Poultry is a low-cost farm enterprise with a short turn-around that holds potential to be a profitable business venture. Many beginning farmers are choosing to start with poultry, but may have questions including: what it takes to raise them; if they should process themselves or send them out to a certified processor; how to add value to a whole chicken; and is raising chickens something that can be profitable for me?

This workshop will provide farmers with the tools to answer these questions. The workshop is being hosted at Majestic Farm, a farm that raises slow-growth, organic pasture-raised broilers. Sara and Brett's raise their broilers in large flocks on woodland pasture. Their birds are processed into whole birds, parts, and chicken sausage.

The program will be from 11am - 1:30 pm on Tuesday August 20, 2024, and will cover the following:

• Introduction to the Majestic Farm and how Sara and Brett raise broilers, including a tour of their pasture set-up.
• Explanation of the 1,000 bird exemption and what's required to raise and process chickens under this exemption.
  
• Review of financial considerations for broiler enterprises and what it takes to make a profit.
• Hands-on further processing demonstration (taking a carcass into cuts allowed under the 1,000 bird exemption).

All who are interested in raising or are currently raising poultry for meat are welcome to register for this free event.  Lunch will be provided. Please bring your own lawn chair if you'd like to sit. Pre-registrations are required. You can register via this page or by contacting Michelle Proscia at 845-292-6180 ext 129 / mml249@cornell.edu OR Amy at 716-640-0844 / amb544@cornell.edu.

Please bring your questions. We're looking forward to seeing you there! 

This program is provided free of charge thanks to work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number LNE22-435.