What a year processing for the Central Oregon community. There have been lots of nice birds being produced this year. We were worried that the chick shortage would hamper local production this year- but the birds are coming in!

The post Central Oregon Poultry Producers are Rockin’ appeared first on The Great American Egg.

Both have gone out in the world with the work ethic and clarity that a farm raised child can possess. Hazel lists the farm on her resume and it is certainly a conversation ice breaker, “You did what?!” Lillian has the confidence and bravada having worked the ‘dirty side’ of the abbatoir that most might shy away from.

So, it is Justice and me, and our friend Kelly (who has the quickest hands and calls our processing dates her therapy) to work through the season. We finished the final birds tonight, and tomorrow will scrub feeders and waterers before stowing away for the winter. We’ll move the houses to their winter confines (where I will go out and drive the snow off the domes even though there are no birds to shelter) and we’ll close up the shop for the season.

We hope you have a great winter and early spring. We hope the birds you purchased in support of our crazy farming practices will sustain you and nourish you whether as broth or tacos or a full roasted masterpiece. Our goal is and remains, simply, to feed people. Feed them really good food.

Thanks for letting us do this. Thanks for your support.

The post 2024 – What a Season appeared first on The Great American Egg.

The post Sold out for 2023 appeared first on The Great American Egg.

TL;DR The butcher shop is now leaving the skin, head, and feet on the hog- which increases the hanging weight.  We are lowering prices to account for this.  Also, when butchering you will have more options- but, depending on your cutlist- might cost more.  Whole hog share price drops from $3.25 to $2.85 and a half will drop from $3.75 to $3.30.

First let’s create a typical hog- Hank.  Hank was raised on the farm- always on pasture, fed our custom rations, and lived a good life.  But it is time for Hank move on to the next step in the circle.  Hank can be measured in several ways:

• Live weight (let’s start at 250 lbs)
  • This is how much Hank weights during his final days.  This number is important to farmers- but not really to consumers.  Farmers need this number to calculate feed conversion rates, average daily gain, classifying breeding stocks and general sorting.  While at the slaughterhouse Hank is inspected by an independent USDA inspector- to ensure that the live animal is fit for conversion into human food.
• Hanging weight (Hank was 200/lbsin 2020, but now is 230/lbs(explanation below)
  • This is where money starts getting into the mix.  Hanging weight is pretty literal….Hank is slaughtered, the blood has been drained, the offal removed and carcass is opened up to chill- all while hanging from a rail.  Here the USDA inspector looks at the internal organs for disease and the quality of the carcass.  This is where the change is taking place:
    • In the past- the slaughterhouse would remove the trotters, head, skin, along with the organs.  So, Hank would have weighted maybe 200 pounds.  The consumer would have paid us $3.25/lbtimes 200 lbs= $650.  If you were to butcher the hog yourself- that would be your total cost for Hank (remember we always cover the slaughter).
    • But now- the slaughterhouse purchased a scalder/shaver over the winter.  This is both good and bad for both of us.  The good is we get lots more options.  We  can now make pickled pig’s feet, hang our hams with the skin on (yes!), make cracklinswith fresh bellies, make head cheese, etc.  The other major advantage is for you pit masters out there- Central Oregon can know offer skin-on barbeque hogs.  This is all great and we (and many customers too) have wanted these options for a long time.  The downside is that by leaving the head, skin and trotters on the hog- the hanging weight is going to be higher.  Now, Hank will likely weight closer to 230 pounds.  That means the consumer would pay $3.25/lbfor 230 lbs~ $750. 
      • This doesn’t make a lot of sense to us- nothing changed to way we raised Hank or the associated costs- yet we’re charging an extra hundred dollars?  To balance things out we’ll now change $2.85/lbshanging weightso- $2.85/lbfor 230 lbsgoes back down to $655.
• Retail weight (230lbs down to ?)
  • Hank is now down to 230/lbs, chilled and ready for butchering.  No matter how you want this hog cut and wrapped- you will be charged $.75/lb.  So, for Hank, the butchering fee will be $.75 * 230 = $172 (on top of the $655 you paid us).  We have no control over this number.  Again- we have a good and bad situation.  The good is the folks that want every bit of that hog are thrilled.  However, I think the reality is most folks aren’t going to want these new offerings- but the will have to pay $23 more and not receive anything for their money.  This includes us- we’ll try and sell trotters- but will not even attempt heads.  Let’s breakdown retail weight further- into an adventurous group and a conventional group:
    • The adventurous group- they want it all.  So, the retail weight and the hanging weight will essentially be the same.  The price per pound will be $655 to the farm and slaughter, and $172 to the butcher = $827.  Now divide $827 by 230 means you get a freezer full of Hank for just $3.60/lb!
    • For the conventional group- let’s say they want mostly boneless cuts, want the fat trimmed tight, don’t even want to see the head- let alone bring it home, have no need for trotters, and think pork rinds are gross.  This all adds up to the retail weight being much less but the cost are the same.  Let say the retail weight (the pounds that you actually put in the freezer)- drops down to 165 lbs.  Now the net cost per pound is $655 for the farmer and slaughter, $172 for butchering = $827 divided by the retail weight of 165 = $5/lb….28% more – but you’ll have exactly what you want and not a freezer full of kidneys and feet!
• Cures
  • This is unchanged- take any retail cut from above and have it cured for another $.75/lb.  Options for you are bacon (jowl, belly, coppa, loin)…and hams- both whole and sliced into steaks.  The ham making process is not USDA- that is why we don’t sell hams- but you can order them.  Oh….and don’t forget smoked hocks!
• Who keeps track of all this?  We do!  When you purchase a hog from Great American everything will be itemized out and we pay all the fees associated with your hog and include it on the invoice.  You only need to write one check!

