Producer
Walker Farms Gourmet Foods
Address: PO Box 575 Siletz, OR, 97380
Phone: 541-444-2445
About Us
Sarah and Randy Walker were not farmers in the beginning. In November of 2005 they purchased a farm on the flat fertile plain next to the Siletz River. Since then, they have not looked back. Sarah grew up in the inner-city of South St. Louis, and came to the farm under protest. Randy grew up in a family oyster-growing operation, where working on the oyster beds was a way of life as long as he can remember. It was his dream to be a self-sufficient small acreage farmer, much the same way his grandfather farmed in Canby, Oregon, shortly after the turn of the last century.fb-randy-lamb
Sarah’s reluctance and Randy’s dream turned very quickly into a huge undertaking. Somewhere along the way a passion for the rural lifestyle took root. The Walkers in some ways are very typical of small farmers today. Randy retired from the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport in December of 2010. His salary helped support the farm until it got going. Sarah worked full time at a Newport lumber company until the economic downturn forced winter layoffs. After a couple of years business had grown enough to justify her transition to a full-time farmer. The Walker’s feel strongly that sustainability has a social value and that the key to healthy living is a strong and healthy community.
Sarah’s reluctance and Randy’s dream turned very quickly into a huge undertaking. Somewhere along the way a passion for the rural lifestyle took root. The Walkers in some ways are very typical of small farmers today. Randy retired from the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport in December of 2010. His salary helped support the farm until it got going. Sarah worked full time at a Newport lumber company until the economic downturn forced winter layoffs. After a couple of years business had grown enough to justify her transition to a full-time farmer. The Walker’s feel strongly that sustainability has a social value and that the key to healthy living is a strong and healthy community.
Practices
Eggs:
walker farms siletz chickies3Our pasture raised chickens start out in brooders that keep them warm, separated from their waste, watered and fed wholesome feed that has no chemicals, preservatives, or drugs added. When they are old enough, they are put in movable pens in the fields. They are moved every night, so that they are on clean grass and have room to move around and enjoy their environment. In the field, the chickens are able to take in up to 30% of their nutrition from the grass – we provide the other 70% by supplementing them with a combination of brewer’s grain from the Rogue Brewery and a custom feed blend that is milled for us at Union Mills Feed in Mulino, OR.
The feed is a proprietary blend that was designed for us by an animal nutritionist to give us the best quality bird that we can offer. We have asked the mill to use the most local grain that is available to ensure the highest quality and nutrition possible. There are no chemicals, hormones or drugs in any of the feed used for our chickens or any of our other products.
Lamb:
twin-sheepLambs are born on the farm and raised in the pastures all their lives. Our lambs are completely grass fed and finished, eating grass from the pastures in the summer months which is supplemented with high quality hay in the winter. This results in a mildly flavored tender meat, unlike the gamey taste that many associate with lamb. Our lamb is available in most standard cuts, as well as a variety of sausage flavors and our extremely popular lamb pepperoni. Lamb is available by the cut at various farmers’ markets every weekend. Sorry, we are not currently able to sell half or whole lambs.
Pork:
pigOur hogs are all born on farm, sired by our Berkshire boar, Socks. We have three sows, Curly Sue, Pinkie, and Blackie, and a gilt named Tuba (she will become a sow after her first litter is born). Piglets are born throughout the year and housed on the farm until they reach butcher size – this helps us ensure that we do not run out of pork to sell. All of our pork is a minimum of 50% Berkshire. This results in well-marbled meat that is juicy, tender and flavorful. Their feed is a proprietary blend that was designed for us by an animal nutritionist to give us the best quality pork that we can offer. As with our chicken feed, we have asked the mill to use the most local grain that is available to ensure the highest quality and nutrition possible. There are no chemicals, hormones or drugs in any of the feed used for our hogs. Pork is available in a wide range of cuts, as well as a delectable variety of sausages and smoked products. You can get yours each weekend at one of the farmer’s markets we attend weekly. Sorry, we are not able to sell half or whole hogs at this time.
walker farms siletz chickies3Our pasture raised chickens start out in brooders that keep them warm, separated from their waste, watered and fed wholesome feed that has no chemicals, preservatives, or drugs added. When they are old enough, they are put in movable pens in the fields. They are moved every night, so that they are on clean grass and have room to move around and enjoy their environment. In the field, the chickens are able to take in up to 30% of their nutrition from the grass – we provide the other 70% by supplementing them with a combination of brewer’s grain from the Rogue Brewery and a custom feed blend that is milled for us at Union Mills Feed in Mulino, OR.
The feed is a proprietary blend that was designed for us by an animal nutritionist to give us the best quality bird that we can offer. We have asked the mill to use the most local grain that is available to ensure the highest quality and nutrition possible. There are no chemicals, hormones or drugs in any of the feed used for our chickens or any of our other products.
Lamb:
twin-sheepLambs are born on the farm and raised in the pastures all their lives. Our lambs are completely grass fed and finished, eating grass from the pastures in the summer months which is supplemented with high quality hay in the winter. This results in a mildly flavored tender meat, unlike the gamey taste that many associate with lamb. Our lamb is available in most standard cuts, as well as a variety of sausage flavors and our extremely popular lamb pepperoni. Lamb is available by the cut at various farmers’ markets every weekend. Sorry, we are not currently able to sell half or whole lambs.
Pork:
pigOur hogs are all born on farm, sired by our Berkshire boar, Socks. We have three sows, Curly Sue, Pinkie, and Blackie, and a gilt named Tuba (she will become a sow after her first litter is born). Piglets are born throughout the year and housed on the farm until they reach butcher size – this helps us ensure that we do not run out of pork to sell. All of our pork is a minimum of 50% Berkshire. This results in well-marbled meat that is juicy, tender and flavorful. Their feed is a proprietary blend that was designed for us by an animal nutritionist to give us the best quality pork that we can offer. As with our chicken feed, we have asked the mill to use the most local grain that is available to ensure the highest quality and nutrition possible. There are no chemicals, hormones or drugs in any of the feed used for our hogs. Pork is available in a wide range of cuts, as well as a delectable variety of sausages and smoked products. You can get yours each weekend at one of the farmer’s markets we attend weekly. Sorry, we are not able to sell half or whole hogs at this time.