Upstate farmer jumps into pasture-raised eggs with new facility
“I wasn’t really a poultry guy,” Jacob Horst shared – but that’s all behind him now. He and his family, of St. Johnsville, NY, became a family farm partner with New Hampshire-based Pete & Gerry’s Organic Pasture Raised Eggs.
Their impressive new facility, shown to the public during an early November open house, has the capacity to house 30,000 chickens. The birds will have access to 75 acres of outdoor space with shade and water.
What drew a self-professed “non-poultry guy” into this venture? “You started to see the market grow a few years ago and [they] were hard up for eggs; there was the possibility of field bonuses for egg producers,” Horst said.
The process has been lengthy, but his biggest takeaway is the excellent partnerships he has found in the Pete & Gerry’s support team.
“I had never done something like this before, but they were plugged in right away and guiding us through the whole process,” he stated, specifically acknowledging Kevin Phelps (vice president of farm operations and farm relations, Pete & Gerry’s) for his knowledge and comprehensive support.
The Pete & Gerry’s team weren’t the only impactful partners on the project. Horst teamed up with several local companies to complete the project: site excavation was completed by NZ Excavating; concrete work was completed by Hoover’s Concrete Solutions; the framing and interior work were completed by Kevin Martin Construction; the ceiling and insulation were completed by Mid-Atlantic Triply. The equipment and installation were handled by Zeiset Equipment; electrical services were completed by Sunrise Electrical; fence installation was completed by Timberline Fence; trusses were supplied by Countryside Truss; roofing metal was supplied by D&J Supply. The egg packer machine was supplied by Automated Ag.
Those are the partners of note, but he didn’t stop there: “I should mention our lender, First Financial Bank, as well. They really cater to poultry farmers and poultry lending and it was important to choose someone who was going to ‘buy into’ and streamline our process.”
Pushing to be completely operational very soon, the new facility will simply pack the eggs on skids for Pete & Gerry’s, which facilitates the cleaning, grading, packaging for store sales, etc. Horst’s farm is only a supplier.
Horst is telling other farmers “you could do this too.” There’s a lot of opportunity in this market (as evidenced by other bourgeoning poultry barn projects in the area).
“These guys at Pete & Gerry’s are great at what they do – they take great care of their people – and they’re still looking for pasture-based poultry operations. I’d love to see others take advantage of this opportunity,” he added.
The pitch on the Pete & Gerry’s website is succinct but effective: “We’ve been partnering with family farms that put hens first since 1997. From our commitment to humane animal welfare standards to our collaborative partnership model, we’re proud to pioneer a better way to produce eggs. We’re excited to partner with farms from Maine to Missouri. If you have 50+ acres of land and are eager to join a supportive and growing farming community, we’d love to connect with you!”
Visit peteandgerrys.com/pages/farmer-recruitment to learn more.
by Andy Haman
