The December 2001 issue of Stockman Grass Farmer has a cover article on Joel Salatin's new pastured egg production system. Some highlights:

Chickens are kept in 1,000 groups with a 20' x 20' hoop-structured, tarp covered hen house. Two houses and two feeders are tied together with chains so all can be moved at once to fresh pasture every three days. Each group is confined within a five-acre area with electricified poultry wire.

They are now selling 40,000 dozen eggs a year at an average price of $1.75 per dozen. 75% go to upscale restaurants at a delivered price of $2.10 per dozen. (Normally restaurants pay about 50 cents per dozen for eggs.) The rest are sold on-the-farm for $1.60 per dozen loose or $1.75 per dozen in cartons. (Notice they get paid an extra $.15 for their extra labor and the cost of the carton.)

When he first started selling to regular restaurants, he provided them with a sign for each table saying farm-fresh eggs were $.25 per egg extra. That alone brought in $3.00, plus the cost of the eggs already factored into the meal cost.

Joel, with two apprentices (and some family help), has an annual gross income of some $300,000 from the farm's 100 acres of permanent pasture. Pastured poultry - eggs, broilers and turkeys - produce half of this income. Grassfed beef, lamb, hogs and rabbits are the other half. (Sales of Joel's books, speaking fees and registration fees for their periodic farm days are not included in this figure.)

Joel's standard for whether or not a project is worth doing is if it will return at least $20 for each labor hour. If a project takes say five hours, but only nets out $80, it is dropped.

Joel estimates each unit requires only seven hours of labor a week and can net $10,000 a season if the eggs are sold for $1.60 a dozen.

If someone has a copy of his new book on Family Friendly Farming, is this covered in it?

(By the way, with an annual gross income of $300,000 one might think Joel lives in a gated community. Actually, the family lives in a farm house somewhere around 100 years old. While they do have a Lincoln Towncar someone virtually gave them for trips, he drives an older pickup. Farm equipment consists of a front-end loading tractor, bushhog, chipper and manure spreader. I have heard Joel say he likens his lifestyle to the Amish. No TV or processed drinks. Only staples are purchased off the farm. If his two children go to college, it will be from money they have earned on the farm.)

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), December 18, 2001

Answers

The book "Family Friendly Farming" is not a how-to but more of a why- to book on farming and a family centered workstyle. I loved the book but it was not what I expected it to be.

It did give me an explanation of feelings I had been realizing for a few years- what drew me to the farming lifestyle in the first place just two years ago.It was nice to see someone else espousing the same beliefs I was just learning about. I had spent years in the suburbs- put the kids in daycare/private school-eat fast food-go to the gym mentality. It never felt right, now I know it was because it wasn't right.

You can make a living at farming, this is our second year and we have more business than we can handle. I mentioned we were growing chickens and turkeys this year(and by the way the price is $2.50/lb) and I have people ready to put in orders.

We should be all the way home by the end of year 3. And that is with paying a mortgage.

Amy

-- Amy Richards (amysgarden2@earthlink.net), December 18, 2001.

This fall I read "You can Farm" and "Pastured Poultry Profits". He is certainly motivational. I would like to read "Salad Bar Beef". His farm is an eco system unto itself. The chickens follow the beef through pasture rotation gleaning leftover grains, and bugs, spreading the cow pies about and depositing their own nitro onto the fields before moving on. I haven't read any of his really recent things so maybe things have changed, but I liked the way they don't put all their eggs in one basket so to speak-- They sell beef, pork, chicken, eggs, fire-wood... Anyway I will be looking for the new book for this winter.

-- Terri in NS (terri@tallships.ca), December 18, 2001.

By the way Ken, did you know that he mentions and recommends your book "How to Make Money in the Country" I think it was in "You Can Farm"

-- Terri in NS (terri@tallships.ca), December 18, 2001.

Terri:

Yes, but he didn't mention how to obtain a copy.

Joel is a natural-born salesman. The Virginia Republican Party has been trying to get him to run for Congress. He says no, he can make more of an impact doing what he is doing now (plus, probably having a far higher family quality life, which is extremely important to him).

It is no doubt available elsewhere, but Family Friendly Farming is available for $34.95 postpaid from Stockman Grass Farmer, P.O. Box 2300, Ridgeland, MS 39158-2300 or 800-748-9808.

Joel has stopped using his 'eggmobile'. Just too many problems. Like anything else, processes evolve.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), December 18, 2001.