In this episode of the Grazing Grass Podcast, we're joined by Jeff Siewicki of Vital Mission Farm in South Carolina. Jeff shares his journey from raising 25 chickens for personal use to building a thriving regenerative poultry business focused on pasture-raised ducks and turkeys. With a background in science and no prior farming experience, Jeff candidly discusses how he learned everything from scratch—facing the steep learning curves of pasture poultry, selling wholesale to top chefs, and ultimately pivoting to a hyperlocal subscription-based model for direct-to-consumer sales.
Topics Covered:
- Starting with chickens, transitioning to ducks and turkeys
- Challenges and benefits of pasture-raised poultry
- Lessons from selling wholesale to restaurants pre-COVID
- Pivoting during the pandemic to direct-to-consumer sales
- Creating value-added products like duck prosciutto and pet treats
- Launching and refining a customized local subscription box
- Online marketing and building an effective digital storefront
- Advice for farmers on capturing leads and converting sales
Why You Should Listen:
If you're a grass-based producer exploring poultry, value-added products, or direct-to-consumer models, this episode is packed with practical advice and real-world experience. Jeff doesn’t sugarcoat the hard lessons learned, but he also shares the wins—from building customer relationships at farmers markets to crafting a high-margin subscription service. Whether you’re looking to improve your margins, expand product offerings, or shift from wholesale to DTC, Jeff’s story is full of inspiration and actionable insights.
Resources Mentioned:
- Vital Mission Farm
- Regenerative Success
- Premier1 Supplies (chick-safe netting)
Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute
Redmond
GBT Angus
Grazing Grass Links
New Listener Resource Guide
Provide feedback for the podcast
Website
Insiders
Resources (Coming Soon)
Community (on Facebook)
Check out the Apiary Chronicles Podcast
Chapters
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.