A Family Affair

Scott and Anna Froemming of Pilgrim’s Way Farm live with their seven children, Ryan, Lydia, Joey, Mitchell, Ruth, Faith and Elsie, on a 160-acre farm in Browerville, Minnesota. Tired of the corporate scene in Iowa where Scott was a CPA, Froemmings decided to return to their native state, after being away for 12 years. Although neither were farmers, both Scott and Anna had been avid gardeners for years and made the decision to raise pastured poultry and organic vegetables. Froemmings use no synthetic chemicals on their farm and try to do no harm to the environment.

This year Froemmings have 1,000 broilers, a common hybrid bird raised for its meat. They also raise 20 Leghorns and 60 Buff-Orphingtons, both for laying brown eggs. In addition to being a good dual purpose chicken, Froemmings like the Buff-Orphingtons because they have strong maternal instincts and are gentle around the children.

From the age of three weeks on, Froemmings graze their chickens by following the Joel Salatin model of pasturing poultry. The bird cages are kept on pasture and moved daily so that the birds can feed on a mixture of grass, alfalfa and clover. Grass fed chickens produce eggs that are a rich source of “good” fats, such as Omega 3 fatty acids and “conjugated linoleic acid” (CLA), which is thought to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and other debilitating conditions. At night their chickens sleep in a renovated school bus, which protects them from predators. Every week they get to ride to new fresh “pickings”, and the fields benefit from the fertilizer they leave behind! In addition to forages, the birds are fed an antibiotic free grain mixture of corn, soybean, meal and oats mixed at the local feed store.

It Just Makes Sense

When asked why they chose to pasture their poultry, Scott said “it made a lot of sense to us, going along with nature.” Economically it also made sense. Healthy birds require no healthcare other than healthy food and “room to roam around.” Birds that do get sick are removed immediately from the flock. Froemmings generally send their meat birds to market at approximately 9 weeks, or 4 to 5 pounds (as preferred by customers).

The philosophies that govern Pilgrims Way farm are sustainability and family involvement. They hope to one day be fully self-employed by the farm, needing no outside income. To keep the family involved, the children help with all aspects of the poultry production. Scott and Anna intend to pass on to their children the skills and values that come from working the land.

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Writing Credits:
Kristen Corselius
Phone:612.721.4009