Ayrshire Farm
| Rating |  |
| Farm/Brand Headquarters | Upperville, VA |
| Products | Chicken, turkey |
| Website | www.ayrshirefarm.com |
| Market Area | Virginia |
| Total Score | 1590 |
They say: “Ayrshire Farm is unique in the region as a working farm that has met the 21st century with one foot firmly planted in the 19th. The first farm in Virginia to be Certified Humane®, Certified USDA Organic, and Certified Predator Friendly, Ayrshire raises rare and endangered breeds of cattle, pigs and poultry, including Highland, Ancient White Park and English Longhorn cattle as well as Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs and Broad-Breasted Bronze turkeys.”
| Criteria | Points | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL (possible score is 1800) | 1590 | 5-Bird Rating | Top-Rated |
Family Farms and cooperatives receive the most points. Corporations and companies with poor or negligible farm oversight receive the fewest points. Ownership structure | 100 | Diversified production, all animals raised within single supplier |
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100% organic brands receive the most points. Split operations receive fewer with increased penalties for poor segregation at the processor and farm level. Dedication to Organic Production | 100 | Very dedicated to organic label |
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Farms that participated in Cornucopia’s research providing full transparency receive the most points. Transparency and Disclosure | 100 | Excellent transparency with survey response and confirmed information |
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Points determined by integrity of the brand’s organic certifier. Organic Certifier | 75 | Oregon Tilth Certified Organic (OTCO) |
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To receive full points, flocks must number 500 birds or fewer (200 for turkeys). Flock size | 90 | Low-moderate sized flocks. |
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No more than 1.5 lbs of bird per square foot is required for full points. Stocking Density | 90 | Stocking density of at least 1.2sqft indoors with legitimate outdoor access and excellent stocking density outdoors |
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Mobile housing receives the highest number of points. Housing Style | 75 | Fixed housing for chickens; turkeys have mobile housing when on pasture |
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Heritage varieties receive the highest number of points. Strain and/or Breed and Slaughter Age | 75 | Heritage breeds of turkey and cornish cross chickens with moderate slaughter ages |
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Birds must spend 3/4ths or more of their lives outdoors for full points. Timing for Outdoor Access | 80 | Chickens spend at least half life with outdoor access while turkeys have at least 2/3rd their lives with outdoor acesss |
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Enrichments include but are not limited to shade structures, water, novel feedstuff (greens, mealworms, sprouted grains), and dust baths. Enrichments (outdoor and indoor) | 100 | Provides novel enrichments to the birds in conjunction with ample opportunities to forage outdoors |
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Points awarded for labels that go above and beyond organic. Other Labels/Standards | 80 | Certified Humane and Predator Friendly (along with Virginia’s Finest, Savory Network) |
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Maximum points given for high quality, rotated pasture. Non-rotated pasture adjacent to fixed housing with lower than 90% vegetative cover receives fewer points. Outdoor Management | 85 | Close attention to detail managing environmental risks outdoors |
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100 points for on-farm production and/or milling of feed. Fewest points given to feed that cannot be verified as domestic and/or birds get poor or no supplementation from outdoor foraging. Feed Sourcing | 100 | Obtain feed from organic feed supplier that distributes locally |
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Methionine needs met by outdoor foraging receives 100 points. Synthetic supplementation receives 70 points. Synthetic Methionine | 80 | Supplements synthetic methionine in some amounts less than the maximum allowed by the organic regulations |
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Under 5% cull and death rate required for full points. Cull/death Rate | 100 | Very low cull and death rate, both below 5% |
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Chicks and poults that are certified organic since hatching, or are hatched on-farm receive 100 points. Off-farm or conventional chicks and poults receive 70 points. Chick and Poult Sourcing | 70 | Purchase chicks/poults from conventional hatcheries (allowed practice in organic production) |
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No physical alterations required for full points. Permitting beak tipping results in fewer points. Physical Alterations | 90 | Chickens are not altered; a small number of turkeys may be wing-clipped |
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Measures farm oversight. Farmer owned brands, or daily visits by management required for maximum points. Farm Support | 100 | Farmstead with daily staff interaction |
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Non-scoring, category provided for information only. Slaughter Method (non-scoring) | Electric stunning and hand slaughter methods | |
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Non-scoring, category provided for information only. Soy Free Ration? (non-scoring) | No. Soy is fed. | |
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Maximum transparency, sharing of the organic systems plan, and/or novel practices that sets the brand apart from the rest of the industry can result in extra credit points. Extra Credit | 0 | None |
