Bloomingfoods is proud to partner with Becker Farms again this year to provide fresh, healthy, free-range turkeys for your Thanksgiving meals.
Becker Farms is a grass-based diversified livestock farm in east-central Indiana. They specialize in pastured, antibiotic-free, non-GMO fed animals. Their farm is unique in that they raise multiple species in a grass-based rotation and use regenerative farming practices.
Kyle Becker grew up on a very large farm in Cambridge City, IN where they milked 70 cows, had a feedlot, and raised all of their own replacements. He started out feeding and bedding calves and progressed to AI breeding the herd, fieldwork, and milking.
In 2006 Kyle was a 4th-year veterinary student at Purdue doing a rotation with Monsanto animal health, working with the field tech services vet using a genetically modified bovine growth hormone. He spent every day on large farms selling the hormone. While on that rotation he was asked to read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, whose theory is that you are what you eat. Pollan stated that we “eat by the grace of nature, not industry”. The book was instrumental in shaping his ideals of a modern responsible agricultural enterprise.
As a Food Animal Veterinarian for Becker Food Animal Health Services, Kyle is always working to help his clients raise their animals in a safe, healthy, and profitable way. He brings that expertise to his own farm to make it the best that it can be, as well.
Kyle’s wife Emily also attended Purdue University where she received her B.S. in Food Science, then continued on to Indiana University where she attained her Master of Public Health degree. Emily loves working at home on the family farm, helping with the veterinary business, and raising their four adorable children.
The Becker Children
Charlotte, Stella, Griffin, and Wyatt
The children are also very involved on the farm. Due to their natural curiosity and interest in the animals they raise, the children began helping out at an early age. Some of their first chores have been helping to collect, wash, pack, and label eggs and bottle-feeding calves. As they have gotten older, they help with a variety of responsibilities every morning and evening such as feeding, watering, and bedding animals; helping sort and load animals; and helping milk the cows.
The children each have their favorite things to do on the farm. Charlotte (9) said that she enjoys learning new responsibilities and earning privileges for a job well done. Stella (7) enjoys animal care most. Griffin (5) currently enjoys taking care of the barn cats. Wyatt (3) is very eager to help build or demo things. The children also like to join their parents at the local farmers market.
Kyle says that Bloomingfoods is a great partner for their Thanksgiving turkeys because they need to have like-minded distributors to help them sell their products. Being a small farm, he says they do not have the resources to market and distribute at a level of scale that would allow them to be profitable.
“We thoroughly enjoy raising our turkeys and being a part of so many wonderful family dinners. Our birds are out foraging fall clover and I truly believe that they are living the best life we can give them. They have shelters in case of bad weather, woods, and trees to go explore, and free choice feed when they are hungry. We also have developed a very easy low-stress method for transporting them to the processing plant and our processor is trained in humane animal handling.” -Kyle Becker
CLICK HERE to place your Thanksgiving pre-order.
To learn more about Becker Farms, visit their website at beckerfarmsin.com.