It was about one year ago that I became enlightened about the plight of our current food system. Things like the impact that it has on the environment, the lack of sustainability, and the inhumane treatment of animals and migrant farm workers struck a very strong chord with me. Rather than doing what I usually do in these situations and ranting on and on about it I decided I would actually do something about it. I would eat locally as much as I can, be more connected with the food that I eat, and maybe even try growing some of my own. All that lead me to become a vegan for the better part of 3 months. I stopped eating meat unless I knew exactly where it came from. And by that I mean actually shake hands with the person who raised it. This is a practice that has stuck to this day. All these things were just the beginning of my food journey.
I joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) that spring, and I insisted on helping on the farm as much as I could. I went there pretty much every Sunday starting in March to help out and learn as much as I could. I knew nothing about growing so I figured it was the best place to start. I wasn't really sure where I was going with all this though. I tried to keep it open though because I didn't want to become over zealous and burn out on the whole thing like I usually do with something new. I observed and I learned and even planted a garden of my own at my parents house where I was keeping some laying hens that I was raising. All this lead in to the farm dream.
I'm not sure when exactly the idea of farming got into my head, but I'm sure that it had something to do with reading Joel Salatin's You Can Farm. I had seen him in the movie "Food Inc." and really liked his style. The book made me feel empowered and inspired and filled me with a great sense of purpose. I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and lately had been kicking around the idea of starting my own business. I just needed something that I believed in that also happened to have a growing market and demand. Enter one of Joel's other books Pastured Poultry Profits.
All of a sudden I felt that I had found the perfect business to get started in. Raising poultry was something that I was already familiar with from my 4-H days and the start-up costs are low. Best of all I could start on a small scale while still keeping my day job, and just see where it goes. Well as anyone will tell you, there is no money in the poultry business. The fact is that this is only true if you are talking about the wholesale, vertically integrated poultry production model. This model revolved around small scale direct marketing. Sell in limited quantities directly to the consumer for a reasonable profit, not to a large poultry distributor who will only give you pennies a bird. The other aspect was on farm processing. Yes, as in slaughter. There are three major advantages. First, doing it yourself saves a considerable amount off money. Second, there is less stress on the animal because they don't have to be transported a long distance to a processing facility. Third, you are exempt from government regulation if you are only processing birds that were raised on your farm. But Could I do that? Would I be able to bring myself to take a life? I suppose in reality I have done that every time in my life that I have ever eaten meat.
The only way to find out if I could do it was to see it first hand, and maybe even try it myself. So I called around to a couple of other producers in the are and found one that was willing to let me come out on a processing day, and see what it's all about. Not only did I see it, but by the end of the morning I had killed, bled, scalded, picked, and eviscerated (gutted) several birds. I guess I just had a knack for it, but I assure you it was with the utmost respect and reverence for life.
I went back to the farm several times to help that month before being offered a part time job a few days a week. I thought if I really thought that I wanted to be a farmer I had better give it a shot and see if I still feel the same way at the end of the summer. So I took the job and worked like crazy that summer between my day job, and helping on the farm. At the end of the season I was exhausted, and had dirt under my nails that I think is still there to this day, but my determination had not wained. Not only had I worked on the farm, but I also raised my own meat birds in my parents back yard, and picked up a few customers from family and friends. I was totally immersed in it, and I loved it!
It's pretty much been a whirlwind of planning since then. I've been writing a business plan, making plans for movable chicken coops and a brooder, attending seminars, reading everything I can get my hands on, and saving every penny I possibly can. It's only February and the first chicks won't be coming until April, but everything is falling into place. We are working on building an open air processing facility, and my dad and I are building a mechanical feather picker to make processing much easier. I will post some pictures of the progress soon. It's hard to believe that it's been a whole year since I even conceived this idea, but I can assure you that it's been pretty much all I've been thinking about. I'm so glad that the dream is finally becoming a reality!
