Local organic farm continues good progress

Fresh Wind Organic Farm, located in the “school section” of Sidney, is on 640 acres of land; plenty of room for their free-range chickens to roam. John and Teresa Smith and their children Annalyn, Erika and Theodore currently occupy the farm house, which was built in the early 1900s.

A 1999 tornado destroyed about 50 percent of the farm buildings, and John and Teresa say that they are working to rebuild some of the buildings.

When the family moved here, they wanted to acquire animals that were “productive.” They started with 12 chickens, and Teresa says other people began asking if she could raise chickens for them. The Smith’s started with a dozen chickens for themselves, and the idea occurred to them “If we can have a dozen, why not more?”

Teresa says that she hasn’t purchased eggs for four years. The Smith’s currently sell their organic eggs for $3.50 per dozen; so far, they haven’t had to raise the price over the years. The Smith’s will deliver eggs to people anywhere, or the buyer may pick them up. On delivery, Teresa says, “Nest to door in 72 hours.” The turnaround is fast with the eggs; they sell out every week. The current hens produce three to four dozen eggs per day.

The chickens are fed only organic feed that the Smith’s get from Fehringer Farms. It is all natural and filled with stuff similar to human food.

Organic eggs, unlike non-organic, have a darker yolk that stands up more and the uncooked eggs may be left out of refrigerator for weeks without going bad.

The current baby chicks are being kept in an enclosed area with a heat lamp until they are bigger and the weather is warmer when they will join the other chickens that roam freely around the farm. The newest chicks will begin laying eggs by late summer or early fall. This batch of chicks is made up of 49 Rhode Island Reds, six Silkies and one Barred Plymouth Rock.

Their farm is a family operation. The children do their share of work; they open and close the hen house, feed the chickens and goats and collect eggs.

Their current population of goats include 10 kids, nine does and two bucks. A few sets of twins were born this year, but no triplets. The Smith’s goats are raised for dairy and for meat.

The Smith’s spend a large amount of time with the goats, so they are friendly and they enjoy attention. Out of this batch of kids, they will keep one kid and sell the others to 4-H members or to other places. The goats are not given antibiotics or medicines; they eat the most natural stuff possible for goats. John said that they are doing everything that they can to keep their goats healthy, and so far they have had good luck. The Smith’s stated that “Goats do not eat everything,” contrary to popular belief.

Teresa said that goats are cleaner, easier to care for and require less acreage than cows do. She says the milk is better, also. The organic goat milk is for sale at $8 per gallon, but buyers have to pick it up at the farm due to state laws.

Teresa says that the goat milk is perfect for making fresh and easy-to-make Ricotta cheese.

Their goats and roosters and hens have been shown at 4-H competitions. Their largest rooster and two hens won prizes for “showmanship” and they were the grand champions for “production trio.” A select couple of chickens and a goat will be shown at the 4-H competition this summer.

John said that the business of selling eggs and goat milk started off small in 2009, but “it has expanded exponentially.” He added that they will continue to expand as they are able to and as demand increases.

The Smith’s farm business is registered with the state and also with Farmer’s Pal. John says that they are looking to register with the Cornucopia Group in the future.

Fresh Wind Organic Farms is located on Road 8 in Sidney.

For more information, or to get on their customer list for eggs or goat milk, Teresa says to message her on Facebook, and she will get back to you as soon as possible. Their contact phone number is also on their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/FreshWindOrganicFarm