Quick Verdict

★★★★½ 4.5 / 5

Open Farm is the premium kibble we'd recommend to pet parents who want the confidence of traceable ingredients without the price or freezer space of a fresh food subscription. Palatability is consistently high, stool quality is excellent, and the ethical sourcing story is genuinely backed by third-party audits.

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What Makes Open Farm Different

Most premium kibble brands talk about "high quality ingredients" without telling you where those ingredients actually come from. Open Farm publishes the farm-level sourcing for every protein, vegetable, and fruit in every bag, with lot codes you can trace online. They also hold Certified Humane, Ocean Wise, and other third-party certifications on their supply chain.

Is that worth paying for? That depends on how much you care about knowing where your dog's food actually comes from, and how much you're willing to spend to find out.

How We Tested

We fed Open Farm's Grain-Free Homestead Turkey & Chicken recipe to two dogs for 90 days, a 55 pound adult shepherd mix and a 22 pound terrier with occasional stomach sensitivity. Both had been on a mid-tier grain-free kibble prior to the test.

Palatability

Both dogs ate Open Farm enthusiastically from day one. We didn't need to transition gradually for the shepherd mix. The terrier needed a three-day transition to avoid stomach upset, which is normal for any food change with a sensitive dog.

Stool Quality

Yes, we're going to talk about this, because it matters. By week two, stool quality on both dogs was visibly firmer and less frequent than on the previous kibble. This is usually a sign that more of the food is being absorbed, which is one of the practical arguments for premium kibble.

The price per pound is high, but the price per usable calorie is closer to the mid-tier kibble than the label suggests.

Coat and Energy

We saw a noticeable coat improvement on the shepherd mix by week six, similar to what we've seen with fresh food but less dramatic. Energy and stamina stayed consistent with his baseline, which is already high.

What It Costs

A 22 pound bag runs about $105. For our 55 pound dog, that bag lasted roughly four weeks, putting monthly food cost at around $115. That's about $40 more than a mid-tier premium kibble, and about $65 less than fresh food for a dog of that size.

Want to try the same recipe we tested?

The Homestead Turkey & Chicken recipe is the one we ran for 90 days. First-time buyers can often find a 15% off starter code on their site.

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Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Traceable ingredients with lot-level sourcing transparency
  • High palatability across multiple dogs and recipes
  • Consistently improved stool quality within two weeks
  • Certified Humane and Ocean Wise supply chain
  • Meaningful coat improvement over mid-tier kibble
  • Available at Chewy and most independent pet retailers

Cons

  • Price per bag is 30 to 40% above mid-tier premium kibble
  • Some recipes have had intermittent availability
  • Grain-free lines may not suit all dogs (talk to your vet)
  • Not a fresh food substitute for dogs with serious allergies

Who Open Farm Is For

Pick Open Farm if:

You want to trade up from mid-tier kibble to something with genuinely traceable sourcing, you don't want the price or freezer commitment of fresh food, and you'd rather know where your dog's food actually comes from.

Who Should Skip It

If your dog has severe allergies or specific medical needs, fresh food is usually a better starting point than any kibble, including Open Farm. If budget is the main constraint, a mid-tier grain-free kibble like Wellness Core will cover 80% of what Open Farm does at 60% of the price.

Ready to upgrade?

We'd start with a small bag to see how your dog responds before committing to the larger size.

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