Farm406

43 farm406 Pasture-raised chickens find home in niche poultry market By Shannon Ruckman Photography By Ali Spoon Montana Ag Entrepreneurs Produce, Process Natural Chicken in Western Montana Pastures Christopher Green and Beau McLean established Living River Farms to sell pasture-raised chickens and grass fed beef to consumers in western Montana. asture-raised chickens have proven to be a successful crop for two Montana agricultural entrepreneurs. P Business partners and chicken farmers, Beau McLean and Christopher Green produce and process pasture- raised chickens on the Living River Farms near Stevensville, Mont. "We met in college and decided to go into business together," says McLean, who grew up on a cattle ranch near Willow Creek, Mont., and studied animal science at Oregon State University. "We researched the markets and found a hole in the market." There was a demand for locally produced, natural chicken in western Montana. Montana is ranked 41st in the nation for poultry production. "We found an opportunity through free range poultry which morphed into pasture-raised chickens," says Green, who grew up near Corvallis, Ore., and studied marketing at Oregon State University. In order for chickens to be labelled free range, they must have had the opportunity to be outside, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. McLean and Green took it further outdoors. "The chicks are brooded indoors until they are old enough to go outside," explains McLean. "Then, they are raised on the fields in movable structures for their whole production life." McLean and Green get their first batch of chicks in early spring and brood them in trailers for about a month. Then, they are released into one of three outdoor canvas-covered 30-by-30 foot coverall buildings mounted on pipe skids

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