Season Modification

Change of Plans

Our course in 2016 has been altered a little, and we thought we'd update everyone since now we finally know how things will shake out. We like to be straightforward with our customers, and deal openly and honestly about our successes, and our challenges. We consider you all part of our "farm family", so here we go... The short version is that we won't be building a processing facility this year. The Washington County Planning Department has decided that our slaughter facility should go through a higher lever of review, along with all the other work planned for the site. This means we won't be able to build for five or six months. So... you probably have some questions. Here are some Q&A's that will hopefully cover everything;

How will the chickens and turkeys be processed?

We will be using Mineral Springs to process our birds. They are a family owned operation, not unlike Marion Acres. We've asked around to see how folks have liked them, and everyone speaks highly of them. We can't process the birds like in years past because we've already sold more than the maximum we'd be allowed to process without the facility (that's a great problem to have!). Also, processing ourselves would prevent us from delivering to Buying Clubs, and we're too excited to do the Buying Clubs to change that. So, we're going to use Mineral Springs for this year while we get through the permitting process with Washington County, and then we'll build.

Will your prices change?

No, they won't. Processing at Mineral Springs is slightly more expensive for us, but we will not change the prices. Those are set, and we are committed to them.

Does the schedule change?

Only slightly, and only later in the season. We were able to get processing times at Mineral springs either on our original slaughter days, or the Friday before. We feel very blessed that the scheduling at Mineral Springs worked out. It does mean, though, that some of the pickup times (not dates) may have to change. Early in the season, the times won't change. As we go through the process a few times, we'll get a feel for how long everything takes. Then later in the season, we may have to move some times around. We will keep it to the absolute minimum, though.

Can I still get fresh birds at the farm?

Maybe. We are trying to work out refrigerators and freezers. The original plan was to have walk-ins at the facility. Now that we can't build the facility, we're hoping to site them temporarily at the existing barn by our brooder shed. They'll get moved once the facility is constructed. Since we'll have birds processed on some Fridays, it might be too difficult to hold fresh birds overnight if we don't get the walk-in setup and running in time. We're working on that... a lot.

I don't like any of this. Can I get a refund?

Yes, absolutely. We know we are changing our "end of the deal". If you just don't want to stay with us for this year, then we'll refund your deposit, no questions. But please check back with us next year.

Does this impact the cows, pigs, eggs, or milk?

Nope, not at all. We do wish, though, that it made the layers start pumping out those eggs sooner!

I haven't ordered yet... can I still do that?

Absolutely! We're still full steam ahead, so put in that order, and let us fill it for you! This is what we love to do, and all this hullabaloo doesn't change that!

You must be so angry, right?

Nope, not at all. Are we a little frustrated? Sure. Angry? No. The folks at the County have a very difficult job. They have to tell landowners what they can and can't do with their land. They are people working to provide for their families, just like me and you and everyone else. We respect that, and we respect their authority, and it's very important to us that we honor that authority. This will have a great result at the end... we'll have a water tight permit to do what we want to do and there won't be any "surprises" down the road. So, we're still looking forward to our first pickup day at the farm which is right around the corner! Saturday, May 21st at 2:00 PM. We're also looking forward to seeing familiar faces from past seasons, and getting to meet new people! As always, please let us know if you have any questions! John and Rachelle Mathia Geoff and Amy Scott