Spins the grin

Down On The Farm

In the latter part of June, The Husband and I got a chance to see firsthand what life on a farm has been like for our daughter. After driving from our home to hers in two days, we then spent a week visiting with her and the rest of the Riverbird Farm crew.

Riverbird Farm crew (L to R): William, our daughter Jo, Maia, and Henry

A little more than a year ago, these four established themselves as a small first-generation farm with the goal of raising pastured poultry in the South Sound region of Washington. “Our practices are guided by principles of regenerative farming and pasture management, and grounded in a deep respect for the animals we raise, the land we steward, and the community we serve.” When The Husband and I first visited them last August (see items 11 and 12 in 21 In ’21: Highlights From A Road Trip), the farm had just received its first shipment of newly hatched chicks.

Since then, Riverbird Farm’s operations have grown and the business is flourishing. Their business model is a hands-on approach — from nurturing day-old chicks and ducklings in brooders, to raising them out on pasture, to processing and packaging, and then selling and delivering the birds themselves. Local, pasture-raised poultry is an initial foray into livestock farming and their overall sustainable farming journey. For more about the history and goals of Riverbird Farm, I highly recommend Pastured Poultry Expands in Mason County which was written by another Western Washington farmer.

FWB - farm 080122 farm fresh

Having no familiarity with livestock farming, The Husband and I have been quite curious to witness firsthand all that is involved in the day-to-day operations of Riverbird Farm. We, of course, speak to our daughter regularly, asking questions that she patiently answers. There’s also the farm’s Instagram where they often share updates. But nothing beats the actual sights and smells of being on a farm.

We had timed out our trip so that we would arrive on the day that happens in order to see them in action. By the time we arrived at mid-day, we’d missed the messier parts of the harvest and the birds were on ice waiting for final prep and packaging. As small-batch farmers, they harvest on a weekly basis. With their current commitments from Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) sales and contracts with nearby restaurants as well as selling at a local farmers’ market, they produce about 50 chickens and a dozen ducks every week. Sales are going so well that they’ll be scaling up in a few weeks.

A few days later, we did a walk-about on the farm to see the younger chicks and ducks in their brooders and the more mature ones out in their pens. Besides being far more humane than the indoor confinement facilities large-scale producers use, pasture-raised animals can get a significant amount of their nutrition from the site means less dependence on mono-cropped agriculture and a reduced need for transportation of feed. The pens are moved/scooted to a new location twice daily to give the birds fresh bugs to peck at and they leave behind nutritant-rich fertilizer. It’s these practices that help them achieve their goals of less cost, fewer emissions, and more transparency on the chain of what their animals eat.

While the work on Riverbird Farm continued, our daughter was able to some of her free time with us as well. We made a visit to Olympia Farmers Market, were hosted to several great home-cooked meals, and did a day trip to see the lavender fields in Sequim (we were too early for the festival). On our own, The Husband and I meandered towards Tacoma and wound up having lunch at Point Ruston. But nothing was as lovely as the visit to the farm.

Let’s Wrap This Up

Now, onto the Fine-Whatever link-up. My featured blogger from the last week’s link-up is Imogen, whose post on her blog Inside Out Style, is full of great suggestions and advice for finding an alternative to black to build your wardrobe around.

I hope that you enjoyed this introduction to Riverbird Farm as well as the brief overview of pastured-raise poultry. While many of us have embraced sustainability and buying local when it comes to our wardrobes, are you also doing so with other items that you buy regularly? Have you ever considered (or even heard about) CSAs? What purchasing changes have you made to improve the quality of the food you eat?

Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Note: This is an unsponsored post; however, some or all of the links to clothing items are associated with an affiliate program where I earned a few cents for each click.

Photo credit: MMPerez, Riverbird Farm, and myself

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19 Comments

  1. Carol Benton

    It must have been so interesting to witness the day-to-day operations at Riverbird Farm. I’m also a parent of adult children, and it’s been fascinating to see watch their adult lives unfold — seeing where life takes them (professionally and otherwise). Thanks for hosting the link-up!
    Carol
    http://www.scribblingboomer.com

  2. marsha57

    Wow! What an impressive commitment, not only to a new lifestyle, but to sustainable crops! A couple of these pictures reminded me of when my mom tried to teach me how to cut up a whole chicken…a skill I never did master! I now buy only boneless skinless breasts! I will have to try to find small local outlet! Thanks for the link up! My link party is still open!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

  4. Gail Is This Mutton

    A lovely overview of the farm. I always look for organic, grass-fed, free range, produced in UK (and preferably local to us) whenever I buy meat and fruit/veg. I’m fortunate in being able to choose to do this because there’s a premium on these products.

  5. thisblondesshoppingbag

    Wow, what a cool adventure – farming! It must have been amazing to witness your daughter and her crew living their dream and doing so with such passion.
    Thanks for the link up Rena!
    xo,
    Kellyann

  7. Mica - Away From The Blue

    Looks like a really fun day at the farm! it’s nice you were able to spend that time with your daughter too 🙂

    Thank you for the link up! Hope you are having a lovely start to your week 🙂

  8. shelbeeontheedge1

    Oh Rena, how wonderful! You must be so proud of Jo! She looks extremely happy doing her farm stuff and I absolutely love her initiative of sustainable farming. I look forward to following along!

    Shelbee

  9. Pamela Graham

    What an incredible life choice both for them and the planet as a whole! So many people are completely blinkered about what we are consuming and what the future holds for the world!
    Pamela

    • Hilda Smith

      I really enjoyed reading this and admire their commitment to sustainable farming. We need more of this. I buy from the local butcher who has farms down the country.

  11. csuhpat1

    So very interesting. I like how they are doing things. Very cool. Thanks for sharing all the info and the pics. Very nice.

  13. Jean | Delightful Repast

    Rena, I love your overview of Riverbird Farm. You must be so proud of your daughter. I always buy pastured poultry and pork and grassfed beef. I did something completely different on my blog this week, as you’ll see at link #57!

  15. mummabstylish

    Thanks for sharing and hosting Rena. Jacqui x