The Vital Voice

Last week in Washington, D.C., Matt O’Hayer, owner of Vital Farms, lobbied on behalf of the Organic Trade Association (OTA) standards for farmers and animals in Washington, D.C. Ashley Swaffar, (below, with Matt) represented Heartland Egg, one of our farmer partners in Arkansas.

Farm Bill Status?

In a critical move toward the formulation of AN ACTUAL Farm Bill (which includes funding for things like farm subsidies, crop insurance aid for farmers and funding for food stamps, among other things), the Senate Agricultural Committee passed their version of the 2013 Farm Bill. We are still waiting on the final draft of the House version before the actual bill will become law.

Fun facts about organics we learned at the conference:

- Organic crops and food are ranked #4 in the food/feed crop production of farm values.  (Larger than cotton and peanuts combined)

- Organic agriculture is now a $35 BILLION a year industry with a growth rate of just over 10% last year

- 81% of US families are now buying organic products

- Organic food and farming generates more than a half million American jobs

- More than 17,750 organic farms, ranches and businesses are certified organic in the US

Highlights of the conference

While in D.C., Matt and Ashley heard from many important figures in food and agriculture, including the FDA’s head of food safety, Mike Taylor. Taylor addressed organic standards as they coexist with food safety standards. He mentioned pastured egg production four separate times during his speech.

Gary Hirshberg, (below) the founder of Stonyfield Yogurt and the National Chairman of Just Label It  also spoke at the conference. He said that 1.2 million people have signed their petition to label genetically modified foods. A failed attempt to put this labeling campaign into law in California is not stopping this group from making every effort to get a labelling law on the books in the rest of the U.S.

**Side note: On May 10, the Vermont House of Representatives  voted 98 to 42 to pass H.112, a bill requiring the labeling of foods derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This marked the furthest any such legislation has moved in the United States. The bill will now move to the Vermont Senate when the legislature returns in January 2014. (USDA).

On May 14, in front of the OTA, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (below) discussed his vision for U.S. organic agriculture and the USDA’s efforts to ensure its continued success.

“Organic agriculture is one of the fastest growing segments of American agriculture and helps farmers receive a higher price for their product as they strive to meet growing consumer demand,” said Vilsack. “These new options will extend the safety net provided by crop insurance and provide fair and flexible solutions to organic producers. Coupled with the new guidance for agencies to support this growing sector, USDA recognizes that organics are gaining market share and is helping boost this emerging segment.”

For additional information about the USDA National Organic Program, visit www.ams.usda.gov/NOP.

With Ag-Gag Bills on ballots all over the country and massive factory farms doing everything they can to NOT show you their “farms”, Vital Farms believes in transparency in everything we do. We host large quarterly farm tours for our customers and allow them to photograph and take video on any of our farms. We answer every customer question via phone call and email personally, and we are extremely open in the documentation of our farm practices. As we expand and begin working with more small family farmers, we stay in constant contact and visit with those farmers very regularly, to ensure they maintain the highest standards of animal welfare in the country.

Thank you for believing in us, and for supporting the ladies in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed.

- The Vital Farms Crew

Photos from our Spring Farm Tour in Austin, TX Saturday May 4

All photos by Haley Price

Thanks to some much needed rain and cooler temperatures, our pastures are looking greener than ever. This means the ladies get to eat tons of fresh native grasses, flowers and bugs foraged in their fields and pastures. We provide 108 square feet of fresh green pasture per bird, year round. Here are a few photos taken last week at our Austin, TX Onion Creek farm; THIS is what pasture-raised farming looks like

Photos by Haley Price and Eric Gonzales

I attended the TEDxManhattan conference on Changing the Way We Eat a little over a week ago, and below are the most interesting things I learned. (I also tweeted non-stop from the event, so there are lots of quotes there too). All the speakers were fantastic and passionate, and the 15 minute time limit on their talks really encouraged them to pare down, and focus on what is most important to them in the world of food right now. They showed that we all have something to contribute, however big or small.

