APPPA GRIT! Issue 63 2011 American Pastured Poultry ... · American Pastured Poultry Producers...

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue # 63

his father.

The fourth and fifth generation farm sits in the Apple River Valley among the

driftless area of northwestern Illinois. The region is known as the driftless

area because it was not impacted by

retreating glaciers during the last ice age. It's a remote and rugged area that

sits approximately 150 miles west of Chicago, and makes a popular second

home for city residents.

Tom leverages the Chicago connection to sell his pasture raised meat products,

which include chicken, pork, beef, lamb,

Issue 63

May – Jun

2011

American Pastured Poultry Producers Association

Producer Profile: Tom Arnold, Arnold’s Farm by Mike Badger

In This Issue: 2 Board of Directors

3 Editor’s Letter

4 President’s Message

Continued on page 4

26 Classifieds

27 Ask FSIS

27 Membership by State

29 APPPA Refresh

7 Common illnesses

10 Intern at Reiff’s

12 Poor Pigmentation of Eggs

14 Young Farmers’ Coalition

15 2011 APPPA Member Directory

APPPA GRIT!

Tom Arnold and his family run a diversified livestock farm in Elizabeth,

Illinois that has been in the family for 126 years. When Tom was growing up,

the Arnold’s Farm was a dairy, but today, the farm’s direct sale meat operation

focuses on natural production methods

over commercial.

After graduating high school, Tom left the family dairy farm and found himself working in the food services industry as a

delivery and operations manager where

he gained valuable distribution and marketing experience. Tom returned to

run the family farm with the passing of

2 American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Issue # 63

APPPA Staff APPPA GRIT Editor: Mike Badger

16 Pine Run Rd

Hughesville, PA 17737

[email protected]

570-584-2309

APPPA Coordinator: Jody Padgham PO Box 87 Boyd, WI 54726 [email protected] 888-662-7772 The APPPA GRIT newsletter is published six times a year and sent to members of APPPA. To join, visit our website or write us. Information provided in this newsletter is believed to be accurate, but readers assume all responsibility for actions based on this information.

Eli Reiff (President)

Board member 2010-2012 Poultry Man

922 Conley Rd Mifflinburg, PA 17844

(570) 966-0769

Tom Wadson (Vice President) Board member 2009-2011

Wadsons Farm

PO Box SN 528, Bermuda, SNBX (441) 238-1862

[email protected]

Don Brubaker (Treasurer) Board member 2007-2012

The Fertrell Company POB 456

Bainbridge, PA 17502

(717) 426-3594 [email protected]

Jennie Watkins (Secretary) Board member 2009-2011

Ananda Hills Farm 553 Embody Road

Port Ludlow, WA 98365 (360) 732-0111

[email protected]

Michael Akey

Board member 2010-2012 Green Akeys Family Farm

2301 Cross Section Rd Westminster, MD 21158


Greg Gunthorp Board member 2009-2011

Gunthorp Farms 435 N 850 E

La Grange, IN, 46761 (260) 367-2708

[email protected]

Keith O’Neal

Board member 2010-2012 Pleasant Prairie Meats

417 Road FF Satanta, KS


Brenda Ostrom

Board member 2009-2011

Mountain Meadow Farms PO Box 913

Mariposa, CA, 95338 (209) 966-8432 [email protected]

Val Vetter and Deb Aaron

Board Member 2010-2011 Piney Woods Ranch

PO Box 381

Winnsboro, TX 75494 (903) 629-3332

[email protected]

Joel Salatin Board member-at-large

Polyface Farm 363 Shuey RdSwoope, VA 24479

APPPA Board of Directors

Visit us online

www.apppa.org


So we talked chicken for a while, and I

offered to process his chickens; he was-n’t interested in eating them. So I ended

up buying his fat broilers because I needed a small batch of chickens to

break in the mobile processing unit that my wife and I bought.

The very next night, another neighbor

stopped to ask if I was the guy that was going to be processing rabbits and chick-

ens. He heard I was putting in a process-ing facility. So I pointed across the street

to my MPU, and said there’s my facility. And of course, I said that I’d do his rab-

bits.

As I had hoped, putting the meatheads on display increased my visibility, but not

with potential customers. Instead, what I’m doing is sparking interest and draw-

ing questions from other growers. The

exposure gives me a chance to talk about pastured poultry, APPPA, and local

food. So, I’ll take it.

One of my goals with the MPU is to make it easier for people to raise small back-

yard flocks by mitigating the chicken ―processing problem‖ by providing an

accessible processing option. If I can get those people using a pastured production

model, that’s all the better.

Have a great start to the summer,

— Mike Badger, APPPA Grit Editor

Editor’s Letter As I write this, my chickeness is on full display in the neighborhood and my

meatheads (that’s what I call my Cor-nish Cross broilers) have proven to be

quite the attraction. This spring I de-cided I was going to move to a day

range model; so, I built a cattle panel

hoop house. And I covered it with a re-cycled billboard tarp, and enclosed it in

poultry netting. There’s nothing out of order so far, at least as far as APPPA

members are concerned.

I placed my first batch of 100 broilers in the front yard right next to the road.

Not only would that grass benefit from some concentrated chicken fertilizer,

but I wanted to advertise a little bit. I hoped to generate some business.

I’m getting attention, alright. Cars prac-

tically come to a stop as they idle past. I wave. Sometimes the gawkers wave

back.

There are almost always some chickens out in the yard, so it’s not like people

have to look very hard to figure out what’s going on. But my wife hatched a

good theory on why our chickens are getting so much attention.

Most of the people in my immediate

area raise crops—corn, oats, soybeans. When they see real live animals outside,

especially chickens, it’s a novelty be-cause everyone knows chickens grow

inside a coop.

In fact, a neighbor stopped because my three week old meatheads looked the

same as his chickens did three months ago, and he said they were now big and

had a hard time walking. One of the farm stores sold him a ―dual purpose

bird,‖ but he quickly realized he wasn’t

going to get any eggs.

WRITE FOR APPPA GRIT

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And more…

Contact Mike Badger at [email protected] or

(570) 584-2309. Deadline for Issue 64 is June 15, 2011.


Profile continued from page 1 President’s Message

Greetings from the beaut i fu l Bu f fa lo

Valley!

We are finally having some warmer weather

after having rain and storms almost everyday through March and April. I

am receiving a lot of calls about chick-ens not doing well or people experienc-

ing two or three dead birds each day. I think it comes from the wet and cold

weather. They get ascites; they turn purple in the head and fill up with fluids

similar to congestive heart failure.

We put 80 eggs in our neighbor’s incu-bator from my black australorps. They

are dual purpose birds. I was hoping they would become broody and hatch

their own, but I guess the broodiness is

bred out of them. Maybe that will change when they’re older or laying

longer.

Kathleen is receiving her first batch of 100 white meat bird babies on May 17.

She will brood them in the old brooder house behind our house for three

weeks and then put them in a Mike Hansen style pen to move regularly on

the grass.

We will get broad breasted white fe-male turkeys on June 27/28 for our

Thanksgiving orders. This year I or-dered 100 straight run red rangers

from S&G Hatchery in Alabama. They should be here around the same time

as the turkeys. I will be using those for barbecuing and serving at a hands-on

PASA field day on August 31 at my

farm.

20 lambs are going to leave this farm on Monday.

Eli Reiff

APPPA Board President

and turkey.

