What We Do
Our Model
In collaboration with the community we serve, our goal is to meet the needs expressed by the community. We raise chickens, ducks and goats on-site and prepare these to order. We sell eggs from our laying hens. We also grow a variety of vegetables ranging from tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, corn, okra and a variety of greens, cabbage and onions to traditional vegetables such as mustard seeds and other legumes requested by our Nepalese, Burmese, Congolese and Burundian communities.
WHAT WE OFFER
Chickens: At the start of each season, day-old chicks are purchased from various farmers.The chicks are raised in brooders and, at four weeks of age, transferred to open fields and mobile structures where they are fed and graze freely on grass. Once they have reached maturity, a certain number of chickens are transferred to a chicken coop where our customers can easily select their birds of choice. Consumers buy their chickens live and have them processed on the farm in a certified slaughter facility. Eggs, a natural byproduct of our chicken operation, are also a vital part of this model, and are sold directly to consumers at the farm as well as at markets in the Burlington area.
Ducks: In response to requests from our Southeast Asian customers, we also started offering duck meat. Mature ducks are purchased from other farmers and housed with mature chickens that are ready for consumption.
Goats: We partner with regional goat dairy farms to provide the goat meat preferred by our Bhutanese, Burmese and West African customers. We acquire mostly males that cannot be used in the dairy operation, as well as females who are no longer producing milk. We also raise baby goats born on the farm. Like poultry, goats are processed right on the farm.
Vegetables: The gardens illustrate our traditional and sustainable way of producing healthy food while protecting the land. Using compost from the chickens and goats to ensure that nothing goes to waste, we grow a number of vegetables, many of which are not available in our local markets and are in great demand by our new American community. Vegetables grown on the farm include corn, a variety of greens , okra eggplant, a variety of hot peppers, onions, green beans and tomatoes among others.
