As Sunbird Farms, our goal is significance…our values: Small, Slow, Sustainable.
Significance– Sunbird Farms is a small, family farm in Central California, committed to saving the world…well, at least some part of it. Think of us as a preservation-holding, offering poultry and produce that have a special quality and place in the world.
Small- On a regular basis we get requests that go something like: “we want to partner with local farmers…and just need 50 lbs of chicken breast a day…” That’s not us. We’re small. We could be big. We don’t want to be. In a world where quantity is everything, we’ve decided to stand for quality. We limit the number of breeds we raise because we want to be able to tend to them every day, focus on their strengths, and improve our efforts. We want to be very good in our space, and leave space for others to do the same. We are a very hands-on operation, and that means we need to be small, and we are ok with that.
Slow- We care about our birds. We raise them on organic pasture in the wonderful sunshine of California, nature’s best medicine. They are hand-selected, in small quantities and raised entirely on our farm. Heritage breeds take time. By the time our ultra-premium meat breeds are ready for processing, conventional “farmers” could be on their fourth round of Cobb 500’s. We’re not trying to be fast, we’re trying to be better. Our birds spend several months (in the case of meat varieties) on our farm, outdoors, gaining flavor from greens and grubs, as nature intended. Our layers follow the seasons, working hard while the sun shines, resting up when the days grow shorter. Many of our selections can be found on Slow Food’s Ark of Taste. In 2014, we were selected by Slow Food to represent the USA as a delegate to their international Terra Madre event in Turin, Italy.
Sustainable- All our birds come directly from the best quality sources available, many from our friends at Greenfire Farms. We have purchased from Greenfire since 2009, and we think they’re pretty great. We trust their discernment and we trust their quality. We like to think of our farm as the proving ground for their rare imports. We have raised many generations of their birds, and we know what works in our region and what doesn’t. We only continue with those breeds that are well-suited for our climate, producing as near as possible to their historic standards. We breed, hatch and continue developing these varieties, selecting for those traits that increase vigor, production and diversity. We work toward what we call the “Standard of Production.” That perfect combination of historical structure and efficient, flavorful meat and eggs. It is our goal to preserve these qualities for future generations, securing the unique landscape and complex flavors of our heritage food.
Our chief chicken-raiser, Brice Yocum, is a third-generation walnut grower, a non-profit executive and a licensed attorney. As a self-titled gentleman farmer, he loves his life with his family and friends, following in the footsteps of many who came before here on the farm. We also collaborate with Seth Yocum, Brice’s brother at our Valley Fog Farm location. An educator, outdoorsman and extremely adept man-of-the-earth, Seth is a valued partner.
Feel free to send any of us a note here at Sunbird Farms: info@sunbirdfarms.com
Blessings- Sunbird Farms
PO Box 2727, Visalia, CA 93279
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