The chickens In 1998, Tom attended a Joel Salatin workshop as part of his ongoing education

efforts. He had already been selling meat

direct to consumers since 1988 and had started marketing small packages of meat

as a value-added service. After the Salatin workshop, Tom put together a few pens

and added poultry to his meat offerings. Soon after started raising pastured poultry,

Tom joined APPPA and has been a member since 1999.

Currently, the Arnold’s Farm markets approximately 2500 chickens and 150 turkeys each year. Did you note the use of

the word markets? Many producers would say they raise or grow their poultry, but

Tom uses the word ―markets‖ when he

talks about his farm. Of course, he still has to grow the animals, but Tom's operation,

like many others, is rural, and it's the ability to market that gives him the best

opportunity to thrive and not merely to survive.

Before we talk marketing, let's preview the

poultry operations.

To raise his 2500 chickens a year, Tom runs batches of 600 Cornish Cross broilers,

which translates to approximately nine Salatin-style pens with 75 birds each.

It's common for most producers to buy day old chicks and put them straight into the

brooder. Over the years Tom has

experienced high losses in the brooder, especially in the early spring when

temperature ranges can be more extreme. He had difficulties maintaining a good

temperature in the brooder, which lead to the high losses.

To compensate for the high loss rate,

Schlecht Hatchery will start the chicks for Tom in a controlled atmosphere and


deliver them at three or four days of age.

By letting the chicks get a few days older before putting them into his brooder, Tom

mitigated his losses.

The broilers go out on pastures at about two weeks of age and stay on pasture until

eight weeks of age. Tom has experimented with his pen setup a little. He has tried

enclosing the broiler pens in electric poultry netting and tipping one side of the

pen up to allow the chickens to range out of the pen. Moving the fencing proved to

be a hassle. So he moved back to the traditional daily move setup.

At eight weeks, the broilers go the processor and dress out between four and six pounds each. Tom sells to a restaurant

in Galana IL that likes to have four pounders for their entrees.

Processing Processing poses its own set of challenges. The closest USDA inspected processing facility is 250 miles away. Tom trailers 600

broilers to the plant for processing. Then

the next day he takes his freezer trailer back to the facility to pick up the

processed chickens.

To process a batch of chickens, Tom logs 1000 miles and 20 hours on the road over

the course of two days.

Tom says there is a non-USDA processing facility that is much closer, and he would like to use them. Like many other

producers, Tom finds himself making a

choice – comply with the regulations or dance around them. So Tom opts to watch

the pavement roll by on his way to the USDA processor.

He would like to see a USDA inspected

facility closer, but the USDA has not provided any help. According to Tom,

there's a market demand for the facility, but nevertheless, it's a risky, expensive

proposition to build a facility without any demonstrative support from the

organization that will ultimately sign off

on the facility.

Coyotes love turkeys The coyotes on Arnold’s Farm have developed a taste for turkey so much so

that Tom enclosed his turkeys with two levels of electric netting. The coyotes

used the fence to their advantage. They would round up the turkeys and get

them excited and flapping around. Through all the commotion, some of the

turkeys would flap against the fence and ultimately get out of the fence where

they were promptly eaten.

To finish last season, Tom's turkeys ended up inside three levels of electric

poultry netting. That's a lot of labor to move around. He's still searching for a

more efficient way to curb the coyotes.

Feed Tom mixes his own feed ration that consists of oats, corn, soy meal, fish

meal, kelp meal, calcium carbonate, and

a vitamin pack. The feed is stored in recycled feed and water tanks. One ton

of feed will last for five days.

Tom does plant GMO-free maize yellow corn without synthetic fertilizers and

feeds an antibiotic-free ration. But he's not certified organic and doesn't see a

current demand from his customers for organic meat. Tom's primary customers

are young families who can afford to pay a little more than the typical

supermarket prices but who want to pay less than Whole Food prices.

Tom's chickens are marketed as pasture-raised and the message resonates.

Marketing Tom direct markets his poultry and meat products to consumers for delivery to

various drop off points in the Chicago area, but his current marketing mix

Continued on page 6


started with a fall harvest festival. To

market his meat products in this remote location, Tom turned his farm into a

festival for five weekends in the fall. At it's peak, the festival drew up to 6,000

people over a season. To draw visitors to the farm, Tom marketed the event as a

destination event, which means the act of getting out of the city and into the

country is as much of the appeal as

spending a few hours on the farm enjoying family-friendly activities, such

as a petting zoo.

The festival not only gave people a reason to get outside, it opened

opportunities for Tom because he realized that meat sales on festival day

skyrocketed. The Arnold’s Farm sells beef, pork, lamb, turkey, and poultry.

And it was through the festival that a Chicago buying club approached him with

a monthly order. Each month the buying club would visit the farm to pickup an

order.

Recognizing a good opportunity when he saw one, Tom worked out a deal where

he would deliver the buying club's order to Chicago, and he used the buying club

to establish a drop point for non-club

members.

To recruit new customers for his Chicago drop off point, Tom handed out sign-up sheets and promoted the delivery

schedule on his website. The drop point

idea caught on, and today, Tom delivers to 14-16 locations over the course of two

days.

Tom wasn't sure how to charge for delivery, but he finally settled on 35

cents per delivered pound. So, a whole pastured raised chicken costs $3.30 per

pound if the customer picks it up at the farm. If Tom delivers the chicken to one

of his drop points, the price becomes $3.65 per pound.

The escalating cost of gas and feed has

Tom thinking about how he can stay

affordable for his customers. One option

on the table is to offer free delivery for customers who pay ahead. Tom does

apply an $800 minimum purchase amount for each drop point.

To get orders for each delivery, Tom

relies heavily on his email newsletter. Email is a low tech, cost-effective way to

stay in contact with your customers, and in Tom's case, remind them to place

their orders.

Tom is featured on the menu at a local restaurant, which drives more direct-to-

consumer sales. People encounter Arnold’s Farm at Eleven One Main in

Galana, IL, and seek Tom out for direct sales.

In recent years, Tom has stopped

attending as many farmers markets because they were expensive to attend,

Continued on page 24


This flow chart does not include all possibilities, merely the most common. These remedies are not mainstream commercial treatments. They have worked for others but

they may not work all of the time. It is my wish that it helps some of you some of the time. — Jeff Mattocks

Editor’s Note: The flowchart was originally published in the Summer 2002 issue of the APPPA Grit. It has been updated by Jeff Mattocks.

Diagnose and Treat Common Illnesses By Jeff Mattocks

Continued on page 8


Jeff Mattocks is a nutritionist with The Fertrell Company. He is a regular contributor on the APPPA ProPlus mailing list.


Adventures of a Farm Chickie – Interning at Reiff’s Poultry Dressing

I knew that I faced some personal challenges that I would need to overcome if I was going to be successful at poultry processing. Specifically, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to actually kill the birds, I didn’t know if I could handle the smell, and I was unsure as to whether or not I could bring myself to eviscerate a still-warm chicken. Basically, I had some hang ups about the entire process.

You may be asking yourself why I would even be considering putting myself through this, and I believe I have some good reasons. My husband, Mike, and I have a dream of expanding our farm operations to the point that we no longer have to hold full-time jobs off the farm. Getting a mobile processing unit on the road is a big part of that dream. Although neither of us grew up actively farming or raising animals for food, a sustainable lifestyle is not only something we want for our-selves, but something we want to offer to our family, friends, and community.

I’m not a complete stranger to processing poul-try. As a young girl, I remember visiting my grandparents when it was time to “butcher.” We would get a metal coffee can and hang it on a tree as our killing cone. After that, the birds would be scalded in a large kettle over a fire, and then we would begin hand plucking. And this is where my job ended. The eviscerating process was completed by my grandfather or great uncle. I was hoping that poultry processing, at least the part I was familiar with, was a little like riding a bike. These are fond memories, and ones that I want my child to have, as well.

