28


A different approach to commercial poultry production When this farm says “pasture-raised,” they really mean it


by DAVID SCHMIDT


ABBOTSFORD – Today, most commercial poultry producers grow their chickens and turkeys indoors. Even free-run and free-range birds spend as much time indoors as out.


That is not the case at K&M Farms in Abbotsford, perhaps the only growers in BC with truly pasture-raised poultry.


“We started with 50 birds


about 15 years ago. Then we got new entrant quota and now grow about 4,500 chickens and 1,400 turkeys a year,” explains Jillian Robbins, who runs the 12-acre farm with her father, Mark, a recently retired BC Ministry of Agriculture agrologist. The birds are grown


seasonally, chickens from May to October, and turkeys from May to December. The Robbins buy their birds as day-old chicks. They spend


their first two to three weeks in a brooder house, then move into moveable outdoor shelters for the rest of their lives. That is a total of 70 days for the chickens (most commercial chickens are grown for only 35 to 40 days) and 22 weeks for turkeys. Shelters are moved weekly to give the birds new areas to forage in.


“We promote our birds as grown so they can express their natural behavior,” Jillian


says, noting the pasture is supplemented with grain. K&M’s birds are larger and heavier than most


commercially-raised birds. Chicken dress out at about six pounds while turkeys are 20 to 25 pounds dressed. “Slaughter can be an issue as most abattoirs aren’t set up for our size of birds,” Jillian says. “Fortunately, Rossdown Farms has the equipment to handle them so they do our slaughtering and cutups. They


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • NOVEMBER 2016


are just down the road so it works very well for us.” Everything is sold through their on-farm store or at the winter farmers’ market in Vancouver.


“We have five fresh pick-up days per year for chicken and two for the turkeys,” Mark explains.


Lending land to new farmers


A few years ago, K&M Farms started offering a corner of their land for new farmers to try their hand at growing vegetables. Chelsea


There’s always one that stands out from the herd.


McDonald, Andre Lagace and Lucy Brain, who call themselves the Lone Goat Micro-Farm, use a quarter-acre to grow vegetables for a CSA (community-supported agriculture) box program and selected local chefs and to sell at a stand during K&M’s fresh pick-up days. Lone Goat was started two years ago and the partners plan to continue at K&M for at least another year. The vegetables are grown in a small hoop house and in a series of outdoor raised beds. McDonald, who also has her own landscaping business, admits the small farm “is a romantic notion of growing food,” but says “it’s a lot more fun than mowing lawns.” “It’s a complementary product for us. It allows us to offer more than just meat,” Jillian says.


“There’s a need for people to have access to land and this allows new farmers to try it out on a small scale and see if it works for them,” Jillian says, adding, “it’s a complementary product for our meat sales.” K&M does not charge the farmers for the land. Instead, they are required to


participate in the fresh pick-up days and allow the Robbins to pick vegetables from the plots for their own dinners.


In the dairy business, there’s always one that goes its own way. That picks its own path. That refuses to follow.


It’s the same when it comes to tractors. It’s true, you won’t see a lot of Fendt tractors on farms, but the ones where you do see them are some of the best operations around. That’s because when it comes to capability, dependability and just sheer toughness, there is no tractor that comes close to a Fendt.


Stand out from the herd. See what a Fendt can mean for your operation.


JUICER From page 27


even if we capture half of those, it’s a lot.”


And perhaps the cherry mash could be used as animal feed.


“We talked to one pig farmer in the community and she told us if we could supply 1,500 pounds of mash, which is about what we figured we would have a day, she would be saving $73,000 in feed costs.”


ABBOTSFORD 1.888.3.3276 KELOWNA 1.800.680.0233 VERNON 1.800.551.6411 www.avenuemachinery.ca


fendt.com/us


Fendt is a worldwide brand of AGCO Corporation. © 2015 AGCO Corporation. AGCO is a registered trademark of AGCO. All rights reserved. AGCO, 4205 River Green Parkway, Duluth, GA 30096. FT15N003ST


FF hopes to purchase the mobile juicer this winter for an estimated cost of $230,000. It would create two


permanent part-time and two seasonal jobs. Other projects include designing and building a permanent farmer’s market park and creating a flexible labour pool,


particularly for spring and fall seasons.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48