FROM THE FIELD: Cindy Madsen of Audubon

Finding her niche in a nest

When Cindy Madsen started raising chickens 15 years ago, she was looking for something she could do on the farm with her three growing boys. Now her youngest, a senior at Audubon High School, is leaving the nest -- and Madsen -- with a brisk business.

Madsen sells approximately 2,500 Cornish Rock broilers every year, and plans to expand her Audubon County operation this summer. Most of her sales are by order from a growing customer base developed by word-of-mouth and selling at the Des Moines Farmers Market the past several years. About two-thirds of her sales are within 30 miles of the Madsen Stock Farm, operated by Cindy and her husband Vic, about 80 miles west of Des Moines. The poultry business supplements their livestock and grain operation.

"A farm can be a dangerous place for children," Cindy recalled. "I was looking for something that would be fun and that they could help out with. We also were looking for something that didn't require a lot of expensive facilities or equipment."

Madsen has been happy to fill a niche market for "natural" poultry. Like the hogs that Vic raises in hoop houses, Cindy's chickens eat corn grown on the farm (they do not plant genetically-modified crops). They also do not use sub therapeutic antibiotics or growth hormones in livestock feed.

The result is a product that sells for about $1.50 per pound, compared to an average supermarket price of 89 cents. She also sells eggs from her flock of about 60 layers, also priced about 25 percent above the supermarket price.

Madsen was one of the speakers who offered advice and encouragement at a poultry niche workshop in January that was planned by the Leopold Center and Iowa State University Extension. More than 75 people from several states including Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois participated in the half-day program.

"Probably our most-asked question is: How do we price our chickens?" she said. "But the cost of production is a lot more than feed and processing and I think our customers understand that. I've never had anyone complain about the price. They know it takes a lot of time to raise chickens 'the old-fashioned way' like Grandma and Grandpa used to do it."

Madsen's chickens are hand-fed and watered and she cleans out buildings manually.

A good location also has contributed to her success. She is within easy driving distance of a major metropolitan area yet only 10 miles from a licensed processing facility, Hansen Poultry of Kimballton. Availability of a state-inspected facility is one of the biggest obstacles for Iowa producers.

Another challenge is developing the market. "It takes several years to build a customer base and a lot of people underestimate the time involved," she said. "You really need to like people and you must be available when they want the product."

Madsen has a mobile food license as well as a warehouse license, which allows her to keep birds in freezers located in an enclosed shed. Taking advance orders and keeping an e-mail list of customers also has helped her business grow.

The venture has taken more time than expected, but has it fulfilled its original intent? "Oh yes," she answered quickly when asked. "I love to do it."

More information for producers on the web

Information for producers and others interested in developing niche markets for poultry is now available at the Leopold Center web site, http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/nwl/2002/2002-1-letter/poultry.htm. The information was gathered for a half-day workshop in January to explore market challenges and opportunities in Iowa for organic, pasture-fed, free-range, antibiotic-free or other poultry raised with a unique story under special conditions. One of the newest resources is a 2002 publication from the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. The publication, Profitable Poultry: Raising Birds on Pasture, also is available online, http://www.sare.org/bulletin/poultry>.