To further prepare myself for the adventure I was about to have, Mike helped me find some videos online to watch. Polyface Farm offers some great tutorials not only on processing, but also on cut-ting up the chickens, which is something I plan to explore more in the future for my own benefit. Daniel Salatin makes the point that even if you are not going to process your own chickens,

learning how to cut them up is a skill worth mastering for the money it saves and one we should be willing to help our customers with.

I also watched David Schafer’s Step-by-Step Poultry Processing video that is available online [Ed. Note: David wrote an article for APPPA Grit issue 62 describing various proc-essing options depending on scale]. Mr. Schafer does a nice job of reviewing the impor-tance of the scalding process. The key points he makes are if your scald is too short or too cold, your feathers are going to stay on; if your scald is too long or too hot, the skin will tear; and your scalder should be kept at 147 de-grees Fahrenheit. These videos were incredibly helpful in preparing me for what to expect dur-ing my day at Reiff’s Poultry Dressing.

Upon arriving, my first job was to work with Eli to harvest the chickens. The art of the scalder quickly became apparent. Being early in the year, there were a variety of birds coming in to be processed, including heritage chickens, ten-der broilers raised indoors, winter hardy roost-ers, and Muscovy ducks.

Eli knew just how much time each was going to need in the scalder – a wealth of knowledge that only comes from years of experience. (Which Eli clearly has, having just turned the big 5-0!)

Although I gained good insights watching the online videos, nothing is a substitute for hands-on experience. The tender broilers raised in-doors needed one cycle through the scalder to come clean in the plucker, while the heritage chickens and winter hardy roosters benefited from a couple of extra turns in the scalder.

The ducks were the real surprise for me. After two full cycles in the scalder, they went into the plucker without any water to be “roughed” or have their first go at getting their feathers out. After approximately 60-90 seconds, it was back to the scalder for an additional two cycles be-

Interning at Reiff’s Poultry Dressing:

A day with Eli By Christie Badger


fore once again being placed in the plucker, this time with water, to complete the plucking proc-ess. Throughout this time, Eli would check the scald by pulling out a handful of feathers, testing how easily they came out of the bird, to deter-mine how much longer they needed in the scal-der.

After the plucker, the birds were ready to have their feet and oil gland removed. I had to be shown twice how to “walk” my knife down the tail to remove the gland, but after that, I was good to go. Eli demonstrated his confidence in me by allowing me to do all of the work while he super-vised, chatted with customers, and taunted me with how may birds he can kill while a batch is in the scalder.

“Walking” the knife down to remove the oil gland involves keeping your knife held vertical and cre-ating a series of small cuts while “walking” the knife to remove the gland. Just before the gland is completely cut off, you grab it and tear it off, effectively and efficiently removing the gland.

The feet are removed at the joint, and Eli showed me how to twist my knife backward at the last moment to create a more attractive cut and not have the leg bone jutting out of the skin. On this day, we were saving the feet for a spe-cial order. Other days, the feet go into a sawdust compost pile along with the rest of the offal.

Before passing the birds to Eli’s wife, Kathleen, and niece, Linda, to be eviscerated, we would slit the skin over the neck to aid in finding the wind-pipe. At that point, the birds would be passed along to the next step in the process.

Just as I was becoming comfortable and confi-dent in my harvesting skills, I was sent to the other side of the shop to work with Kathleen and Linda at the eviscerating table. I felt awkward and slow all over again, but Linda soon had me on my way to learning these new skills.

Linda showed me to lay the bird breast up and grasp firmly around the waist, which stretches the skin and makes for an easier cut. The most important things to learn when making the initial cut are: 1) don’t cut into the intestines, it’s a smelly, dirty mess if you do; 2) cut down far enough to remove all of the colon; and 3) don’t cut into the meat.

At first, I found that cutting down below the vent far enough to remove the entire colon to be the biggest challenge, and would often find myself needing to make a second cut. Eventually, I mastered this skill and became more efficient with one clean cut.

With a clean cut, the intestines are easily re-moved, and the rest of the viscera soon follow. Identifying the internal organs is an interesting review of anatomy. The gallbladder usually comes out with the liver and can make a real mess if accidentally broken open. The testicles can be a challenge to remove simply because they are so small and difficult to get a hold of. And older laying hens can be full of beautiful egg yolks.

Kathleen was patient with me as she reviewed my work and helped me focus on areas that needed more attention. With such knowledge-able and skilled tutors, I found myself becom-ing more comfortable with the work in no time, although certainly not much faster. I am sure speed will only come with time and experience. (At least, this is what Eli, Kathleen, and Linda kept telling me!)

There is a feeling of peace for me in doing this kind of work. For a long time, I was in the rat race with so many others, experiencing fre-quent stress headaches, missing out on so much of my life and my family because of work, and not giving 100% of myself to those I love.

At one point during my day at Reiff’s, I realized that harvesting food is honest work that makes me feel good about what I’m accomplishing in my life.

I look forward to working with my husband to get our mobile processing unit on the road this spring and offer others the opportunity to pro-vide for their families by eliminating the barrier of how to get their pastured poultry processed without having to travel a great distance.

I learned so much this day interning with Eli and Kathleen, with perhaps the most important thing being that I have so much more to learn.


The first documented report of shell pigment loss in brown-shelled eggs was in

1944 when Steggerda and Hollander, while removing dirt from eggshells

produced from a small flock of Rhode Island Red hens, made the surprising

discovery that some of the brown pigment

also rubbed off. This effect was even more evident when the eggs were rubbed

vigorously. Most of the eggs gave up their pigment fairly easily except those

possessing a glossy surface.

It is well established that no single factor is responsible for the loss of shell pigment

in brown-shelled eggs. Variation in pigmentation among brown-shelled eggs is

more pronounced in broiler breeders than in commercial brown egg-type layers. In

flocks of broiler breeders, it is common to have a variation in eggshell pigmentation,

resulting in hues ranging from dark brown

to almost bleached white. This contrast occurs because genetic selection for

uniform brown-colored eggs in broiler breeder flocks is of little importance

compared to eggshells of commercial brown egg-type birds. Most commercial

producers and university personnel serving the poultry industry understand

that the loss of shell pigment from brown-

shelled eggs can be caused by numerous factors. Many individuals, however, still

prematurely jump to conclusions and blame shell pigment loss and variability on

only a single factor. The most common scapegoat is bronchitis. Statements such

as "I know my hens had bronchitis because their shells are pale" or "All you

have to do to determine if your hens had

bronchitis is to look at their eggshell color -- if the shells are pale they had a

bronchitis challenge" are still often heard in the field. Such statements are made

even without knowledge of the flock's bronchitis antibody titer, bronchitis

vaccination schedule, or supporting

necropsy findings.

More often than not, the cause of shell pigment loss is not bronchitis but some

stressor to which the flock has been exposed. Fear, for example, is a common

cause of eggshell pigment loss. It is not

until all the contributing factors to pigment loss are considered that the

exact reason can be identified and the problem resolved. Many times the exact

cause of periodic, flock-wide pigment loss is never identified.

The purpose of this article is to identify

and discuss the various factors that are known to contribute to the loss of

eggshell pigment. A general review, however, of the pigments and the

process involved in their deposition aids the reader in better understanding shell

pigmentation problems.

