Susan Stava for The New York Times
The Northwest was once big on turkeys. Oregon and Washington, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ranked among the top turkey-producing states in the nation.
Those days are gone.
Large-scale production, with its slim margins, requires proximity to abundant, economical feed. Since turkey feed is grown mostly in the Midwest, it’s hard for Northwestern growers to compete. Minnesota is now at the epicenter of high-volume, supermarket turkey production, with an annual output of 45 million birds.
The trend in Oregon, Washington and Idaho is toward the small scale. These days, N.W. farms typically raise between 100 and 300 birds a year and those birds are often old-fashioned, heritage breeds raised on pasture rather than a factory farm.
The good news for small-scale growers is that pasture-raised, specialty breeds can command premium prices. According to the New York Times “Many small farmers sell their birds direct to customers for as much as $10 a pound, or 10 to 20 times the cost of a typical supermarket turkey.”
Heritage breeds tend to taste better and have firmer, darker meat. “But the birds also come with a compelling story that a frozen Butterball can’t match” says the Times article. ”Breeds from a bygone era, allowed to run free, are promoted as the edible embodiment of older ways of farming and eating — a political statement with a side of cranberry sauce.”
Several small-scale turkey producers here in Idaho say they can’t keep up with the demand for pasture-raised birds.
Still, old-fashioned turkey production can come with unique challenges for growers. Heritage breeds take longer to raise (which adds to flavor), but the additional growing time means higher production costs. Heritage breeds can also be a little cantankerous. The typical supermarket turkey is docile, breed with breasts so large they can barely walk, let alone fly. By contrast, lean heritage turkeys are occasionally capable of heeding the call of the wild. Some have been reported to take wing and join wild turkey flocks when they fly by.
Now that’s free range.
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Guy Hand is a writer, public radio producer and photographer specializing in food and agriculture. |
