Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT), a national nonprofit organization that works to ensure that all food-producing animals are raised in a humane and healthy manner, recently awarded a Fund-a-Farmer Grant to Muse 3 Farm.
The farm is located in Greensburg and is owned and operated by four brothers: Burnell, Allen, Chris and Mittie Muse.
This grant from FACT is designed to expand humane farming and increase pasture-based livestock production. The farmers at Muse 3 Farm will use the grant to expand their multi-species grazing effort.
They plan to add a mobile chicken coop to allow chickens to graze in the pastures with cattle, goats and sheep, as well as extend the water supply to paddocks that do not currently have a fresh source of water.
“We are pleased to team up with Muse 3 Farm this year to improve animal welfare,” said Larissa McKenna, FACT’s Humane Farming Program Director. “We believe that partnering with – and investing in – humane farmers is one of the best ways to make a difference in the lives of food-producing animals.”
This year FACT awarded 60 grants totaling more than $170,000 to farmers and ranchers across 27 states. Since 2012, FACT has cumulatively awarded 521 grants totaling over $857,000 to farmers across 44 states, directly benefiting an estimated 735,000 animals.
A recent 2022 survey of past grant recipients found that the grants have produced a wide range of long-term benefits. Overall, 98 percent of farmers reported that their FACT-funded projects improved animal welfare, 95 percent experienced a positive environmental impact, and 88 percent found that the grant improved their farm’s financial viability.
Individual farmers report that their FACT-funded projects have increased biodiversity, improved soil fertility, enhanced livestock health and comfort, and reduced stress for both the farmer and their animals.
As a result of this grant to Muse 3 Farm, residents of Greensburg and the surrounding community will have greater access to healthy humanely-raised food options for their families, a spokesperson for FACT said.
