Finding Income from More than Vegetables
This past season marked the second year Park Ridge Organics sold chickens for meat, and the first year of managing hens in order to sell eggs.
It gives the farm a way to make money that doesn't involve expanding production.
It started simply enough, with Calvey wanting chickens for her own family. Then she ramped up for commercial sales. The demand was immediate, she says.
"I started with 150 chickens, and I'm now doing 200," she says.
The chickens are not certified organic, although they consume only certified organic feed. Despite not certifying the meat or eggs, customers are happy to support the farm.
"We charged $6.50 per pound, and our members were very happy to purchase those birds. The eggs are $6 dozen. And they sold out immediately," Calvey says.
With that kind of success, Calvey is busy planning the 2022 season.
"We're going to get our chickens out on our fields, setting them in blocks with a mobile hen house," she says.
The only predator she's had so far is a Cooper hawk, which hasn't been that much of a problem, despite it being gutsy enough to set on a post near people.
"We had too many roosters," she jokes.
The farm is just to the East of a highway running along a large lake, in a fairly suburban area.
"We don't have on-foot predators. So we mainly worry about hawks and owls. Luckily, we do have some good cover in their enclosure, so they have many places they can run and hide," Calvey says.