Values-Based Food Supply Chain Case Study: Good Earth Farms

Begun in 2005 by Mike and Deb Hansen in central Wisconsin, Good Earth Farms includes five operations that sell nearly all of their certified organic meat through the internet. more

Cover Crops Case Studies: JenEhr Family Farm

Wisconsin is seeing a renewed interest in planting cover crops to prevent soil erosion, retain or add nutrients, reduce pest pressures and accomplish other goals. more

Poultry Your Way

Farmers who are considering starting or modifying poultry operations have a new resource available. Poultry Your Way is a free, 124-page book that profiles a variety of poultry systems suitable for the Upper Midwest. Producers and poultry experts from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan contributed to the book, and each chapter profiles a different kind of […] more

Poultry Enterprise Budget

Enterprises like pastured poultry can add to farm income with careful financial planning. CIAS has developed a spreadsheet to help farmers make financial and management decisions about new or existing poutry enterprises. While the budget was developed for a CIAS pastured poultry project, it is applicable to most kinds and sizes of poultry enterprises. This […] more

Large-scale pastured poultry farming in the U.S. (Research Brief #63)

Can you make a living raising pastured poultry on a large scale? "Yes, but talk to farmers who'll give you their whole story, including their failures, before you begin," one producer participating in a 2000 Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS) survey advises. more

Raising poultry on pasture (Research Brief #57)

A common way to raise pastured poultry involves putting 75 to 100 three- to four-week old meat chickens in movable pens during the growing season. These floorless 10' by 12' by 2' pens are moved daily by sliding them along the ground, providing fresh pasture. Chickens also receive a grain-based ration. At 8-14 weeks, the chickens are butchered and sold to consumers or restaurants. more

Pastured poultry study addresses broad range of issues (Research Brief #46)

Farmers wishing to capitalize on the trend of increased consumption of white meat can consider raising chickens. But for many, a conventional commercial chicken operation’s high capital investment, large scale, and limited market access are unsuitable. Enter the pastured poultry model, where growing chickens are kept in large, floorless pens that are moved across pasture […] more