Fowl Play Farm & Miss Bee Haven

The story of pasture raised food (poultry, beef, pork, etc) is older than us. Our ancestors did this, and somewhere along the line, this story was lost...swept away by the tidal wave of industrial farming. We forgot how to grow food for ourselves. A handful of corporations control 99.99999% of the food production in our country.

The people who grow that last 0.00001% are the folks who remember...who have innovated enough to bring it back, or who are determined, passionate, and (probably) headstrong enough to make a run at regenerative agriculture.

There's hope though. For our food...for the health of our soil, and for us. I look forward to being a part of that.

What do we get from pasturing chicken besides an amazing final product that brings you the most nutritious and flavorful food you've ever had?

Ridiculously good soil! This means we can grow more stuff because the soil microbial community is getting a supercharged boost of nutrients, which in turn, will fuel livestock, and again, eventually us!

Sign up for your fall chicken and stock up for the winter.

What's on my mind?

Permaculture.

Come to the Marshfield Farmers Market today from 2-6 and see Jessica, a founding member of my good friends at South Shore Permaculture.

She's got all the goods on permaculture right here in Southeast Massachusetts!

Attached photo is the beginning of a permaculture garden I am designing and installing for my good friend Karen Wong, of Karen Wong Photography...based right here in Duxbury!

The raised beds are Huglekulture inspired, with olla (pronounced Oy-a) watering system...which is an ancient watering technology that conserves water so well that the reservoir is topped off weekly, even in the heat! Slightly different technology today than 2,000 years ago, but the principle is the same. Bury a terracotta vessel next to your plants, fill with water, and watch as the plant takes exactly what it needs for abundant growth.

The footprint of the garden will feature four more beds, a small greenhouse and household cold composting. The clients want to add chickens, but they are taking baby steps (very smartly) before they fully dive in. I am looking forward to continuing my work with them over the coming seaons.

Duuuudes...

It's Farmers Market Season!

Come see us at the Marshfield Farmers Market today from. 2 to 6 today and pre-order your chicken for the summer grilling season!

We've got 150 birds on pasture over at the Historic DeLorenzo Farm right now that we will be harvesting in a few short weeks! Enjoy the flavor, texture and nutrient dense pasture raised chicken that you will find nowhere else!

Harvest date is projected to be 07.25, which means fresh birds will be available as early as 07.27! Frozen birds can be picked up beginning 07.29.

Come to the Marshfiled Fairgrounds and swing into the Farmers Market for all of your fresh meat and produce, artisan beads and more!

See you there!

I am thrilled to announce that Breaking New Roots has recognized me as one of their top fans!
Thank YOU Friends!
Breaking New Roots

It's chicken season people!

Our first batch of 150 is off the field, packed and chilling to about 38 degrees so we can give you fresh birds for the next two days!

These birds are pasture raised, fed an organic staple diet, and we sing to them at leat twice a day!

Pre-order your birds now! These are due to come off the field the last weekend in July. Also ask about availability of our feet, hearts, livers, and gizzards (for you and/or your favorite pet)!

We sell whole birds, six packs, and we do custom cuts too!

Whole - $6/pound
Six-Pack - $7.50/pound
Custom - $8.50/pound

They go fast. PM me quick. Pick up on the farm only.

Your Favorite Farmers

Brett & Amanda

Had an amazing time with my friends at Breaking New Roots. Check them out, share their content (because it's amazing) and like what they do (because their mission is what we all need today)!

Bret discovered that his town council was looking for someone to farm a piece of their land. Despite having no farming experience, he had been fascinated by regenerative farming for a few years and decided to give it a shot. He volunteered, and they agreed to let him rent the land. Now, a few years later, he's successfully developed a thriving regenerative farm in the suburbs, and both he and the community are delighted with the progress! Fowl Play Farm & Miss Bee Haven
LINK: https://youtu.be/5_odiLq5y-E

This was fun.

It's the first snapshot of the DeLorenzo Farm to the world. Had a great time talking about the first operational steps for the farm, including the successes, the challenges, things that didn't work; and also about the vision.

