Back Forty Acres is a local farm that only sells locally. This family farm, at 17410 Heim in Chelsea, is run by Larry and Kevin Doll and their wives. The brothers are the great-great grandsons of Simeon Weber, who bought the farmstead in 1864. They left the farm for a while, but they are back now and are serious about providing access to local, healthy food.
Back Forty Acres sells broiler chickens raised on their farm in special "Portable Pasture Poultry Pens" that allow the chickens to eat the greens sown for their feed and be "moved" the next day to another space in the field with "fresh" greens. You need to order these broilers well ahead of time. There are "batches" of chickens raised for market on a specific date. The chickens are sold out for the 2010 season. Consider placing an order for the 2011 season.
Back Forty Acres sells turkeys raised on their farms in special Portable Pasture Poultry Pens. They raise Broad-Breasted White, Blue Slate, and Bourbon Red turkeys. You can still place an order for Blue Slate and Bourbon Red turkeys for your holiday table. The expected "ready to pick-up" date is November 21.
Back Forty Acres sells grass fed Katahdin and Suffock lamb by the half or whole. You need to place an order ahead of time.
We will provide you a cutting order about a month in advance. Never filled out a cutting order before? Have no fear! We'll walk you through it. Normal choices include chops, loin roast, shoulder roast, shoulder steaks, leg, ribs, ground, stew meat, liver, heart. You can decide on the thickness of each cut and the weight in each package, customizing it for your family. We use a local meat processor to butcher and package our product. They individually vacuum seal each package in heavy plastic, suitable for freezing.
Our product will be ready in the winter. Order now to reserve.
Back Forty Acres also sells ducks, pork, rabbit, goat, geese, and stewing hens. Look for their farm fresh brown chicken eggs at New Chelsea Market in Chelsea and at The Produce Station in Ann Arbor.
You can use the online order form. Choose either the PDF or the Word version. Attach your order to an email to stephanie@backfortyacres.com. Or mail the order form to Back Forty Acres, 16477 Heim, Chelsea, MI 48118. Or, give them a call at 517-522-6976. You need to order in advance and then pick up your order at the farm. They will send you an email when your order is ready and let you which of their centennial, log, fieldstone, and milled timber barns will have your order ready.
We raise several Heritage Breeds. Have you heard this term? Factory farms generally raise only one type of chicken, pig, etc., focusing on a breed that will grow fast and cheap. Because of this, many Heritage Breeds have populations that have dropped to a critical level. These "old breeds" of poultry and livestock are the ones our ancestors put on their tables. Rediscover them as many have across the country! You will be pleasantly surprised with the quality and favor. Concerned breeders across the country are trying to build up their flocks and herds of Heritage breeds. With your purchase, you are saying that biodiversity is important.
You can also find Back Forty Acres at the Chelsea Farmers Market.
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Comments
Thank you for spotlighting locally raised meat in your column. Locally grown fruit and vegetables are relatively easy to find; meat not so much. It makes it more difficult to be a locavore.
Broad breasted whites are NOT a heritage breed. They're a result of decades of cross breeding to develop birds w/disproportionately large breasts. Because of that, they are not able to reproduce on their own and must be artificially inseminated. Sounds like these birds--and all the animals--are well treated on this farm, but to call a broad breasted white a "heritage breed" is misleading.
Jenni is correct about a White not being a heritage turkey. Allow me to expand: Back Forty Acres raises both heritage turkeys (Bourbon Reds, Slates & Spanish Blacks) along with the Broad Breasted White turkeys. All are raised outdoors on pasture. So although the White is the same breed you could buy at the grocery store, we feel that the one raised by the industrial grower cannot come close to the quality of our birds. Fresh air, sunshine along with an array of insects and grasses & such to eat result in a healthy turkey that is fabulous tasting!
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