Oregon is home to thousands of small farms, many of them raising poultry on modest acreage. But competing with industrial producers can make it difficult for those farms to survive. “There are so many hoops small producers have to jump through that larger producers don’t,” said Good Meat Project’s executive director Michele Thorne. It can be hard for farmers to explain why their products cost more and why those differences are worth investing in.
The majority of farms in Oregon are fewer than 50 acres. Thirty-two percent of farms in the state are even smaller, between one and nine acres. Unlike cattle and pigs, chickens can be raised on relatively small parcels of land, making poultry production a popular option for Oregon farmers. Most resources for poultry producers focus on raising birds with far less support for helping farmers bring to market what they produce. To help make pastured poultry a viable business model, the Good Meat Project is developing a free marketing toolkit to help farmers sell directly to consumers through farmers’ markets, CSAs, and food hubs.
“The goal of the toolkit is both to help producers more effectively sell their products and also to help consumers learn how to match their values to their meat purchases,” Thorne said. When it comes to meat production, price only tells part of the story.
Heritage breeds of chicken grow more slowly and require more feed than industrial breeds, meaning it takes longer and costs more to raise them to slaughter weight. But they also live better lives, getting to see the open sky and peck around in the grass. Small farms, which do not benefit from the economies of scale enjoyed by large industrial meat producers, often pay more for feed and other inputs. But what they do buy tends to come from other local businesses, including feed suppliers and farm stores. Supporting a local farm means paying for more sustainable and humane meat while also keeping those dollars in the community. A grant from the Roundhouse Foundation will support the creation of the Pastured Poultry Toolkit and general operations for the Good Meat Project.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult for small farms to stay in business. The Good Meat Project aims to help producers reach new customers and generate the revenue they need to remain operational.
To that end, the organization has also developed a tool called the Good Meat® Finder that helps consumers find farms, butcher shops, retailers, restaurants, and other businesses that source and sell ethically produced meat. “It gives consumers agency to find a farm who shares their values,” Thorne said.
Not everyone can afford a $20 to $30 whole chicken from a local farm all the time, but Thorne believes even occasional purchases can make a meaningful difference. “If even 10 people a week in Oregon diverted that money from other spending to buy meat from a small farm, it would increase local economies across the state and increase revenues for local farms, allowing them to strengthen their infrastructure and profit margins,” she said.
Local farmers who have participated in the Good Meat Project’s programs have said the marketing advice has been an invaluable resource they could never have afforded on their own. “Our goal is to help as many farmers as we can while we can,” Thorne said. “We have to keep these smaller farms viable because once they’re gone, what are the options?”
Photo Credit: Nathan Weyland
