Marksbury Farm Foods

Producer Guidelines

Click for producer pricing scheme (PDF. Opens in new window.)

General Requirements

Marksbury Farm Market is committed to bringing high quality, local, natural food and farm products to consumers. The following guidelines describe some of Marksbury’s values that are common to all livestock.

Sanitary environment
This can be achieved through low stocking density or regular moves into a clean environment. Continuous indoor confinement or indoor confinement with an inadequate outdoor run is unacceptable. When indoor confinement is required, as in brooding young chickens, clean bedding and fresh air must be maintained.

Natural Diet

All animals whose products will be marketed by Marksbury must have access to naturally occurring energy sources that would normally be a part of the animal’s diet. For instance, cattle (Even those not marketed as grassfed) must have been allowed access to grasses that would typically be a part of ruminants’ diets, particularly during the finishing period. Measures, such as ringing hog’s noses or debeaking chickens, which reduce the ability of animals to forage for a natural diet are unacceptable. Currently Marksbury does not prohibit the use of GMOs in livestock rations or require that the ration be certified organic except when the animal’s products are marketed as such.

Antibiotics, Hormones and other Medication

Added hormones are not permitted on any farm that supplies animals to Marksbury. Antibiotics and other medication used on animals that Marksbury purchases must be on a case by case basis for individual animals for specific reasons. A record of the medication, the reason and the date that it was used must be supplied with animals purchased by Marksbury. Marksbury prohibits medicated rations in animals it buys or buys product from.

Humane Handling

While an appropriate sanitary environment and access to a natural diet would generally indicate a humane living situation for livestock, it is possible to comply with the former and still have high-stress, poorly handled animals. Appropriate measures must be in place to limit predator-caused and handling-caused stress. Marksbury supports its suppliers becoming Animal Welfare Approved but does not require that they do so. Their website is www.animalwelfareapproved.org

Requirements by Species

Beef

Naturally Raised

Constant access to quality pasture (over 75% ground cover)
Between 1000 and 1300 lbs for most breeds
Less than 30 months in age
Season and farm of birth must be known and recorded
Carcass yield must be 55% or better
Intramuscular marbling must be choice or better
Base price of $0.95 live weight with incentives and deductions for yield and carcass quality
Base price check at delivery with incentive bonuses mailed
Not treated with hormones
Not systemically treated with antibiotics or other medication (For animals that have been treated on an individual basis, include a description of what was used, when, and why. no treatment may have occurred in the past 180 days)

Naturally Raised Grassfed

All of the above requirements apply to Grassfed beef with the following amendments and additional stipulations

Animals may be lighter; between 900 and 1200 lbs for most breeds
Intramuscular marbling is acceptable at the ‘select’ level or above
Raised after weaning strictly on a grass and forage diet: no grain
Base Price of $0.95 live weight with incentives and deductions for yield and carcass quality
Deductions if yield is less than 55% or grade is lower than select
Base price check at delivery with incentive bonuses mailed monthly

Pork

Naturally Raised and Seasonally Finished

Must be raised outside, not in confinement
Constant access during finishing to a suitable foraging environment -- Pasture, woodlands, etc.
Not treated with hormones
Not treated with antibiotics or other medication
Season and farm of birth must be known and recorded
From at $0.80 - $1.00/lb live weight depending on environment and amount of ration comprised by forage.

Pastured Poultry

Constant access after brooding to quality pasture with at least 75% vegetative ground cover*
Not treated with hormones
Not treated with antibiotics or other medication
$1.70 carcass weight
Deductions if the bird’s skin condition indicates poor health or that cannibalism has occurred, or if the carcass is condemned by the inspector for non-processing related reasons

*As stated above this may be managed either with low stocking rate or frequent moves. A good rule of thumb would be a minimum of 1.5 square feet of fresh pasture per chicken per day. So a 10’ by 12’ chicken shelter moved every day could contain 80 chickens and still achieve 1.5 square feet per day, whereas a semi permanent system moved every two weeks would require 1680 square feet for those 80 chickens to have the same access to fresh pasture.

Becoming a Supplier

After indicating interest in becoming a supplier for Marksbury Farm Market, we will discuss with you further the core values and mission of our organization in addition to looking at our supply needs and your production plans.

If there is a fit we will present an agreement indicating that you understand the contents of the above guidelines and will undertake raising certain farm products at a stated volume, time schedule and price for us.

Openness

A primary goal of Marksbury Farm Market is to deepen the relationship between consumers and their food so they may make more educated and responsible decisions. Openness and transparency are critically important attributes of this relationship. Marksbury Farm Market promotes an open door policy for customers curious about any facet of their food’s production. We ask that our suppliers be accessible to Marksbury representatives and customers (assuming appropriate respect for farmers’ time and privacy).

Somewhat more formally, upon contracting with farms to be suppliers Marksbury will schedule a farm visit to be repeated annually. This visit is for our customers’ benefit, providing added confidence in the product they are purchasing.

MARKSBURY FARM MARKET
73 Fisher Ford Road
Lancaster, Kentucky 40444
(859) 536-6493
stasaphfarm@yahoo.com