Issue 53 APPPA GRIT! Fall 2009 American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Innovation and Hard Work Brings Success: Tom Delehanty By Jody Padgham It is fun to talk to Tom Wholesalers from all over the Delehanty, organic pastured southwest were clamoring poultry producer from So- for the high quality organic corro, New Mexico, about birds, which were sold in what he is thinking and major grocery chains and doing in life. He is excited natural food stores. Tom was about raising high quality challenged to develop sys- organic food for folks in his tems to manage the turn region, but also loves to around of 800-900 chickens share what he has learned per week, year round. with others. And, as a sixth- generation farmer raising However, as more of the “big poultry for over 50 years guys” got into organic poul- and in his 22nd year of rais- Tom and friends. Photo courtesy NewFarm.org try production, wholesale ing and developing a pas- prices began to drop and tured poultry model, he has learned a LOT. A man of Tom’s profit margin shrank. Organic chicken was much energy and dynamic thinking, he has concentrated wholesaling at $2.50 per pound, but selling to custom- on figuring out how to do the best job of raising poultry ers for over $4.50 per pound. “We couldn’t make it as possible and was recently willing to share some of his work at $2.50,” Tom says, “But it works well when we thoughts with us. sell direct to the customer and get the whole $4.50 price ourselves.” In the past five years Tom and family Tom farms with his wife Tracey and two children on 34 have pulled back production to about half of what it irrigated acres in the Rio Grande Valley. Growing up on was in the late 1990s, have focused on direct market- a farm, Tom wanted to continue on the land, but eventu- ing, and are a lot happier for it. This year the farm will ally left his native Wisconsin for New Mexico, where it produce about 16,000 birds (broilers, heirloom turkeys made more sense, weather-wise and regulation-wise, to and egg layers), which Tom notes “Is a scale of produc- raise outdoor poultry. He’s been on the farm in Socorro tion that works for us.” since 1994. “It was too much work for a small family farm” Tom Committed to organic practices, chicken produced at says about those hectic years. Raising 40,000-50,000 Tom’s farm and sold under the label “Pollo Real” was the birds in a year-round system also took a tremendous first certified organic poultry available In the U.S., and amount of feed, labor, equipment, infrastructure and the only organic poultry available for four or five years. distribution equipment and time on the road. He is a About ten years ago the crew at Tom’s “Real Chicken lot happier to be at the scale they are today. “The Ranch” was producing 40-50,000 birds on pasture in a change has been a savior to our family,” he notes. year-round system to try to satisfy the huge demand. Continued on page 14 In This Issue: 6 Using Geese for Weeds 20 Events 10 Egg CSA 21 APPPA Field Day 2 Coordinators Corner 11 My Time with Turkeys 22 Membership by State 3 From the President 17 Poultry Research 23 Subscription Form 3 Board List 19 GRIT Scratchings 4 End of Year Tips American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue # 53 APPPA CONTACT INFO Coordinator/GRIT! Editor: Jody Padgham The Coordinator’s Corner 888-662-7772 PO Box 87, Boyd, WI 54726 [email protected] www.apppa.org Fall has landed here in the Midwest, and as Charles notes on page 3, we are all growing a little weary of The APPPA Grit! newsletter is published six times a poultry production. However, since this is also the year and sent to members of APPPA. To join, visit our heavy market time, perhaps our bank accounts are website or write us. Information provided in this looking a little more flush too! I wish you the best newsletter is believed to be accurate, but readers moving into the busy turkey season. assume all responsibility for actions based on this information. Things have been going well at APPPA. The Execu- tive committee and board have been meeting regu- larly. One major topic of conversation has been prep APPPA - STATEMENT OF PURPOSE for Board member Eli Reiff’s field day (see info on page 21,) which still has room if you’d like to come. We expect to have a fantastic day. The American Pastured Poultry Producers Association (APPPA) is a nonprofit educational and networking organization dedicated to encouraging The board has also been discussing an in-person the production, processing, and marketing of poultry board meeting for this coming January– we’ve found raised on pasture. that getting our governing group together in person at least once every few years is really valuable. But, also a challenge, as we are truly a country-wide (and APPPA exists to facilitate