Why Organic Farming Matters

May 2, 2019 | History and Stories

Why Organic Farming Matters

Organic farming isn’t new to us. It is how our great grandparents, Judson and Elizabeth Wilcox did things when they started our family farm in 1909. We’re just continuing the tradition.

Of course, some things are different today. We participate in transparent certification programs to earn the right to use the USDA Organic, Certified Humane, and Salmon-Safe Farm labels on our cartons. And as one of the family-run organic chicken farms in the U.S., we are dedicated to doing things right. This is better for our hens, our family farm, and our environment. All of which means better eggs for your family.

In its simplest form, organic farming mimics nature. Hens are happier and healthier when they are free to roam, root in the grass for bugs, take dirt baths, and find shelter and shade beneath the trees on our farm. Our hens aren’t confined to barns or given feed packed with supplements and antibiotics. Instead, we feed them a mixture of locally grown organic winter red wheat, spring wheat, peas, and hay. We also give them flax seed to increase the omega-3 content that naturally occurs in eggs, which makes them even healthier. This good living and quality feed helps give our yolks that natural dark orange glow unique to Wilcox eggs. It’s also why they taste so much better than commodity eggs produced on megafarms.

We think it’s vitally important to understand where our food comes from and to have a connection with that place, and our commitment to organic farming support this notion.

Since we’re a local farm, we don’t have to ship our eggs thousands of miles to reach you. This not only makes them fresher when they reach your kitchen, it also reduces our operational carbon footprint.

Finally, organic farming matters to us for personal reasons, too. We consider ourselves caretakers of the land as much as owners, and we operate sustainably because we want to continue farming here for generations to come. While the farm is currently run by the fourth generation, our goal is to pass it along to members of the fifth generation once they are ready … and so on. This simply isn’t possible if you don’t treat the land with respect.

Remember, healthy hens lay healthy eggs. So when you buy Wilcox eggs, you’re supporting sustainable family farming, biodiversity, and a healthy local environment. That’s as organic as it gets.