I was overwhelmed with the feeling that even though the room was filled with 300+ people who spend their lives working hard to fix the broken food system, there is still SOOO MUCH to be done. Let’s get to it!

- Aurora Porter, Director of Marketing and Communications, Vital Farms

Simran Sethi, Journalist, Educator and Strategist

“75% of crop varieties have disappeared since 1900”
“1 company controls 90% of the food grown in the U.S.”

Food Chains Teaser from Sanjay Rawal on Vimeo.

Gary Hischberg, Chairman, Stonyfield Farm

“Progressive countries like Russia, China and Syria require labeling of GMOs but the U.S. does not.”
“Genetically engineered crops have increased herbicide use: 527 million pounds of herbicides have been used in the U.S. since 1996, after their use became more widespread.”

Tama Matsuoka Wong, Principal, Meadows and More

“The U.S. spends billions to eradicate weeds, but we can eat them!”
“Weeds are the ultimate opportunistic plants that can survive in any climate.”
“Weeds are nutrient dense and flavor rich, and many other cultures around the world pass a knowledge of foraging through generations.”

Stephen Ritz, Founder, Green Bronx Machine

“It’s easier to raise healthy children than to fix broken men!”

Anna Lappé, Founding Principal, Small Planet Institute

“The food industry spends $2 billion every year to market junk food to children and teens!”
“One kid sees an average of 4,600 ads on junk food a year, and African American teens are barraged with 80 percent more ads by the food industry than white kids. They are also more affected by diabetes and food related illness.”

Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D., Founder and CEO, Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts

“Fat is one of the three macronutrients that are very important to us. Screw low-fat diets!”
“The whole of nutrition and healthy eating cannot be understood by only studying its parts. There will never be a pill to replicate home-cooking!”

Peter Lehner, Executive Director, Natural Resources Defense Council

“40% of the food grown in the U.S. is not eaten, it is wasted. ¼ of all water used in the U.S. is used on crops that aren’t eaten.”

“We could feed all 50 million food insecure Americans their total diet if we reduced food waste by 1/3.”
“The average supermarket wastes 10% of their food. Stop & Shop saved $100 million last year by putting dummy layers under produce and other food and by not putting out as much food at a time.”

Maisie Greenwalt, Vice President of Strategy, Bon Appétit Management Company

“Their company serves 140 million meals a year”, and they launched their Farm2Fork initiative in 2009. They now source 20% of their ingredients from small farms within 150 miles of their food service area.
“One goal is to be the first food service company to not buy pork from gestation crates by 2015.” (They currently buy 7.5 million pounds of pork a year, and by making this commitment, they have promised to do something that does not yet exist in the marketplace).

Wendy Cohen screened the trailer to “A Place at the Table”

Anne Cooper, The Renegade Lunch Lady, Boulder Valley School District

“80 percent of antibiotics in the U.S. are used on animals, even when they’re not sick.”
“The CDC says that 1 in 3 kids born in the U.S. after 2000 will have diabetes in their lifetime.”
“It should be a birthright in this country that every child has a healthy and delicious meal at school and never goes hungry.”

In Austin, Texas, Vital Farms sells pasture-raised, organic eggs from Araucana hens (a heritage breed) that lay blue-shelled, extra-rich tasting eggs. We call them Austin Blues and we just received a flock of these adorable baby chicks last Friday. Right now they are so small, you can fit three in your hands! They are happy in their new home at Onion Creek Farm in South Austin.

Once received, we immediately moved them to a nesting roost that is converted to a brooder. The temperature has to remain a constant 95 degrees, so there are 2 large heat lamps and foil lining the walls to keep the heat inside on chilly nights. Seeing these chicks get warm in their new home was hilarious to say the least. Not only are they extremely cute, but when we asked Bob, the farm manager, how they were doing he simply said, “They are just tearing it up in there.” And they were. After the temperature is set, the next step is to give the chicks water to keep their energy up after the long journey. The water gives them so much energy- picture about 300 tiny balls of fluff, darting across the lengths of a 10 x 8ft trailer.