EGGSHELL FORMATION AND PIGMENT

DISPOSITION

Once the egg reaches the site of the reproductive tract known as the uterus

(shell gland), it resides there for approximately 20 hours. During this time

the shell is deposited, mostly as calcium

carbonate, onto the shell membranes that envelop the albumen and yolk. As

shell formation progresses in the brown egg layer, the epithelial cells lining the

surface of the shell gland begin to synthesize and accumulate the pigments.

The three main pigments are biliverdin-IX, zinc chelate, and protoporphyrin-IX.

The most abundant pigment in today's

commercial brown-shelled eggs is protoporphyrin-IX. It is not until the final

3 to 4 hours of shell formation that the bulk of the accumulated pigment is

transferred to the protein-rich, viscus fluid secretion known as the cuticle. The


Factors Causing Poor Pigmentation of

Brown-Shelled Eggs By Gary D. Butcher and Richard D. Miles


degree of brownness of the hen's eggshell

is dependent on the quantity of pigment directly associated with the cuticle. The

pigment-rich cuticle is deposited onto the eggshell at about the same time shell

deposition reaches a plateau, about 90 minutes prior to oviposition. Therefore,

pigment distribution is not uniform throughout the thickness of the eggshell.

Even though the eggshell contains traces

of pigment, its contribution to the intensity of brown color is negligible compared to

that of the cuticle.

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR DECREASING

THE INTENSITY OF BROWN SHELL COLOR

Stress. Since the majority of the pigment is localized in the cuticle, anything that interferes with the ability of the epithelial

cells in the shell gland to synthesize the

cuticle will affect the intensity of eggshell pigmentation. This is especially true during

the final 3 to 4 hours of shell deposition since it is during this time in the egg-

laying cycle that cuticle synthesis and accumulation occur most rapidly.

Stressors in poultry flocks such as high

cage density, handling, loud noises, etc., will result in the release of stress

hormones, especially epinephrine. This hormone, when released into the blood, is

responsible for causing a delay in oviposition and the cessation of shell gland

cuticle formation. The above stressors,

which result in hen nervousness and fear, can cause pale eggshells to be produced.

The paleness is often the result of amorphous calcium carbonate deposited

on top of a preexisting fully formed cuticle or of an incomplete cuticle caused by

premature arrest of cuticle formation.

Brown-shelled birds, especially broiler breeders, housed in experimental floor

pens for research purposes often become fearful each time the pen is entered for

such things as egg collection, vaccination, uniformity, and frame and fleshing

measurements. When this occurs,

production of pale-shelled eggs should be

expected, especially if the fearfulness

occurs during the last 3 to 4 hours of the egg-laying cycle when the cuticle

formation is interrupted. In fact, the relationship between stress and the

production of pale eggs by laying hens is so great that researchers have suggested

that loss of shell pigment may provide a basis for a noninvasive method of

assessing stress in hens.

Age of the bird. As the brown egg-type bird ages, there is a corresponding

decrease in eggshell pigment intensity. The exact reason for this is unknown. It

is possibly due to the same quantity of

pigment being dispersed over a larger surface area of shell as egg size

increases with bird age or less pigment synthesis. As the hen ages it is normal

for the tapered end of the egg to contain less pigment than the rounded end.

Stress-related egg retention in the shell gland and subsequent amorphous

calcium carbonate deposition on the shell

surface have been identified as a major cause of pale eggs in older hens.

Chemotherapeutic agents. A rapid decline in shell pigmentation is common

following the ingestion of certain drugs

by the hen, such as the sulfonamides. The coccidiostat Nicarbazin, administered

to hens at a dose of 5 mg per day, can result in the production of pale eggs

within 24 hours. Higher doses can lead to complete depigmentation of the eggshell

cuticle.

Disease. Viral diseases, such as Newcastle and infectious bronchitis,

affect egg production in poultry. These viruses have a specific affinity for the

mucus membranes of the respiratory and reproductive tracts. Because the virus

directly infects and damages the

reproductive tract, the signs of disease are manifested indirectly in the product

of the tract, the egg. Thus, total egg numbers decline and eggshells become

thinner and abnormally pale and have



The National Young Farmers’ Coalition is a new organization by and for young

farmers focused on building a support system for young and beginning farmers.

This is being approached from a few different angles. Farmer to farmer learning

is encouraged by publicizing training and

educational opportunities and through the Farmhack blog. Farmhack is all about

sharing and demonstrating ideas for tools and systems to be used as low cost

solutions on farms.

Networking within the farming community is promoted through conferences and

social events intended to yield business and social ties. The NYFC is also

establishing a political position on the upcoming farm bill which is slated for

2012. We want to know what you think!

The NYFC is circulating a survey in partnership with The Greenhorns and

BeginningFarmers.org to gain perspective from farmers across the country about

their ideas for the new farm bill and how it could most benefit new farmers. We are

looking to find out what the biggest

obstacles are, what existing programs are getting it right, and what potential actions

should be taken to help beginning farmers and ranchers.

Our goal is to get 1,500 farmers to fill out

our survey. It only takes five minutes and your information is always confidential. It

c a n b e f o u n d a t h t t p : / /www.surveymonkey.com/s/NYFC. If you

would like to check out the NYFC go to www.youngfarmers.org

INTERVIEW WITH NYFC

Mike Badger asked NYFC a few follow-up

questions about their organization. Lindsey Lusher Shute, NYFC board

member, took a few minutes to respond.

APPPA: Is NYFC planning to develop it's

own events and programs? If so, do you have any pastured poultry programs in

the works?

NYFC: NYFC's focus will be connecting young farmers to workshops on

sustainable growing techniques (including pastured poultry). We are

beginning to offer more online technical resources, primarily through the Farm

Hack blog.

APPPA: What does NYFC see as the primary reason for attracting new

farmers?

NYFC: The average age of farmers in the US is 57, and 500,000 farmers are expected to retire between now and

2030. Young farmers are key to rural

stability and a secure food supply.

APPPA: What's the biggest obstacle or two that face new farmers from your perspective?

NYFC: Capital and land access are

identified as the biggest challenges for young growers. Getting started in

farming, and especially with livestock, is very expensive. Land prices coupled with

basic operating expenses, are preventing many young people from pursuing a

farming career.

For more information about NYFC, visit www.youngfarmers.org or send mail to:

PO BOX 292 Tivoli, New York 12583

National Young Farmers’ Coalition Seeks Input


The 2011 APPPA member directory is a list of members who volunteered to have their

contact information included in the direc-tory. The directory is meant to provide

networking opportunities for producers. You had to explicitly opt-in to the direc-

tory, so this is a partial list of the total AP-

PPA membership.

CANADA

Andrea Gunner, Rosebank Farms

Armstrong, British Columbia 250-546-2712 | [email protected]

UNITED STATES

Alabama

Danny Eiland, S & G Poultry

Clanton, AL. 205-280-3771

[email protected]

Jason Haynes, Old Southern Apple Nursery

Oxford, AL. 256-835-0440

[email protected]

Charles & Laura Ritch, Goose Pond Farms, LLC Hartselle, AL. 256-751-0987 [email protected]

Jay Shepherd, Shepherd Family Farms

Brierfield, AL. 205-665-1144 [email protected]

Arkansas

Steven Schroeder, Hunting Valley Farm

Roland, AR. 501-868-3320 [email protected]

Terrell Spencer, NCAT-ATTRA

Fayetteville, AR. [email protected]

California

Paul & Molly Cooper, Funk Dinner Bell Farm. Chicago Park, CA.

