Farm Forward, Inc.

Good Shepherd Ranch is a unique network of heritage poultry farmers that includes the nation’s preeminent expert on poultry, Farm Forward Board Member Frank Reese. Good Shepherd Ranch is currently the only nationally available source for poultry products that come from birds who are not genetically engineered and who are raised by traditional, humane, and sustainable methods. The ranch has served as the model for animal welfare standards developed by several nonprofit groups. Today, Good Shepherd Ranch can only supply a small number of turkeys, ducks, and geese to a select few, but, with pro-bono assistance from Farm Forward Consulting, Good Shepherd Ranch is on the verge of becoming the first—and only—national producer of truly humane, sustainably raised chickens and turkeys.

Farm Forward CEO Steve Gross has helped lead successful negotiations
between animal advocacy groups and some of the nation's largest
companies—including Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, Safeway, and
Whole Foods—which have improved the lives of hundreds of millions of
animals. Gross is currently working with animal advocacy groups such as
Global Animal Partnership, The Humane Society of the United States, and
PETA to address the urgent need for increased auditing to ensure that
companies properly implement animal welfare improvements following a
negotiation. Experience has shown that auditing, which is often
neglected, is a crucial part of real progress in chipping away at the
most troubling methods of factory farming.

As
a recognized authority on farmed animal welfare, Farm Forward is increasingly
being sought out by animal advocacy groups like
the ASPCA (American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and GAP
(Global Animal Partnership), as well as high-welfare farms like Good Shepherd
Poultry Ranch, for
consultation on a host of matters, including organizational farmed animal
policy development; marketing, financial, and information technology services;
and in-depth research of current trends in farmed animal welfare.