Usually I visit farms through the organization I belong to- CRAFT - collaborative regional alliance for farmer training. However, this time I contacted a farmer on my own.
I recently read Joel Salatin's book "Pastured Poultry Profits", in an effort to learn more about raising meat chickens (cornish cross) - our customers are requesting naturally-raised chicken meat, and I'm going to rise to the challenge! Great book. After reading the book, I remembered buying a pastured chicken years ago at our local meat processing facility. I looked up the farm online, emailed the farmer, had a phone call, and set up a day to visit.
The farm is in a neighboring county. It was a beautiful drive & very informative visit.
He raises chickens (about 2,500 per year), turkeys (pictured below on a different farm), beef, and pork - all on pasture. For the record, chickens can only survive on about 20% grass, 80% grain. Turkeys can go up to almost 50%. So poultry cannot be 100% grass-fed. However, every little bit helps! These type of pasture-raised chickens and turkeys are the best tasting, most humanely raised, happy.... and delicious... poultry you'll ever taste.
It will be an interesting year at Wishful Acres in 2012!
Oh that's so wonderful! Getting quality meat from humanely raised animals is such a great thing.
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