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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, NOV. 17, 2017 • 1C
Colin Murphey photos
Claus the dog keeps a close eye on the poultry at Blackberry Bog Farm.
Fowl play at Blackberry Bog Farm
Knappa-Svensen poultry
operation raised 10 times more
turkeys this year than in 2016
By HEATHER DOUGLAS
For The Daily Astorian
T
urkeys raised at Blackberry Bog
Farm in Knappa-Svensen have
only one bad day. This may
sound like a joke, but the farm means it.
“Up until the day they are pro-
cessed, we want them to have a healthy
existence,” owner Scott Thompson
said. “It’s not a confinement opera-
tion; they’re just out there doing turkey
things, running around on two acres.”
Over the last two years, the farm has
become known for raising chickens for
Fort George Brewery, and selling retail
frozen chickens at the Astoria Co-op
and at various farmers markets across
the county. Turkeys are their newest
venture.
Abandoned for 15 years, Black-
berry Bog Farm was founded by the
Thompson family who began restor-
ing the property when they purchased
it in 2015.
Scott, a former science teacher who
dreamed of being a farmer “when he
grew up,” heads the operation.
His wife, Bonnie, provides off-farm
income and assists with various tasks:
“I am so grateful that she enables my
farming addiction,” Thompson said
with a laugh.
Their 22-year-old son, Andrew,
helps with day-to-day operations.
Last year was their first raising tur-
keys. All 17 birds sold out. In 2017, the
operation raised about 170 birds, and
the ones available for purchase were
spoken for before August, including
ones presold to local vendors.
Growing demand
Ways to improve efficiency became
obvious during the pilot year. Manag-
ing the Heritage breed birds proved
problematic: The turkeys could fly over
7-foot fences, even with clipped wings,
and liked to hang out in trees 30 feet off
the ground.
So the farm switched to the Broad
Breasted Bronze and the Bronze
Breasted White breeds. “These birds
have been bred over decades to have
more white meat, because that is what
Americans have tended to want, and
we can manage more at a time,” Scott
said.
The decision to go with the broad-
breasted turkeys is, in part, an attempt
to meet a growing demand.
“We’re running out of space for all
the chickens and the turkeys that we
want to do. We think we could do more,
but we don’t quite know if we have the
space,” Thompson said. “But there is a
market — we’re confident of that.”
‘Processing’
Blackberry Bog Farm has a licensed
processing facility on the premises.
“We say ‘process’ as a euphemism. I
kill every bird on the place,” Thompson
said. “That’s what I do, and we try to be
very respectful and very calm, and it’s
kind of a solemn occasion to me.”
Thompson is willing to share what
a bird’s last day on the farm looks like,
with one caveat: Only people willing to
be reverent can bear witness.
“I’ve had people say, ‘Hey, can I
watch you kill some birds?’” he said.
Other people, however, are sincere and
truly want to learn how it’s done. “It all
depends on their attitude. Some people
are ‘not worthy’ to see what we do.”
“Processing” aside, just about any-
one driving by can view the turkeys
free-ranging in their pasture. Unlike
the flocks of chickens the farm raises
in the summer, the turkeys free range
24 hours a day.
“Because the birds are on pasture
day and night, the meat has a differ-
ent quality to it ... They are out on pas-
ture chasing each other. They’re eating
grass and bugs. They build muscles,”
Thompson said.
Precautions
The turkeys are also medi-
cation-free, which comes with
challenges.
For example, people who have
birds of their own must disinfect their
boots before they go out to the Black-
berry Bog Farm’s pastures. If anyone
wants to handle the birds, they have to
use hand sanitizer first.
“If diseases are brought in, our
chickens don’t have medications, and
we could lose a whole flock in days,”
Thompson said.
In addition, the farm keeps two live-
stock guardian dogs.
Claus, a Great Pyrenees, is the
farm’s primary livestock guardian.
He lives with his flock 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. His young appren-
tice, Ginny, a Pyrenees mix, is still in
training. Claus patrols day and night
against predators like raccoon and
mink.
In the last two years under Claus’s
protection, the flock has suffered only
three losses. When a fencing issue kept
Claus sidelined for a few nights, the
farm lost four birds in one night and
two the following night.
The dogs, Thompson said, make all
the difference. “That’s what lets this
operation work.”
Local impact
The operation has been felt in the
local economy.
Patrick McKerren, owner of “Two
Old Goats Farm and Feed” in Knappa,
is the main supplier of feed for Black-
berry Bog Farm year-round.
“Scott has supported our business
and the local economy by purchasing
grain, as well as herb, vegetable and
flower starts for resale to my custom-
ers,” McKerren said.
During chicken processing season,
the farm hires five off-farm workers
and uses local contractors as they con-
tinue to renovate the farm. The lumber
for the chicken tractors comes from
City Lumber.
“There’s a lot of evidence that the
dollars that recirculate in our commu-
nity build wealth and food security,”
Matt Stanley, general manager of the
Astoria Co-op, said. “And it’s great to
know that your Thanksgiving turkey
came from right down the road.”
TOP: Scott Thompson of Blackberry Bog Farm watches as his dog Claus monitors his herd
of turkeys. MIDDLE: The turkeys at Blackberry Bog Farm near Svensen roam their field.
BOTTOM: The turkeys wander around their enclosure.