Make sense?  Exhausted? 

If you are interested in a hog- let us know!  If you have questions- please comment below and we’ll answer for you and the next guy cruising our site.

Two more notes:

• These fees are retroactive- if you have already ordered a hog for 2021- the new prices apply.  If you have an issue with a ‘lower price, possible higher costs, and more options’- just let us know and we will work things out with you.
• The math was easy to do with a whole hog….everything is the same with a half share- just cut the weights in half and reduce the half share price 13% from $3.75 to $3.30.

The post Hogs – Lower Price, Possibly Higher Cost- with more Options appeared first on The Great American Egg.

The post Take our 2021 Survey appeared first on The Great American Egg.

In bigger news….availability is changing. Our feed will be available at all three Helena outlets. Helena (formally Round Butte Seed) has been a great partner for a long time. I am thinking we have been working with them for close to ten years now. We have tweaked and tweaked the formula to work with Central Oregon pastured animals and they have been there every step of the way. The feed will be always in stock at the Bend location, but you might need to order it in Prineville and Culver. And you can always get it from us at the farm! The price is the same everywhere!

The post New Lower Feed Prices and Availability appeared first on The Great American Egg.

Pastured Eggs from Powell Butte, OR. No corn, soy or GMOs.

Subscribe for a weekly delivery of eggs.  You prepay for three months of weekly deliveries.  Choose the number of dozens you would like each week, pay, and eggs will magically appear on your doorstep or workplace.  We offer discounts if you can pool your neighbors/co-workers transforming your porch into the neighborhood nest-box!  Please provide an insulated cooler at the drop spot and we’ll fill it up.

We know that this year is going to be a challenge- everyone is going to have the weather the virus storm.  We anticipate that that restaurants and retail farmers markets are going to take a hit this year.  We are offering this delivery service in hopes to keep the farm afloat during this time and give you one less exposure point.  We’re new at this- so ideas are welcome.

Note that buying QTY 1 means 12 dozen!

If you are looking for less than 5 dozen week – CLICK HERE!
If you are looking for 5 or more dozen a week – CLICK HERE!

The post Egg-Scriptions appeared first on The Great American Egg.

• Rockin’ Daves
  • For almost ten years Rockin’ Daves have been serving our eggs!  They have a cool model where all you have to do is ask the waiter for the local option and you can get our eggs or other local offerings!
• Wild Oregon Foods
  • Bend’s newest farm to table restaurant.  These guys have a very creative menu  with options for all palettes.  Check them out in the outlet mall South of town.
• Central Oregon Locavore
  • This is the spot for local foods all year round.  This is a Bend treasure- this indoor market is a consignment type store where they stuff the shelves with goods from local farmers/processors.  This has grown into a full grocery store, well stocked year-round.  Find our freezer full of chicken and pork and our eggs in the cooler.  Located on North 3rd- across from the Wagner Mall.
• Salem Public Market
  • The oldest indoor market in Oregon.  Founded in 1946- this market is still thriving today.  They have a great group of vendors that really showcase Oregon’s bounty- where else can you get a 50 pound sack of filberts!
• Root Cellar Staples
  • From the pickled and fermented mind of Anna and crew- you will find all the ingredients to make a perfect meal.  They use lots of our meat and bones. Check them out on 2nd Street and at Locavore.

The post Missing the Farmer’s Market? appeared first on The Great American Egg.

What a winter and now what a spring!  The Bend Downtown market is on- despite a little construction on one of the Downtown parking areas.  Sounds like we’ll have a good selection for the first market and perfect weather.  We know there are many, many eggs vendors at the market- we really appreciate the support over the years (9 I think!).  We look forward to seeing your sunny faces next week.

Also- lots of great deals on Rooster Eggs during the early season!

Pastured eggs have pasture under where they lay, sleep and forage.

The post Farmer’s Market Begins Next Week – May 1st! appeared first on The Great American Egg.

The post SOLD OUT for 8/18 and 8/19 Larder Days! appeared first on The Great American Egg.