Pasture-Raised Eggs for a Sustainable Future

By Lorrie Baumann

Utopihen Farms is the newest brand of premium eggs from a family that’s in its fourth generation of raising laying hens and selling their eggs. It’s a scion of Nature’s Yoke, a producer of 100 percent natural premium eggs since George Weaver III launched the brand in 2000. Now, he and his son George Weaver IV are inviting consumers to come along with them on a journey with a brand that’s dedicated to the production of pasture-raised eggs.

That journey starts in the eastern U.S. where Utopihen Farms currently has distribution, but the company is now making plans to expand the brand’s reach into the Midwest later this year – depending on the COVID-19 pandemic – and ultimately west from there. “We conceived Utopihen Farms to invite consumers to join us in the journey to make positive change in the world,” Weaver IV said. “We’re inviting them to make the change we want to see in the world…. It’s a movement; it’s not just an egg brand. It’s a move to make a journey toward, not just sustainable farming, but sustainable living and to have a larger and tangible impact both on the planet and in people’s lives.”

“We do not have to go through life looking down. We can have a better future than we have today,” his father added. “Going through tough times, like we are now, makes so many of us see how much there is to be done to make the world a better place. We’re inviting people to join us on a journey to make a true change out beyond just themselves.”

The brand currently works with 24 family farms in the area around the company’s headquarters farm in New Holland, Pennsylvania. “Each family we work with is very passionate about family farming, and we form a collaborative partnership with them,” said Weaver IV. “This allows them to care for their own family hens…. All of these go out to pasture. They have structures like a greenhouse with curtained sides that the birds can go into at night.”

Utopihen Farms will offer four products in a range that responds to consumer concerns around value, quality and allergic sensitivities to grocery retailers across the U.S. : Original Pasture-Raised Eggs, Organic Pasture-Raised Eggs, Soy-Free Pasture-Raised Eggs and Pasture-Raised Duck Eggs. All the chicken eggs are brown, while the duck eggs are white. “Each individual type speaks specifically to the consumers who are asking for it and have a need for it,” said Weaver IV.

“While we deeply understand our consumers and the marketplace, we are not marketers–we are farmers,” said Weaver III. “We are farmers. I grew up collecting eggs every day. I’m living on the farm that I grew up on.”

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“I would go and walk through the pastures. These chickens would follow me wherever I’d go, and they’d be pecking my boots, so you knew they were not afraid of people. So I was sold,” he added. “When you realize the depth of caring that exists, and the farmers get excited, you get excited – all you need to do is find a way to get these eggs to the market. I am convinced that when people start eating these eggs, they will be thrilled.”

Original Pasture-Raised Eggs are for the consumer who may be very concerned about animal welfare but who’s also price-sensitive and may not be willing to pay the premium to buy a box of eggs that has “organic” on the label. Like all the other eggs representing the Utopihen Farms brand, the chickens who laid these eggs were pasture-raised. While that’s not a term with a legal definition that’s regulated by the federal government, “pasture-raised” is a term that’s defined by Humane Farm Animal Care, the organization behind the Certified Humane® mark that’s on Utopihen Farms egg cartons. Those standards require that the birds have daily access to pasture for at least six hours a day, and they have to have enough space to spread their wings. The pasture must be covered mainly with living vegetation, so the birds can peck on vegetation, bugs and worms if they like. The Utopihen Farms chickens have a minimum of 110 square feet of pasture space per bird, which exceeds pasture-raised farming standards.

“This land is ideal for these farms. It’s super-lush, all pastures – a very beautiful area up here,” Weaver IV said. “They enjoy grazing orchard grasses, herbs and clover – the variety of vegetation helps protect and stabilize the soil.”

Utopihen Farms Organic Pasture-Raised Eggs are for consumers who are committed to all of the elements of certified organic eggs. When they buy organic eggs, they know that the chickens grazed on pastures that were certified organic, so they’re not getting genetically-modified organisms or pesticides in their feed.

Organic certification does not in itself provide an assurance of humane treatment, since the federal government withdrew in 2017 a modified regulation that would have set standards for humane treatment of organic livestock, and the matter is still in litigation more than two years later. Utopihen Farms provides a guarantee of humane treatment with the Certified Humane mark.

Soy-Free Pasture-Raised Eggs come from chickens with no soy in their diet in answer to requests from consumers. “There are a lot of people living with food sensitivities or who are concerned about hormone disrupting issues,” said Weaver IV. “Or, consumers may be allergic to soy, so they can eat this egg. Consumers love it, for sure.”

The Utopihen Farms Pasture-Raised Duck Eggs are another answer to consumer requests. They come from Khaki Campbell ducks and are sold in cartons of six, often to bakers who value them because duck eggs have more yolk in proportion to the white than do chicken eggs. Since it’s the yolk of the egg that contains the egg’s fat, the larger yolk means more fat content, which makes baked goods richer, and the larger whites makes cakes rise higher and fluffier. The whites are also stiffer, which helps stabilize meringues. “These eggs are the shopper’s dream – especially those who want to bake,” Weaver IV said. “Duck eggs are sold in a carton of six – people typically don’t need a full dozen for baking.” Duck eggs also appeal to consumers who are on a keto or Paleo diet, since they contain extra protein, added Weaver III.

For more information, visit www.utopihenfarms.com.