more soil; and to prevent the further development of chronic diseases (cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, ADHD, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, etc.) afflicting humans worldwide.