Big Wood River Family Farm
EMAIL: bigwoodriverfamilyfarms@gmail.com
OWNER: Samantha Westendorf
YEARS IN BUSINESS: One year in the West Central Mountains, 3rd generation Idaho family farm
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: Family owned and operated
WHAT THEY SELL: Idaho grown, pasture-raised chicken and lamb meat
What made you decide to start your business?
Tell us about what you produce and sell. What are your specialties? What is your current favorite or your customers’ favorite?
We specialize in pasture raised meats. On our small family farm, we have respect for our animals, and we take care to provide a healthy environment for them to thrive in. Our chickens and lambs are butchered at local USDA inspected facilities who air-chill our final frozen meat products. You can trust our meat to be pasture raised, fresh and free of unnecessary antibiotics and hormones. We strive to provide healthy animals and to put pure, healthy food on your table. All our chicken products were popular this summer, but the customer favorite proved to be our delicious bone-in chicken thighs!
Who are some of your customers?
What makes your business stand out?
We stand out because we provide pasture raised meat chickens in a local market where those products are difficult to find. We go above and beyond to ensure our meat is of the best quality from start to finish. With our products on the table, you can trust that your family will enjoy a meal that tastes phenomenal and supports natural, sustainable family farming practices in Idaho.
What challenges have you faced as a local producer? How have you met those challenges?
There is a long list of challenges that small family farms face today in this era of large-scale agriculture and corporate farming. We strive to provide a product that is natural, healthy, local, fresh, and affordable. The most difficult challenge we face is competing with the prices of grocery store meats. It is unrealistic to provide our products at grocery store prices, because those prices are a product of huge farms and feed lots who can afford to drive down their prices through sheer volume. We enjoy talking to our customers about our farming practices and encouraging them to try our products and taste the difference. Judging by the numbers of return customers, we are confident in our superior product, and we are grateful for the support of our loyal customers.
What do you feel is the impact of local producers and business owners in the West Central Mountains (WCM) or in Idaho, and what does the future look like for you?
It seems that local demand for local food products is transforming our food systems in Idaho. More customers seek out local meat products, and we are honored to supply what we can. The demand seems to be outstripping the supply statewide, and as our community transitions to thinking about food on a local scale, our farm intends to meet the demand while maintaining our small-scale family farming model. We don’t intend to sell our meat in large markets. We are committed to staying small and growing in ways that support the health of our animals, our environment, and our customers.
What do you enjoy most about owning a local business in the WCM? What excites or inspires you?
We love working together as a family to support sustainable farming practices and to provide healthy local food for our community. We are inspired by all the other local growers and makers who bring healthy and innovative fresh food to our table!
What is your relationship to the community? Do you support any organizations, or participate in any events?
Our family has been farming the same plot of land in Idaho for three generations. Our roots in our community run deep. Our family depends on Idaho’s open spaces, clean water, and community resources just like you. We are Idahoans focused on supporting our community through quality local food production that is safe, sustainable, and accessible for other Idahoans.
How important is sustainability to you and your business? Why is this important to you?
Sustainability is key for small family farming operations. Our farm cannot thrive in an unhealthy environment. We cannot afford the loss of animal and human health that comes with environmental degradation. We must give back to the land we grow on. This simple fact is demonstrated through our small-scale farming practices. We modernize and increase output only when and where we should in an effort to save natural resources and improve the health of our livestock. Sustainability means balancing the needs of our customers with the health of our home.
Kurt & Irene Westendorf, the 1st generation of Idaho family farmers.