It’s officially spring on the farm! We’ve moved our first flocks to range for the summer, so there’s no turning back now. (Never mind that we had to chip ice out of drinkers due to a late season frost as we herded the birds!) It’s always a sign of the season when we first slide open the barn door to let the birds outside or move our first flock fully to range.

By the time the birds are out in the spring, our farm team has already been hard at work: transporting feed, leveling water troughs, closing fence gates, and leak checking endless yards of water hose. As I’ve often shared before, raising turkeys this way requires more people, and it’s not the norm today. We’re fortunate to have the land, team, and equipment to make it happen.

You don’t have to look hard to hear about problems plaguing farmers today – labor, markets, diesel fuel, and input costs. Of course, we aren’t immune to challenges; I’ve seen my share. But on spring days like these, seeing the birds settle in outside like they have on our farm for almost 90 years, it’s a celebration of the steady rhythms that keep us grounded in what’s sustained our model – for people, turkeys, and the land – for all these years.

Thanks for being a part of what we do.