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!
