American Pastured Poultry Producers Association

Issue 27 Fall 2003

Producer Profile: Andrew Stutzman

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: By Andrew Stutzman and Brian Moyer

EDITOR’S BOX

DIRECTOR INFORMATION Pastures Pride farm, owned and operated by David and Joy Stutzman and their children 2 FROM OUR PRESIDENT Andrew, Jenna and Trevor, is in the heart of ANNUAL MEETING Pennsylvania Dutch country. The Stutzmans 3 raise grass fed beef, pork and pastured poultry. RAISING HERITAGE They market their products at their farm, at a TURKEYS farmers' market and through a CSA. The job of 4 raising the pastured poultry is handled by 16 PRO-PLUS MEMBERS year old son Andrew. 5 TURKEYS HAVE Andrew runs two batches of broilers a year. One FEELINGS TOO! 6 from April till June and the other from July till WHEN I WAS A YOUNG September. Each batch has 300 birds. Andrew TURKEY uses a unique combination of Salatin style pens 7 and a dayrange system. Here is what Andrew PICKWICK-ZESCO shared with us about his poultry operation: butchered from 7-9 weeks of age. (My 9 customers seem to prefer smaller, 7 week INTRO TO VA I use a Salatin-style pen (10ft. x 12ft. x old broilers) I usually loose about 15 to 10 26in.), with a combination of tin roofing 20 chickens per batch of 300. A few die NEWS and chicken wire. The pens have a door from disease as chicks, some get kinky 11 that allows the chickens to go out into a hocks (crippled from fast weight gains) PP RESEARCH 12-13 40ft. x 40ft. netted pasture area. I move 3 and die eventually, some die of heart at- BACK ISSUES pens inside this netting area once a day. I tacks when they get older (too fast 14 move the net every week. All 300 chickens weight gain), and I loose about 3 to 5 to VOTE! in a batch are contained in this area. I use predators. (Because of careless mistakes, 15-16 a hanging waterer with a 15-gallon tub run- I lost about 10 chicks to our cat last RECIPE CORNER ning into it in each pen. I put one feed batch.) We collect our own feed ingredi- WORKSHOP trough in each pen, along with 4 or 5 out- ents and pay a guy to grind and mix it for 18 side in the netting area. us. It costs us about $75 for him to come INTERNET RESOURCES out and grind 4 tons of feed. The total CLASSIFIEDS The pastures I use consist of about half cost of feed last batch was $230 per ton, 20 $483 total (2.1 tons). SUPPORT ADVERTISERS! clover, and half cool season grasses 19-23 (orchard grass, perennial rye grass). We STATEMENT OF don't irrigate. Every fall we put on a mix- I use a propane fuel- powered brooder. I PURPOSE ture of lime, gypsum, sulfur, compost, and have a boxed off section in a shed (about EVENTS trace minerals. Cattle also graze and fertil- 12ft. x 8ft.) that I keep the chicks in for 3 20 ize the same pastures. My chickens are (Continued on page 9)

Happy fall – I hope the season is winding down ditor’s Box well for you all. Since it is coming up on turkey time, we thought it appropriate to bring you a turkey focused edition this time. There is a huge demand for pastured turkeys among consumers– as Dan Bennett says in his article that begins on p6: “I can’t understand why any pastured poultry producer wouldn’t do it!” Since there has not yet been a lot of material written about turkeys on pasture, these arti- cles should be especially useful. Many you may notice on the way back from the mailbox that this issue has gone APPPA Grit! is published back up to 24 pages. We made a commitment to bring you at least 20 pages of useful info six times a year, but have been digging up so much good material and getting such strong six times a year at: PO Box 1024 support from APPPA advertisers that this issue you get FOUR FREE Pages! Who says Chippewa Falls WI 54729 you never get anything for free? Voice mail/phone: Speaking of advertisers, this issue we are starting up a new column: “APPPA Busi- 715-667-5501 ness Member Profile.” Our business members have been key to APPPA’s success. We Fax: 715-667-3044 want to support them back by letting you know about the fine services they offer. See my Editor: Jody Padgham interview with Chan Zuber of Pickwick-Zesco on p. 9, and look for upcoming profiles of E-mail: [email protected] your favorite pastured poultry business supporters in upcoming issues. And, how could we forget that it is election season (any tired of national politics APPPA Grit!, the newsletter, is yet?). Lucky for us, it is the time to elect three APPPA Board members– a breath of fresh included as a benefit of membership in APPPA. (Continued on page 18) Membership rates are $30 per year. To join APPPA, send check or money order made out APPPA DIRECTORS - Contact Information to APPPA in the amount of $30 Dan Bennett (Board Sec/Treas) to: APPPA, 3647 Kingman Rd, Ottawa KS 66067 c/o Jody Padgham (785) 242-6240, [email protected] PO Box 1024 Chippewa Falls WI 54729 Jenny Drake 69 Cowan Valley Lane, Hickman TN, 38567 Information provided in this (615)683-4291, [email protected] newsletter is believed to be Anne Fanatico accurate but readers assume all (ATTRA Resource Center), PO Box 3657, Fayetteville AR 72702-3657 responsibility for actions based (501)442-9824, [email protected] on this information. Kip Glass 2169 N Farm Road 71, Bois D'Arc MO 65612-2305 Classified ads for members are $5 per issue, up to 25 words, 25-50 (417) 732-4122, [email protected] words $10. Nonmembers add $5. Jeff Mattocks Display advertising per issue is $20 (The Fertrell Company), PO Box 265, Bainbridge PA 17502-0265 business card size, $35 for a quarter (800)347-1566, [email protected] page. For more information on advertising in the GRIT, please Jim McLaughlin (Board President) contact us. 242 Dan Main Rd, Norwich NY 13815 (607) 334-2833, [email protected] APPPA DIRECTORS Thru Brian Moyer Anne Fanatico, AR '03 96 Noll Lane, Fleetwood PA 19522-8846 Jeff Mattocks, PA '03 (610) 944-9349, [email protected] Jim McLaughlin, NY ‘03 Charles and Laura Ritch Dan Bennett, KS ‘04 298 Goose Pond Rd, Hartselle AL 35640 Charles-Laura Ritch, AL ‘04 Aaron Silverman, OR ‘04 (256) 751-0987, [email protected] Jenny Drake, TN ‘05 Aaron Silverman Kip Glass, MO ‘05 88741 Torrence Rd, Noti OR 97461-9703 Brian Moyer, PA ‘05 (541) 935-7952, [email protected]

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 2 From Our President

After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet Food for thought (MADE IN INDIA) he sat down with his calculator (MADE IN MEXICO) to see how much he could spend today. After setting his watch (MADE IN TAI- WAN) to the radio (MADE IN INDIA) he got in his Joe Doe started the day early having set his alarm car (! MADE IN GERMANY) and continued his clock (MADE IN JAPAN) for 6 a.m. While his search for a good paying AMERICAN JOB. At the coffeepot (MADE IN CHINA) was perking, he end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day, Joe shaved with his electric razor (MADE IN HONG decided to relax for a while. He put on his sandals KONG). He put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI- (MADE IN BRAZIL) poured himself a glass of wine LANKA), designer jeans (MADE IN SINGA- (MADE IN FRANCE) and turned on his TV (MADE PORE) and tennis shoes (MADE IN KOREA). IN INDONESIA), and then wondered why he can't find a good paying job in.....AMERICA.....

APPPA Annual Meeting At the 2004 PASA Conference

The APPPA annual membership meeting will be held at this year’s PASA* conference. Throughout the con- ference, APPPA members will lead several workshop sessions. A sneak preview: (titles may change)

Dan Bennett on Raising Turkeys on Pasture Jim McLaughlin on Introduction to Pastured Poultry Kip Glass on Day Range and Moveable Pen Comparison Ann Fanatico on Genetics for Pastured Poultry Systems and Ann Fanatico and Charles Ritch on On-Farm Broiler Processing Techniques

APPPA will have a “poultry room” set up at the conference, where on-going conversations and facilitated discussions will be held. We would like to invite all APPPA members to bring photo displays, posters, bro- chures or other materials to share with other members in our APPPA “poultry room. “ We will bring you more information on that opportunity next issue. APPPA members will be able to register for the conference at the PASA member price! Look for conference program details in the next issue of GRIT and session titles on the PASA website at www.pasafarming.org.

*Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture Conference (PASA) The 13th annual “Farming for the Future Conference” will be held February 5, 6, and 7, 2004. This year’s theme is “Pathways to Prosperity: The New Face of Agriculture”, and keynote addresses will be deliv- ered by Paul Hawken, author of 'Natural Capitalism' and The Ecology of Commerce, and Anuradha Mittal, Co-Director of Food First.

In addition to nationally recognized speakers, the conference will feature over 50 workshops, a 45-vendor 'Sustainable Trade Show and Marketplace', meals featuring sustainably, organically, and regionally raised food, the Sustainable Ag Leadership Award Banquet & live entertainment, ‘Future Farmers’ youth and teen programs, and a scholarship program for young and beginning farmers. For more information go to www.pasafarming.org or contact PASA at 814-349-9856. Conference registration information will be available later this fall. ¤

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 3 Raising Heritage Turkeys By Kip Glass

After two years of raising different breeds of heritage though, because if you loose any of the heritage poults turkeys, I’d like to share my experiences in raising and you have instantly lost over $7. selling these wonderful birds. As for pasture, you can either raise them in pens or let Why are heritage turkeys gaining in popularity? First, them range. I feel you are depressing these turkeys if there are several groups currently promoting old breeds you don’t let them range. They love covering the of animals and plants. One group recognizing and pro- ground and just aren’t happy in a small pen. Currently moting this is “Slow Food USA” (slowfoodusa.org). I am encircling an area with 3-165ft. electrified poultry Heritage turkeys are the breeds that were raised in the nettings four foot tall. They can fly over the fence, but past. These turkeys can breed naturally, unlike current seem to do it by accident when exercising their wings commercial hybrids, which must be bred artificially and playing around. Usually they can get back in on since their large size interferes with the natural mating their own or will climb right back in if I lay the fence process. If we don’t keep the older plant or animal genet- down. I’m using an open sided and open-ended 20’ x ics around, we loose the source from which our current 16’ shelter with roosts underneath the covering for 80 hybrids have been selected. birds. Now the large 15 week old maturing birds are starting to roost Before hybrid birds were developed tur- on top of the 10 foot high structure. keys took over 22 weeks to mature. Mod- I’m still trying to figure out how to ern commercial operations using the stop or capitalize on this. I may Broad Breasted White (BBW) turkey raise just not have one side covered next them for an average of 16-18 weeks. year or do a separate roost skid so When a turkey is allowed to mature past they have the option of being under 22 or 24 weeks of age it develops a fat cover or not. I move this skid and layer under the skin that adds to the fla- netting approximately every 10 vor and self-basting of the meat. If we let days to allow them fresh range. the BBW turkey mature to that age it Royal Palm Turkey would weigh in excess of 30 lbs., larger Another extra expense to consider than most consumers would be interested is labor. Since you are raising the in. I can tell you, once you have tasted a mature, pas- heritage turkeys to approximately 24 weeks you have ture raised, heritage breed turkey, you will not be inter- roughly 8 more weeks of labor to factor in compared ested in another dry, hybrid, confinement raised turkey. to the BBW turkeys. Of course, in an open range situa- tion the labor isn’t that difficult. So far I have experimented with the following heritage breeds: Bourbon Red, Royal Palm, Black Spanish, and I haven’t been that precise in the feed requirements of the Broad Breasted Bronze. In the near future I would these birds, but it is obvious that because of their more like to also try the standard Bronze. My preference so aggressive grazing, they don’t require as much feed. far is toward the Bourbon Red. It is an aggressive fora- ger and dresses out into a very visually appealing bird. Currently the price we are getting per pound is $2.30 You will need to do your own research and experimen- for the BBW turkeys and $3.40 for the heritage tur- tation to discover which breeds you personally like, keys. We have outsold the heritage turkeys 2 to 1. I what breeds you feel give the kind of product you want don’t know if that is due to our incredible sales de- to sell or what your customer base prefers. scription, or that people want to experience something different. People that purchased the heritage turkeys Now, let’s get down to my experiences of costs and trials last year said it was the best turkey they have ever ex- of raising these birds. First, the cost difference in poults perienced. is very significant. My BBW turkey poults are $1.75 each, the heritage breed poults average $7.00 plus. As As for income comparisons, I don’t have real accurate far as brooding, I can’t see much difference in how it figures yet because of the unknown feed consump- needs to be done, but I feel the heritage breeds are a little tions. But I know I’m feeding less feed per heritage hardier, and probably have fewer genetic frailties than bird compared to the BBW. Also, something you the hybrids have. You will want to start then off right, (Continued on page 5)

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 4

APPPA PRODUCER PLUS MEMBERS

Those who have joined as Producer Plus Members (a $50 investment) can go the private Pro-Plus webpage and download special APPPA mate- rials. (Those without internet ac- cess receive these items in the mail. Past newsletters will be mailed by request)

♦ Jeff Mattock’s fantastic 37 page book, Pasture-Raised Poultry Nutrition ♦ A PDF version of a Pastured Poultry Marketing Brochure, which can be customized with your farm name and info and passed out to customers. ♦ Access to the Pro-Plus listserve. All APPPA board members are available with timely answers to your particu- lar questions. ♦ New this month, past GRIT! Diagram from the Oklahoma State University Department of Animal Science issues from # 18, complete in PDF format.

AND MORE! Let us know what (Continued from page 4) Heritage Turkeys would be useful to YOU! must factor in is that the heritage breeds won’t average out as heavy a dressed weight as the BBW. We are excited to have more than 60 Producer Plus members. Please Let’s compare a 16 lb. BBW turkey, to a 14 lb. heritage turkey at my mark the “Producer Plus” box on prices: The BBW would be $36.80 (16x 2.30) gross income, compared your renewal form. If it is not time to $47.60 (14x3.40) for the heritage breed, a $10.80 difference. Let’s for you to renew, let us know if you deduct out of that gross income difference $6.00 for the difference in would like to upgrade by calling the poult cost and you have $4.80 more profit per heritage bird. Of course office at 715-667-5501 mailing to there will be less feed, so more than likely at my prices I will make P.O Box 1024, roughly $6 per bird more profit with the heritage turkey. Chippewa Falls, WI 54726 or More experimentation and more accurate record keeping needs to be emailing to done, but, initially, there seems do be a potential for extra income in [email protected] raising the heritage breeds. Don’t forget the intangible benefits of help- ing to preserve a vanishing breed of turkey, and the added enjoyment of raising birds with character.

In closing, I recommend you give heritage turkeys a try: you might en- joy them as much as we do, and so will your customers. ¤

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 5 Turkeys Have Feelings Too! By Dan Bennett

No, I’m not claiming that turkeys possess any higher In terms of production models, I believe the pasture pen form of intelligence than other animals, nor am I pioneered by Joel is not only the best for broiler produc- overly concerned for the well being of this specific tion; it’s the best model for turkeys as well. Now, I know species. I’m simply responding to the unusually the argument, “but those poor turkeys don’t have the critical attitude of many farmers room to run, spread their wings and when the topic of turkeys comes fly in those pens.” This was re- up! I picked up an old farm cently preached to me by my good book a few years ago at our local friend Jim Protiva (who by the way library, excited to find a chapter is very successfully raising 1000 on turkeys in the contents. As I turkeys this fall using a day ranging turned to glean some good old model in southern Missouri). More fashioned advice, I read the sin- power to you Jim, my Kansas tur- gle word under the title, keys prefer pens! (Ed: also see Kip’s “Don’t”! Luckily, I rejected this article on p 4!) author’s advice and over the past 5 years have had a very positive As I mentioned earlier, the time in experience raising turkeys on Bennett Boys Moving Pens the brooder is critical for turkeys. pasture. You need to have good brooder skills to excel at turkey production – you need to watch In this article, I hope to cover the highlights of my them very carefully the first few weeks. I use the same experience with turkeys. I will discuss production, brooders and brooding techniques for turkeys that I use for marketing and the overall role turkeys can play as a broilers with the exception of using crushed boiled eggs on part of your farm or ranch. I will use this article as a top of the feed to get them going. You may have seen my basis for my talk at the PASA conference in Feb. of recent article in the Grit on brooder management. (Issue 04 when we all gather for the APPPA annual meet- 23, p. 8) Use those techniques effectively and you will have ing. no problems with turkeys. We do give them plenty of greens in the brooder as they seem to enjoy it so! Turkeys We’ve all heard the stories about turkeys being so do need to stay in the brooder longer than broilers. I use dumb that they will drown out in a rain storm be- the rule of thumb given by Joel Salatin –5 weeks in the cause they obviously “don’t have the sense to come brooder is best. If the weather is not just right and I have in out of the rain”! I believe by having the right ra- room in the brooder, I’ll leave them longer. tion, the proper time in the brooder, and the proper shelter in the pasture, pasture raised turkeys can be a We start with all hen turkeys to help with uniformity. I very rewarding experience. I would even go as far as get them very reasonably from Jim Phillips at Stover to say that the white broad-breasted hybrid turkeys Hatchery in Stover, Mo. – www.stoverhatchery.com . are hardier and have twice the personality as the hy- brid Cornish Rock Cross broiler. In my book, that At 5 or 6 weeks, I put them out on the pasture and just means they are more fun to have around. watch them grow. Our pens are the Brower PVC 10’x12’ poultry pen which gives turkeys 3 ft. height in the covered If you’ve read any of my articles before, you know end of the pen. We start with up to 40 turkeys per pen and I’m a Joel Salatin disciple and my turkey production then after the broilers begin to free up pens, we reduce is no different. In fact, I was just looking in my tur- density to about 20 per pen. We move the pens daily be- key file and ran across Joel’s article entitled cause, for one, we were told to, but also because those tur- “Turkeys” written in the Grit a number of years ago. keys eat grass more aggressively than anything I’ve ever Most of my ideas are not new – in fact, this may seen. If we didn’t move them daily, we wouldn’t have any simply be a re-write of what you’ve read before. (Ed pasture left! These turkeys are so eager to move each day note: Joel’s article was in GRIT #4 from Spring 1998. We that they practically push the pen along themselves as they will try to have that available on the APPPA website by see that fresh grass approaching. the end of October.) (Continued on page 17)