These chicks wont lay an egg for another 5 months. The commitment involved with raising this many chicks (we are expecting 2,000 total!) is a little stressful, but exciting. Aracuana is a more aggressive breed, and because of this we cannot have them around other breeds of chickens. (All of our flocks are always divided by age and breed, since “pecking order” is a real phenomenon. Believe us, look it up). Things are getting very busy at Onion Creek, and we are very excited to bring back the Austin Blue eggs in the summer!

Becoming a Certified Organic producer and supplier is a complicated process. As a general consumer, many of us are not aware of the implications and responsibilities behind an organic certification. Recently, there have been many debates about whether or not the certification is worth the cost and effort. Small family farms can have a tough time affording certification, while large organic farm companies might focus on their bottom line more than their responsibilities as organic producers.

Genuine, committed men and women, who truly love what they do, operate our farms. Our eggs are processed by hand every week, providing a quality control that is unbeatable. (As farms across the country become more industrialized, they will often streamline the collection and processing process for a higher profit margin). Large grocery buyers almost always prefer these types of producers because they can offer more volume at lower prices. Profit is the top priority for many of these types of companies. From our perspective, their industrial processes not only sacrifice quality, but also the credibility of the company. An organic certification requires certain non-negotiable standards, but larger producers can find ways to bend these rules or even break them to generate more profit. In their mind, a hen that is in a cage most of the day and is let out for one hour can still qualify for “cage-free”.

Language also plays a massive role in the label and marketing game. Descriptions like cage-free, all-natural, and organic often capitalize on common associations with these words that have nothing to do with the actual conditions on a farm. For example, “natural” in no way means technically “organic”. The purpose is to let the consumer fill in the blank as to what “natural” actually means. To a normal consumer it brings about images of healthy green fields, lots of room for the birds to move and no pesticides. To commercial producers it could just mean that the birds have a tiny, concrete porch where a few at a time can soak up some sun. There is a lot of room to manipulate the word “natural”, where as “organic” has stricter conditions under which it can be used.

Just being able to use the word “organic” is not cheap. The average cost of a USDA certification is about $3,000 a year for small farms, and can go all the way to $10,000+ depending on size and type of products. A common scenario: a family farm sells their product to select in-state restaurants and grocery stores. However, they are not marked organic because they claim to a) not be able to afford it and b) do not believe it will benefit them. A farmer might see how big companies get away with bending the rules, or that customers don’t care wither way, which causes them to question the value of the certification itself. Is having the right to mark your product “organic” really worth it when the word is not being respected and your customers will happily buy non-organic food?

We have our organic certification because we believe that it helps us adhere to what we truly believe in and. Vital Farms pays a pretty penny to carry the certification. Perhaps some do not abide by its rules, but the certification holds a great deal of value to us because we respect it, and believe that customers appreciate third-party verification, to know we are doing what we say. We absolutely do not use pesticides or artificial feed, and we never will. We value bringing ethical food to the table before ever sacrificing our holistic and genuine practices.

It’s important to be informed and knowledgeable about which brands are honest in their organic labels. Research the USDA Certification and its regulations; for now, we believe it’s our best option until a stricter certification is released. If you own and operate a family farm, there are many ways to afford the seal of approval. There are shared cost collectives that allow farms to join under a common label. Express your concern for price and you can negotiate. It is worth being able to say your product is truly (and legally) organic and sustainably grown.

If there were to be a new certification for organic producers, what would you want the regulations to look like? What priorities are most important to you? Let us know!

We were pleased to host 17 members of the Florida Whole Foods Market Marketing team at our South Austin Farm last week. The group braved the morning heat, had tons of great questions and really enjoyed visiting our girls, as well as site-seeing and eating ice cream made from Vital Farms eggs at great restaurants, like La Condesa. Thanks for the visit, Florida! We look forward to having groups of bloggers, chefs and customers out to the farm in the Fall.

