For a recap about the conference see our previous post
The Southeastern Sustainable Livestock Conference: 2014
GUEST BLOGGER: KRISTIN HANSON at
Atlanta ethical eats
2014 SOUTHEASTERN SUSTAINABLE LIVESTOCK CONFERENCE – WHITE OAK PASTURES FARM TOUR
This weekend was the first annual Southeastern Sustainable Livestock Conference put on by the talented women at Vital Awareness and I had such a blast attending! I chose to purchase the ticket that included a farm tour to White Oak Pastures on Friday and then entrance into the conference on Saturday. I’ve talked about White Oak Pastures a lot on this blog because they are one of the front runners in the ethical and sustainable eating movement in Georgia. Will Harris is practically a celebrity and for good reason. One of the most important factors in this movement is transparency on every level of the food system and White Oak Pastures is an amazing example of total transparency. This post will summarize my tour!
Our day started pretty early where we all met at the Gwinnett Arena and boarded the bus for Bluffton. When we arrived, Will Harris was there to greet us along with his two daughters. We broke into groups and started our tours. First stop was the poultry abattoir. I’ve seen plenty of videos with animals being slaughtered and read plenty of articles about the process, but never have I seen it happen in person so I was pretty nervous but knew that I eat this meat, so I need to see for myself how they are treated both while they’re alive AND how they are treated at the very end of their lives. It needs to be humane from birth to slaughter. I was shocked by the efficiency of the whole process. The chickens are stunned, immediately hung upside down and then their carotid artery is slit and they bleed out in about 22 seconds. Since the chicken was stunned properly, it did not feel the cut or the bleed out. White Oak Pastures does not allow photographs of the actual “kill floor” in respect of the animals.
Next, we moved to the red meat abattoir. I was really nervous about this one because our tour guide told us he’d had grown men faint at the sight of this kill floor. But again, I knew it was something I needed to see. First, we saw the butchery where employees butcher the meat and package it for sale. Then, we moved to the kill floor where a cow had just been slaughtered and was beginning to be broken down. Again, the entire process was very quick. A bolt is driven into the cow’s brain (link), instantly stunning and killing it with no pain. It takes all of 150 milliseconds.
One of the women on the tour asked how much waste was created by the butchering and the tour guide smiled and took us outside. He showed up how they grind up the bones and viscera to create bio fuel that fuels various things on the farm. The hides are dried and sold to a local company. The organ meats are sold to consumers. The amount that goes to waste is incredibly minimal – they are of the belief that it is respectful to use the whole animal, as do I.
Next on the tour was the building where the chicks and bunnies are kept for the first several weeks of their lives before they are sent out into the pasture. This is for their own safety because they would be too small to defend themselves from predators or from the other animals who might steal their feed. The building was extremely clean – they clean it everyday. The chicks had room to move around, their beaks were not clipped and there were plenty of windows to allow in sunlight.
Next, we toured the organic vegetable gardens. They grow a beautiful variety of fruits and vegetables along with certain herbs and even some weeds that attract bees and other insects that eat the ones that would destroy the crops. Almost everything is planted and picked by hand with the exception of a few vegetables like potatoes.
Then it was time for lunch – which was at The Pavilion, White Oak Pastures on-farm restaurant. Talk about farm to table! Everything they serve is straight from the farm. We had some slices of beef and a choice of two veggies. I got turnip greens and roasted turnips – everything was delicious. Will Harris allows employees to eat at the restaurant for $1 a day.
Next was the pasture tour by Will Harris himself. Our group climbed up onto a trailer pulled by a truck and off we went to tour the entire 2,600 acres of White Oak Pastures. Seeing the animals out on pasture, eating grass and bugs, living as animals should was unbelievably beautiful. You can tell these people really care about their animals. Will described each species they raise (5 red meat species and 5 poultry species) and what they do to care for each one. He answered every question we had and gave a really comprehensive tour.
Last, but not least, we got to see the egg washing room where all the eggs laid are expected for cracks then put through an egg washing machine, weighed and sorted. Then we were shown the building that will be a hatchery so the chickens will then be born and slaughtered all on the same farm. Really exciting!
All in all, it was an unforgettable day seeing where my food comes and speaking to the farmers who grow and raise it. You can purchase White Oak Pastures beef from Publix and their beef and chicken from Whole Foods. You can also order a variety of meats, cuts and offal from their website or sign up for their CSA!
Know your food, know your farmer.
Our day started pretty early where we all met at the Gwinnett Arena and boarded the bus for Bluffton. When we arrived, Will Harris was there to greet us along with his two daughters. We broke into groups and started our tours. First stop was the poultry abattoir. I’ve seen plenty of videos with animals being slaughtered and read plenty of articles about the process, but never have I seen it happen in person so I was pretty nervous but knew that I eat this meat, so I need to see for myself how they are treated both while they’re alive AND how they are treated at the very end of their lives. It needs to be humane from birth to slaughter. I was shocked by the efficiency of the whole process. The chickens are stunned, immediately hung upside down and then their carotid artery is slit and they bleed out in about 22 seconds. Since the chicken was stunned properly, it did not feel the cut or the bleed out. White Oak Pastures does not allow photographs of the actual “kill floor” in respect of the animals.
Next, we moved to the red meat abattoir. I was really nervous about this one because our tour guide told us he’d had grown men faint at the sight of this kill floor. But again, I knew it was something I needed to see. First, we saw the butchery where employees butcher the meat and package it for sale. Then, we moved to the kill floor where a cow had just been slaughtered and was beginning to be broken down. Again, the entire process was very quick. A bolt is driven into the cow’s brain (link), instantly stunning and killing it with no pain. It takes all of 150 milliseconds.
One of the women on the tour asked how much waste was created by the butchering and the tour guide smiled and took us outside. He showed up how they grind up the bones and viscera to create bio fuel that fuels various things on the farm. The hides are dried and sold to a local company. The organ meats are sold to consumers. The amount that goes to waste is incredibly minimal – they are of the belief that it is respectful to use the whole animal, as do I.
Next on the tour was the building where the chicks and bunnies are kept for the first several weeks of their lives before they are sent out into the pasture. This is for their own safety because they would be too small to defend themselves from predators or from the other animals who might steal their feed. The building was extremely clean – they clean it everyday. The chicks had room to move around, their beaks were not clipped and there were plenty of windows to allow in sunlight.
Next, we toured the organic vegetable gardens. They grow a beautiful variety of fruits and vegetables along with certain herbs and even some weeds that attract bees and other insects that eat the ones that would destroy the crops. Almost everything is planted and picked by hand with the exception of a few vegetables like potatoes.
Next was the pasture tour by Will Harris himself. Our group climbed up onto a trailer pulled by a truck and off we went to tour the entire 2,600 acres of White Oak Pastures. Seeing the animals out on pasture, eating grass and bugs, living as animals should was unbelievably beautiful. You can tell these people really care about their animals. Will described each species they raise (5 red meat species and 5 poultry species) and what they do to care for each one. He answered every question we had and gave a really comprehensive tour.
Know your food, know your farmer.
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