Spring Newsletter 2012

I’d like to thank you for all your support and assistance in last year’s business.  We had several new challenges last year including extreme heat.  Although we lost many birds to that heat, God blessed us and we still managed to get the orders out.  We also had so many friends and customers come out to help us in various ways.  I think that’s my favorite part.  I love watching people come out, join together, and accomplish something so ancient, so visceral, all the while becoming a closer knit community.  That’s really what this is all about.

That said, we will not be fulfilling any orders this year.  I’m sorry to say that we are going to need to take a year off.  As many of you know, my family is in the process of moving.  We had anticipated being in a new house by now, but God had different plans.  As it stands right now we have sold our house with an anticipated closing date of early April.  We are temporarily living with my generous in-laws while we pack and look for another place.  To compound the complexities our new son was born on March 24th.  Also, our good friends, the Owen family, have been letting us use their farm.  That family is very busy.  The two youngest sons (who were vital in the day to day operation) are both working full-time jobs and going to school.  Keith, the patriarch of the farm, is also very busy with work and ministry.  So, as I look across the landscape of the 2012 chicken season it appears to me that God simply has a different plan for us. 

While I am disappointed, I am glad to simply sit back and watch.  You may recognize that this is a very poor business decision.  However, the main goal of Legacy Family Farm has never been “business”.  The main goal is to leave a legacy of Biblical community through agriculture.  We’ve been doing that.  If the Lord wills, we will do it again.  When that time comes, it is our sincere hope that you can be a part of it.  Thanks for your support and your understanding.  We’d love to keep in touch with you.  I’ll continue posting on our Facebook page from time to time.  Let us know about your experiences this year exploring other clean meat producing farms, patronizing farmer’s markets, and entering into community with other believers.  We’d love to hear about it!

Feel free to contact us.

(734) 931-0890

legacyfamilyfarm@gmail.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Legacy-Family-Farm/201798028707

July Orders are Closed

For those interested in our chickens, the first and second batch orders are closed!!  I'll put in our order on Monday.  We had a great response this year.  We're so thankful for all those who choose to buy from us.  Didn't get to order?  Don't worry, we'll order more sometime in June.  But don't wait, that list is getting full already!  Questions?  Let me know...

Spring Newsletter 2011

It's time!!

We are thankful for a new year and looking forward to the challenges and joys God has in store for it.  As spring is slowly making its way, we are getting ready to start taking orders.   God was good and showed us His grace throughout last year.  We processed 213 chickens and 10 turkeys!  It was a year of learning as we continued to understand what it takes to raise clean poultry.  Based on our experience, we will need to make some changes for 2011.  First, there will be a limit on how many chickens we will raise.  So put your order in early to ensure a spot.  Unfortunately, due to rising gas prices and a better understanding of costs, we also realize we will need to charge $14/bird.  This year it will be a flat rate no matter what size bird.

The plans are similar to last year.  Here’s how it works:

•     If you’re interested, please fill in this sheet and return it to me.  You may email it back to me or you can print it off and put it in the mail or give it to me in person.
•     We require a $5 non-refundable deposit for each bird.  This will help us know that you are serious about your order and help defray the up-front costs.  
•     Next, you wait patiently for a hormone-free, chemical-free, antibiotic-free, pastured, locally produced and processed chicken.  Waiting time is approximately 7 weeks. We’ll contact you in advance with an estimated pick up date. 
•     Early in the morning of the pick-up date we’ll begin processing the birds.  When you arrive in the afternoon, bring your cooler.  You’ll pick up the birds much like you see them in the store: no head or feet, plucked clean, thoroughly gutted, and packaged.  A lot of people ask questions about that.  I’ll email you with a more specific pick-up time as we get closer.
•     When you come to pick up your birds, we will subtract your deposit fees from the total cost of your birds and the remainder will be due.   If you’re not sure what you ordered, just let us know.  We’ll keep track of it for you!

