SUSTAINABLE CHICKEN

We interviewed John Martan of Hunt & Behrens, Inc. a local feed store that mixes their own feed in Petaluma. John was kind enough to give me a general sense of where the ingredients come from and some of the limitations to getting some of the ingredients locally due to where certain ingredients grow best, the way ingredients are brokered and cost.

The Hunt and Behrens feed, Organic 16 Lay Pellet,  is 90% grains (Corn 55%, Soy 25%, Wheat Mill Run 10%) and 10% minerals.

Corn

Corn provides calories and is the most efficient calorie provider per pound. The organic corn in this feed is primarily grown in Sacramento Valley and trucked to Petaluma. It occasionally comes from the Midwest and is railed to Napa Junction then trucked to Petaluma. It is important to note that here in Northern California we are in a Mediterranean climate, rainy short winters and long hot summers, which is not the most conducive growing environment for corn. The Midwest on the other hand is more conducive to growing corn, so where we may save on resources because it doesn’t have to be transported as far, we are using more resources here to grow corn because in California we have to irrigate corn crops.

Soybean

Soybean Meal is the bi-product of extracting soybean oil from the bean. It is a high content vegetable protein and provides amino acids. Organic soybean is from pressed soybean, which is a different processing method than is used for conventional soybeans. Pressed organic soybean provides a little higher fat, which provides more calories.

Soybean is brokered and generally grown in the Midwest. The catch here is organic soybean. There are sources for organic soybean meal in the US, but domestically produced is $200 more a pound than what comes from China. Since it is brokered it is hard to determine the original source, but due to costs, it is fair to assume some portion of organic soybean meal in chicken feed comes from China. It would be shipped to Stockton or Oakland and then trucked to Petaluma. The chicken feed that does come from China is tested for melamine.

Wheat Mill

Wheat Mill Run helps make a good pellet. Wheat Mill run is one of the most abundant ingredients available and is typically brokered. It could come from say Kansas by rail or Northern CA by truck; it all depends on the cost at any given time. If trucked it would come from the Bay Area.

Limestone

The limestone comes from a Quarry in the foothills of the Sierras. Blue Mountain Minerals in Columbia, CA is the supplier. The limestone is trucked to Petaluma in 24-ton truckloads.

Other Minerals Contents

All of the other mineral ingredients are pre-mixed. The mineral pre-mix comes from the San Joaquin Valley and is also trucked in 24-ton truckloads to Petaluma. A lot of vitamins A, D, and E are produced synthetically over seas.