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 6 When I Was a Young Turkey

APPPA member Jonathon Coulimore sent this to us late last year. I don’t think he wrote it, but don’t know who did….

When I was a young turkey And decided on the spot New to the coop That to avoid being cooked My big brother Mike I’d have to lay low Took me out on the stoop. And remain overlooked Then he sat me down And he spoke real slow I began a new diet And he told me there was something Of nuts and granola, That I had to know. High roughage salads, Juice and diet cola. His look and his tone I will always remember, And as they ate pastries, When he told me of the horrors Chocolates, and crepes, Of...Black November. I stayed in my room- Doing Jane Fonda tapes. “Come about August, Now listen to me, I maintained my weight Each day you’ll get six meals Of two pounds and a half Instead of just three. And tried not to notice When the bigger birds laughed. And then one morning When you’re warm in your bed But ‘twas I who was laughing In’ll burst the farmer’s wife Under my breath And hack off your head. As they chomped and they chewed Even closer to death Then she’ll pluck out all your feathers So you’re bald and pink And sure enough And scoop out your insides When Black November rolled around And leave ya lyin’ in the sink. I was the last turkey Left in the entire compound And then comes the worst part” He said not bluffing, So, now I’m a pet “She’ll spread your cheeks In the farmer’s wife’s lap And pack your rear with stuffing.” I haven’t a worry So I eat and I nap Well, the rest of his words Were too grim to repeat. She held me today I sat on the stoop While sewing and humming Like a winged piece of meat And smiled at me and said “Christmas is coming…”

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 7 APPPA Business Member Profile:

Pickwick-Zesco Poultry and Meat Processing Equipment

Products Offered We thought it was time APPPA members get a better look at For poultry producers Pickwick-Zesco features chicken the businesses that support us through our Business Member- scalders, pickers, dunkers, evisceration lines, process- ship program. Our business members do a lot to support AP- ing tables, knives and all equipment needed for small PPA– we encourage you to support them! We will feature a and medium sized processing facilities. different business member in each upcoming issue of GRIT! In November of this year they are rolling out a new Look for business member ads in the back of each issue, and line of equipment that is specifically designed for small contact information and web links from the APPPA web scale and home processors. They hope to have proto- page at types of that equipment at the Small Farm Conference www.apppa.org/APPPA/bizmembers.htm in Missouri, look for them there for a first hand look.

Company Philosophy Chan Zuber, General Manager of Pickwick-Zesco told When asked about Pickwick-Zesco’s business philoso- me recently that he got into the business of poultry phy, Chan tells me that they strive to “leave the client processing equipment back in the 1940’s when he was better off than when they met us.” He goes on to say in high school. He started out cleaning and re- that “even if we have to go so far as to recommend assembling used processing equipment that his Dad, a one of our competitors, we want our customers to have Pickwick dealer, wanted prepped for resale. He never their needs met.” thought he’d still be working with processing equip- ment this many years later, but is quite proud of the Exciting Feature Product business that Pickwick-Zesco has become today. When asked what product he was most excited about, after their new line of small processing equipment, Now located in Eden Prairie, MN, just outside of Chan said that he really liked their new Electro-Static Minneapolis-St Paul, Pickwick-Zesco is a national dis- Spraying System. This is a crop spraying system that tributor of processing equipment for poultry and meat can be custom fit for all size operations– from hand- processing plants of all sizes. Zesco and Pickwick held units to pull-behind for the tractor. When spraying came together in late 1999 when Zesco agreed to as- any liquid, this system puts an electrical charge on the semble and sell Pickwick equipment. particles, which when sprayed will coat the entire leaves of plants (rather than just the top side). This Offering a full line of processing machinery and sup- revolutionary system will allow for much better cover- plies, Chan and his brother and Dad also have exper- age of any fertilizer or control product using less prod- tise in designing processing plants from large to small uct. Look for the Electro-Static Spraying System on the scale. They have designed over 400 small plants that Pickwick-Zesco website or ask about it when you call. are still operating around the U.S. They are willing to work with anyone interested in putting up a plant to- Pickwick-Zesco offers national distribution of its prod- day, though inconsistencies between states in law in- ucts. A comprehensive listing of products and services terpretation put a larger design and regulation burden can be viewed on the Pickwick-Zesco web site at on the plant owner than ever before. They even offer a www.pickwick-zesco.com. Catalogs may also be re- free processing plant planning guide on the Pickwick- quested by calling 800-808-3335. Zesco website http://www.pickwick-zesco.com/ guide.htm Chan concludes our conversation by telling me that before Zesco bought Pickwick in 1999, he never knew how many small farmers there were in the U.S. He now sees “a good future for small farms in the U.S.” ¤

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 8 (Continued from page 1) Profile Most of my chicken customers were my weeks before moving them out to pas- Andrew’s Broiler Ration parents’ beef customers first. They got the ture. I keep the brooder temperature at 1015 lb shelled corn beef customers through occasional newspa- 90 degrees for the first few days, and 625 lb roasted soybeans per advertisements and word of mouth. In then gradually lower the temperature 200 lb oats previous years, we advertised specifically as they get older. In the summer, I am 75 lb crab meal for my chickens in the newspaper, but we able to turn off the brooder after about 25 lb Argonite didn't have to this year. I sold about 40 a week and a half. I use long trough 60 lb bag of nutribalancer chickens at our farmer's market in West feeders, and a hanging waterer with a (all weights are per ton) Chester last batch, which advertises in the 15-gallon tub for my chicks, and so my newspaper and radio. labor time is short. We record the amount of money we make each batch. I can handle all of the daily chores of feeding, moving, We keep track of customer phone numbers and ad- watering, etc. on my own. My parents do the market- dresses, but sales records are hard to find. ing work, feed grinding, and processing day things, but I help out with most of these things as well. I spend I use many feed troughs, and 3 15-gallon tubs of water, about 20 minutes per day when the chicks are in the so I only have to feed the birds once per day. (I used to brooder and 50 minutes per day when they are on pas- feed them twice per day). By letting the chickens out ture. Adding maintenance and other work, I probably into a netted pasture, I have found that they eat much average about an hour and 10 minutes of labor per more grass then if they were locked in the pens. They don't trample the grass as fast. My only limits to growth seem to be the amount of customer demand, and the amount of time I have to raise a certain number of chick- ens. I have always been able to make my system very profitable.

