His great-grandfather and grandfather raised small flocks and sold their fresh lamb directly to customers on Front Street in Portland. Today, Anderson Ranch lamb wins accolades from the prestigious James Beard Foundation, is prized by the Northwest’s best chefs and can be found at the meat counters of specialty grocery stores. Reed and Robyn Anderson’s success is due in part to the abundance of lush green grasses that grace their pastures in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, which averages 38 inches of rain every year. The Andersons have also been careful about breeding. They raise four English breeds — Suffolk, Hampshire, Coopworth and Dorset — which were carefully selected for their high-quality, mild-tasting meat and their ability to thrive in Western Oregon’s cool wet climate, which is similar to that of Northern England. All the Anderson lambs live in open fields with fresh air, are left free to roam, eat when they’re hungry, and grow according to the rhythms of nature. After reading Humane Farm Animal Care’s guidelines for certification, Anderson realized that he wouldn’t have to change any of his practices in order to qualify to use the Certified Humane label. “We raise our animals in a completely natural environment. They’re never confined, and they don’t experience stress, even in processing,” says Anderson. The Andersons work with a processing plant owned by another local family that is a mere 30-minute drive from their ranch, which reduces the stress on the animals. Anderson says the key to his success is in understanding what a lamb needs to thrive, then providing it. “If you want to understand sheep, just read the Bible. Sheep have been domesticated since before Christ. They are used to being cared for by human beings. Sheep naturally want to travel and graze constantly. They don’t adapt well to being confined,” he says. The Andersons’ contract with their sheep involves protecting them from predators and providing plenty of open grasslands for grazing. Anderson Ranch sheep are never fed grain or byproducts and they are never enclosed in feedlots, so they have no negative impact on the environment. Anderson Ranch lamb can be found on the menus of Portland’s Blue Hour, the Heathman Hotel and The Herb Farm, among others. The Andersons also sell their lamb directly to Wild Oats Markets in Oregon and Washington, PC Market of Choice in Eugene, Oregon, Prather Ranch Meat Company store in San Francisco and other grocery stores. For information on where to find other Certified Humane® products in your area, visit the “Shop” page of HFAC’s website.

Wilcox Family Farms of Roy, Washington are “committed to producing healthy, safe food, in a way that promotes social justice for employees in a friendly environment.”  A 100 Year Family tradition, Wilcox Family Farms earned their Certified Humane certification in 2007 and came into the Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) program as a “split operation” because they were transitioning from cage to cage-free production.

In a split operation, only the hens raised and handled under the HFAC Animal Care Standards can be Certified Humane®, and are kept in a separate location from the other animals, with no comingling allowed. HFAC only certifies cage-free production, but will approve a split operation when the farmer makes a written commitment to convert all his production to cage free.

In 2007, Wilcox Family Farms had 28,000 cage free laying hens.  Over the next four years the farm steadily increased its conversion from cage to cage free.  In 2011, the number of cage free laying hens had risen to 133,298; an over 475% increase in humane production.

“With each barn conversion costing about $1.5 million, plus additional costs in employee training, the investment being made to improve the welfare of Wilcox Family Farm chicken is significant and commendable.” said Douglass. She called the reforms taking place at the Wilcox Farms “remarkable and solid evidence of a personal and corporate commitment to improving the welfare of farm animals.

Andy Wilcox said his family’s collective “experience and observation has shown that cage free hens show the most natural behavior, least amount of stress and produce the best eggs for our customers.”   He added that the conversion from cage to cage free production was not cheap but the expense of converting his cage barns to cage free systems was well worth the investment in construction costs and additional employee training to better understand the behavior and care of cage free laying hens.

Certified Humane® eggs from the Wilcox Family Farms can be found at supermarkets throughout the Pacific Northwest including Albertsons Warehouse, Costco and Wal-Mart.

Douglas added: “The investments made by the Wilcox Family Farms demonstrate the powerful impact that the Certified Humane® program has in promoting and requiring steady improvements in farm animal welfare.  The investments necessary to display the Certified Humane® brand are good for the animals and they are good for the business of farming.”

For information on where to find Wilcox Family Farms products and other Certified Humane® products in your area, visit the “Where to Buy”  page of HFAC’s website, or visit Wilcox Family Farm’s website.

To read about other Certified Humane® producers, visit our Farm/Ranch/Business Profiles – Archive.