Blackbird Acres Farm, LLC

03/18/2026

It’s a frosty morning on the pasture.

Mornings like this always make us stop and think about where we’ve been—and where we’re going.

Here at Blackbird Acres, we’ve been working hard to restore this pasture so it can be a healthy, thriving place for our animals. Healthy land means better food—for us and for our community.

To us, this pasture means quality pasture-raised poultry and pork, fresh eggs, and the ability to provide food we truly believe in.

Every season brings progress, and every step forward matters.

This pasture is our future, and we’re grateful to be building it.

03/15/2026

Something that’s really important to us here at Blackbird Acres Farm is how we raise our laying flock.

Instead of keeping our chickens in one fixed coop, we use a mobile chicken coop that we move around the property.

This means the flock is always getting access to fresh grass and bugs which keeps them healthy and active.

It also helps protect them from predators and prevents the ground from getting overworked.

As the chickens move, they naturally fertilize the soil and help suppress weeds, which is a huge part of how we practice regenerative farming.

So the land benefits, the chickens benefit… and the eggs definitely benefit too.

Pasture-raised eggs like these tend to have deep orange yolks and higher nutrient levels, thanks to the diverse diet the hens get out here.

For us, it’s about producing healthy food in a way that supports the land, while providing a really incredible source of protein for our family and for our community.

03/12/2026

Not everyone can grow their own food. Not everyone has the space to raise animals. Not everyone knows how to bake sourdough—or has the time to do it.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy food that is healthy, nutrient-dense, sustainably raised, and free from toxic chemicals.

Yes, you can find good options at the grocery store. But there’s another way: supporting your local growers.

All across Idaho, small farms and farm stands are raising animals, growing produce, collecting eggs, and working hard to provide wholesome food for their communities.

We’re passionate about supporting local agriculture. Here on our farm we raise pork, turkey, eggs, and produce—but we know we’re far from the only ones. Idaho is full of incredible farmers doing the same.

If you own a farm (large or small!) or farm stand here in Idaho, we’d love to help people find you.

Drop your link below so our community can discover where to buy local, wholesome food. 👇👇

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CHFBUggoX/

Several major food processing, packaging, and manufacturing plants are scheduled to close or have announced significant layoffs in late 2025 and early 2026, driven by high operating costs, supply shortages, and shifting consumer demand. (See below.)

Folks, if you can, grow something. Patronize local growers and farmers. Preserver food. Stock your pantry. Food prices and quality are going to be volatile for some time due to a number of factors. Any buffer you can create will be worth the effort.

Get a printable storage life chart at https://commonsensehome.com/long-shelf-life-foods/

Major 2026 Food Plant Closures & Layoffs

Tyson Foods (Lexington, Nebraska): The company is closing its major beef processing facility in Lexington, effective January 2026, due to a severe, 70-year low in U.S. cattle supplies. The closure impacts approximately 3,200 employees, with limited, temporary operations continuing for some staff during the shutdown process.

Campbell's/Pacific Foods (Tualatin, Oregon): The company plans to fully close its Pacific Foods plant by July 2026, with production moving to other sites.

General Mills (Missouri): The company is closing three plants in Missouri as part of a restructuring: two in Joplin and one in St. Charles (TNT Pizza Crust), with closures occurring between late June and July 2026.

Smithfield Foods (Springfield, Massachusetts): The dry sausage facility in Springfield is closing in August 2026, resulting in nearly 200 union layoffs.

Del Monte Foods (Modesto, California): The company is closing its 140-year-old fruit cannery in Modesto, which will impact local peach, pear, and apricot farmers.

Refresco (Walla Walla, Washington): The company is shutting down its beverage manufacturing facility, previously a Welch's juice plant, with decommissioning expected by June 2026.

PepsiCo/Frito-Lay (California & Florida): The company plans to close a distribution center in Rancho Cucamonga, California (June 2026), and a warehouse in Orlando, Florida (May 2026), affecting hundreds of workers.

Cargill (Milwaukee, Wisconsin): The company plans to close its meat processing plant, laying off 221 workers between April and May 2026.

Snyder of Berlin (Pennsylvania): The potato chip plant is scheduled to close, with layoffs occurring around February 13, 2026.

03/11/2026

Big news from the turkey yard — our turkeys laid their very first eggs! 🥚🦃

This feels like the start of a new chapter here on Blackbird Acres Farm. Our hens are finally laying, which means we’ll be collecting about two turkey eggs a day for the next month or two!

These eggs won’t be going to the kitchen — they’re headed straight for the incubator. Our plan is to hatch and raise turkey poults, some of which will be available for folks interested in raising turkeys themselves.

The poults will be purebred Red Bourbon turkeys, a beautiful heritage breed known for their hardiness, calm temperament, and rich flavor. If you’ve ever considered raising heritage turkeys, we’ll also be sharing more information about the breed and what it takes to raise them as the season goes on.

The rest will be raised right here on the farm and offered as holiday turkeys later this year.

If you’re already thinking ahead to your Thanksgiving table, holiday turkey pre-orders will open again in October for a November pickup.

We’ll be sharing updates as incubation begins and little poults start arriving, so stay tuned for all the new life coming to the farm. 🐣

For updates about turkey poults for sale, holiday turkey pre-orders, and other upcoming additions, visit our website:
🌿 www.blackbirdacresfarm.com
— and follow along on our Facebook and Instagram, where we’ll also announce when poults and holiday turkeys become available.

The start of something new here at Blackbird Acres Farm, and we can’t wait to share the journey with you. 🦃🌱

03/03/2026

A sad business circumstance, but a great group of breeders ready to fill your chick orders! See post below for breeders you can contact directly. Growing your flock has never been easier!!

Hello poultry friends in Treasure Valley.
Important sad chick season update.