It is obvious that at 16 Andrew is an experienced pastured poul- try producer and an integral part of the family farm. We could use another couple of thousand like him. If there are more young people like Andrew out there, lets hear about them. It would sure make the future of farming look very bright. ¤

Costs Poultry Netting $47 (3 year depreciation) Feed- $230/ton x 2.1 = $483 LP gas hookup 28 (3 year depreciation) LP gas 68 Pen 33 (3 year depreciation) Bags (selling) 32.23 Ice 30 Custom slaughter 377 day. For my next batch, I want to lower the labor time Hauling to slaughter 48 with things like automatic waterers, and a larger poul- Chicks 215 try netting area. Purchased feed 33.26 Electrolytes 2.55 We drive the chickens to a processor to be butchered. Expense Total $1,397 It costs $1.30 per bird. Last batch we put about 50 Gross Income $2,436.54 birds in the freezer, and sold the rest fresh. We could- (280 chickens sold at $ 2.00/lb, averaging about 5 n't get people to buy enough chickens for the process- lbs) ing dates, but there is enough of a demand for frozen chicken in the next few weeks, so we have little trouble Profit $1,039.54 selling them all. (We also sell extras at our market in West Chester).

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 9 Introduction to Tenosynovitis (Viral Arthritis) By Don Brubaker

I would like to take a moment to introduce myself. I grew up on a 28 acre poultry farm in the heart of the Pennsyl- vania Dutch Country in Strasburg, PA. After years of raising corn, soybean, vegetables, hogs, steers, and broilers the chemical way, my family’s thought patterns began to change. After the birth of a son with disabilities, we won- dered what went wrong. To make a long story short, that brought us to a natural and organic lifestyle that we en- joy today.

On June 2, 2003, I started with The Fertrell Company and I’m enjoying working with the natural and organic farming community. In this article I would like to talk about Viral Arthritis (VA). This virus was first reported in1957 and from time to time has created difficulty for poultry producers. VA is a reoviral infection that infects primarily meat-type chickens. There have been several serotypes identified. The virus is passed through the drop- pings of infected chickens and can also be transmitted through dirty egg shells. The virus will not last long in the respiratory and digestive areas of the chicken’s body; only in the sheath of tendons will the virus survive for any length of time. In mild cases you will see swollen joints and reddening of the legs. In the more severe cases the bird’s legs become so sore that they can no longer walk. The tendons will swell and actually tear and the bird will become a cull.

Prevention Once the damage is done there is no treatment option for the infected birds, so it is very important to do all you can to keep the virus off your farm. Getting the material antibodies built up in the parent stock is the first thing you have to do. Unfortunately this may be the most difficult, because as small producers we do not have control of the breeder flocks. The one thing we all have going for us is that there are many other producers buying eggs and chicks from the same hatcheries, so they need to do a good job in all aspects of the breeder flock. You can commu- nicate with your hatchery or egg supplier to see if they have a program in place to build up the titers (antibodies) in their breeder flocks for reovirus, or for that matter, any other disease.

If you still have a problem after you find out that the breeder flocks have good titer levels, you can look into a good vaccination program for your farm. Because of the small numbers of birds many of you start with, day old vaccina- tion at the hatchery is the best move. On-farm vaccines usually come in 5,000 to 10,000 dose vials. Many of you may not believe in the use of vaccines, so it is very important that you, a pasture poultry producer, do your home- work and find out what method of control works best for you.

Farm Management Day old chicks can be infected with VA but usually will not show signs of the virus till they are 6 to 7 week old chickens. The virus is resistant to chemicals and heat. So lets start with the hatching--some of you hatch your own chicks. Eggs need to be cleaned as soon as possible after the hens lay their eggs. Clean the eggs with warm water and a cleaner (that is accepted by your certifier if you are organic). The incubator should also be cleaned after each use. If you move the eggs to hatching trays for the last three days, don’t forget to clean those trays also. Once your chicks are hatched, they need to be moved to a clean and warm brood area within 24 hours. It might sound like I’m a clean freak, but prevention is easier than dealing with the virus.

If you are having problems with VA you should come up with a sound bio-security plan. When caring for your birds always start with the youngest first and work towards the oldest. It would be even better to have a separate person care for the new chicks as they came onto the farm. In any case you should keep yourself cleaned up. You should wear washable boots and clean clothes every time you care for the birds. All tools and equipment used to care for the birds in a given day should be kept clean. Whenever possible it is a good idea to have a 10 to 14 day break between groups of birds. This will help to prevent the build-up of this disease and many others.

It may seem like I have spent a lot of time on breeder flock health and cleanliness of the farm, but I see no other way to prevent VA from being a problem on the farm. Any questions feel free to contact me. Don Brubaker at The Fertrell Company (717)-367-1566 [email protected] ¤

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 10 News from Big Industry Member Communications

Ed note: these changes will not generally affect Pastured Poultry APPPA recently received a call from member Producers but it doesn’t hurt to know about it... Robert Hutchins from Texas asking if we had any

recommendations for carriers of FSIS proposes to revise classes of poultry Liability Insur- Food Safety and Inspection Service– USDA ance for the sale of pastured poultry at farmers’ markets. Robert told me that he not only couldn’t The Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection find product liability insurance, but that his home Service is proposing to amend the official poultry class and farm insurance agent CANCELLED their standards of identity to more accurately describe poultry farm insurance when Robert called them to in- sold in the marketplace. FSIS uses poultry class standards quire and told them he was processing birds on to ensure that poultry products are labeled in a truthful and farm. non-misleading manner. I did an email poll of the APPPA board, and all After examining current poultry production methods and agreed this is a huge problem for pastured poultry poultry class standards of identity, FSIS has determined producers, and that someone needs to research it the existing standards are outdated and too broad to accu- and find a solution. We will pursue this in upcom- rately represent poultry being produced today, according to ing months. In the meantime, two Board members an FSIS release. According to the release, advancements in responded that they found the only solution was breeding and husbandry have generally shortened the pe- to incorporate their poultry business as a Limited riod of time required for birds to attain market-ready Liability Company (LLC), which separates the weights. FSIS used an example that thirty years ago, it risk of the poultry business from the risk of the took 12 to 13 weeks to produce birds with the physical farm. We will have more information about this characteristics of broilers, which are now being produced in upcoming issues of the GRIT. in as little as six to eight weeks. The proposed classifica- tions would more clearly describe the age and breeding of In my former life as a Co-op developer, I did a lot poultry classes and enhance FSIS' ability to enforce label- of work with business structures and legal forms of ing claims. incorporation. Incorporating your business is not The proposed rule is available in the latest Federal Register as complicated as it sounds (in most cases), and and online at USDA.gov does not have to be especially expensive. There http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/news/2003/pclasses.htm. are several useful resources to help you under- stand the pros and cons and options for incorpo- Written comments may be submitted to FSIS Docket rating your business. The Small Business Admini- Clerk, Docket #99-017P, the U.S. Department of Agricul- stration can be very helpful, and they have a lot of ture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room 102, Cot- materials online at http://www.sba.gov/ or you ton Annex, 300 12th St. SW, Washington, D.C., 20250- can find your local office by calling 1-800-827-5722. 3700. Comments must be received by November 28, 2003. A pretty good paper talking about what LLCs are can be found at http://www.wisc.edu/uwcc/ Interesting Facts info/farmer/pre2001/abc.html The paper, “The ABCs of LLCs” is a little dated (1997), and ends ♦ The United States annually produces 8.1 billion with a comparison with cooperatives (which broilers, worth $15 billion. The top five states are makes interesting reading to some of us!) but will Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi and get you a good basic understanding of what an North Carolina LLC is. (call or write the APPPA office if you would like a copy of the paper but don’t have internet) ♦ The United States produces 82 billion eggs a year, worth $4.3 billion. The top five states are Ohio, This isn’t the easy answer Robert was looking for. Iowa, California, Pennsylvania and Indiana. Does anyone out there have recommendations for From the USDA Economic Research Service insurance companies that will cover on-farm proc- essing and product liability insurance for pastured How many of those dollars could be OURS? poultry? Please call or write APPPA so we can share what you know. -Jody

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 11 Pastured Poultry Research Review By Jody Padgham

The modern concept of raising birds on pasture is about ten years old now (Joel Salatin’s first book “Pastured Poultry Profits” was published in 1993.) Though the movement is still very young, interest in pastured poultry con- tinues to grow. One way this is evident is an increasing amount of research dedicated to learning about pastured poultry systems and markets. We thought it would be timely to get you up to date on some recent research, some of which is still ongoing. I will just give you a short list here, and refer you to websites or phone contacts so you can follow up on any research that interests you. We have listed some of these for you before, but I will include them again in case you missed the first time.