Hope you all enjoy it!

He is Turning 10 City Owned Acres into a Regenerative Farm (Fowl Play Farm & MissBeeHaven) Bret heard that his town council was having a meeting, they wanted someone to farm a piece of land they owned. Although he had never farmed before, he had be...

Hey Kids!

Come to the Marshfield Farmers Market today from 2pm to 6pm and pre-order your mid-summer chicken!

Estimated harvest date is July 25.

Stop by, reserve your chickens for that ultimate summertime barbecue and support your local farmers and artisans at the Marshfield Farmers Market!

Friends

I have been tracking our first batch of meat chickens closely and it looks like we will be harvesting them next weekend (beginning 06.21).

For those of you who have pre-paid for your birds, you will be receiving an email notification with all of the details regarding pick up times and what to expect when you arrive at the farm.

We are now taking orders for our second summer batch of chicken. We are offering these guys at $6/pound. Our birds average 6.5 pounds so $39 reserves each one. We square up any difference upon pick up. Our second batch should be ready the last weekend in July!

It's barbecue season people!

Save the milkweed sounds like an awesome thing until you have to actually save the milkweed...

I'm grateful that we didn't knock it down...but shifting the whole tractor operation 18 feet in three directions was a bit of a chore!

The chickens even enjoyed the adventure!

Just wrapped up shooting with our friends at Breaking New Roots : https://youtube.com/?si=8BbpHmyAaDB91-c5

Look for our conversation with Olivia to show up in your feed in the coming months after you visit their YT page and subscribe.

It was a real pleasure meeting Paul, Olivia and the kids over at the DeLorenzo Farm. I'll be intrigued to see how the final piece turns out!

Breaking New Roots - YouTube After 6 years of running a farm to table business, we sold it all in the pursuit to follow our dream of traveling the country and visit small farms that are ...

Round two of our meat chicken offering for 2024!

In 8 short weeks, our customers will have the ability to enjoy more fresh, pasture raised chicken grown right here in Duxbury on the Historic DeLorenzo Farm.

Pre-orders for this batch start on June 8!

Our remaining chicken schedule is targeted for the end of September and end of October so the season is just kicking off....BUT don't be late. Our first batch of 150 sold out in less than a week!

Summertime Chicken! Pre-orders start June 08!

With the chicken tractor build nearly complete (more of them and improved) we will be moving our first batch of meat chickens of the season to pasture today!

In 4 short weeks, we will be delivering 150 birds to our loyal (and several new) customers!

There is still time to pre-order your fresh or frozen chicken from this first batch as we have about 40 remaining. Anybody local to the South Shore of MA can hit us up!

This is also the last batch that will be going for $5/pound, before we bump our prices up by a dollar (feed costs are nuts right now)...and even though $6/pound is still a sick bargain fir pasture raised chicken...take advantage of this great pricing and stock up.

These are whole, on-farm harvested and processed chickens. We do offer cut-ups in a "six-pack" for easy grilling and kitchen prep. Two full wings, split breast, and both leg/thigh for the perfect grilling pack at only $7.50/pound.

You can message us through FB or Insta. We look forward to taking your orders!

PS. The next batch of chicken has arrived and will be ready for pre-ordering by 06/08 and will be ready by the weekend of July 26!

Happy Memorial Day, America.

Even at the farm, we light the flame for our departed heroes, who have fought for our freedom, defended our homeland, and who have lended aid in our greatest time of need.

May God Bless them, and their Families. From all of us at Fowl Play Farm & Miss Bee Haven we share this time of remembrance with you.

With Gratitude

Brett & Amanda

The Marshfield Farmers Market is now open! Come see us!

Pre-order Your Summertime Chicken! Here
And grab your fresh, pasture raised eggs!

Plus, come find local artisnal offerings, seedlings and plant starts, some incredible mushrooms from our friends at Mcguires Mushrooms! They have at-home kits too! How awesome is that?!

Last Market of the winter season!