Check out some of our visitors’ quotes below:

The farm was absolutely beautiful. Letting chickens be chickens -
running around pecking the ground for bugs, worms, natural nutrients!
It put everything into perspective when Jason said “Our chickens don’t
just have access to the outdoors, they are outdoors with access to the
inside.” Just another example of the importance of knowing our farmers
and creating win-win partnerships. Thank you again for letting us see
first hand how farming is meant to be! P.S. La Condessa – AMAZING!
Highly recommend to anyone visiting Austin, TX.
– WFM Naples

Last night 18 or so of us were fortunate enough to enjoy the ice
creams at La Condesa made with your eggs … amazing! Since we
couldn’t all agree on a favorite, we’ll just have to make another
visit back soon (and get more breakfast burritos too!) Thanks for the
hospitality and the education, we’ll never look at egg farming the
same way. Keep up the good work and say hi to ‘the ladies!’
- WFM Aventura

Tell the chickens we had a great time hanging out with them in their
beautiful green pastures and thanks for all of the most amazing eggs!
– WFM Wellington

At vital farms pasture-raised organic eggs, the story begins with
organic, green pastures where their girls spend each & every day.
Their humane farming practices provides the birds with an outdoor
lifestyle where they are free to exhibit natural behaviors & forage.
- WFM Boca Raton

Hi there! We truly appreciate your taking the time to show us your
incredible farm. La Condesa was amazing – especially the ice cream
using eggs from Vital Farms! We’ll definitely be in touch.
- WFM Coral Gables

Thanks so much for having us out and showing us around. It was a great
learning experience and we’ll be taking it back to educate our
customers and team members. Dinner was really good. Didn’t have a bad
meal the entire time we were in Austin. What a great city. Thanks
again and we’ll be in touch if we need any more info about your
amazing eggs. – WFM Ft. Lauderdale

Thank you so much for the tour! We LOVE VITAL FARMS!!!
– WFM Palm Beach Gardens

Matt O'Hayer, (Left) Michael Cox, (Center) Jason Jones (Right)

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in living in Summers, AR. on the farm with my dad. I just turned 30 last week. Now it’s time to grow up! Currently my wife Courtney and our two boys Tate and Jax live on our Holcroft farm, which is where we have our Vital Farms production.
How did you start chicken farming? What did you do before this?

I was raised in the egg business. My grandfather oversaw Cargill’s egg operation until his retirement and my father began with a contract to produce for Cargill in 1981. My father broke from Cargill and produced as an independent farmer in 1984. From that he grew into a vertically integrated company with pullet production, laying production, feed mill, processing plant, and trucking. I grew up around the farm. I was often into trouble with my siblings and had to pack eggs for punishment! I still hate packing eggs to this day. I have never had a job off the farm. One year into college I dropped out to work full time on the farm. In 2001 I started Arkansas Egg. We were a caged egg producer.
Why do you think it’s important to raise animals using organic feed, an environmental consciousness and humane conditions?

At one time my father had 2.5 million hens. When I began I had around 800,000. That’s small stuff compared to the big guys in the industry. Today you have farms with 605,000 birds in a single barn and 6 million on a farm. To me, the number is for shock value. A small cage house with 30,000 birds has the same conditions as the largest of barns. We converted into organic production for several reasons. One, we had old, run down facilities which helped me see first hand the environmental and welfare issues that accompanied (a conventional) style of production. Second, the market for this production was stable compared to the conventional side. We could obtain the margins we needed to do a lot of things differently, the right way.

Conventional egg production is a great example of how over the last 50 years, the focus has been on cheap food at all cost. Most consumers demand it. Look at prop 2 in California. 60% of citizens voted for it. Only 5% of consumers support it at the store by buying a cage free egg. That’s an astounding voter disconnect. In 1950 it took Americans 2.5 hours of work on avg. to pay for 1 dozen eggs. Today it takes a fraction of that time. Americans spend less on food than any other nation and they get what they pay for.