Also, we realize that most of us don’t have deep freezers anymore.  Perhaps you want several birds but you do not have the freezer space.  Consider staggering your order.  Below you will see the estimated processing dates.  You can choose between two batches and the number of chickens per date (see estimated processing dates below).  We will do our best to accommodate.  Understand that based on a variety of reasons the plans and prices are subject to change.  If it does, we will let you know.  By the way, we love visitors (especially kids) so give us a call!

Chicken Ordering:

Chickens will have an average dress weight of approximately 5lbs.  This is comparable in size to the whole chickens you might get from the local grocery store. Similarly, this is how you will receive your whole, uncooked chicken.  These chickens have a 6-8 week life cycle.  On processing day we will keep them in a cooler until you arrive.  Due to space and regulatory restrictions we will not be able to freeze or deliver the meat.  As this is working on a cooperative model the money you invest cannot be refunded for any reason once the chicks have been ordered.  However, you will receive clean, fresh, locally grown meat for a reasonable price.  We would love to have you join with us in this vision!

Remember, this is estimated and depends on how many orders we receive.  For up to date and accurate information, “like” our Facebook page (Legacy Family Farm) or track our blog at http://simplelife-thelegacy.blogspot.com/.

Estimated processing date:
July 9th
July 16th
August 13th
August 20th
*To ensure your order, down payment for the first (2) batches is due April 18th.  Without a down payment, orders will not be placed.   Note that chickens butchered on July 16th and August 20th will likely be larger than chickens processed on the other dates. 

Its Almost Time - 2nd Batch

Don't forget that we are processing the second batch of chickens on August 7th.  That's a week from Saturday!  Have your coolers and your final payments ready! Plan to arrive between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.  This will give the chickens time to cool down after processing.  We don't have a lot of freezer space so it's important that you, or a representative for you, is there.  If you have any questions regarding your order, don't hesitate to let us know.

You will need enough cooler space to fit your order.  You should have a little ice or cold water in your cooler so your bird will keep on your drive home.

For your final payment, we only accept cash and check at this time.

If you need directions, let me know.  We are REALLY excited to see you there!!


FUTURE PLANS

We plan to process the third batch of chickens on September 11th. Again, mark it on your calendar!

The fourth batch has been ordered!  We plan to process this batch on September 25th.

If you have any questions or comments, let us know! We'd love to hear from you.  Keep checking the blog for the most recent information, or follow us on Facebook.  Just type in Legacy Family Farm.

Updates and Schedule Changes

Thanks again to all who made the processing of our first batch a success.  We pastured the chickens on a shorter schedule than we did last year and found the weight to average between 3 and 4 pounds.  We'd like to offer a better selection to our customers by delaying the processing dates and allowing the chickens to grow slightly larger.  For those looking for 3 pound birds, we anticipate they will still be available.  For those seeking larger birds, we hope to have those as well.  The prices will remain the same.  

That said, please review the schedule changes listed below.  They are listed in chronological order.  

Ordering the 4th batch - You still have till Friday, July 23 to place a final order.  We have very limited space left so hurry.  Remember that for each bird ordered, a $5 non-refundable deposit is required.  You can let us know by responding to this email or leaving a message on our Facebook Page or our Blog (see below for details).

Processing the 2nd batch - The new processing date will be August 7th.  That's a Saturday.  As we get closer to that date, I'll send out reminders and maps to those who are involved.  

Processing the 3rd batch - The new processing date will be September 11th.  This probably works better anyway.  The original date was for Labor Day weekend and we didn't realize that.  Again, I'll send maps and reminders.

Processing the 4th batch - The new processing date will be September 25th.  I know we're deep into fall at this point (and back to school) but we trust the selection will be more well rounded by waiting.  And yes, I'll send maps and reminders.

