If you have read this section for any length of time, you have surely had to endure my rant about the situation around small scale poultry processing in our great state of GA. We have dabbled in raising meat chickens over the years, but the processing situation just never made it justifiable. It is something we have always wanted to add to our farm on a regular basis, and judging from the amount of questions we get about chicken, it is something you all want as well.
You may remember last year we tried out a small processor in Alabama. They did a pretty good job, but only had the capability to do a small number of chickens per day. Given that it is still 2 hours away, we need to take several to justify the trip. Well, I'm proud to announce that I spoke to the Alabama processor last week and he is building a brand new facility. He and I have reached a tentative agreement that should allow us to ramp up our chicken production this year. He plans to be able to start processing by late May, and I plan to have chickens ready by then.
When we started selling Raw Milk in 2006 there was virtually no infrastructure for the local food movement. Over the years we have seen that infrastructure slowly develop. Not because it was propped up and subsidized by government. Actually quite the opposite. In many instances I would even say the infrastructure has developed in spite of governmental policies. It has been through the steadfast determination of customers to seek out these products that are so obviously superior, that this local food movement has been able to subsist. For that reason I, and other farmers like me, say thank you. Thank you for going out of your way to buy local food from local farms.