Did we mention that we are doing this?

Pre-order Your Summertime Chicken!

It's that time of year, and in just one week these guys will be out on pasture at the DeLorenzo Farm right here in Duxbury!

While in the brooder, we ensure that they have the most local organic feed, supplied by our friends at Hanson Feed and Grain, in Hanson (surprise) as well as Morrisons Garden Supply, located in Plymouth. We also make sure that they have ample space while also keeping these guys well hydrated.

Once they reach their second week of growth, we begin offering fermented feed (same great organic feed we get from our two suppliers) but with water, organic apple cider vinegar and time added to get those probiotics cranking. Not only does fermenting their feed help with better nutrient uptake and gut health, but it also keeps everyone very well hydrated! Bonus for the farmer: it reduces feed volume by about 20 percent! We add a helping of grit every three days to help boost the processing of their food and prepare them for greater digestive success once put out on pasture. This is because, without grit, the birds will have a super tough time benefitting from all the awesome vegetation and insects they are about to add to their diet!

Remember to find us at the Marshfield Farmers Market this Saturday (05/18) from 10 to 1pm and pre-order your chicken for those awesome summertime barbecues we know that you have planned! While you're there, grab some chicken or duck eggs, and check out all of the other amazing locally grown produce, meats and artisnal offerings at the market!

See you all on Saturday!

Had a terrific talk with my good friend Nissa Gadbois about farming, food, and family. Both Amanda and I are so thankful for the South Shore farming and food community!

Hope you enjoy this! Part 2 is in the commments.

Episode 003: Amanda and Brett Sovick of DeLorenzo Farm and Fowl Play Farm and Miss Bee Haven - Massachusetts Farm to Table Podcast Episode Title and Description: Nissa sits down to talk with Amanda and Brett Sovick of DeLorenzo Farm in Duxbury where they steward 27 acres using regenerative practices and Permaculture Principles.  This is a two-part podcast.Introduction: W...

What do you do when your brand new mom sheep hasn't passed her afterbirth and it's dark outside?

You camp out on the farm to protect them from predators!

Well it looks like life brings us gifts even after the things that are tough on the farm. Welcome to the world little guy.

This is our first successful birth on the DeLorenzo Farm.

After a long, gross winter Amanda and I are looking forward to an incredible year.

Just getting through mourning the loss of our beloved Coco (best "sleeper" farm dog ever), and preparing to see our daughter ship off to her first deployment on a Navy submarine; I can tell you that it has been really tough to stay focused.

BUT - The first farm fire of the season brings me the direction I'll need this coming year. We have really big things planned for a fantastic food season for you and your family. This season, we will have 100% of our produce operation in full swing, and we couldn't be more excited! We will also be offering fresh or frozen whole, pasture raised chicken, quail, and duck this summer and fall while also offering you the most incredible pasture raised eggs (chicken, duck, and quail, of course)!

Tours will begin in June and we are furiously developing our program list for school groups and other youth and senior outlets.

We can be found at the Marshfield Farmers Market (our flagship market) all season long, as well as the Pembroke Farmers Market on select dates. We are thrilled to have a new opportunity to collaborate, grow, and help people know what nutrient-dense food, grown in a regenerative system can do for your body!

Happy 2024 growing season everybody! Support your local farmer, and get in touch with your food!

All the best!

Brett and Amanda

What's that you ask?

A mess some folks will say.

That must wreak! What's it smell like? Well, it doesn't smell like unicorn farts...but it does have that rich, sweet smell of decomposition - the smell that you WANT in the farm.

The smell that you don't want is that heavy ammonia smell - the v***r is not only bad for you to breathe in, it's really bad for your livestock.

Your nose is the key. But...it needs to be properly trained. "Farm smells" are not all bad. Knowing your aroma is critical to farm and livestock health. Maybe one day FB will make a scratch and sniff function 😂

This, my friends is the result of 6 months of deep bedding in my barn. The rate of decomposition was so high, the pac never got deeper than 12 inches, no matter how much hay I threw in.

