BIG SANDY - Turkey farming isn’t a major industry in Montana, but on the open prairie near Big Sandy, one small family farm is making it part of their livelihood.
Carissa Bergren and Joe Ostrom run Flocking Good Farms, a small but fast-growing poultry business that’s finding a loyal market for pasture-raised chickens and turkeys.
Out on their property, the couple raises birds the old-fashioned way, in fresh air and sunshine.
Watch how one Montana family raises birds the old-fashioned way:
“Turkeys are really some of the most curious birds. Not the smartest, but definitely the most curious,” Bergren said with a laugh, describing their daily routines.
Montana isn’t typically known for turkey production. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the majority of the country’s turkeys come from Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, and Virginia - states that dominate large-scale commercial production. Here in Montana, only a few Hutterite colonies and small family farms raise turkeys, often in limited quantities.
Bergren says, “People aren’t aware that there’s more pasture-raised turkeys available to them. Even on the chicken side, it’s the same thing. I think people need to be more aware of what’s available to them versus just commercially processed turkeys at the store.”
For Bergren, the difference comes down to how the animals live. “With pasture-raised turkeys, you get more nutrients. They get to forage, they get better nutrients, and they’re out in the open air, which is a lot healthier for them, which makes it healthier for us.”
Flocking Good Farms began almost by accident. “It was not on the bingo card,” Bergren says. “We did not anticipate for this to be what it is and turn out the way it has.”
What started as a way to raise enough chicken for their own meals quickly took flight, growing into a full-fledged business.
Ostrom explains, “We started raising enough chickens for ourselves to eat. Fifty birds turned into four hundred, and then we started marketing them. There was demand, so we kept moving forward.”
When they bought equipment to process chickens, they realized it could also handle turkeys.Ostrom says, “We bought turkeys to test the equipment, and it worked. So this year, we brought on more turkeys because we had the setup to do it.”
Now in their second year, Flocking Good Farms has processed 70 turkeys, up from just 10 last year. They’ve also begun shipping across Montana, delivering fresh poultry from the Flathead Valley to Billings.“As long as demand is there, we plan on expanding the turkey operation and supplying more of the smaller cuts.”
The couple is also investing in a new mobile processing unit, a major step that would allow them to expand production and bring locally raised poultry to more markets.
For Bergren, the work is both challenging and rewarding, especially when it comes to the birds themselves.
She adds, “They all have personalities. Some are calm, some are talkative, and some make their morning flight out of the pen just to say they did it. They keep us busy.”
From a small family farm on the prairie to tables across the state, Flocking Good Farms is helping meet Montana’s growing appetite for local, pasture-raised poultry, one curious turkey at a time.
To learn more about Flocking Good Farms, click here to visit the website.
