Darrel Winter, Winter’s Turkeys Dalemead, Alberta

“We eat turkey here six times a week.” Could there be a more glowing endorsement for an organic, free-range turkey farm than this? The testimonial is from the farmer himself as to the quality of the bird he raises. Darrel Winter is the third generation of his family to work the plains in the hamlet of Dalemead, about 45 kilometres southeast of Calgary. He took over the 480-acre spread of Winter’s Turkeys in 1976, ramping up an operation that produces the tastiest turkeys you can put on a table — antibiotic-free, hormone-free, MSG-free poultry weaned on a diet of whole grains and organic forage. “I guess you have to sort of differentiate yourselves in the market,” says Winter, slowly choosing his words like a man accustomed to speaking with the rhythms of the land. This isn’t factory farming where turkeys are penned tight as sardines in a sweltering box from birth to slaughter. They’re actually pampered, even twice a week having new bedding put down. “It’s like putting clean sheets on the bed,” laughs Winter. “They’re so happy jumping around and playing in their new straw. It’s a sight to see when they have new bedding.” Winter’s humane and comfortable methods are more expensive because they’re more natural. But it means a better turkey, a chemical-free product that’s as close to old-fashioned as you can get. “We don’t lose ownership of the bird until it gets into the wholesaler or customer’s hands,” notes Winter, just before excusing himself from conversation to take a call (after all, this is a 24/7 business) “Two and a half tons of supplement,” Winter says into the phone. “Yeah, that’s what I need. Will that get us through to Monday?” The numbers are enormous. But that’s the sort of bulk you need when you’re responsible for 24,000 turkeys and a diet that makes them plump, juicy, and naturally self-basting. Most commercial feed is nothing but pellets, which Winter likens to dry dog food or like swallowing Aspirin. The pellets soften up when they hit the turkey’s gullet and do nothing to help the bird’s digestive system. On Winter’s farm, it’s a more natural diet. They mix their own whole grain for the flock, which is supplemented with organic veggies such as chard or alfalfa grass hay (grown on site in a three-acre organic hay field). In nature, a bird will find grain rather than a bin of pelletized seed or processed seed. And that’s where they are at the Winter spread. His turkeys are outside much of the time, free to roam unrestricted, whereas on a factory farm the birds might never see the sunlight. The Certified Organic flock, kept separate from the strictly free-range birds, is an industry unto itself, expanding dramatically to meet consumer demand. Winter’s organic production doubled in 2007, then again in 2008. Bigger doesn’t mean letting individual birds balloon in size unnaturally, though. It’s all about keeping things in balance and letting the turkeys grow naturally, without being pumped full of growth drugs. “We don’t go overboard on the speed at which these birds are going to grow,” says Winter. “For us, the quality of the end product is the critical factor. If they grow a little slower, that’s an indication that the bird will be a little better.” A better bird is a better meal. Turkey meat is low in fat (the white meat is only 0.6 per cent fat) and easy to digest. And Winter offers turkey as a whole bird, smoked, ready-to-eat roasted, ground, as sausage, in pies, as pastrami, salami and even jerky. So just how good is a Winter’s Turkey turkey? “I would say the meat is flavourful, moist, and makes the best gravy you could imagine. For me (gravy) is a good measure of the bird,” says Winter. “I really think we have a superior product.”