08/18/2026
We’ve lost more than food. We’ve lost the skills to use it.
One of the biggest expenses — and one of the biggest sources of waste — in our food system happens during processing.
Farmers are increasingly dependent on third-party processors, often facing long waitlists, rising costs, minimum volumes, and processing systems built around speed and efficiency rather than using the whole animal.
And while that system has become normalized, something else has quietly disappeared:
The knowledge of how to turn an entire animal into food.
Nose-to-tail butchering. Rendering fat. Making stock from bones. Curing. Fermenting. Preserving. Using the parts that don’t fit neatly into a package at the grocery store.
These weren’t specialty skills. They were food skills.
That’s why, in 2019, we began intentionally researching and learning nose-to-tail processing.
We wanted to understand these heritage skills firsthand — not only to honor the animals we raise, but to preserve knowledge that we believe is incredibly important to the future of our food system.
Because the more disconnected we become from processing, preservation, and preparation, the more dependent we become on a food system that generates enormous amounts of waste while separating us from the people, practices, and traditions that created our food cultures in the first place.
We want to help change that.
At Rock Hill, we are committed to bringing experienced educators here and making these hands-on skills accessible to anyone who wants to learn.
🐖 Nose-to-tail butchering & whole-animal utilization
🥩 Charcuterie & curing
🥒 Pickling & traditional preservation
🫙 Fermentation
🌱 Heritage food skills
And we’re putting those opportunities on the calendar:
🌿 October 3, 2026 — Fermentation: wild sodas, water kefir, kombucha, pickles & more
🐷 October 16–18, 2026 — Pasture to Preservation: Whole Animal Charcuterie Workshop
🥂 October 17, 2026 — Charcuterie Charity Dinner
🐄 March 5–7, 2027 — Beef Workshop
🐷 October 22–24, 2027 — Pasture to Plate
Don’t just buy your food. Learn how to make the most of it.
Come learn the skills. Ask questions. Get your hands dirty. Take the knowledge home and share it with your family.
Help us keep these skills alive — and build a more connected, less wasteful food system in the process.
👉 Explore the classes and reserve your spot:
https://www.rockhillheritagefarm.com/classes
The skills are worth preserving. The food is worth honoring. And the knowledge is worth passing on.
*Learn more about the struggles our farmers face with this great article and call for support with Regeneration International 🌎❤️
The right to raise animals on pasture, and process them locally, is fundamental to regenerative agriculture. When farmers lose that right, we lose the small-scale, land-connected farming that healthy food systems depend on. New Hampshire's legislature has a chance to override a veto that would have made on-farm processing easier for small farmers. We're standing with OCA on this one.
Take action: advocacy.organicconsumers.org/page/101449/action/1
