DORNSIFE, Pa. — More than a dozen farms across central Pa. are embarking on a $1 million project to find new ways to raise poultry.
“It’s not even really redefining it; it’s defining it," said Tim Cable with LaBelle Patrimoine.
LaBelle Patrimoine, a Lancaster-based farm company, is kicking off a pilot program to define practices for "regenerative poultry farming." The company is partnering with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and EarthClaims for this project.
Cable said the company is using grant money to help launch this one-of-a-kind program.
“We tried to figure out and find a program that would be regenerative, something we could use as a third-party verifier. And we couldn’t find any project that existed," said Cable. "So we partnered with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and a third-party verifier, EarthClaims, to put a program together."
In total, 16 farms out of LaBelle Patrimoine's 50-farm network are participating in the pilot program. FOX43 visited one of the participating farms in Washington Township, Northumberland County.
Unlike commercial farms, the chickens on the Washington Township farm spend much of their outside roaming no-till pastures.
"[These birds] are slower growing, it takes about 15 weeks to get them to market," said Cable. “They’re outside and in their environment, and their animal welfare is the highest around.”
The project not only aims to improve conditions for chickens in the barn, it aims to create a better farm, one that protects the environment and the water system in the region.
"Trees are a natural wind-breaker, which keeps dust and debris from leaving the farm. The manure shed contains the manure, so we don't have nitrates running off into the water," Cable explained.
“These practices will reduce nutrient pollution into the Chesapeake Bay watershed and local waterways, as well as improve carbon sequestration," added Brittney Smith with the Alliance of the Chesapeake Bay.
Smith said the goal is to help other farms implement their own regenerative practices across the Commonwealth and the US.
“These farms are already good stewards of the land, and we’re aiming to raise the bar to continuously improve how well we can continue to farm in a sustainable matter long-term," said Smith.
Organizers hope the project will not only improve farm practices but also the quality of chicken found in grocery stores.
“A lot of consumers are interested in where their food comes from and the quality of not only the food but also how it was raised," said Cable.