Now...it's garden gold. I keep ducks, geese and chickens in this barn and with their manure, continual mixing by the chickens and myself (once a week...mostly), I have a fantastic, moisture holding, fertile blend of composted manure.

Sometimes the barn just needs to happen - regardless of how I feel about it 😂

Here you go friends. This is why America's small farmer needs to be brought back as a cornerstone of the community...

Like always, I will never begrudge a fellow farmer his or her or their livelihood...we all do what we know and think is best for our farm families.

Factory farming is much more vulnerable to outbreaks because of density, stress, and sanitation. It's a sad situation that the American Farmer has to deal with....less than 1% of the population growing for everyone else. Our Congress needs to act to get small community farms the resources they need to become more resilient, to help all of US to be more food independent.

Pray for these families please. They are about to go through a really crappy time.

Bird flu has been detected at the largest chicken egg manufacturer in the U.S. Cal-Maine Foods lost about 1.9 million chickens, or 3.6% of its flock, as a result of an outbreak at a Texas plant. However, the CDC says a person is unlikely to get bird flu from eggs.

Regenerative agriculture does some pretty amazing things for the environment and for the farmers bottom line.

Is it a panacea of agriculture? No it is not. The farmer has to buy into the time that is required to start the process. However, inputs are greatly reduced even after a few seasons when the methods are executed properly. If you want to begin the learning process to better yields with fewer (or zero) inputs...this offering is a terrific place to start.

Norwell Farms Norwell Farms Growing our community through local agriculture

I'm not a supporter of factory farming. I am a supporter of farm families, and I understand and empathize with how they raise animals for our (American) industrial food system. Further, although I disagree with how these animals are handled, what I disagree even more with, is corrupt people in government AND private business who knowingly take advantage of honest people...and this is precisely what happened in Arkansas.

It is my sincere hope (to all other 49 states in the union) that you will not take the draconian measures against the farm families who live and breathe so that you can eat. What the state of Arkansas has committed against their own poultry farmers on behalf of a corrupt and mismanaged corporation is beyond the pale.

I don't consider myself religious but I ask those of you who wish, to please keep these families in your thoughts and prayers (yes, this IS an appropriate forum for that maligned phrase) and to the people of Arkansas, I urge you to stand up against this obscene abuse of power.

Arkansas poultry company closure leaves farmers high and dry, 1.3 million birds euthanized Fallout from the closure of Northwest Arkansas poultry company Cooks Venture in November, 2023 continues to affect farmers who had contracts with the company.

Farming is hard. When you hear that phrase, it's not a complaint, a badge of honor or arrogance. It's a humbling experience, farming. Which is one reason why it's hard.

Farming is also rewarding and joyful.

Yesterday, we got both of those things and so much more.

I found one of our sheep laboring first thing in the morning. She was doing great. Baby, on the other hand, was not.

What's a brand new farmer supposed to do when faced with a situation like an unexpected delivery on the farm? Reach out. Find someone who can lend a hand. Sometimes, that works and other times, it doesn't.

Mama and I were lucky. I was able to contact some friends who literally dropped everything to come over to the farm and lend a hand. I learned so much from them during the time we worked to try and rescue a baby who was already lost...but we gave it our best shot anyhow.

My amazing wife and partner in all of this was right there too, helping, supporting, and sharing in the struggle. We got to sit in our reflection last night, thinking about what we could've done to make it better. We decided that sometimes life happens the way it was meant to. Hard. She's the love of my life, and I couldn't have gone through this nearly as well without her there.

So, yes. Farming is hard. Loss is hard. Life (once in a while) is hard. On the DeLorenzo Farm, this is by far not the first or only loss...it is, however a picture of the reality that life is. Sometimes raw, cold, and maybe even dark from time to time.

The lamb didn't make it. She's not bouncing around in the paddock with her mama. But, the sun was out just like it is right now signaling that there's much more to come. I am forever grateful to my friends and our community. We are only just getting started, and the future looks so amazing.

Rest well baby.