[email protected]

Albert Katz & Jim Parr, Rock Hill Ranch Chick-ens. Napa, CA. 707-254-1866

[email protected]

John Metzer, Metzer Farms

Gonzales, CA. 800-424-7755

[email protected]

Brenda Ostrom, Mt Meadow Farm

Mariposa, CA. 209-966-8432

Barbara Shaw

Truckee, CA. 530-582-5293

[email protected]

Chris Wagner, Modesto Milling

Empire, CA. 209-523-9167

[email protected]

Sinclair Family Farm

Penryn, CA. 916-803-1777 [email protected]

Colorado Tony and Barclay, Daranyi Indian Ridge Farm & Bakery. Norwood, CO.

970-327-0336. [email protected]

Matthew Kautz

Merino, CO. [email protected]

Cathy Morin, Valley Pheasants

Alamosa, CO. 719-589-0409 [email protected]

Connecticut

Warren Burrows, The Groton FarmGroton, CT. 860-235-1011

[email protected]

http://www.grotonfamilyfarm.com

Brianne Casadei, Terra Firma Farm

Stonington,CT. 860-535-8171 [email protected]

2011 APPPA Member Directory



Florida

Linda Hart, Crazy Hart Ranch

Fellsmere, FL. 772-571-8657

[email protected]

Larry Krech, Kevuda Haven Goat RanchCenter Hill, FL. 352-406-2742 [email protected]

Erik Schramm. Plant City, FL.

[email protected]

Georgia

Jim Bowden, Bowden's Plants

Woodbury, GA. 706-846-3970 [email protected]

Cyndy M. Carroll, Syrinx Farm

Monroe, GA. 770-266-1088

[email protected]

Mike & Judy Cunningham, Country Gardens Farm. Newnan, GA. 770-251-2673 [email protected]

Collin Davis, Ancient Paths Farm.

Canton, Ga. [email protected]

Kellie & Ben Deen, Savannah River Farms. Sylvania, GA. [email protected]

Will Harris, White Oak Pastures

Bluffton, GA. 229-641-2081

[email protected]

Mary Beth Sellars/Croxton

Canton, GA. [email protected]

Berrien Sutton. Homerville, GA.

[email protected]

Scott Tyson, 180 Degree Farm

Sharpsburg, GA. [email protected]

Hawaii

Theo Morrison, The Neighborhood Farm

Lahaina, HI. 808-264-6480

[email protected]

Iowa

Sharon Hoerichs, Mulberry Grove Family Farm. Milford, IA.

[email protected]

Lyndon Sutcliffe, Sutcliffe Farm Supply

Mason City, IA. 641-424-0965 [email protected]

Practical Farmers Ames, IA. 515-232-5661

[email protected]

Indiana

Janie Burns, Meadowlark Farm

Nampa, ID. 208-466-4806

[email protected]


Illinois

Tom and Jessica Arnold, Arnold's Farm

Elizabeth, IL. 815-858-2407

[email protected]

Dennis & JoAnn Dickman, Dickman's

Herscher, IL. 815-426-2154

[email protected]

Brett Gutwein, Pleasant Ridge Farms

Forrest, IL. 815-657-8173 [email protected]

Brian Lau, L&A Family Farms

Paris, IL. 217-275-3506 [email protected]

Larry & Becky Roethe, Mulkeytown Fresh Farm. Mulkeytown, IL. 618-724-2802 [email protected]

Allan & Jeremy, Sexton/House Meadow Haven Farm. Sheffield, IL. 815-454-2320. [email protected]

Indiana Abby Abbott-Rider, Thistle Byre Farm, Inc. Burnettsville, IN. 574-652-3909

[email protected]

Gordon Dotson, Dotson Farm and Feed

Lafayette, IN. 765-742-5111

Jonathan & Lucinda Gingerich, Homestead Heritage LLC. Kokomo, IN. 765-628-3561. [email protected]


Greg & Lei Gunthorp, Gunthorp Farms

LaGrange, IN. 260-367-2708 [email protected]

Jeffrey Hawkins, J.L. Hawkins Family Farm.

N Manchester, IN. 260-982-4961 [email protected]

Merle Hershberger, Wolf Song Acres

Napanee, IN. 574-773-0287

[email protected]

Jacob and Martha Miller, J & M Poultry Farm. Cambridge City, IN. 765-489-6290

Kansas

John & Roseanna Bauman, Bauman's Cedar Valley Farm. Garnett, KS. 735-448-2239.

[email protected]

Fred & Margaret Clark, Clark Family Farm. Baldwin City, KS. 785-842-0385

[email protected]

Andi & Kurt Dale, Dale Family Farm

Protection, KS. 620-622-4473 [email protected]

Keith & Judy O'Neal, Pleasant Prairie Meats.

Satanta, KS. 620-276-6197

[email protected]


Kentucky

Tim & Jane Cantrell

Murray, KY. 270-436-2897

[email protected]

Louisiana

Scotty LeBleu, Pure Country

DeQuincy, LA. 337-884-6468

[email protected]

Dr. James McNitt, Southern University Baton Rouge, LA. 225-771-2262 [email protected]

Massachusetts

Paul Boutiette, King's Supply/Eggcartons.com. Manchaug, MA.


Terry & Steve Golson, Little Pond Farm.

Carlisle, MA. 978-371-9959

[email protected]

Kim Wells, East Mt Farm

Williamstown, MA. 413-458-8085

[email protected]

Maryland

Michael Akey. Westminster, MD [email protected]

Steven Blake & Mary Mason, Squirrel Hill Farm. Ellicott City, MD. 410-995-0244

[email protected]

Julie & Bob Bolton, Groff's Content Farm Rocky Ridge, MD. 301-447-6148

[email protected]

Lafferty & Smith, Springfield Farm

Sparks, MD. 410-472-0738

[email protected]

Washington White. Gaithersburg, MD.


Maine Jules & Joel Fecteau, Serendipity Acres

North Yarmouth, ME. 630-234-9613

Michigan Mark Baker, Baker's Green Acres Inc.

Marion, MI. 231-825-0293

[email protected]

Kevin Doll, Back Forty Acres

Chelsea, MI. 734-649-1078

[email protected]

Terry & Renee, Hill Pleasant Hill Farm

Ceresco, MI. 269-979-8101

[email protected]

Minnesota

Kristy Kraling & Gary Kneeskern, Windy Ridge Heritage Farm. Presten, MN.


Kerry & Kristen Skelton, JPR Acres, LLC

Winuetrista, MN. 952-974-5148

[email protected]

Missouri

Kenny Barham & Alan Garrison, Windhaven Farm. Kearney, MO. 816-628-4567. barham-

[email protected]

Albert Hempel, Semper Fidelis Ranch

Eldridge, MO. 573-363-5213

Karin & Norman Ladd, Ladd's Family Farm. Farmington, MO. 573-747-1889

[email protected]

Jake Mitts, Mitts Family Naturals

Troy, MO. 636-338-4406

[email protected]

Nick Rivard, Nick's Greenleaf Gardens

Kansas City, MO. 816-322-1614

[email protected]


Alice Dobbs & David Schafer, Featherman Equipment LLC / Schafer Farms Jamesport,

MO. 660-684-6035 [email protected]

Mark Seeley, Full Circle Farms

Excelsior Springs, MO. 913-621-2311

[email protected]

Carlos & Jeri Villarreal, Villarreal Family Farms. St Louis, MO. 314-315-5548

[email protected]

Mississippi

Leann Hines, Levee Run Farm

Greenwood, MS. 662-392-4189 [email protected]

North Carolina

Guy Aday, Asguard Farm LLC. Gibsonville, NC. 336-266-8133. [email protected]

Steven Beltram, Balsam Gardens Sylva, NC. [email protected]

Bruce Kyte, Box K Farm

Stem, NC. 919-960-0960. [email protected]

Suzanne Nelson, Cozi Farm.