“The Importance of Genetics: Biological fitness and productivity in range-based systems comparing standard turkey varieties and industrial stocks.” Donald Bixby, DVM, American Livestock Breed Conservancy. (919/545- 0022) 2 year project funded by SARE. (2002-03) Web link to 6 pp first year report: http://www.sare.org/reporting/report_viewer.asp?pn=LS01-122 This research is looking at Bourbon Red, Black Spanish and Blue Slate standard (heritage) turkeys and comparing them to commercial strains in a pasture-based system using DNA analysis and immune system response. Although the commercial variety reached market weight in fewer days and grew to a larger size the standard varieties had lower mortality and better immune response in the first year of the project. DNA micro-satellite analysis showed some standard varieties are only distantly related to the narrowly bred commercial strains, providing valuable ge- netic diversity essential for the long-term sustainability of turkeys. Data analysis and interpretation is still under way in this two year project.

“Pasture Raised Products Message and Strategy” by Kim Shelquist, Market Research Consultant for the Food Routes Network/ Midwest Collaborators. (Oct/Nov 2002) On the web at http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pdfs/pasture_focus_group.pdf or available from the Leopold Cen- ter at 515/294-3711. This research held six focus groups of consumers across the Midwest to learn about customer attitudes so as to better market pastured poultry products. A total of 67 people were involved in 6 focus group sessions in 6 locations in MN, WI and IA. NOTE: This was not a randomly selected group, but fit the criteria of “high school diploma or higher, tendency to recycle and see some impact of food buying habits on the environment and minimum of $40,000 household income (adjusted down in one lower cost of living area)” The summary of the results concludes: ♦ In general, pasture raised is the term these participants favor. Though there were some positive comments about free-range, grass-fed and natural. ♦ Regardless of the term, a definition and standards must be set. There was much confusion as to what the terms mean and who is verifying them. ♦ Opportunities and barriers exist to marketing pasture raised products. 1. Respondents were open to trying new things 2. They care about the health benefits they see from pasture raised 3. They want to support local farmers and have concerns about animal welfare 4. They are not comfortable trusting products without regulation 5. They expect the products to cost more, and that means they must be noticeably higher quality 6. They question how convenient these products are to find and use. ♦ Respondents must know what’s in it for them. While they care about the environment and animal welfare, they really care about how the product benefits them and their families. In the end their purchase decisions are based on convenient access to healthy, good tasting food at a reasonable price. Any slogans used to market pasture raised products must emphasize these characteristics. ♦ Respondents ask for traditional communications. They get their information about food issues from tradi- tional media (television, radio, print, etc.) and they do pay attention to advertising. Word of mouth from friends and family is a potentially powerful tool for combating the lack of trust in untried products. There is a lot more information in this paper about these consumer’s attitudes. Please reference the paper itself to learn more. (Continued on page 13)

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 12 (Continued from page 12) Research “Exploring Market Opportunities for Local and Sustainable Poultry Production and Providing Education in Small Scale Poultry Production for Idaho Growers” Mandi Thompson, October 2002. This study started with consumer research on interest and knowledge of alternative poultry production. It was found that there are 5 important characteristics valued when buying poultry products: freshness of product (71%), food safety (69%), quality (67%) and USDA inspected (62%). At least 50% of the respondents also said that things such as “humanely raised,” Idaho grown,” ”organic,” and “grass-fed,” were at least somewhat important. For more detail and other conclusions of the research, go to http://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/FSMIP/FY2001/ID0334.pdf

“Consumer Preferences for Organic/Free Range Chicken” Liz Neufeld, August 2002, Kansas State University This paper offers a lot of good background information, including a comprehensive summary of research that has been done on pastured poultry, with costs of production and profitability tables. A survey sent to 1000 consumers in Kansas City in September 2001 shows that ♦ There was a general lack of knowledge about the existence or availability of free range chicken. ♦ These customers were not price-sensitive (a $0.50/lb price difference had no noticeable affect on customer buying) ♦ Consumers reported that taste, appearance and USDA approval were the most important factors to them in purchasing chicken, in that order. ♦ Purchasing a healthy product was seen as the greatest motivation in seeking free-range chicken. Free-range chicken rated above regular chicken in all attributes except value, and overall taste was rated very favorably. (for the purpose of this study, free- range was taken to be “access to outdoor pens and allowed to roam and forage freely”) The full paper can be found at http://www.agmrc.org/poultry/info/ksufreerangech.pdf

“Impact of Three Pasture Species and Commercial Mash Diets on Pastured and Commercial Caged Layer Hens' Eggs: Omega-3 Fat, Vitamin A and E content “ H.D. Karsten, P.H. Patterson, G.W. Crews and R.C. Stout; Crop & Soil Sciences and Poultry Science Departments, The Pennsylvania State University. (2003). (reported on in GRIT issue 25, p12. Heather Karsten will present the details of her research at the PASA confer- ence in Feb 2004) This research showed that eggs produced by hens on foraged pasture legume mix had an average of 18% more omega-3 fat than hens on foraged grass pastures. Omega-3 fat, Vitamin A and E were higher in eggs of hens that foraged pasture (supplemented with commercial mash) than hens fed commercial mash only.

“Three Year Study of Large-scale Pastured Poultry Farms “ Don Schuster, University of Wisconsin Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (2002) (Report in GRIT Issue 21, p 6. Summer 2002) Key findings include: ♦ Pastured poultry can be an excellent supplementary enterprise (under 1,500 birds per year) on diversified farms, particularly if these farms already direct market other farm products. ♦ Net incomes from the five farms studied averaged nearly $2.50 per bird. ♦ Microbial tests indicated that on-farm processing can be at least as safe as processing at state or federally in- spected facilities. ♦ When a set of human nutritional variables was tested for, no significant differences were found between poul- try raised under pastured and confinement conditions. ♦ The success of primary pastured poultry enterprises (over 1,500 birds per year) depends on several important off-farm variables including access to state or federally inspected processing facilities and effective marketing mechanisms.

“Label Rouge: Pasture-Based Poultry Production in France” by Anne Fanatico and Holly Born. (2003) You may remember our former APPPA Coordinator Diane Kaufmann’s interest in the Label Rouge project from France. A final synopsis of the details of Label Rouge production systems and possibilities in the U.S can be found in this 12 page report from ATTRA .To see the report go to http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/labelrouge.pdf or call ATTRA at 1-800-346-9140 to request a copy. ¤

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 13 BACK ISSUES OF APPPA GRIT Available for $5 per issue—Xerox copy only available for most older issues. Please look on the APPPA website (www.apppa.org) for free copies of favorite articles. To order copies of back is- sues, send a check with your mailing address, phone number and a note of which issues you would like copied to APPPA, PO Box 1024, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729. Please allow 3 weeks for delivery.

