# Interesting new food: OPEN FARM



## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Attention dog food geeks! 

A new food company just came across my radar and caught my attention because of their attention to ingredient sourcing.

It's called *Open Farm*, out of Toronto, Canada. Their niche is ethical, transparent sourcing of ingredients, with third-party certification partners for independent farms. It's designed to be a rotation diet, for all life stages (with a poultry recipe, a fish recipe, and a pork recipe).

The thing that caught my attention is that you can take the lot code from any bag, enter it on their website, and get a list of the origin of every ingredient that was used in that specific lot: 
Quality & Transparency | Open Farm

Even each component of the vitamin mix has the country of origin listed! Wow, what a great idea! The get certificates of origin for every ingredient so it's all traceable. That means they don't use rendered meals, because the component sourcing isn't traceable. 

They send samples of every lot to to a third-party lab for independent testing for e-coli, salmonella, and mycotoxins, and they don't bag the product until they get the results back. You can look up the lab results with your lot code on their website, too. Wowza!

They advertise that the food is 80% animal protein, and the meat they source is:
-humanely raised at independently audited farms (antibiotic-free, no crates or cages, space to roam, gentle handling), 
-sustainably sourced, ocean-caught fish (no farmed fish), with Seafood Watch & Oceanwise certification of the fish
They also use locally sourced non-GMO produce and Terracycle recyclable packaging.

This is a high protein kibble (31%), with 14% fat. The Ca is 1%, Ph. is .8% The label also lists omega 6, omega 3, and DHA percentages.
Turkey & Chicken Grain-Free Dog Food | Open Farm

Frequently Asked Questions | Open Farm

This seems to be stepping up the game considerably in transparency of ingredient sourcing. I haven't fed it, but it's definitely on my list to try if my dogs need to switch. Right now, Pet Flow and a few independent dealers sell it in the US. It runs around $80/24 lb bag.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

I have been seeing these ads on Facebook for awhile. I looked into it but it didn't strike my fancy formula wise...I wish they had grassfed meat too and I don't think they do?

But it is a step in the right direction.


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## MishkasMom (Aug 20, 2015)

Just looked them up, they are in Toronto and the ingredients look good. About $20 Cnd more than the same size Acana. I will definitely order a sample to see if my dog prefers the taste. Thank you for posting


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

not so crazy about the formula ---

meanwhile there are plenty of non-gmo , "organic" growers right within the GTA , greater Toronto area that grow many of the ingredients.

Lentils -- Canada happens to be the greatest grower and exporter of lentils - in the world.

There are also more than a few ambitious young people choosing farming - non-traditional --- custom grown, 
or in greenhouse .

their vitamins still come out of labs and not from whole food.

I have tried their cat formula .
It was food . Would I buy it again - sure . 
The cats have a virtual buffet choice of raw , prepared sample of freeze dried product (Feline Natural), then they have an assortment of kibble to crunch on - current choices are orijen , blackwoods , abd Applaws .


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

personally I think Orijen does a better job .

they source all their ingredients from identified farms that are local to production in the areas where the product is sold.

what does this mean?
Quality & Transparency | Open Farm

in one spot they say 40% of ingredient is sourced near the town where the food is manufactured .
where is it manufactured?

if they are in Toronto , which my location is part of the Greater Toronto area (surrounded by farms and grass fed beef and sheep acres) then why are so many meat sources reported coming from New York and Pennsylvania .

Pumpkin from Oregon? Why . I mean great for Oregon, but right here in Ontario there were fields of pumpkin turned over as green manure or scooped by local pig farmers.

can someone explain.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

I began feeding open farms turkey formula to my cat.... she loved it, I saw positive and immediate changes to her coat and weight... nice small firm stools. So I decided to take the plunge and switch my boys (the dogs). Turkey formula. Again - loved the food, transitioned quickly, nice firm stools but HUGE, and no less frequent than their previous foods - NB and TOTW.

I may try another formula, but honestly, 3-4 super sized stools x2 is enough to turn me off of this wonderful (on paper) do good company.

