BOSCOBEL - As I sipped my morning coffee the other day my best home-steading gal-pal and I chatted about our big spring plans. Thanks to the wonders of technology we were able to have our morning coffee clutch over text message. Something I’ve been grateful for in this age of COVID, distancing, and differences of interests.
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She and I differ in our primary animals that we raise. She focuses on Icelandic Sheep and I, the self proclaimed Queen of Swine. But one animal we share a mutual interest in raising is the Jumbo Broiler. If you’ve never raised these particular chickens, they’re quite the sight to behold. My five year old described them well once when he said “They look like little T-Rexs in diapers!” Their giant breasts weigh them down in front and their fat thighs give them quite a particular waddle.
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My friend and I both raise our birds in a way that is described as pasturing them. It’s a system that looks a little different for everyone. Some using contraptions called chicken tractors and others, like me, using electric poultry net fencing, an old trampoline for shade and various locations around our big yard for them to pick grass and bugs and leave their fertilizer behind. Hopefully all resulting in big fat, happy, healthy and most importantly, DELICIOUS chickens.
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One of our biggest struggles as small producers of being able to find a balance between providing an accessible and affordable product that folks want, but also being compensated for our work we put in, feed we buy, and the cost of the chicks up front. Along with any other expenses that seem to always crop up. Often with farming it feels like it can feel too easy to fall behind and be in the hole on a project you tried to make a little scratch off of or you run into too many customers not willing to pay a few dollars more per pound for an animal that had a much higher quality of life than the meat you find in a big box store.
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We are all very lucky to be living in rural Wisconsin where it isn’t too darn hard to find a local farmer to source your protein needs in particular from, but it may not come at a bottom dollar price-which some may balk at but a challenge we could all present ourselves is to think of a way we can support a local farmer. Where in our budget could we make some room to pay a few extra dollars to ensure our food is fresh and local and the dollars stay in our community? Because like so many things, when it comes to small farmers, if we don’t support them now, we won’t truly realize what we had until it’s gone for good.