I'm sharing this post from my friend at Chicory Ranch cause what she said is basically everything I want to say. But I may add some.

The past few years several local breeders have enjoyed sharing unique, hard to find & show quality breeds by offering them to you through Meridian Feed Mill and having a “breeder drop off “morning that was seriously more like an event with friends. We have loved being there with you helping you pick out your farm dream floofs. Unfortunately going forward this will no longer be happening.

Last week we were informed(indirectly, not even personally) by the Meridian Feed Mill General Manager that we would need to accept different (and extreme in comparison to the past) margin in selling our chicks. This was done a week before our first day of chicks season with no previous discussion or preparation. Basically/ it’s my way or the highway.

The feed mill General Manager does not care about community nor has he ever, he is all about money. He also doesn't know how to treat people with respect, he had to make Jolene deliver this news because he himself isn't man enough to talk with us directly or try to come to a agreement that works for both sides. He put us in a rough spot because we've all been setting eggs to hatch for the mill now for weeks, so we have all these chicks that were promised to the Meridian Feed Mill sitting here at our place. I don't have room for all these chicks. I have room to keep them for a couple days until delivery. But he doesn't care about that. He also doesn't care about the fact my labor and cost of power to supply the store with these beautiful birds is eaten at my own cost unless I can sell these chicks and make up some of that.

My personal decision to not sell to Meridian Feed Mill is for a couple reasons. The first is that this was completely unprofessional in any business sense and disrespectful to the breeders who have supported and promoted Meridian Feed Mill as a business with great products and integrity for several years.

The second reason I have stepped back is that agreeing to their terms does not make financial sense. I already sell specialty breeds and lose money but I’ve been happy to break even if the community is exposed to fun breeds they would otherwise have to ship in - shipping poultry has become an expensive nightmare.

So- there it is. Bad news because of bad business practice and bad communication to people who were trying to create a community supported business. No more breeder days at the Mill and no local chicks sold there starting now.

But here’s the GOOD news:
now we will host our own events & with no middle man, yall are going to get wonderful chicks for great deals!! And no shipping!!!

Below are the breeders and what they have to offer.
Please contact them directly for chicks!!

Christine Girardi
Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiners
Speckled Sussex
Welsummers
White Rocks
Blue Andalusians
D’Uccles - blue, black mottled, blue mottled,
Buff and gold Sebrights
Bantam Cochins
Silkies - silkie, satin, frizzle, naked neck

Christine also has various heritage turkeys, many many types!

Kim Raley- Raley Farms
Splash Ameracaunas
English Buff Orpington,
Millie Fleur and porcelain d’uccles
Black Copper Marans

Chicory Ranch
Lavender Ameracauna
Buckeyes
Brabanter
Swedish Flower
Silkies, Satins & Sizzles

Wildhaven -Amy Moye
Silverudds
Wheaten/Blue Wheaten Marans
Mosaic
Salmon Faverolles
Welsummer
Vorwerk
CC legbars
Crele Penedesenca

My final note on this, is I truly hope the owners see this post. And the others, what the GM is doing is a slap in the face to what their dad believes in. Who is so passionate about people and community, I have met him, as some of you know I was a employee there and had the pleasure of speaking to him multiple times. I truly wonder if they know how he treats the mill and the employees there.

Everyone who has sold chicks at the mill has been a huge supporter telling folks about the amazing Feed (which is fantastic feed) and the fact that years back also supported local businesses (I guess not anymore) it's honestly just sad to see this is what has happened.

Send Jolene some support as this whole thing as been extremely depressing for her.

Thanks for your support!

03/02/2026

Our brooder barn is officially full of peeps 🐣

We welcomed 15 Bielefelder chicks from The Farm on Galloway and they’re already busy exploring their new space.
So grateful to support local farms and start this new flock the right way.

Welcome home, little ones 💚

02/24/2026

Good Morning, Friends 🌞,

Our hens have been busy and we currently have plenty of fresh eggs (currently 8 dozen with more coming daily) available! 🐓🥚 These are our farm fresh, free-range eggs, and our hens are fed a non-GMO diet, giving you wholesome, delicious eggs straight from our farm to your table.

Eggs are $5.00 per dozen + tax.

If you'd like to order, please call or text 208-546-9050. Texting is the best way to reach me and helps me respond the quickest 📱.

Delivery may be available depending on the day, or we can arrange a meet-up location that works for both of us. We’re happy to work with you to make pickup easy 🚗Local customers only, we do not ship eggs.

We truly appreciate your support of our small farm. It means so much to us and helps keep our hens happy and productive ❤️🐓

02/12/2026

High 50s in February?! Idaho really said ‘spring loading…’ 🌸

Because our fruit trees are already budding, we’re pruning earlier than normal while they’re still dormant. Farm life = adapting to whatever the weather decides to do.

01/27/2026

01/27/2026

01/24/2026

This is where it all began. Our humble beginnings. What started as a way to provide healthy food for our family, ended up becoming a love for the land, producing foods for our community, and a desire to live off the land.

This popped into my memories today. This was my garden in 2008. I started urban homesteading in 2006 with a simple 4 raised bed garden. I then grew it to much larger proportions and added chickens. My orchard was in the front yard. I grew quite a lot of veggies and taught myself how to can and preserve. I didn't have someone to teach me these skills, I am completely self taught. Library books were my go-to back then.

In 2020, we bought our 10 acre homestead and are living a life we've worked hard to achieve. Every day I walk outside to tend my land, I am reminded of my humble urban beginnings that began with a need to feed my family better. This need turned into a lifestyle and a business ( ).

I believe everyone can homestead no matter how small. It starts with one thing - grow pots on a balcony, a few raised beds in suburbia, a community garden plot, baking bread, cooking from scratch, learning one skill at a time.