Issue #7 Winter 1999 Issue # 14 Fall 2000 Issue #20 Summer 2002 ♦ Creative Pen Design ♦ Free farmed label ♦ Producer Profile: Coulimore ♦ APPPA Incorporation ♦ It’s all in the vernacular ♦ Nutrition News ♦ Pen Comparisons ♦ Kosher and Halal ♦ What to Feed? ♦ Rebar Yurts ♦ Winter ration ♦ Composting Livestock ♦ Hoophouses ♦ Guide to Processing and selling ♦ New at ATTRA ♦ Direct Marketing Meat ♦ Why Grassfed is Best ♦ Chickens in Zimbabwe ♦ Annual Meeting highlights ♦ PP Definition Issue #8 Spring 99 ♦ Iceland cracks egg myth ♦ Tales from the Past ♦ Board highlights for 1999 ♦ Looking for a feedmill ♦ Wizbang plucker book ♦ Pastured Peepers ♦ Creating a business plan ♦ Label Terms ♦ Mobile Processing Units ♦ Why Grassfed is best ♦ Safe to Sell? ♦ Wisconsin’s MPU ♦ Brooder management Issue #21 Summer 2002 ♦ Technopolitics Issue #15 ♦ Producer Profile: Hansen ♦ Land-owning Serfs • Grass Conversion ♦ APPPA Meeting ♦ Keeping Eggs Clean • Too Many Antibiotics ♦ Mortality: Common Causes ♦ Eviscerating • A Cadillac Mobile Poultry Process- ♦ Research: Large Pastured Issue #9 Summer 99 ing Unit Poultry Operations ♦ Range Poultry Production • Salmonella Kit ♦ WA Producers Systems Smart Chicken ♦ Label Rouge ♦ Turkey Resource • ♦ Organic Standards ♦ Project Field Day • Chick Opportunity ♦ Farm Bill ♦ Southern Pasture • Farm Product Liability ♦ Vinegar ♦ Poultry Forum • Price Tabs/Cost Tags Issue #22 Fall 2002 ♦ Just 100 Chicks • The Cornish Cross ♦ Producer Profile: Silverman ♦ PP on the Internet Issue #16 ♦ Annual Meeting Issue #10 Fall 1999 • Michigan Producers ♦ Apppa Updates ♦ Pastured Peeper Symposium • HAACP Plan in Place? ♦ How to Sell Grassfed ♦ Changing the Law • Preventing Avian Disease ♦ Poultry Taste Event ♦ Which Would You Choose? • Updated Feed Ration ♦ News from Eat Wild ♦ Day Ranging • Coccidia ♦ Raising Historical Turkeys ♦ Annual Meeting ♦ Starting Out ♦ Guide for Marketers • Direct Marketing Resources Issue #23 Winter 2003 Issue #11 Winter 2000 • Building Better Rural Places ♦ Shelter Design ♦ Nutritional Analysis of • Chickens and Steeples ♦ APPPA Changes Pastured Poultry Products • Quality, Quality! ♦ Pen Design Update ♦ Annual Meeting Notes Issue #17 ♦ Creative Growers House ♦ APPPA Statistics • Meat Labeling ♦ Brooder Nightmare ♦ Flocking to Pastured Poultry • How Free Are We? ♦ Brooder Checklist ♦ PP Expansion in the New • Feed Information ♦ Raising Meat Flock Millennium • USPS Air Shipping Issue #24 Spring 2003 ♦ Alt Ag Marketing • Lessons from a French System ♦ Profile: Glass ♦ Farm Information ♦ Direct Marketing ♦ Brooder Management • Texas Meat & Poultry Act ♦ Poultry Budget ♦ Poultry Labeling Issue #18 ♦ Develop Brochure Issue #12 Spring 2000 • Reflections and Hope for ♦ Watering Systems ♦ Stationary Netting Model APPPA ♦ Eco-Labeling ♦ Zero Mortality • USPS Air Shipping Issue #25 Summer 2003 ♦ Day Ranging Model • Prairie Schooner Chickens ♦ Producer Profile: Charles Ritch ♦ Pasture in PP • The Pasture in Pastured ♦ Revisiting the MPU ♦ Steps to Successful Marketing Poultry ♦ Local Harvest website ♦ Funding & Technical • Why Grassfed is Best ♦ Build Your Own Assistance • Brooder Management ♦ Government notes ♦ How much Insurance? Issue #19 ♦ PSU Research ♦ Why Grass-fed is Best • Producer Profile: Dan Bennett Issue #26 Late Summer 2003 Issue #13 Summer 2000 • USPS Air Shipping update ♦ Environmental Stress on ♦ Pastured Poultry Labeling • Labeling definition Laying Hens ♦ Label Rouge Type Production ♦ Eggs on Pasture in Illinois • Farm Market Study ♦ Egg Processing by Hand ♦ Salmonella Study • Legal Issues ♦ Consumer Research ♦ Goosemobile people • System Comparisons ♦ Board Ballot ♦ Record Keeping • Marketing Options ♦ Alternative Poultry Production in France ♦ Producers Speak out! ♦ Ionization of eggs ♦ Why Grass-fed is best ♦ Brooder management

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 14 VOTE for APPPA Board Members The following APPPA members have been nominated to run for the APPPA Board. Each year we vote for three members of our nine member board. The three we elect in this process will be in office for the 2004-2006 term. Board terms for Anne Fanatico, Jeff Mattocks and Jim McLaughlin expire at the end of 2003. Please read the following statements carefully and use the back of this page to vote for THREE candidates. The APPPA Board appreciates all who offer themselves as candidates. As always, members will have a tough decision to make. Please return the enclosed ballot by NOVEMBER 22nd, 2003. Election results will be printed in the December issue of GRIT! and new board members will be invited to the APPPA annual meeting in PA in February.

Francis Abbott, (Plymouth, WI) “My wife’s and my adventure with poultry started back in 1995, when I decided to use part of my hobby farm and raise 25 turkeys. Having never done any of this before, and not knowing what I was doing, I picked up my chirping box of day old pullets by the first of June. By the time Thanksgiving rolled around and we processed the birds, the average weight on them was 40#, with the largest one dressed out at 53#! We sold out that year, and are currently marketing about 300 turkeys each year. We received so many requests for chickens, that we finally started that portion of our business in 1999, and are currently marketing and processing 600 chickens, using an open-range system. Our mission and goal is to raise the healthiest and tastiest poultry, while selling them at a rea- sonable price to the consumer. We've processed many birds directly here on the farm and sold them direct to the consumer, but this year we are branching out a little further and having some of the birds processed by a state inspected plant. This allows us to have a little more time, which we can turn around and invest in expanding the marketing of the birds through various local meat markets and farmers markets since the birds are now state inspected. “

Karen Black and Robert Plamondon (Blodgett, OR) (Joint candidacy) are experienced pastured producers and marketers, as well as information providers. Karen focuses on broilers and Robert on layers. They are “poultry archeologists”—pouring over the old scientific literature on small commercial flocks with outdoor access. They have generously shared free information on the Internet and also have a business selling books. Robert wrote the book Success with Baby Chicks and reprints of hard-to-find poultry production classics. T h e y both come from technical backgrounds. Karen studied physics in college and Robert electrical engineering. Robert also has a technical writing business. They left the Silicon Valley for a better place to raise their two boys and settled on a farm near Corvallis, Oregon. De- mand for their pastured eggs has been high at the Corvallis Farmers’ Market and area stores and the couple now has 600 layers. Robert is a pioneer in using small-scale egg processing equipment. Karen “bid the flies and yellow jackets farewell” and opened an indoor, two-room processing facility for her broilers. “Oregon has a liberal ‘custom poultry’ license, so I can sell chickens at the Farmers’ Market. This in- creased the number of customers, since even a half-hour drive is a hardship for some.”

Jeff Mattocks (The Fertrell Company, Bainbridge PA) is running for his second term on the APPPA board. He has been a tireless resource to producers and a committed board member. Jeff works for the Fertrell Company, a natural and organic fertilizer and animal supplement manufacturer established 57 years ago. For the past 8 years he has been providing diet formulation for all forms of livestock to sustainable and organic farmers. Jeff works closely with pastured poultry producers and grazing groups, continually experimenting and developing better feed formulations for this production style and environmental challenges. He also tries to help growers with illnesses, stresses and diseases, treating these abnormalities with natural and homeopathic solutions instead of drugs whenever possible. Jeff provides information to the farmers and growers to help them be better managers and improve their animal husbandry; which enables them to be more successful and more profitable. “Sustainable farming is vital to a strong economy.”

Jim McLaughlin (Norwich NY) is the current president of APPPA and has been on the board since 2001. “I would like to continue to build on the work done by the board these last 2 years. My desire is to continue to see APPPA retain and grow membership in order to be effective as a national and international voice for pastured poultry. I would like to see APPPA become the clearing house for information on the pastured poultry model, be an aqueduct for farmer to farmer, and farmer to consumer relations, as well as be recognized as the voice for sustainable poultry production. APPPA should be involved in the innovation of new pastured management systems as well as have an educational arm to provide information to schools, consumers, and policymakers. APPPA should be recognized, through its members, as the location for information pertaining to pasturing poultry and, if necessary, be involved in the political process on the local, state, and national level. I believe APPPA needs to recruit consumer membership to expand our base in order to build into a sizeable organi- zation that will have a voice, as necessary, in the local, state and national political process. If given the opportunity I would like to be reelected to serve the membership of APPPA and look forward to continuing as a part of this organization.”

