Abattoir Progress at
White Oak Pastures

 

 

 

White Oak Pastures recently broke ground on a new USDA inspected poultry abattoir, which will be the only facility that processes free range poultry in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, or Alabama. The Bluffton farm will begin selling chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese after construction is completed in August 2011.

 

White Oak Pastures is increasing its poultry numbers in order to further develop its Serengeti Plains rotational grazing model, which means large ruminants (cows), followed by small ruminants (sheep), followed by birds (chickens and turkeys), so pastures are grazed and fertilized in three different ways. This practice was first adopted in Africa, and is now a system White Oak Pastures has found beneficial.

 

 

 

The chickens are raised in portable wood skid houses, and each house is home to 500 chickens. They are free to roam on pasture, foraging on insects all day. At night, the chickens roost in their houses, guarded from predators by four Great Pyrenees dogs. White Oak Pastures plans to build 60 houses, each housing 500 birds. This will be a starting point for the free range birds, and will allow the market to decide how many birds White Oak Pastures will raise.

Staff Spotlight: Ashley Rodgers

 

Ashley Rodgers was hired in November to start and manage an organic farm for White Oak Pastures. Everyone is thrilled that she has joined our team and has been delighted in watching the quick progress she has made since her arrival. This year Ashley will have 1.5 acres under cultivation, specializing in diversified vegetable production.

 

A Michigan native, Ashley received her bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a minor in Finance from the College of Charleston in 2009. Her previous farming experience solely consists of an internship under farmer Paige Witherington of Serenbe Farms, in Palmetto, Georgia. Ashley is very passionate about farming, and we are thrilled to be able to support and encourage the growing population of young farmers in our country.

 

 

 

The biggest hurdle in starting the organic farm was setting up the infrastructure. Ashley first focused on laying out and breaking ground on her fields for spring planting. After this, she turned her focus to having the greenhouse installed and wired for electricity, which was completed at the end of January. From stocking a tool shed to running irrigation lines throughout the organic farm, Ashley has remained busy.

 

At the end of January, while still quite cold outside, Ashley had already begun seeding her spring vegetables in the greenhouse. Everything that is grown on the White Oak Pastures Organic Farm has been started from seed, either in the greenhouse or directly in the ground.  This gives the farm the ability to grow a wide variety of vegetables.

 

Besides growing vegetables, Ashley is also raising 10 different heritage breeds of laying hens. She received 120 day old baby chicks on February 22^nd, and has been taking care of them ever since. They are now 6 weeks old, and have just been moved outside into two chicken coops that Ashley built for them. These ladies will be free range, and will start producing eggs at the end of June.

 

The week of March 4th kicked off the first spring plantings, and in two days Ashley and her assistant Samantha planted over 6500 transplants, all by hand.  Since then, the fields have slowly been filling up, as everyone sits in amazement and anticipation watching the constant cycle of plants moving from the greenhouse and into the ground.

 

  

Now a month has passed since the first transplants went into the ground, and everything is growing bigger and bigger everyday.  The rest of the spring vegetables will be planted within the next week, and then the planting focus gets turned from spring to summer. Besides the standard summer vegetables, Ashley is also planting an annual and perennial flower patch, heirloom fruit and nut orchard, as well as an herb garden surrounding the greenhouse. 

 

We are all excited to enjoy Ashley's first harvests of lettuce, and other greens this week. Ashley will be selling her produce every week beginning April 6^th until the end of November, primarily at farmers markets. If you are interested in buying some of her vegetables, you can find her at the Grower's Market on Lake Ella, in Tallahassee, Florida, every Wednesday  from 3pm until dusk. She will also be at the Landings Farmers Market, in Columbus, Georgia, every Saturday beginning April 23^rd from 8 am until 1 pm.

 

Farming has its ups and downs, but Ashley has managed to stay focused and determined every step of the way, and we are looking forward to seeing what bounties Ashley's farm brings us this year.

 White Oak Pastures Wins
Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award for 2011  

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, Jenni Harris, Will Harris, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal

Will Harris doesn't remember being told to "eat all of your vegetables" or to "turn the other cheek" when he was growing up. He clearly remembers being repeatedly told "You take care of The Land and The Herd, and they will take care of you".

 

White Oak Pastures gets annual certifications from Certified Humane, Global Animal Partnership, and Animal Welfare Approved verifying that we take care of The Herd. We are especially proud of the Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award that now validates our care of The Land.