Cameron Molberg, CEO of Greener Pastures Chicken and a key voice in organic standards, discusses the complexities of scaling pasture-raised chicken production. He reveals the stark contrasts between genuine organic practices and USDA loopholes that enable misleading labels. From navigating market challenges to ensuring animal welfare, he shares insights on sustainable farming. The conversation also addresses crucial issues like avian influenza, funding cuts, and the evolution of organic certifications, stressing the importance of transparency in the poultry industry.
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Middle-Scale Processing Solves A Gap
Greener Pastures built a mid-scale processing facility because U.S. equipment only fits tiny on-farm or massive industrial plants.
They sourced tailored equipment from Poland to hit a practical 25 birds/minute capacity and keep scaling options open.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Encourage Movement And Monitor Welfare
Move birds to pasture daily and provide enrichments to encourage natural movement and exercise.
Monitor thermal comfort, air quality, gait, and footpad scores multiple times per day to protect welfare.
insights INSIGHT
Organic 'Porches' Often Replace True Pasture
Many large so-called pasture or organic operations offer token outdoor access that fails to connect birds to real pasture.
Lack of feed, shade, and available grass keeps birds indoors despite 'porches' or pop-outs.
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#238: Cameron Molberg of Greener Pastures Chicken shares how he’s building a vertically integrated model for pasture-raised organic chicken without cutting corners - as is typically done with the majority of usda organic labeled poultry found in chain supermarkets. From animal welfare to USDA loopholes, and feed fraud to school lunch programs, Cameron lays out the challenges and opportunities of scaling real organic poultry in a system that favors confinement.
The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.
The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).
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We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.
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