Choosing Local Albertan Organic Poultry & Eggs
By: Brendan Klatt
The Winter family of Winter’s Turkeys from Dalemead, Alberta.
“Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.”
Selecting local farms we work with has a lot of elements. Firstly, we prioritize small family-run farms that either farm organic or as close to organic as they can. More likely than not are we invited to visit the actual farms we source from, and we love to see the animals and vegetation firsthand ourselves.
Do you ever look at supermarket or grocery shelves and see products coming from BC or further away and wonder if there is a more local option? An example of this is one of our best-selling eggs: Vita Eggs — they’re Canadian but also a larger company with eggs sourced from a bunch of different provinces outside of Alberta. We saw one of our chicken farmers in Bowden is now doing his own free-run eggs. Bowden is a short distance away from Calgary and I have been to his farm. Supporting him would mean supporting his family directly and in turn the local Alberta economy. He can also offer his eggs at a much more affordable price for customers than the Vita Eggs, the price is also less likely to fluctuate due to its locality and our shorter supply chain. We still carry Vita Eggs as some customers love them, but our hope is that over time we can convince our customers to buy more locally within Alberta.
Note: Unfortunately, Bowden Eggs aren’t available at our Enjoy Centre location - but we highly recommend you get Man’s Eggs!
The humble beginnings of Bowden Farm Fresh Chicken from Bowden, Alberta.
One of the many Mans Eggs chicken flocks.
Corne Mans and Rudy Knitel of Galimax Trading with Mans Eggs from Nobleford, Alberta.
Previously in another blog about local beef, I mentioned that one of the best ways we can ensure the values of sustainability and animal welfare are upheld in our supply chain is to source organic and SPCA certified. To reiterate, both are third-party accredited and have strict animal welfare standards. SPCA goes above and beyond the organic welfare requirements so ideally we can see both on the products we carry. An example of both these certifications in poultry is Winter’s Turkeys. I learned that they got their SPCA certification fairly easily as they already had tons of space for their organic turkeys, access to the outdoors and regularly cleaned bedding. Many conventional turkey farms have soiled and dirty bedding along with cramped conditions. Winter’s Turkeys met the SPCA certification by adding crucial roosting points for the turkeys which encourages their natural behaviour.
Winter’s Farm turkeys roaming outdoors.
TK Ranch also sources their chickens from a local Hutterite colony!
A stress-free bird that lives a natural life with good care, feed and an open, clean environment should be the standard all farmers adhere to. Not only does this conventionally provide all birds a better life, it also directly contributes to the quality of their eggs and meat. Another thing to consider as consumers is that as more and more local Albertan businesses are supported, (even those outside of poultry) these farmers can also grow, innovate, experiment and try new things (I know a couple of Alberta farms trying to grow stone fruit and melons) without needing to cut corners to keep their farm afloat. Innovation can lead to better quality products, enhancing our local agriculture and industry as a province and incorporating more communities with higher standard goods made in Alberta.
Bowden Farm Fresh Chicken eggs are a local specialty!
Free-range chickens from Sunworks Farm in Armena, Alberta.
Who can resist fried eggs and toasted bread for breakfast?
You can find fresh & frozen deliveries of chicken, turkey and duck available at our Arbour Lake, Southland and Enjoy Centre stores. You can also find eggs at all of our locations (some essentials available at 130th Ave too!) Product sourcing, variety and quantity may vary based on location, inquire with in-store staff for more information.