David Smith (Sparks MD) owns and operates Springfield farm with his wife, Lilly, their daughter Valerie Lafferty, her husband, Doug and their children, Danielle and David. Their farm has been in David’s family since the early-mid 1600’s, being passed down to the next generation over the centuries. David grew up on a Springfield farm where he was a 4-H member. He enlisted in the Army upon graduation from High School and served for many years until he retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel. David next worked as an International Operations Executive, living in Europe and the Middle East over ten years. Upon retirement, David’s love of animals and the outdoors was rekindled, natural sustainable agriculture was discovered and thus, “Springfield Farm ··· Naturally”, was born. Spring- field Farm is a diversified pasture-based small-family farm producing Certified Naturally Grown eggs, poultry and meats. Operations began in January 2000 with but 500 layers, a few ducks and geese. By the end of 2003, eggs from 2500 layers, over 5000 broilers, 350 turkeys (including 100 heritage), a few ducks and geese, 12 pastured veal calves, 300 rabbits, 50 lambs, 25 hogs, 10 goats, and 25 steers will have been sold to some 300 individuals and nearly 20 restaurants. Plans call for an upper limit of 4000 layers, 10,000 broilers, 250 ducks, 50 geese, 40 pastured veal calves, 500 rabbits, 250 lambs, 100 hogs, 25 goats and 100 steers to supply some 450 individuals and 30 restaurants.

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 15 APPPA BALLOT For Board of Directors (2004-2006)

The current Board of Director members are listed on Page 2. Board Candidates– pick 3 Your vote The terms of Anne Fanatico, Jeff Mattocks and Jim McLaugh- Francis Abbott lin expire this year. New directors are elected for a term of three years. Please vote for three directors. Karen Black/Robt Plamondon Jeff Mattocks Please cut out this page, fold, staple or tape, stamp and mail to the address pre-labeled on this ballot. Ballots must be re- Jim McLaughlin ceived by November 22, 2003. We will announce the results in David Smith the December issue of GRIT!

fold here and tuck in

Fold here and tape on bottom

Place stamp here

APPPA PO Box 1024 Chippewa Falls WI 54729

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 16 (Continued from page 6) Feelings letter. We also have the luxury of a state inspected At 16-18 weeks, we end up with a very uniform group processing facility in our area which enables us to sell of dressed turkeys in the 15 – 20lb. range. I’m con- through the health food stores as well. I’ve heard of vinced that the pasture pen approach adds to our uni- some producers who advertise through health food formity and reduces our death loss on the pasture to stores: the stores take the orders, earn a commission very near zero. and the producer delivers directly to the customer.

When the product is this good, creative producers will We’ve made two big mistakes in our 5 years of raising figure out how to get it in the mar- turkeys. Number one is put- ket place and creative consumers ting them out on the pasture will figure out how to get it on their too soon and not keeping a tables. close enough eye on the weather. Remember the I believe it’s as natural as it can be game “pile on” we used to to fit a turkey enterprise into the play as kids – when all the overall operation of your farm or kids would pile on you? ranch. If you’re raising broilers Well, turkeys seem to like right now, turkeys can use under- that game more than we do! utilized pens and equipment late in

the year. The potential to increase Number two is packing too revenue through additional sales is many turkeys in the trailer Pasture after one day of turkey feeding real for not only the new product for the trip to the processing but also for additional sales of your plant. They need their space existing product lines as well. I can’t understand why and if you don’t give it to them, they will steal it from any pastured poultry producer wouldn’t do it. Give it a their weaker neighbor – if you get the picture! I’m try, it’s worth it for the fun factor alone. The increased sure we’ve not learned it all; but be on the lookout for profits will be gravy! these two “gotcha’s.”

We will raise 200 turkeys this year but after having such For feed, I must give credit to our friend Jeff Mattocks a great time writing this article, I may raise twice as from Fertrell. Jeff recommends using his standard many next year – it just reminds me how much fun Fertrell broiler ration as a base feed. For the first 4 they are. Turkeys truly do have feelings too and they weeks, he recommends adding 4 lb. of fishmeal per reward you for taking good care of them. When was 25# of feed for the added protein that turkeys need. the last time your broilers made you feel this good? ¤ For the second 4 weeks, he recommends adding 2 lb. of fishmeal per 25# of feed. After that, just use your standard broiler mix. We try to keep this feed pro- gram in front of them free choice at all times. Water is a given, they drink a lot of it.

Let me now talk a little about marketing. I believe our turkey availability in the fall is the major reason No- vember is always our best sales month of the year. Many of our new customers come to us first to get one of our fabulous turkeys. It’s just natural for them to buy some chicken, beef and pork while they’re at it. Many up and coming health conscious consumers think about an “All Natural” Turkey for their Thanks- giving table first. Once they’ve found you, many will take the next step of buying your other products regu- larly. Turkeys can be a great entree to the rest of your product line!

To sell out of our turkeys each year we have done little more than highlight their availability in our fall news-

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 17 mark your calendars: “Organic Poultry on Pasture” Six hour workshop by Ron and Shelia Hamilton of Armena, Alberta Canada. Thursday, February 26, 2004, La Crosse, WI.

One in a series of eight workshops offered in the “Organic University” preceding the Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference, this six hour session will highlight the lessons learned by Ron and Shelia through their production of certi- fied organic grass fed broilers, eggs, turkeys ducks and geese. With current annual production of 17,000 broilers, over 250 turkeys and 200 laying hens, the Hamilton’s have been raising certified organic birds on grass since 1997. The ma- jority of their product is marketed directly through area farmers markets.

The Hamiltons will explain the details of their production and marketing system. They will outline their free-range system for broilers and use of an egg mobile for hens. They will also offer a 90 minute session during the Organic Conference which follows the Organic University on Friday and Saturday. The accompanying Organic Trade Show features over 140 venders with products, resources and supplies useful to your farming operation.

Further information and registration details will be available from the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Ser- vice (MOSES 715-772-3153) after October, on the MOSES website (www.mosesorganic.org) and future issues of GRIT!

(Continued from page 2) editor air in this time of overwhelming election politics. Once again we are privileged to Recipe Corner: Chicken Pot Pie Jody Padgham bring you five (and a half?) stunning can- This is a savory treat for these newly cold days…. didates– I don’t envy you having to de- cide between them in only being able to Chicken (1/2 of a 3-4 lb chicken) Topping: 1 ¾ cup flour vote for three. Be sure to get your ballot Vegetables: turnip, potato, green ½ tsp salt back to APPPA by Nov 22 to have your beans, peas, carrots, mushrooms 3 tsp baking powder vote counted. (total of 4-6 cups) 4 Tbs butter We have been talking of bringing ¾ cup milk you recipes for months now, and after I Sauce: 5 Tbs butter or drippings had my first few birds from this year’s 1 onion, chopped Roast the chicken. Depending on batch, I just had to make a pie to cele- 5 Tbs flour the size of your family, roast two or plan on only eating half of one, al- brate the cooling of the weather and end- 1 ½ cups milk or broth ¼-1/2 cup fresh parsley lowing enough meat for a fresh meal ing of the broiler season. You will find and the pie. Cut meat off the bone, 1 tsp salt that recipe for Chicken Pot Pie right on save drippings if you have not used this page. We hope you will send your ½ tsp pepper them for gravy. favorite chicken, egg or other poultry reci- pes to share with fellow members! Cut vegetables to desired size- 1” cubes work well. Slightly steam or sauté until all are just tender. You may use any combination of vegetables you I found it very interesting to collect wish, but turnips and carrots add an especially nice flavor. the research summaries for the article on p. 12-13. It became very clear to me that Melt butter or drippings in a frypan. Add onion and sauté till tender. Sprinkle food security is very heavy in people’s in flour, then stir in milk. Stir and heat to thicken, add parsley, salt and pep- minds. That can be a plus and a chal- per. lenge for pp producers– as I know we grow the safest food around, but it can be Mix together the sauce, chicken and vegetables. Pour into a deep casserole hard to convince new consumers (and dish. Make biscuit for top: stir together the four, salt and baking powder. Cut insurance companies– see p 11) that in the butter. Stir in the milk to make a soft dough. Pat out on a board in the home-raised and processed birds are shape needed to cover the mixture in the casserole. Lift dough on top of fill- ing- edges do not need to be sealed, as juice will bubble up. SAFER than commercially raised birds processed in monster plants. Let’s be sure Bake pie in 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, until biscuit is brown and fill- we keep getting the word out on that one. ing is bubbly. Let sit a few minutes before serving. Serves 6-8

Don’t forget to look into travel and Have a favorite recipe to share? Please send it to GRIT! lodging for the annual meeting in Feb– time is going fast! Till Dec, Jody

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 18 APPPA membership by state Poultry Equipment Fall 2003 Catalog Call or em fo ail r you AL 2 fre r e copy AR 5 CA 7 CO 5 Your Complete Source for Free Range Poultry Equipment CT 3 ♦ Feed Bins and Feed Delivery Systems FL 4 ♦ Chore-Time ® Floor Feeding Systems GA 7 ♦ Automatic Bell & Nipple Drinker Systems HI 1 ♦ Hanging Feeders and Waterers

