Scratch and Peck Feeds Goes Organic, Hens Cluck for Joy
Bellingham, Washington (PRWEB) July 29, 2013 -- Bellingham’s Scratch and Peck Feeds, the first animal feed processor in the United States to become Non-GMO Verified, has achieved national USDA Organic certification. The Non-GMO and organic certifications provide assurance for backyard chicken farmers and full-scale farmers that there is a local, healthy alternative for poultry feed, all dedicated to Scratch and Peck’s belief “you are what your animals eat.”
Scratch and Peck owner and founder Diana Ambauen-Meade says she has been supporting the burgeoning backyard poultry movement, with an emphasis on local sourcing, from day one. “We started our business by developing direct and personal relationships with our customers, farmers, and this wonderful community that celebrates good food and good farming. Implementing all the practices to achieve organic certification is another important step to earn and keep the trust of our customers and the market place.”
Besides being able to verifiably trace all feed used in Scratch and Peck products to organic farms, the certification gives assurance the plant meets organic standards for internal processing, storage, and distribution practices. The Non-GMO certification by the Non-GMO Project, assures there are no genetically modified organisms in the feed.
One example of how important stores and their customers feel organic certification has become, is Seattle Farm Co-op. The Co-op was was created with the express purpose of giving urban farmers better access to feed, tools, supplies and a supportive community of like minded folks. They source their feed as locally and organically as possible. Charmaine Slaven serves on the Co-op’s Board of Directors and is a co-founder of this urban farming effort. “Scratch and Peck provides high quality feed to small farmers and supports the local, sustainable farming industry in the process. I know they source from good, responsible grain growers. I really love their feed and have fed it to my chickens a long time. I don’t hesitate to recommend it to new chicken owners.“
In keeping with the growing trend of pastured chickens, as well as the growth of urban “back-yard” poultry-raising, Scratch and Peck has experienced explosive growth. As organically grown food has also experienced exponential growth over the past two decades, sourcing high quality certified organic grains can be a difficult job. Scratch and Peck is dedicated to sourcing from farms that are as close as possible to their Bellingham plant with much of their grain and legumes sourced from Washington State organic growers.
Ike Jahns, owner of Jahns Farm of Central Washington, provides certified organic grains for Scratch and Peck’s feeds. “I’ve been a farmer all my life and have seen how feed companies often don’t use the whole grain in their feed, often just the screenings from various crops and cracked grains. Scratch and Peck uses the whole grain which is impressive. It is the ultimate feed. Scratch and Peck sources locally, knows their growers, has less pollutants for the local community, and cuts down on the carbon footprint with less trucking.”
“Our work in this movement,” says Ambauen-Meade, “is to gather ingredients from local farms, make them into new products that feed animals in a healthy way, and nurture people’s nostalgic connection to the land.”
More information on the backyard chicken movement, Scratch and Peck products, and educational information on poultry-raising can be found at http://www.scratchandpeck.com, or at 360-318-7585.
Diana Ambauen-Meade, Scratch and Peck Feeds, http://www.scratchandpeck.com, 360-483-4510, [email protected]
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