Mebane, NC. 919-563-0576

[email protected]

Mike Perry, Perry-Winkle Farm

Chapel Hill, NC. 933-6189

[email protected]

Sue Phillips, Summerfield Farms

Summerfield, NC. 336-382-3080

[email protected]

Don Schrider, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Pittsboro, NC. 919-542-5704.

[email protected]

Randall Smith, Smith's Sweetgrass Farm

Columbus, NC. 828-894-8934

[email protected]

Nebraska

Joan Bailey-Enderson, Lil' Nipper Ranch

Plattsmouth, NE. 402-298-8291

[email protected]

Dennis Demmel, Demmel Farm

Ogallala, NE. 308-352-4078

[email protected]

Bob Gillis, QC Supply/Gillis Ag

Schuyler, NE. 402-352-3167 [email protected]

Daniel Manville, Open A Bar 2 Ranch

Lyman, NE. 308-787-1111 [email protected]

Elizabeth Sarno, NE Sustainable Agriculture Society. Linwood, NE [email protected](Jill Wubben)

Randy & Trina, Wattermann Wattermann Family Farm. West Point, NE


New Hampshire

Jack & Kim Mastrianni, Maple Frost Farm Langdon, NH. 603-835-6488.

[email protected]

New Jersey

Michael Gallaher, Shady Hollow Livestock. Salem, NJ. [email protected]

Barbara Van Boerum, Snoep Winkel Farm

Branchville, NJ. [email protected]

New Mexico

Tom Delehanty, Pollo Real

Socorro, NM. 505-838-0345

Cell: 505-550-3123. [email protected]

New York

Margaret Bruegel & Gary Pfahl, Roo Haven Farm. Forestville, NY. 716-965-2716

[email protected]



Agricultural Program Challey Comer

Watershed Agricultural Council

Walton, NY. 607-865-7090 [email protected], [email protected]

Shannon Cockbill. Richford, NY.


Pierre Dionne, Sojourner Farms LLC

Olean, NY. 716-372-4255

[email protected]

Fred Forsburg, Honey Hill Farm

Livonia, NY. 585-346-3829

[email protected]

Craig Haney, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. Sleepy Hollow, NY. 914-366-

6200 x116 [email protected]

Adele & Jim Hayes, Sap Bush Hollow Farm. Warnerville, NY. 518-234-2105

[email protected]

Tim Koegel, Windy Ridge Natural Farm

Alfred, NY. 607-587-9684 [email protected]

Stu McCarty, Growers Discount Labels

Tunnel, NY. 800-693-1572

[email protected]

Jim & Peggy McLaughlin, Cornerstone Farm Ventures. Norwich, NY.

607-334-9962. [email protected]. [email protected]

Robert Ott, Bennington Beefalo.

Attica, NY. 585-591-2685

[email protected]

Ty Palmer, Jr., Noble Crown Poultry Farm

Fort Plain, NY. 518-577-4951

[email protected]

Mike Picinelli, Thunderhill Farm

Stanfordville, NY. 845-868-1306

[email protected]

Tom & Pat Quinn, Quinn's Irish Hill Farm Freeville, NY. 607-844-8645

[email protected]

Richard Stauffer, R Farm

Lyndonville, NY. 570-541-1641

H. Brian Underwood, October Rose Farm Skaneateles, NY. 315-673-1206

[email protected]

Elaine Warfield, Chicken Chick Pastured Poul-try. East Jewett, NY. 518-589-6229

[email protected]

Hermann Weber, HLW Acres

Attica, NY 585-591-0795 [email protected]

Ohio

Timothy Burkholder, Green Acres Farm

Shilo, OH. 419-896-3403 [email protected]

Dale Filbrun, Morning Sun Farm

W. Alexandria, OH. 937-787-4885 [email protected]

Lindsay Graham. Grand Rapids, OH.


Evan & Kelly Hahn, Hahn Farm

Perrysville, OH. 419-938-5430 [email protected]

Joellen Hoffman, Norton, OH

[email protected]

JB & Charlene King. King Family Farm

Albany, OH. 740-698-3940.

[email protected]

Michael Martig, Little Foot Family Farm

Richwood, OH. 937-358-2759

[email protected]

John Raber, Healthy Acres Farm.

Sugarcreek, OH. [email protected]


Paul & Barbara Rissler. Shiloh, OH.

419-896-2468

Eric Rubel, Crossroads Farm

Belmont, OH. 740-686-2153 [email protected]

Hiland Naturals. Millersburg, OH

Oklahoma

Tera Biaggi, American Heritage Family Farm. Ponca City, OK. 580-716-4787 americanheri-

[email protected]

Bullit Farris, Bullit Farms

Talequah, OK. [email protected]

Oregon

Karen Black, Norton Creek Products, Inc. Blodgett, OR. 541-453-5841

[email protected]

John Karlik, Sweetwater Farm and Nursery. Creswell, OR. 541-895-3431

[email protected]

Dan & Susie Wilson, SuDan Farm

Canby, OR. 503-651-5262

[email protected]

Pennsylvania

Bill & Liz Andersen, Broad Water Farm

Phoenixville, PA. 610-933-0486

[email protected]

Mike & Christie Badger, Badger’s Millside Farm. Hughesville, PA. 570-584-2309. [email protected]

Mark A. Becker. Middleburg, PA

570-837-1195

Kyle W Brown. Klingerstown, PA

570-648-5199

Donald Brubaker, The Fertrell Company Bain-bridge, PA. [email protected]

William Callahan, Cow-a-Hen Farm

Mifflinburg, PA. 570-966-2678

[email protected]

Joseph R Fino Jr., Lyn-Lea Farm

Wapwallopen, PA. 570-868-6100

[email protected]

John Lee, Fisher Paradise Pastures

Paradise, PA. 717-687-6346

Reuben K. Fisher, Rocky Grass Farm

Allenwood, PA. 570-547-6343

Peggy Gilbert, Gilbert Hill Farm

DuBois, PA. 814-375-0864 [email protected]

Nate & Kristen Johanson, Wolf Lake Farm Natrona Heights, PA. 724-668-8772

[email protected]



Charles Kendall, Kencove Farm Fence

Blairsville, PA. 714-459-8991

[email protected]

Dennis Kyei-Baffour, Hahia Foundation

Bethlehem, PA. 973-698-6959

[email protected]

John S. Lapp, Rolling Pastures

Lykens, PA. 717-365-3829

Hugh Lofting, Inverbrook Farm

West Grove, PA. 610-444-5382 [email protected]

Joel M. Martin, JM Hatchery New Holland, PA. 717-330-3247

[email protected]

Jeff Mattocks, The Fertrell Company

Bainbridge, PA. 800-347-1566

[email protected]

Leon Moyer, Moyer's Chicks

Quakertown, PA. 215-536-3155

[email protected]

Wilmer & Arlene Newswanger, Wil-Ar Farm. Newville, PA. 717-776-6552

David & Caroline Owens, Owens Farm

Sunbury, PA. 570-286-5309

[email protected]

Eli & Kathleen Reiff, Poultry Man LLC

Mifflinburg, PA. 570-966-0769

[email protected]

Eric Rifenberrick, Pine Run Farm

Conneautville, PA. 814-282-7436

[email protected]

Isaac Stauffer, Stauffer Brothers

Port Trevorton, PA.

