John Caveny
Caveny Farm
Monticello, Ill.
www.cavenyfarm.com
At Caveny Farm turkeys are raised on a schedule that lasts three to four times longer than a mass-production farm schedule but is vital to ensuring that the birds reach maturity near Thanksgiving. Bourbon Red hatchlings arrive from the hatchery the first week of April, go to pasture in May, and by fall the birds will have begun to accumulate fat for the winter. By October, they are ready to be slaughtered. "We try to catch them at their peak," says farmer John Caveny.
Like other heritage turkey farmers we talked to, Caveny sells out every year -- and this year was no different, even after he kicked up production to 640 birds. He is happy with the boost of attention he and others have received in recent years, and encourages other independent farmers to come into the market. “The way to save [heritage turkeys] is to eat them," says Caveny.
Reader comments