edible notables
LOCAL POULTRY NOW AVAILABLE
Rise and Shine Farms becomes Nevada’s first legal on-farm processor.
WRITTEN BY SUSIE SUTPHIN
PHOTO BY CANDICE NYANDO
Just as the profile of Fallon farmers Terri and Mike Marsh with Rise and Shine Farms was going to press in our spring 2012 issue, we at edible Reno-Tahoe learned that the door had opened for the Marshes to pursue becoming an on-farm poultry processing facility. Rise and Shine then became the first business of its kind in the entire state of Nevada. We caught up with them this fall just as the ribbon was being cut on their new business.
“For two years, we were told by state health department officials that they did not handle those types of permits,” Terri Marsh says. “But once (edible Reno-Tahoe writer) Ann Lindemann started digging further for her article, Rules of the Road, about poultry-processing regulations, we were finally connected to the right person, Joe Pollock. Joe streamlined the process, answered all our questions, and got us going in the right direction.”
The USDA makes exemptions that allow small-scale poultry producers to have on-farm processors, approval for which is the responsibility of the state and county health departments. The Marshes started with a design for their processor, borrowing ideas from exemplary models in other states. The plans were approved, but the foundation alone was going to take half their budget. They aborted the idea of a new building and repurposed an old trailer, which could accommodate the sophisticated plumbing and waste water system that made the concrete foundation so expensive.
The guidelines for an on-farm processor are similar to those of a food establishment. They share the same commercial equipment and follow many of the same standard operating procedures and food-handling practices.
And the coolest part? As Terri points out, “At first, we were frustrated by many of the regulations, but by the end, we really enjoyed many of the requirements, like installing a hot water heater and overhead sprayer, which makes the job easier and safer.”
The Marshes knew they would constantly be butting up against the 1,000-chicken-per-year limit, so they chose the next option: 20,000 chickens per year. Terri and Mike are the only people licensed and authorized to operate their processing facility, and the health department can make regular inspections.
Support Terri and Mike by buying their chickens directly. Visit their website (http://www.Riseandshinefarms.com) for details. You also will find their chickens at area farmers’ markets, on the menus at Dish Café and 4th St. Bistro in Reno, and on sale at the Great Basin Community Food Co-op in Reno. Congratulations to our poultry pioneers!
Susie lives in Truckee where she gets her hands dirty in all kinds of sustainable food projects. Read about her ecological pursuits at http://www.Foodchronicles.net.