Thanks for your patience on the date changes.  We strive for the best quality and selection available to us.  We've all become accustomed to walking into a store and pulling chicken off the shelf, but we often don't see the process that gets the chicken to market.  Raising livestock is not an exact science but it's a whole lot of fun.  Come on out on the Processing days and we'll show you around.  We'd love to see you there! 

Spring Newsletter!

Legacy Family Farm

Leaving a legacy of Biblical community through agriculture

Dear Friend,

We are thankful for a new year and looking forward to the challenges and joys God has in store for it.  As spring is slowly making its way, we are beginning to take orders for chickens.  But first, let’s revisit last year’s experience. 

We purchased 100 chickens last year and raised them at Keith Owens farm in Carleton, MI.  The chickens lived outside feasting on nature’s unpolluted pasture in movable pens.  We moved the pens daily. This allowed us to ensure fresh pasture every day for the chickens to forage while still protecting them from predators.  At the end of 9 weeks all the chickens were processed and sold.  We offered our chickens to a small group of people as a trial run.  It was a wonderful experience and I’d like to thank all those who came out to help.  It really felt like living in community together!  We are looking forward to the same experience this year!

This year our plans are similar to last year.  Here’s how it works:

    * If you’re interested, please fill in this sheet and return it to me.  You may email it back to me or you can print it off and put it in the mail or give it to me in person.
    * We require a $5 non-refundable deposit for each bird.  This will help us know that you are serious about your order and help defray the up-front costs. 
    * Next, you wait patiently for a hormone-free, chemical-free, antibiotic-free, pastured, locally produced and processed chicken.  Waiting time is 6-8 weeks.  Did we mention delicious?  By the way, we love visitors (especially kids) so give us a call!
    * We’ll contact you in advance with an estimated pick up date.
    * Early in the morning of the pick-up date we’ll begin processing the birds.  When you arrive, bring your cooler.  You’ll pick up the birds much like you see them in the store: no head or feet, plucked clean, thoroughly gutted, and packaged.  A lot of people ask questions about that.  If you want the feet or the giblets, please specify.
    * When you come to pick up your birds, we will subtract your deposit fees from the total cost of your birds and the remainder will be due.   If you’re not sure what you ordered, just let us know.  We’ll keep track of it for you!

In an attempt to remain competitive in our area, and to provide a product that we feel is affordable, the cost structure is as follows:
    *  Any birds 5lbs or less will be sold for $10.
    *  Any birds over 5lbs will be sold for $12.
    *  Keep in mind that a rotisserie chicken from a big box supermarket is typically 2 lbs.
Also, we realize that most of us don’t have deep freezers anymore.  Perhaps you want several birds but you do not have the freezer space.  Consider staggering your order.  Below you will see the estimated processing dates.  You can choose several dates, and the number of chickens per date.  We will do our best to accommodate.  There are approximately 3 week gaps between processing days.  We can only do this if we have enough orders so it’s subject to change.  If it does, we will let you know.



Chicken Ordering:

Chickens will have an average dress weight of approximately 5lbs.  This is comparable in size to the whole chickens you might get from the local grocery store. Similarly, this is how you will receive your whole, uncooked chicken.  These chickens have a 6-8 week life cycle.  On processing day we will keep them in a cooler until you arrive.  Due to space and regulatory restrictions we will not be able to freeze or deliver the meat.  As this is working on a cooperative model the money you invest cannot be refunded for any reason once the chicks have been ordered.  However, you will receive clean, fresh, locally grown meat for a reasonable price.  We would love to have you join with us in this vision!


Remember, this is estimated and depends on how many orders we receive.  For up to date and accurate information, fan our Facebook page (Legacy Family Farm) or track this blog.


Estimated processing date:    July 10th    July 31st    August 14th    August 28th

Number of birds:              

Family name:              

Contact info:              


*To ensure your order, down payment for the first batch is due April 18th.  Without a down payment, orders will not be placed.   Down payment dates for other batches will be emailed approximately 12 weeks prior to the dates above.


Send order information to legacyfamilyfarm@gmail.com.