the free flow of multi-country!) organization AND board. We’ll let creative ideas. Member producers are encouraged to you know what comes of that adventure. consider all poultry species and all pasturing models, assuming personal responsibility for adapting ideas and models presented through APPPA. We have finally been able to respond to the demand for an electronic-only newsletter. This issue will be the first that will be available as an electronic-only APPPA passionately embraces humane, people- option. For now that will be available only to Pro- friendly, environmentally-enhancing, pasture-based ducer Plus members, as the electronic copy will be production models. While we respect the freedom of available on the password-protected pro-plus yahoo others to engage in industrial confinement factory groups webpage. If you are a pro-plus member and farming, we believe our approach is superior. would be happy to download the GRIT from now on, please send me an email at [email protected]. Ar- APPPA assists both producers and consumers chived copies of the newsletters will continue to be to transact business with as little government posted on the private APPPA pro-plus webpage. intervention as possible. APPPA does not discriminate in membership or programs based on We are moving into event and conference season. If the business size of producer or consumer. there are workshops or regional conferences in your Realizing that production models must be profitable area, please let me know so that I can put a notice in to be successful, APPPA's interests include future newsletters and on the web. We always enjoy processing, packaging, cooking, marketing, and ACRES– USA, which will be in St Paul, MN in early any other topics related to pastured poultry Dec, Southern SAWG January in TN, and of course enterprises. PASA and the MOSES Organic Conference in Feb. So inspiring to see all our poultry friends at these great APPPA's world vision is to see pastured poultry events. adopted as the model for environmentally, emotionally, and economically sensible poultry I hope you enjoy the diverse articles in this issue. As production. This vision includes decentralized food always, we’d love to hear about YOUR operation. systems, farmstead-sized processing, and as much Drop me a line if you’d be wiling to be interviewed interaction as possible between producer and about what you do. I’m convinced that everyone has consumer. a good story to tell... (Adopted by the APPPA Steering Committee, August 27, 1997) Happy fall ! Jody Padgham 2 American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue # 53 From the President It is at about this time in our season that we find ourselves get- ting a little dreary of this pastured chicken business. For months now our first chore each and every morning is to take care of the chickens. Pulling pens, checking watering systems, and filling feeders can begin to get a little mo- notonous. Therefore, we must keep reminding ourselves of the important task we have. We have the task of providing our friends with the best food money can buy. Remem- ber this: without food nothing else happens or matters. Whole civilizations have fallen because of lack of good nutrition. Farming was the first profession and is cer- tainly the most noble. It provides the basis of our being and physical needs. With- out farmers providing basic nutrition, the wheels stop. If you raise pastured poultry, you don’t just farm, you farm with a passion. You are providing your customers with the best. So, tomorrow morning when you get up and put on your rubber boots, load the truck with feed and head out to move your chickens, keep in mind that what you do will have a huge effect on a lot of folks. You have a great reason to be excited…..folks are counting on you. Keep’n cluck’n, Charles Ritch President APPPA Board of Directors - Contact Information Don Brubaker Eli Reiff (Vice President) Tom Wadson Board member 2007-2009 Board member 2009-2011 Board member 2005-2009 The Fertrell Company Wadsons Farm Poultry Man POB 456, Bainbridge, PA 17502 PO Box SN 528, Bermuda, SNBX 922 Conley Rd, Mifflinburg, PA 17844 (717) 426-3594 (441) 238-1862 (570) 966-0769 [email protected] [email protected] Charles Ritch (President) Greg Gunthorp Board member 2002-2010 Jennie Watkins Board member 2009-2011 Goose Pond Farm Board member 2009-2011 Gunthorp Farms 298 Goose Pond Rd, Hartselle, AL 35640 Ananda Hills Farm 435 N 850 E, La Grange, IN, 46761 (256) 751-0987 553 Embody Road, Port Ludlow, WA (260) 367-2708 [email protected] 98365 [email protected] (360) 732-0111 Scott Jondle (Treasurer) Summer Steenbarger (Secretary) Board member 2007-2010 Board member 2008-2009 Joel Salatin Board member-at-large Abundant Life Farm Dee Creek Farm 16055 Gilliam Rd, Dallas, OR 97338 P.O.