Holly Whitesides and Andy Bryant are ardent practitioners of regenerative agriculture – a farming approach that increases biological activity to produce abundant yields while stewarding the Earth. How come turkeys?
Their first thoughts about raising turkeys did not stem from an altruist motive of “wouldn’t it be nice” but a conscious awareness of how turkeys can contribute to the health of the farm. Turkey’s scratch, they poop, they eat grass, they poop more, and anticipate with gleeful gobbles being moved to the next grass patch in their “house trucks”. The turkey’s supplemental feed (they have to eat more than grass) is GMO-free verified and sourced locally from 7th generation farm Barrier Mills Farm outside of Charlotte (NC). Against the Grain Farm turkeys are happy animals and their raising is symbolic about what is right with the world.
Over time, the turkey has come to mean much more, particularly for the farm’s loyal customers who have to sign up way in advance to guarantee they will have a “Premium ATG Turkey” for Thanksgiving.
And the turkey has added meaning for their farm apprentices as there is a clause in their contract: “Your employment necessarily extends through turkey harvest”.
What a celebration!
More about Against the Grain Farm’s values:
Holly Whitesides and her husband Andy Bryant will tell you early on that their farm is part of their family. This is a head-scratcher when one first hears this statement but one learns quickly they believe to the core and that the soil of the farm and that the inter-relationships between farm animal, soil, interns, and themselves (which include two very young children) are sacred.