I hadn't noticed anyone else feeding this so I just thought I'd provide some first hand feedback. Also, kibble size is tiny (size of a pea) - wouldn't recommend for large puppies or fast eaters.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Thanks for the feedback. For dogs, I actually think bigger firm stools are sometimes better for some dogs than smaller piles. The bulk can help to empty the anal glands. Your experience makes me wonder if this might be a good food to consider for dogs with anal gland issues.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

Magwart said:


> Thanks for the feedback. For dogs, I actually think bigger firm stools are sometimes better for some dogs than smaller piles. The bulk can help to empty the anal glands. Your experience makes me wonder if this might be a good food to consider for dogs with anal gland issues.


Yeah possibly, I never thought about it that way.... my mind immediately went to fillers - albeit non grain, healthy fillers, but still.

Neither of my boys have ever had anal gland issues - even Keystone whose stools are on the smaller side for a gsd. For reference - picture going from a hot dog in diameter, to a cucumber or banana. eek.


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## Mikelia (Aug 29, 2012)

We sell Open Farm at my work and one of the owners of the company came in earlier in the year and talked to us about it. I don't remember everything they said, but I'll try to relay best as I can.
They only use meats from humane certified farms. Which means they cannot use just any farm. Humane certified farms are few and far between. They are very concerned with the way that farm animals are kept and the medications that they receive.
I remember something about the pumpkin. I don't remember what they said, but there was a reason why the pumpkin is sourced from the states.
I was really struck with the fish that they use. I had no idea how the fish industry works. They only catch at certain times of the year, from certain depth of water, certain kinds of fish etc... It was really eye opening. 
All in all it was quite a learning experience to have him come in and talk to us. I would try it, but I feed raw. I have fed it to my cats, they did well with it. It sells well for us and customers are happy with it.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

What is this obsession dog food companies have with flaxseed???
I could find you a dozen dogs today who are allergic, and every dog food I look at uses it! Why? Just why?


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## 115pounds (Aug 27, 2015)

I noticed coconut oil, I keep hearing this is really good for people and dogs. But isn't this a pretty spendy oil? I guess what I was hitting at is if this company is willing to pay the extra for an oil, maybe their also willing to source from quality venders. Gonna keep an eye out for this product.


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## Elsieb (Apr 9, 2014)

We’ve just changed him to open farm and he likes it. He was on Fromm for 4 or so years then suddenly in the middle of a bag he backed away from his bowl like it was poisonous. 
this went on for a couple of days. 
I tried orijen but got the same response - our local Agway has great policy about returning food that was ‘refused’. 
he liked the Open Farm right away. I haven’t seen any changes in his poop but it’s only been a week+.
the one downside for me is the packaging of their “wet” food. It is in a kind of foil cardboard box that doesn’t open cleanly, is awkward getting a spoonful out (we don’t use entire pkg), and not easy to seal back up for the fridge (I use tape to keep it sealed). 
other than that it seems like a great food.


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## GrowingUpwithDaphne (Mar 6, 2019)

Magwart said:


> Attention dog food geeks!
> 
> A new food company just came across my radar and caught my attention because of their attention to ingredient sourcing.
> 
> ...


I will have to check this out. I try to buy from my local companies here in NY state as we live in farmland and there are a few good local companies.


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## TriSkiGirl (Apr 28, 2020)

Thecowboysgirl said:


> I have been seeing these ads on Facebook for awhile. I looked into it but it didn't strike my fancy formula wise...I wish they had grassfed meat too and I don't think they do?
> 
> But it is a step in the right direction.


Their beef is grass fed now!


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## TriSkiGirl (Apr 28, 2020)

I know this is a very old post. I stumbled on it today trouble shooting if my new puppy (4 1/2 months old) is just exhausted from all the walks with a family (he was to be a show dog, raised on a farm) OR if his food is not right for him. I loved the Open Farm concept and it was recommended by our local high end pet store. The puppy food is 33%. protein, 36% fat (16%crude) 31 carbs (4.5% crude). 80% of the protein comes from animals. The carbs include pumpkin and apple. It has 462 cal/cup. 

Is this a good ration for a toddler puppy or too high?


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