Hershberger Heritage Farm
| Rating |  |
| Farm/Brand Headquarters | Sellersville, PA |
| Products | Chicken, turkey |
| Website | www.hhf.farm |
| Market Area | Southeastern PA |
| Total Score | 1580 |
They say: “”We are the only Veteran Owned and operated Certified Organic pasture raised livestock farm in Bucks County. We offer a wide selection of pasture raised beef, Pastured Pork and certified Organic chicken and eggs. We now deliver and ship with our “Berger Box” subscription service if that is more convenient for you. You can also find our eggs at Kimberton Whole Foods (all locations), Poppy’s green grocer, and Gi-Juice.”
| Criteria | Points | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL (possible score is 1800) | 1580 | 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 | Farmstead (owned and operated by farm family) |
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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 | 100% organic production (brand does not market conventional) |
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Farms that participated in Cornucopia’s research providing full transparency receive the most points. Transparency and Disclosure | 100 | Full and open disclosure |
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Points determined by integrity of the brand’s organic certifier. Organic Certifier | 85 | Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO) |
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To receive full points, flocks must number 500 birds or fewer (200 for turkeys). Flock size | 100 | Moderate flock size suggests no overcrowding |
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No more than 1.5 lbs of bird per square foot is required for full points. Stocking Density | 100 | Excellent stocking density provided |
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Mobile housing receives the highest number of points. Housing Style | 100 | Mobile housing (chicken tractors moved daily) |
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Heritage varieties receive the highest number of points. Strain and/or Breed and Slaughter Age | 70 | Cornish Cross, encourages outdoor use, slaughters 7-8 weeks |
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Birds must spend 3/4ths or more of their lives outdoors for full points. Timing for Outdoor Access | 85 | Moves to mobile housing at 3 weeks, spending more than 1/2 of their lives outdoors |
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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 | 100% of outdoor space is vegetated, enrichments provided in mobile housing |
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Points awarded for labels that go above and beyond organic. Other Labels/Standards | 0 | None |
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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 | 100 | Outdoor space is managed for bird welfare; birds are rotated behind cattle |
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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 | 90 | Sources feed from a confirmed local certified organic feed producer |
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Methionine needs met by outdoor foraging receives 100 points. Synthetic supplementation receives 70 points. Synthetic Methionine | 100 | Does not supplement any synthetic methionine |
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Under 5% cull and death rate required for full points. Cull/death Rate | 80 | Cull and death rates under 10% |
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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 | 100 | No physical alterations performed |
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Measures farm oversight. Farmer owned brands, or daily visits by management required for maximum points. Farm Support | 100 | Farmstead, with owners closely involved in management |
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Non-scoring, category provided for information only. Slaughter Method (non-scoring) | Hand-slaughter | |
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Non-scoring, category provided for information only. Soy Free Ration? (non-scoring) | No | |
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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 |
