OSLER, Sask. — A couple in Osler, Sask., is keeping their chickens in one barn but their eggs in different baskets.
Melanie and Kevin Boldt raise 150 Holstein heifers and farm 2,000 acres with Kevin’s parents, Dennis and Margaret Boldt.
At Pine View Farm, they also operate a provincially inspected slaughter and processing plant for their “all-natural” chickens, sold at their farmyard store and in Saskatoon and Regina shops. In addition, they produced about 100 turkeys for the Thanksgiving and Christmas markets last year.
“We do it mainly for the market,” said Kevin of their chemical-free beef, chicken and turkeys. “We appreciate the flavor, taste and quality.”
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They hope to sell between 15,000 and 20,000 chickens this year and are considering a move to a federally inspected plant that will allow them to market chickens across Canada. For now, they are watching how the numbers shake out provincially before expanding.
“We could do it if we had the market,” said Kevin, 34, as he cooked chicken livers while holding a sleeping infant on his chest.
Melanie previously sold agricultural chemicals and Kevin worked for Farm Credit Corp. The couple came here looking for an acreage in 1998 and instead bought the chicken farm, plant and barns. They can see their grain operation from their 465 sq. metre home, situated on Kevin’s great-grandfather’s 1901 homestead site.
Consumer interest
The previous owners were also poultry farmers on the same “non-medication” path, said Melanie. “People are concerned about how food is raised and what goes into it.”
The Boldts bought the farm and expanded the plant. It fit perfectly with their grain operation, which can supply livestock feed.
“One complements the other,” said Melanie.
They began looking at what they call an undeveloped market for all-natural meats, noting most of it now comes from Ontario and British Columbia. They raise their animals free of chemicals and growth hormones on a vegetarian diet and in a stress-free environment with lower stocking rates.
“We don’t push them really hard,” Kevin said, noting they slaughter the birds at 49 days as opposed to the standard 37 days.
Unlike mainstream chicken operations, the Boldts turn the lights out at night.
“They stop eating when the lights are out,” said Kevin.
The Boldts employ 16 local people part-time for the chicken processing. Melanie, 30, handles the marketing and administration, phone calls and finances while Kevin and Dennis manage the livestock, seeding and machinery. Margaret fills in where needed.
“We made a commitment to farming,” said Melanie. “We want to do what we can without government aid to be profitable.”
They moved from retail to wholesale this past year, although most chickens are sold out of their store, where they also sell their beef, lamb, eggs and home-made noodles. Their cattle are slaughtered and wrapped elsewhere.
The Boldts move as much fresh product as possible and feature their chicken butchering dates prominently in brochures and farm signs. They try to fit in butchering around the grain operation’s busy times.
Chickens are priced at $1.99 a pound for whole birds, a price they say is similar to premium grade chickens in grocery stores.
“We feel the need to be competitive with other chickens to get people to try them, because it is a different product,” said Kevin.
They have quota for 2,000 chickens but currently raise only a third of that themselves. They raised 100 turkeys last fall, and hope to increase the number this year.
Melanie grew up near Saskatoon and never expected to farm. She enjoys being her own boss and using training in agrology and a degree in commerce to “grow her business.” Farming also allows her more time with her two young sons.
There are challenges living within the confines of a supply-managed commodity and where holidays are rare and short. It is also tough getting used to life without a regular paycheque, she said. Her goals are to hire more help, be debt-free and find more flexible daycare.
A buzzer in the house apprises them of customers in the shop and Melanie bundles up the children and scurries across the yard.
Kevin, with a certificate in business administration and a diploma in agriculture, stays abreast of markets and trends through involvement with the Saskatchewan Food Processors Association and Meat Processors Association.
He also remains tied to his first love of cattle through the Dairy Expo in Saskatoon. The elder Boldts sold their dairy operation in 1996.
Melanie said Pine View’s chicken sales have climbed 36 percent since they began.
“It’s a growing market and we’d like to grow with it.”
Added Kevin: “We’re told agriculture is not a great place to be. We’re trying to make it work. We’re trying something different.”
