Raised the Way Turkeys Should Be

At A & M Family Farms, a great Thanksgiving table starts months before the holiday. Most people have only ever eaten a turkey raised indoors and rushed to weight, which is why so many of us grew up thinking turkey was something you had to drown in gravy. Ours is different, and the difference is the pasture.

Our turkeys spend their lives outdoors on fresh green grass, foraging, scratching, and covering ground. All that movement and real forage builds the kind of well-developed, deeply colored meat you simply don't get from a bird that never left a barn. The breast stays juicy instead of going chalky. The legs and thighs are rich and almost roast-like. The pan drippings make gravy you'll want to eat with a spoon. It's turkey that can stand on its own at the center of the table.

Our poults arrive a day old and spend their first few weeks in the brooder, kept warm, dry, and closely watched. Turkeys are fragile at that age and their nutritional needs are unlike anything else we raise, so they start on a high-protein turkey starter built specifically for those early weeks. It's the one ration on this farm we can't source certified organic — no mill we have access to makes a starter that meets a poult's requirements. They move onto Certified Organic feed as soon as they're able and stay on it for the rest of their lives, which works out to about 95% of the grain they'll eat here.

Once they're feathered out, they head to pasture. From there on they're in the sunshine and open air, moved to fresh ground regularly so they always have clean grass, new forage, and room to roam. That rotation keeps the birds healthy and feeds our soil at the same time, which is at the heart of how we farm everything here. It also takes longer — our birds grow at their own pace rather than a schedule, and that extra time is a big part of why they taste the way they do.

No antibiotics. No hormones. No confinement barns. Just grass, sunshine, and good care — and an open door if you'd ever like to come see it for yourself.

Reserving Your Turkey

Turkeys generally sell out long before the holiday, so don't wait.

Price: $8.75 per pound Deposit: $50 at the time of reservation Balance: Due at pick-up, based on actual weight

Sizes: Turkeys generally run 14–25 lbs. Because we're raising live animals outdoors in Oregon weather, we can't guarantee a final weight to any customer. If you need a specific size, let us know and we'll do our best, but we can't promise it.

Fresh vs. frozen: The first 100 customers to reserve will receive a fresh turkey the week of Thanksgiving. Reservations after that will be filled with birds processed the week prior and frozen ahead of the holiday.

Pick-up: Dates and pick-up windows will be announced closer to the holiday. Please make sure you're signed up for our weekly emails so you don't miss the details.

Thanksgiving is about gathering the people you love around a table and giving thanks. When the bird in the center of that table is one somebody actually raised — and it tastes like it — the whole meal is better for it. We're grateful to be a small part of that in your home, and we consider it a blessing.

Thank you for supporting our family farm.

— Aaron, Melody & Kids