Chester Stoltzfus. Lykens, PA

717-365-3064

Stephen Stoltzfus. Christiana, PA

610-593-1996

Glenn Wise, Shady Acres

Elizabethtown, PA. 717-361-1640

Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable

Agriculture (PASA). Millheim, PA


South Carolina

Tom & Denise Dumas, Stairway to Heaven Farm. Monetta, SC. 803-685-5061.

[email protected]

David & Pattie White, Oaklyn Plantation Free Range Chicken. Darlington, SC.


South Dakota Tom & Ruth Neuberger, Goosemobile

Canistota, SD. 605-296-3314

[email protected]

Tennessee

Pat & Ellen Bourke, Hourglass Acres

Clarksville, TN. 931-551-8308 [email protected]

David Schimp, Nourishing Harvest Farm

Lobelville, TN. [email protected]

Wedge Oak Farm. Lebanon, TN. [email protected]

Texas

Madelon Bradshaw, Mad Canyons Ranch Weatherford, TX. 817-448-9606 [email protected]

David Crank, Oaks of Mamre Farm

Hempstead, TX. 979-826-9812

[email protected]

Val Vetter & Debra Aaron, Piney Woods Ranch. Winnsboro, TX. 903-629-3332 [email protected]


Robert Hutchins, Rehoboth Ranch

Greenville, TX. 903-450-8145

[email protected]

Lisa Simmons. Blossom, TX.

[email protected]

Richard Teague. Godley, TX. 817-538-0070. [email protected]

Utah

Christiansen Family Farm. Vernon, UT

[email protected]

Virginia Stephen Ault, Aults Family Farm & Apiary. Pamplin, VA.

[email protected]

Larry & Debby Bright, Bright Farm

Floyd, VA. 540-745-5790 [email protected]

W.E. Chapin, Fern Stream Farm

Callands, VA. 434-724-4248

[email protected]

Barry Herndon, Herndon Family Farm

Dry Fork, VA. 434-724-1479 [email protected]

James & Sally Holdener, Rainbow Acres Farm. Nokesville, VA. 703-753-6492

[email protected]

Karen Mast. White Stone, VA. [email protected]

Robert & Gina Nice, Drury Lane Farm

West Point, VA. 804-357-5040

[email protected]

Jesse Straight. Warrenton, VA.

540-349-3099

Harvey Ussery, The Modern Homestead

Hume, VA. 540-364-1877

[email protected]

Vermont

Nicole Dehne, City Chicks. Burlington, VT.


Bay Hammond. Shoreham, VT. 802-897-2121. [email protected]

Washington

Jonathan & Elinor Coulimore. Vancouver, WA. 360-256-8650; cell 503-209-1555 [email protected]

Thomas Gibson, Camas Permaculture

Camas, WA. 360-954-9818

[email protected]

Duncan MacDonald. Palouse, WA.


Harley Soltes. Kingston, WA. 360-297-2203 [email protected]

Jennie Watkins, Ananda Hills Farm.

Port Ludlow, WA. 360-732-0111. [email protected]

Allen Widman, Palouse Pastured Poultry Rosalia, WA.

[email protected]

Wisconsin

Francis & Karee Abbott, Gobbler Hill Poultry Farm. Plymouth, WI. 920-893-0421

[email protected]

Matthew Buvala. Pepin, WI. 715-495-7927

[email protected]

David Carpenter, Stonewall Acres.

Dousman , WI. 262-485-6011 [email protected]

Kay Craig, The Grassway Farm.

New Holstein, WI. 920-894-4201 [email protected]

Gary Daun. Hanover, WI. 608-879-3504 [email protected]



and they weren't as profitable as some of

his other sales channels. A funny thing happened, however. He noticed his rate of

new customers slowed down.

The farmers markets were actually a way for Tom to recruit new customers. At each

market he would place a signup sheet at the booth to encourage customers to

receive his email newsletter. Capturing the contact of the market visitor can be just as

important as making the sale because you may only have one in-person contact with

someone at the market, but if you have their email address or other contact

information, you can stay in touch with

that person throughout the year. As a result, your chance of turning that market

prospect into a paying customer goes up.

This year Tom plans to attend more farmers market to increase his exposure

and find more prospects for his direct sales business.

To learn more about Arnold’s Farm visit www.arnoldsfarm.com.

profile from page 6

Broiler & Layer Chicks Ready-to-lay Pullets

Equipment/Incubators

Fertile Eggs

266 E. Paletown Road, Quakertown, PA. 18951 Ph.: 215 - 536 - 3155 www.moyerschicks.com Fax: 215 - 536 - 80 34 [email protected]

APPPA - STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The American Pastured Poultry Producers Association (APPPA) is a nonprofit educational and

networking organization dedicated to encouraging the production, processing, and marketing of poultry raised on pasture.

APPPA exists to facilitate the free flow of

creative ideas. Member producers are encouraged to consider all poultry species and all pasturing models,

assuming personal responsibility for adapting ideas and models presented through APPPA.

APPPA passionately embraces humane, people-friendly, 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 superior.

APPPA assists both producers and consumers to transact business with as little government intervention as possible. APPPA does not

discriminate in membership or programs based on the business size of producer or consumer. Realizing

that production models must be profitable to be

successful, APPPA's interests include processing,

packaging, cooking, marketing, and any other

topics related to pastured poultry enterprises.

APPPA's world vision is to see pastured poultry adopted as the model for environmentally,

emotionally, and economically sensible poultry production. This vision includes decentralized food systems, farmstead-sized processing, and as much

interaction as possible between producer and consumer.

(Adopted by the APPPA Steering Committee, August 27, 1997)


The Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAM) released a guide to state poultry regulations on a state-by-

state basis. At the time the Grit was published, the guide excluded two states:

Georgia and Illinois.

Information for Texas, Minnesota, and New Mexico is included but NMPAM is waiting

for state officials to confirm the information.

If you’re a poultry producer who sells product, then you should be aware that how you process your poultry dictates how

you can sell it. As small-scale producers, most of us operate under one of the

federal Poultry Products Inspection Act

(PPIA) exemptions. The PPIA defines a base set of requirements that states can

choose to follow or not. An exemption only exempts the processor from

continuous inspection, not safe handling procedures or record keeping.

About half the states, according to USDA

Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) maintain their own poultry inspection

requirements. Those states are Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,

Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North

Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma,

South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and

Wyoming.

Often, individual states will enforce stricter inspection policies compared to the federal

exemptions. This variance of standards from one state to the next contributes to

the confusion many producers have when it comes to knowing how to comply with

processing regulations.

The other half of the states follow the USDA’s PPIA exemptions. The most

common exemptions are summarized here:

Custom Exemption—You can slaughter an unlimited number of birds but can not

sell to individuals, hotels, restaurants, institutions (HRI), or retail stores.

Producer/Grower: 1,000 Bird Limit – Can

slaughter up 1,000 birds a year. Can sell to individuals, HRI, and retail stores.

Producer/Grower: 20,000 Bird Limit— Can slaughter up 20,000 birds a year.

Can sell to individuals, HRI, and retail

stores.

Producer/Grower or Other Person: 20,000 Bird Limit. Can slaughter up 20,000 birds a year. Can sell to

individuals, hotels, restaurants, and retail

stores.

The FSIS publishes a guidebook to help producers find the appropriate exemption. You can find the NMPAM

guideline of regulations by state and a

link to the FSIS guidebook here:

http://www.extension.org/pages/33350/poultry-processing-regulations-and-exemptions

Or contact your local extension office for a copy.