IA 14 ♦ Natural Ventilation Curtain Systems ID 4 ♦ Pens and Range Equipment IL 24 ♦ Incubators, Brooders and Heaters IN 22 KS 6 Plus parts and supplies KY 5 LA 10 Visit www.gillisag.com MA 10 [email protected] MD 10 ME 5 Call us toll free: MI 17 Willmar MN Storm Lake IA MN 11 1-800-992-8986 1-800-792-6828 MO 22 Gillis Agricultural Systems, Inc. MS 5 MT 1 NC 7 ND 1 NE 7 NJ 5 NM 2 NY 34 OH 34 OK 1 OR 15 PA 40 RI 1 SC 7 SD 3 TN 4 TX 22 VA 16 VT 4 WA 16 WI 38 WV 2 Cana 5 Argentina 1 UK 1

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 19 Resources on the Internet: Broiler & Layer Chicks APPPA www.apppa.org Ready-to-lay Pullets ATTRA http://attra.ncat.org/ Center for Integrated Ag Systems http://www.wisc.edu/cias/ Equipment/Incubators index.html Egg Cartons Fertile Eggs http://www.eggcartons.com/ http://www.pactiv.com Farm Options (University of Wis- 266 E. Paletown Road, Quakertown, PA. 18951 consin—Extension): www.uwex.edu/ces/agmarkets Ph.: 215-536-3155 www.moyerschicks.com FDA HACCP Information Fax: 215-536-8034 [email protected] http://ww.cfsan/fda/gov/Ird/ haccpsub.html Free Range Poultry www.free- Easy Grower rangepoultry.com/index.htm LocalHarvest www.localharvest.org NewFarm www.newfarm.org Poultry Food Safety Web Site: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ foodsci/agentinfo/poultry/ index.html The PoultryNet http://poultrynet.gatech.edu/ Subscribe to DayRangePoultry or PasturedPoultry listserver at www.egroups.com. USDA Farm Direct Marketing: www.ams.usda.gov Directmarketing USDA Food Safety Inspection Service http://www.usda.gov/fsis

GRIT Classifieds

♦ FOR SALE: 250 Bulk Milk tank. Great for chilling dressed poultry. Very heavy duty, electric heated automatic dunking scalder– does 4 birds at a time, over 100 per hour. Southwest Mis- souri. 417/732-4122 or [email protected]

♦ FOR SALE: Kuhl Model GN-20 Poultry Nest/Shelter. One piece thermo-formed plastic is ideal shelter for range birds. Clearance price on 8 units in stock at $42.00 each. Call Gillis Ag Sys- tems 800-992-8986.

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 20

POULTRY MAN Eli M. Reiff 570-966-0769 RR #2, Box 484 Mifflinburg, PA 17844

SCALDER 42 gallon rotary, gas fired with auto control temp Mechanical PLUCKER timer. 34,000 BTU, all stainless steel. 1 HP motor, motor totally en- $1,895.00 closed, 10:1 Gear reduction, 27” diameter, stainless with shower $1,395.00

ALSO AVAILABLE: Manual Scalder– hand dunk birds. 42 gallon, 45,000 btu $695.00

PASA Fertrell

“Where Quality Comes Naturally”

Poultry Nutri-Balancer For all your Poultry Nutrition Layers Broilers Turkeys Ducks Geese Ratite Game Birds

The Fertrell Company PO Box 265 Bainbridge, PA 17502 800-347-1566 www.fertrell.com

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 21 PICKWICK-ZESCO POULTRY PROCESSING Growers Discount EQUIPMENT 7887 Fuller Road – Suite 116 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 USA Telephone: 800/808-3335 USA 952/906-3333 Fax: 952/906-3335 www.pickwick-zesco.com [email protected]

PICKWICK-ZESCO has equipment for your processing needs. We have equipment to do one bird at a time to 500 birds per hour. The Pick- wick line of poultry processing equipment has been picking birds for over 50 years worldwide! Check out our equipment on our Web Page, or call us for a catalog!

We also handle meat processing equipment for the small to medium size processor. We have over 40 years experience in this field.

CALL PICKWICK-ZESCO TODAY FOR YOUR POULTRY & MEAT PROCESSING EQUIPMENT NEEDS!

FOR SALE: 1980 Ford F-350 with refrigerated Supreme insulated box. Helfter Thermo King reefer unit cools nice on the road and includes 110 volt system that can be used just like a walk-in cooler at home. Truck has 175,000 miles and some rust, but interior and mechanicals are very sound. Engine doesn't smoke or use oil and recent com- pression check showed no problems. Truck has near new tires and drives nice. Reefer unit recently gone through at a cost of $700. Used last seven years as egg delivery truck. New box and reefer without truck costs more than $10,000. Will sell complete road ready unit for $4,500. Also for sale older Badger grinder mixer. Has 3,000 pound tank and has been used by us to make organic poul- try rations (absolutely no drug residues). Asking $750 for the mill.

Special to APPPA members, buy both machines for $5,000. Contact Dean @ 608-965-3000 or e-mail [email protected] for more photos or info. (S. Wisconsin)

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 22

Brower– hard copy– change email Ferris Fencing– disk

The Ashley M-38 Scalder & Featherman Plucker

Ashley M-38 Scalder Featherman Plucker

• Automatic temperature • 10:1 Gear reduction= control more power • Automatic water level • Easy clean-up feather control chute • 40,000 BTU burner • Hands free start/stop • 38 gallon tank switch • Work table extension • Spray ring feather wash • Hot dip galvanized tank • Steel frame, AL. Casing, • $1275! PVC tub • $975 electric, $775 non- electric!

What a “The best ‘performance to cost ratio’ of any plucker I have used” - Tim Shell, VA team! “I’ve waited 50 years for this machine” - William Blackwood, NC Schafer Farms 760 S.W. 55th Ave., Jamesport, MO 64648 660/684-6035 or [email protected] www.schaferfarmsnaturalmeats.com

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue #27 Page 23 APPPA GRIT! Presorted Standard PO Box 1024 US Postage Paid CHIPPEWA FALLS WI 54729 Chippewa Falls WI

All the indicators point to pastured, home processed poultry as one of this century’s best family farm enterprises. Pasture Poultry Profit$ by Joel Salatin.

APPPA EVENTS & HAPPENINGS STATEMENT OF PURPOSE The American Pastured Poultry Producers Association (APPPA) is a nonprofit educational and networking ♦ November 1, Peaceful Pastures annual fall organization dedicated to encouraging the production, cookout. Free and open to the public. Hickman, processing, and marketing of poultry raised on pasture. TN (615) 683-4291 www.peacefulpastures.com APPPA exists to facilitate the free flow of creative ideas. Member producers are encouraged to consider all poultry species ♦ November 6-8, National Small Farm Trade and all pasturing models, assuming personal responsibility for adapting ideas and models presented through APPPA. Show and Conference, Columbia MO. Spon- sored by Small Farm Today. 800-633-2535 APPPA passionately embraces humane, people-friendly, www.smallfarmtoday.com environmentally-enhancing, pasture-based production models. While we respect the freedom of others to engage in industrial confinement factory farming, we believe our approach is ♦ November 17, 3rd Annual Iowa Organic Confer- superior. ence Ames, Iowa www.ucs.iastate.edu Kathleen APPPA assists both producers and consumers to transact Delate, 515-294-7069 [email protected] business with as little government intervention as possible. APPPA does not discriminate in membership or programs based ♦ Dec 7-10, 2003 2nd National Conference on on the business size of producer or consumer. Realizing that Grazing Lands, Nashville TN. (303) 986-3309 production models must be profitable to be successful, APPPA's http://www.glci.org/2NCGLindex.htm interests include processing, packaging, cooking, marketing, and any other topics related to pastured poultry enterprises. ♦ Feb 5-7, 2004 PASA Conference and APPPA APPPA's world vision is to see pastured poultry adopted as Annual meeting (see note p 3) the model for environmentally, emotionally, and economically sensible poultry production. This vision includes decentralized food systems, farmstead-sized processing, and as much ♦ Feb 26, 2004 “Organic Poultry on Pasture” interaction as possible between producer and consumer. workshop at Organic University, (see note p 9) (Adopted by the APPPA Steering Committee, August 27, 1997)

Next Issue of Grit— Early Winter 2003. Deadline Dec 1