One of the most common avenues for family farms to sell their meat is the local farmer’s market. Use these advantages to diversify your markets, raise your farm’s profile, and increase your profits. As a pastured poultry farmer, you have additional, unique avenues to sell your meat and eggs that may not be available to traditional farms. One of the greatest challenges facing most commercial farmers in the 21st century is marketing and selling. Where to Sell Your Free-Range Products? 7 Markets to Consider In addition, raising free-range poultry provides you with a clearly defined, unique selling proposition, giving you a financial and marketable advantage over other farms. While pastured flocks involve more labor costs, there are considerably less infrastructure and overhead costs than conventional farms. Switching to pastured poultry can be a benefit to your farm and help you create a sustainable, thriving business you can hand down to the next generation. Discerning customers are now choosing responsibly-sourced chicken not only for ethical reasons, but also because it is a better product. The improved genetics and healthy, active lifestyle that pastured poultry enjoy translates into better tasting meat and eggs. Managing and moving manure is not an issue, either, as the flock’s compost is evenly spread around the field. Farmers no longer need to build expensive chicken houses or pay the high electric costs to ventilate the buildings. Raising a flock outdoors means relying more on natural resources and less on man-made ones. And the benefits for those with a compromised immune system, developmental issues, and other health issues are underappreciated and are still being fully studied. Consumers choose free-range chickens because they are high protein, low fat, and rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. Part of the trend for organic and pasture-raised meat and eggs is due to the health benefits.
Benefits Of Raising Free Range Chickens Better For You The resources, emails, and discussion boards contain the wisdom and experience of the world’s leading pasture farmers. Jim recommends anyone looking to learn more about raising poultry on pasture is to join the APPPA. Building this brand has taken time, but has been worth it in terms of generating word of mouth and repeat customers. The Cooperative sells directly to local customers, with stands at several local farmers markets as well as an on-farm store. Jim’s farm has partnered with a nearby farm that grows grass fed beef and pastured hogs to form Croton Farmers Cooperative for one-stop shopping for consumers looking for grass fed protein. Jim also grows hay on the farm, so the flocks are a constantly moving source of fertilizer for the soil. The farm has rolling hills with soggy ground, making it less than ideal for grazing cattle. Raising poultry on pasture makes the most sense for Mountain Meadow Farm. The operation has now grown to over 3,000 birds a year.
After running a trial with grass fed chickens in 2000, Jim saw the benefits and potential markets and switched over the whole family farm to raising grass fed birds. Jim Powers was first introduced to pastured poultry through Joel Salatin’s classic book Pastured Poultry Profit$. These farmers want to create a legacy for the next generation built on a sustainable, ecological foundation.
This next generation farmer is passionate about raising a healthier, more natural product.
Finally, the largest driver of farms incorporating pastured and free-range practices are the farmers themselves. Second, the economics of commercial poultry farming is unsustainable for many smaller producers, while the low overhead and higher profit margins for pastured poultry is appealing. Free range farming is uniquely suited to meet this demand. First, consumers are demanding organic, natural grown, and locally sourced meat and eggs.
The growth of pastured poultry is due to many factors: consumer demand, economics, and passionate farmers. Below we’ve compiled tips, advice, and best practices for getting started in raising pastured poultry.
Considering raising birds on pasture? Unsure of how to get started in pastured poultry? At Moyer’s Chicks, we are passionate about helping family farms and producers of all sizes embrace pastured poultry.