Sponsored Newspapers In Education Content
| SUNDAY,
APRIL 24, 2016
3
On average, one
person consumes 85
pounds of chicken
per year! Washington
is lucky to have
more than 1,200
dedicated individuals
in our state who take
pride in bringing
us locally-grown
chicken. From egg
to table Washington
family poultry
farmers work hard
to provide top-
quality, safe chicken
farmed locally
in Washington
following
responsible and
sustainable growing
practices.
Washington chickens are hatched on farms from
Clark to Whatcom counties, where the chicks begin
their lives. Chickens are raised in large, open-air
barns with room to move around freely. As the
chickens grow, they have continuous access to an
adequate supply of clean, fresh drinking water
and a highly nutritious diet of corn and soy meal
with added vitamins and minerals. Birds mature
naturally without any added steroids or hormones.
Temperature, humidity and air speed are controlled
within each barn and monitored 24 hours a day to
ensure birds are comfortable and do not become too
hot or cold.
The Washington poultry industry implements
environmental initiatives that promote recycling and
reuse, increase energy and fuel efficiency, reduce
and eliminate waste, and improve air quality.
Increased innovations in agriculture management
also allow farmers to steadily reduce water use. This
year, family-owned Foster Farms will launch a water
conservation project that will recycle approximately
two million gallons of water each day, lowering
water usage across its operations by 35 percent and
saving approximately 550 million gallons each year.
Recycling is another key part of sustainability. Plant
waste is reused as fertilizer or compost, organic
waste is converted into electricity and 100 percent
of byproducts are reused for animal feed, pet food
and fertilizer. Working with Washington family
farms located near grocery stores and with local
hatcheries, feed mill and a production facility
in Kelso means a smaller carbon footprint and
fresher chicken!
Washington Chicken:
From Egg to Table
Working with more than 37 family farms in the
Pacific Northwest, Foster Farms has been raising
chickens locally for Washington families for almost
30 years. For Washington chicken farmers Rod and
Glenda Hergert, farming is more than a job – it is
the very fabric of their identities. The pair, who hail
from multi-generation farming families, live on an
historic, 20-acre Washington homestead nestled in
the pastoral countryside in Clark County, originally
founded in 1910.
Shortly after they settled in the 1960s, Rod and
Glenda began growing organic fruits and vegetables
to sell at local farmers markets. They acquired the
occasional cow, goat or pig, as well as pet dogs, to
maintain and entertain their growing family. (The
Hergerts have seven children, including four adopted
children and two with special needs.) It wasn’t
until 24 years later, when they visited a friend who
raised chickens, that the Hergerts decided to become
chicken farmers.
“The way of life of raising chickens just appealed
to me,” said Rod. In 1988, Rod hand-built four
chicken barns and began to farm chickens. He has
been farming chickens for Foster Farms for almost
20 years.
As a resourceful and trusted farmer, Rod’s penchant
for meticulous building along with a do-it-yourself
work ethic led to a successful family-owned
business. Foster Farms has even called on Rod to
assist with repair and maintenance at other family
farms in the Pacific Northwest.
“I think a lot of consumers today think their chicken
grows in a plastic bag,” mused Rod. “But a lot of
hard work and personal care goes into it.”
Like all of the 37 Pacific Northwest family-owned
farms that farm chickens for Foster Farms, Hergert
Farms poultry ranch and chickens are American
Humane Certified.
™
To earn this certification, Foster
Farms ranches passed a rigorous, 200-plus item
audit that covers living conditions, diet and natural
behaviors to ensure the birds are well cared for, 24
hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
“These days, people are more conscientious of
what they eat and where food comes from, which
is good. You feel like you’re doing a good service
raising a good product, a quality product that people
recognize and like. It makes us proud,” said Rod.
Foster Farms family growers, Rod and Glenda Hergert
From Egg to Table
Source: Northwest Chicken Council