State-by-State Poultry Processing Regulations By Mike Badger

Advertise with APPPA

Reach pastured poultry producers of all sizes with a 1/4 page ad in the APPPA GRIT.

6 issues for $200

Return the membership application on page 23 or contact [email protected] for

more information.

APPPA does not endorse APPPA GRIT adver-

tisers or their products/services.


Featherman Equipment

Offers Free Rental Listing

for any Poultry

Processing Equipment

Email Featherman what you’ve got for rent, how much you charge, where you

are located and your

contact info. They will post the

listing on their website at

www.featherman.net.

Check the listing if you are

looking for equipment to rent.

David Schafer, owner of

Featherman, says

―We are trying to make entry into the poultry business a lot easier for folks

today than it was for us 15 years ago.‖

Email your info to [email protected]

or call 660-684-6035

GRIT Classifieds are free for members; $0.25 per word for non-members. To place an ad, email [email protected] or call (570)584-2309.

Egg washer. New Sink top unit scrubs eggs with hot water and brush. 28 eggs

per minute max. Suitable for a 1000 layer flock. Made in USA of as much US

content as possible. $1500 plus shipping

www.gibsonridgefarms.com. (740) 698-3330 (Ohio).

Classified Ads Brown shelled eggs from page 12

irregular contour. Internal quality is also

adversely affected (watery whites). These egg production and quality

problems can persist for extended periods of time.

SUMMARY

Most eggshell pigments are located in the cuticle and outer portion of the calcified

eggshell. Premature arrest of cuticle formation or release of stress-related

hormones (epinephrine) will result in the production of pale brown-shelled eggs.

Age of the bird, use of certain

chemotherapeutic agents, and disease also can affect the intensity of

pigmentation. No one factor, especially infectious bronchitis, should be

diagnosed as the cause of the reduced pigmentation of eggshells until all

possible differentials that may affect pigmentation have been considered.

FOOTNOTES

1. This document is VM94, one of a series of the Veterinary Medicine-Large

Animal Clinical Sciences Department,

Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural

Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date May, 1995. Reviewed

May, 2003. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2. Gary D. Butcher, Poultry Veterinarian,

and Richard D. Miles, Poultry Nutritionist, Department of Dairy and Poultry

Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and

Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611.

http://www.gibsonridgefarms.com/


Have a processing questions for the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Ser-

vice (FSIS)? The FSIS maintains a searchable knowledgebase at http://

askfsis.custhelp.com. The service is in-tended as a resource for anyone from

inspection personnel to producers to the

general public to get official answers to inspection/policy questions.

If the knowledgebase doesn’t contain an answer to the question you seek, you

can submit the question and it will be

answered by the FSIS.

Most recently, the FSIS introduced Ask Karen, a virtual assistant designed to an-swer food safety questions. There’s a

m o b i l e v e r s i o n a t h t t p : / /

m.askkaren.gov/.

You can also call the FSIS at 1-800-233-3935.

Ask FSIS


DDOTSONOTSON FFARMARM

ANDAND FFEEDEED Distributors of Fertrell

Poultry Nutri-Balancer and the complete line of

Fertrell Products.

Also Available :

Certified Organic Hay Dotson Farm and Feed

2929 N. 9th Street Rd.

Lafayette, IN 47904

Ph 765-742-5111 cell 765-404-9826

Fax 765-429-5601

Fertrell

Jane Hansen, Northacres Farm. Prentice, WI


Cynthia & Keene Hollenbeck, Keene Organics Marshall, WI. 608-655-1596

[email protected]

Wayne W. Klammer, Deer Run Enterprise Merrill, WI. 715-536-6564.

[email protected]

Eileen McCutchen, Angel Acres Farm LLC

Mason, WI. 715-765-4298 [email protected]

Diana & James Murphy, Dreamfarm

Cross Plains, WI. 608-767-3442 [email protected]

Jody Padgham, Wild Crescent Farm. Boyd, WI 715-667-3203. [email protected]

Kevan & Annette Rod, Goshen Farm.

Brule, WI. 715-372-5186

[email protected]

Richard Walders, Ewes Rule the Farm

Cornell, WI. 715-288-6801

[email protected]

Dean & Kim Zimmerman, Coulee View Family Farm. Wauzeka, WI. 608-874-4144

[email protected]

Petra Zinniker, Zinniker Farm, Inc.

Elkhorn, WI. 262-642-5775

[email protected]

Lawrence Beckerle. Craigsville, WV. 304-742-3639. [email protected]

West Virginia

Mark & Donna Butcher, Walnut Hill Farm Keyrnesyville, WV. 304-671-3972 [email protected]

Craig & Lorna Canterbury, Canterbury Farms Ripley, WV. 304-372-3965 [email protected]

Send updates to the APPPA Coordinator.

APPPA Refresh The next issue of the APPPA Grit will be in color and will feature an updated

design. The APPPA board approved the design changes. So, to celebrate our

change to color, Mike wants to publish your photos. If you have an interesting

poultry shot, send it to [email protected]

for consideration.

Advertisers, you’ll receive an email from Mike in the coming months giving you the chance to produce a full-color ad.

Stay-tuned for the specs.

In addition to a color design, the APPPA website will be getting a facelift, as well.

The current site has served us well, but we’re outgrowing it and, like our

newsletter, it’s time for design and

technology update.

Stay tuned for more information!


Success With Baby Chicks (2003) by Robert Plamondon 155

pages, $15.95

The Dollar Hen (1909) by Milo Hastings 250 pages,

$18.95

Genetics of the Fowl (1949) by F. B. Hutt. 590 pages,

$44.95

Feeding Poultry (1955) by G.F. Heuser 632 pages,

$39.95

Norton Creek Press 36475 Norton Creek Road, Blodgett OR

97326

http://www.nortoncreekpress.com

Jonathan Coulimore

Fertrell Distributor for WA, OR, ID, MT, CA,

AK, HI, BC.

Products in stock are: Original &

Organic Poultry Nutri-Balancer,

Laczyme, DE, Redmond Conditioner,

Azomite, Non-GMO Corn and

Roasted Soybeans, Fish meal and Kelp meal.

Jonathan Coulimore,

Vancouver, WA

503-209-1555 cell,

e-mail [email protected]

Other products available on request.

mailto:[email protected]

Check above your address for your final issue number. If it is #63 or earlier, PLEASE RENEW TODAY!

Go to www.APPPA.org to renew or fill out the form on pg. 23 and mail it in!

APPPA GRIT! PO Box 87

Boyd, WI 54726

PRSRT STD

U S POSTAGE PAID

Eau Claire, WI

Permit #203

3 ways to get APPPA GRIT! - Producer Membership $60/yr:

Every issue of APPPA GRIT! delivered to your mailbox.

An invitation to join our exclusive, members-only online Yahoo! discussion group APPPAplus .

Members-only Web site with back issues of APPPA GRIT!, marketing brochure, and a pastured poultry nutrition guide (can request a paper copy by mail), and more.

Business/Partner Membership $200/yr:

Support the production of healthful food, sustainable family farms, and humane treatment of animals and share YOUR message with people who are interested and

ready to buy!

Membership includes all of the above, PLUS a quarter-page ad in each issue of the APPPA GRIT! and a listing on our Web site.

Subscription to GRIT! $40/yr :

If you do not use the Internet or prefer not to become members.

APPPA GRIT! Issue 63 2011 American Pastured Poultry ... · American Pastured Poultry Producers...

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