We began transitioning to organic production in 2007. Today we are 100% organic, cage free and pasture roaming. For us its about two distinctly different advantages. One is the living conditions and overall welfare of the birds compared to traditional cage production. The second is that by being Certified Organic, our consumers can know with certainty they are getting a food that fits their lifestyle or diet needs. These two items are big issues to consumers today.

What do you see happening to family farms in your area and the U.S. in general?

As food production focus has been on cheap foods, there is a direct trend to what’s happening on the family farm. Farming in general has a grow or die mentality. Small farms are dying as new, larger ones take their place. In one generation, a family farm that made a living on a small dairy herd and a small barn of chickens is gone. Today’s family farms typically are sustained with a job in town. It takes hundreds of thousands of chickens or 100′s of cattle in a herd to make a living.

Our contract farms that produce for Vital Farms are making a better living raising a fraction of the birds they once did. We get over one hundred calls a year from producers wanting to know if we are looking for more contract production. A shift to sustainable farming practices (with a focus on animal welfare) is dependent on the consumers’ willingness to pay more for that item and understand why it costs more. Organic farming has been a breath of life into small farms across the country. It creates an environment where the focus is on doing the right thing, not the cheapest thing. As a result the products cost more to produce and net more income that sustain this method of production.
How did you meet Jason and Matt? What attracted you to Vital Farms?

How I met Matt and Jason is a funny story. I became interested in pasture egg production in 2009. After only a few weeks of thinking hard about how I would peruse this, Matt called me out of the blue about buying some feed from our mill. Before that, I had heard of Vital Farms but knew nothing of them. We talked for 30 minutes on our first call and it ended with a planned visit to Austin the next week. I have felt good about our relationship from the first call. We are very excited about the opportunities ahead.
What do you like to do besides farming?

Outside of working I enjoy hunting and fishing and spending every minute possible outside.

Our hens have a drink from our drip-down hydration system

As the rest of the U.S. heats up, in the Southern States it’s been steamy for about a month already. At our farms, we make sure to keep our hens hydrated while giving them plenty of access to shade. Pasture-raising is still a very successful and viable method of farming, even in the heat. However, even when monitored very closely, heat stress can disrupt a chicken’s laying process and affect the overall quality of their eggs. High temperatures will put additional stress on the body, which also directly affects interior egg quality. As the days get hotter, it becomes  highly important to monitor water availability, feed intake, and duration of eggs  exposed to high temperatures.

In order to maintain a body temperature of about 106.5 degrees, the chicken must  increase its rate of breathing (panting) to cool itself down. Heavy panting increases  CO2 in the blood, which causes the pH of the blood to become alkaline. This  disturbance in acid-base balance can reduce the availability of calcium. Calcium intake  reduction is not only due to pH disturbance, but also to reduced feed consumption.  (The less heat needed to maintain body temperature, the less feed the chicken will eat). Reduced feed consumption will then directly influence the metabolism of a chicken. This heat stress can cause more soft shelled and cracked eggs in the summer.  A little water in the feed becomes a treat for the ladies and they love it! Along with the reasons listed above, and the obvious threat of dehydration, it is crucial to have adequate amounts of COOL water supplied to laying hens at all times! (And any other

Heat can damage egg quality, so in the summer, we gather eggs quickly and often

animal spending lots of time outside, for that matter). The duration of eggs left in the summer heat should also be monitored at all times, as this diminishes the egg quality. Lastly, a major indication of the overall interior quality of an egg is the albumen (egg white). A thinning or watery albumen is a sign of quality loss. When cracked on a plate, the yolk should be in a central position surrounded by a thick albumen. Quality control is very important to us, and we’d like to give our customers all of the information they need to recognize quality when they see it.

We know you will enjoy our delicious and nutritious Summer eggs! Please keep in mind that we are more than happy to give consumers insight into our daily farm operations. Tell us, what about pastured, organic hens is a mystery to you?