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Stories to Tell

         Greetings! Welcome to VG Farm’s first official blog post. Before you roll your eyes and mutter under your breath about the myriad of blogs pervading the Internet, just read a little farther. In our opinion, it is of grave importance that you read this blog. If you have any interest in where your food comes from and about the people that live on the farm-side of the fork, this stuff is for you.


With such a seemingly large topic at hand, perhaps it would be best to give a brief introduction. VG Farms is a s farm located in southeast Iowa just outside of Oskaloosa. The VG stands for Van Gilst, our family name; we’ve been farming the Iowa soil for six generations since our ancestors arrived on a boat from the Netherlands. In 1973, we incorporated; making the final transition to becoming a fully operational swine farm. Since then we have grown, changed, and adapted to the farming landscape around us. Today we farm roughly 1,400 acres of cropland to provide feed for our 30,000 hogs. Still family-run, we are constantly committed to raising the best for your plate.


          So what’s the point of this blog? In short, we have stories to tell. Despite the wonders of modern technology and social media, we are noticing a growing disconnect with the general public and the farming community. That’s not how it should be at all! You care about your food and where it comes from. We want to tell you all about it. Basically, this blog’s intention is to inform and give you a personable relationship with today’s agriculture community.


          Our next blogs will feature stories about how we got to this point, the employees that work here, and what is happening today on our farm. All of these are intended to give you, the reader, a look into the life and heart of a farmer. We hope you read these as they come out, and tell your friends and family. We believe that it is vitally important that we have relationships between producers and consumers, we hope you do to.

- VG Farms  



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Location: 2750 Rowland Ave, Oskaloosa, IA 52577, USA

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