2024 Season Sneak Peek + 3 Things that Haven’t Changed at RFF
First batch completed, a new flock in the brooder, and a full restock of your favorite cuts… it's an exciting week here at the farm!
With our seven week old chickens growing faster than expected on the pasture at Eudora, our first poultry processing day of the season is... today! We have been working so hard all year pouring blood (thankfully not too much of this!), sweat (gallons!) and even a few tears into these chickens. When raised in huge, climate controlled buildings and gorged on GMO grains, chicken can be produced year round- but our birds are raised on pasture, free to exercise their God-given nature in foraging for bugs and plants while building up the health of our land. They're given the opportunity to experience the natural changes in weather the way chickens have since the beginning of time, while also being given appropriate means to shelter by us, the farmers. This partnership between farmer and animal is one of the things that sets a regenerative approach to farming apart from the big producers that bring you the products you find in the typical grocery store, and it is why we are more than ok with our chicken being a seasonal product. Finally seeing the fruits of a job well done is a part of farming that never gets old- eating and feeding our community with those fruits is even better.
We have more than doubled our chicken production this year, enabling us to better meet our community's need for healthy, flavorful, and sustainable chicken- and also enabling us to add even more family members to the team. While we still grow our young chicks for the first 2-3 weeks in our brooders in Marshall County, another change is that we are now utilizing land in Desoto County for our mobile range coops. This is land that has been used by my grandfather for conventional row crops for decades, and we are excited to see this soil built up and improved by regenerative agriculture methods.
I want to give you a quick rundown of our chicken line up for this year, but first, I want to mention 3 things that have not changed for Riley Family Farms in 2024.
Quality
Our customers have come to expect exceptional nutrition and mind-blowing flavor from our pastured poultry. As we increase our numbers, it takes creativity and flexibility to make everything work- thankfully these are areas where the Riley family excels! As we have thought through and implemented ways to increase efficiency, we have taken great care to make sure no corners are cut that negatively impact either the quality of the meat or the wellbeing of our birds.
Prices
We spent a lot of time over the winter assessing our product line with an eye toward making sure we are offering the best value and usability, resulting in a few changes in our package sizes and even some exciting new ways to enjoy our pastured poultry! I will share more on that below. Because we sell our chicken by the pack, you may see a difference in the price from what you are used to paying for your Riley Family Farms chicken- this difference reflects the difference in the size of the package but our price per pound is the same.
Values
Riley Family Farms remains committed to regenerative agriculture practices, sustainability, and family. Almost everyone raising, processing, and delivering our chicken is part of the Riley family either originally or through marriage. While we raise chickens, we are raising our children and teaching them skills that will enable them, if they are inclined, to sell high quality and sustainable food to your children for generations to come.
Now, the part you've been waiting for: a sneak peek at what exactly we'll be offering for our 2024 pastured poultry season!
Roaster Chicken
This year our whole Roaster Chicken will be offered in one size, 3.1-3.9 pounds- perfect for a roast chicken dinner for our family, or to cook and shred for a recipe like Pastured Chicken Pot Pie Your Whole Family Will Love! (youtube.com)
Boneless Chicken Breasts
Our Chicken Breasts come boneless and skinless in a two pack weighing 0.9-1.1 pounds. I love how easy they are to pull out of the freezer in the morning and thaw in time for dinner. While I sometimes use them in recipes, our chicken breast are so flavorful that I often just season and grill them!
Chicken Tenders
Chicken Tenders come in a 1-1.1 pound pack of twelve tenders. These are great for grilling up at the beginning of the week and keeping in the fridge for easy lunches, or for cutting up and making my kids favorite fried chicken nuggets.
Chicken Leg Quarters
Leg Quarters are some of our favorite because they are so versatile and so delicious. A six pack weighing 3-3.6 pounds, I often season them well, give them a good sear in an iron skillet on the stove top, then slide the skillet in the oven to finish roasting. I just have to make sure to make enough for my 8 year old boy to have seconds!
Chicken Wings
Chicken Wings come in a 2.2-2.8 pound pack of twelve. These are Caleb's favorite. What farmer doesn't want to come in after a long day working hard to find a big plate of hot wings for dinner?
Chicken Broth Kit
Our Broth Kit is the perfect size for me to make a batch of broth in my instant pot, coming in a 1-1.5 pound pack of one chicken backbone, one neck, and two collagen-rich chicken feet. Nutritious fresh bone broth can be used in almost anything and it is so easy to add to your kitchen routine. I always keep it on hand and use it every day.
Ground Chicken
One of the new products we've been perfecting all winter is our 1 pound packs of ground chicken. The ways ground chicken can be used are endless- our family favorite is meatballs, my mom uses it to make chicken nuggets for the little ones.
Chicken Sausage
Chicken Sausage also comes in a one pound pack for easy storage and thawing. My family was hesitant when I first began testing Chicken Sausage, but they were quickly converted once they tasted it- combining the exceptional flavor of our pastured chicken with high quality, MSG-free seasoning yields a truly delicious sage forward sausage that we love with a fresh egg for breakfast.
Ultimate Pasture Raised Chicken Flock Share
I'll be brief because we've talked a lot about our Flock Shares elsewhere (here and here for example). Each box is 23-34 pounds and consists of two Roaster Chickens, six packs of Boneless Chicken Breast, 2 packs of Leg Quarter, a pack of Chicken Tenders, a pack of Chicken Wings, and six Broth Bundles!
Why buy our Flock Shares?
OUR BEST PRICE When you subscribe to our Flock Share, you lock down your whole season’s supply at our best price!
OUR FRESHEST CHICKEN When you subscribe to our Flock Share, you become our highest priority customer, getting our best and most freshly processed chicken every month for our entire growing season!
A STEADY SUPPLY FOR THE WHOLE SEASON Our promise to our Flock Share subscribers!
EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS Every Flock Share subscriber in 2024 gets 10 pounds of HomePlace Pastures ground beef FREE in their first box, along with free exclusive merch and other Flock Share exclusive benefits!
SUPPORTS OUR FAMILY FARM When you subscribe to our Flock Share, you become an important partner in our mission to build a better Mid South food system by providing vital, predictable income!
So tell us... what Riley Family Farms chicken product are you most excited to see in stock this weekend?