Meat Buyers Club for Portland, OR: Abundant Life

February 10, 2009 at 1:00 pm · Filed under Alternative Meat, culinary politics, Food, portland, Sustainable, Sustainable Food System, Use your buying power

reposted from a welcome email from Abundant Life Farm: alfarm@q.com

Abundant Life Farm N. Portland Buying Club Information

First, a brief description of our farm is in order. Abundant Life Farm is a 210 acre family farm owned and operated by the Jondle family, which now consists of myself (Scott), wife Marilyn, and 18 year old son Andrew. Our middle son Luke was recently married, living in Salem, and our oldest son Wayne is serving in the Marine Corps, currently stationed at Camp Pendelton. Our farm is located 5 miles south of Dallas on the Kings Valley Highway.  A short video was made about Abundant Life Farm by Cooking Up a Story:

We are not certified organic, but we follow the organic principles of animal husbandry and land management. We do not use any chemicals on our farm – no chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides. Neither do we use any drugs or antibiotics or growth hormones. Our cattle and sheep are born and raised on our farm and are 100% grass fed, not just grass finished like many others. For those of you who may not be aware of the benefits of not feeding our beef and lambs grain, please ask us when you see us and we will be glad to explain the benefits. Or visit www.eatwild.com for an excellent explanation.

We do not buy feeder animals from other sources and raise them for a few months before slaughter like many others do. Our hogs are a heritage breed (Glouchester Old Spots) purchased from a breeder in Philomath as weaner pigs right after they are weaned.

Our poultry, which includes broilers (meat chickens, which are also called fryers), ducklings, and turkeys are raised outdoors on fresh pasture in portable field shelters, which are moved every day to a fresh patch of pasture. No confinement operation here! These arrive as day old chicks through the mail from a hatchery in Walla Walla, WA. We process our poultry in our state licensed processing facility, so we can insure the integrity and safety of our birds from beginning to end.

If at all possible, I urge everyone who has not yet visited our farm to do so, as that is the only way that you can be assured of knowing what you are getting. The proof is in the seeing.

A word about our prices. We get a wide range of comments about our prices from how can you sell so cheap to how come you are so expensive. It is largely a matter of where you are used to buying your food. If you buy mostly from COSTCO or Safeway, our prices will seem expensive. If you buy from the natural/organic food stores, our prices will seem reasonable. We sell a premium product for people who appreciate superior food – meat that is nutritious, tender, tasty, and safe – and are willing to pay for it. We are full time farmers, with no other source of income, so we need to earn an income that will keep us going. This is our eighth year in operation, and last year was the first year we showed a profit, so it has been a slow journey into the world of profitability.

While on the subject of prices, at times we are able to offer two broiler options: one fed organic feed and the other conventional feed.  The only difference is the organic feed uses certified organic grains, and costs almost twice as much as the conventional feed, which is reflected in the price of the organic broiler (which is about 75% more). We raise 10% of our broilers on organic feed, largely in response to customers who have asked for this and are willing to pay for it. We are often asked how this affects the end product. I often answer with this analogy. Most people would agree that a Mercedes is a better auto than a Ford. If I could afford it, I would probably buy a Mercedes, because I appreciate having the best. But I drive a Ford because that is what I can afford, and it is certainly adequate. You will not notice any difference in taste or tenderness between the organic and conventional broilers. The difference comes in the hotly debated topic of food safety – the organic feed does not contain chemical residues and is grown with non-GMO grains. So, if your budget can afford the organic broilers, buy those, if not, you will not be disappointed with the conventional broilers and you will be getting a vastly superior product than the confinement offerings sold in the super markets.

What about no shows: We do not send out reminder notices to those who have placed an order with us. Invariably, there are one or two people who forget to pick up their order. We have implemented the following policy that seems to be satisfactory to everyone involved. If you forget to pick up your order, we will charge you the delivery fee ($0.35/lb of meat ordered). This will be added to your next order. This compensates us for packaging and restocking your order, and it helps eliminate the guilt you have for forgetting to pickup. This policy does not apply if there is a genuine emergency that prevented you for making your pickup. If you provide us, when you order, with a telephone number where you can be reached during the delivery time, we will attempt to contact you about 15 minutes prior to the end of the delivery, if you have not yet shown up, as a reminder.

How does the buying club work?

About a week prior to delivery, we send out an email notice indicating what we have available and the price, along with delivery location and date/time.  Our delivery location is a home at 1607 N. Terry St. Portland, OR 97217.  You are free to order as much or little as you wish. There is no minimum order. To order, simply reply to the email notice we send out and specify what you want to order along with quantity (and size where appropriate). Then meet us at the specified delivery location and time with cash or check book (preferred) in hand. Please note that we can not take credit or debit cards.  Our deliveries are usually on Tuesday evenings, between 8:00 and 8:45 P.M.  We plan to deliver about once a month. We encourage you to let us know how we can better serve you. Also, if you are disappointed in anything you order, please let us know.

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