Meet Zack.

Have you ever thought about, or I should say QUESTION something one day and everything changed the next?

 

I have.

 

My name is Zack. I have a beautiful wife, Haley, and four

wonderful daughters. Collectively, we run Oxford Acres.

 

If you were to visit our farm today, you may find chickens exploring, pigs grazing, and salves being made. We are a family who pulls together to run and manage a small yet growing farm, located in the beautiful woods of Southern Illinois.

 

2020.

Can I just begin with that? I don’t think it needs an introduction but let’s go with it…

Like most, our family watched the world change, QUICKLY! The news about a disease no one knew about, a shortage of toilet paper

(who knew…), and a sudden awareness of self-sufficiency or lack thereof.

 

 

The world had completely flipped upside down and I began to question things.

Lots of things, but one in particular is vaccines.

 

What about the vaccines that were going into our children?

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What about the vaccines going into the animals that WE are consuming??

 

At this point, I’m questioning the ENTIRE food system.

 

As you can see, I knew we needed to make a change, I just didn’t know where to begin.

 

The livelihood of our children has always been one of our top priorities.

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But was it everyone else’s?

 

Throughout that year we began reading articles, books, and listening to podcasts on how food would either heal our bodies or slowly kill it.

 

By the middle of 2021 we were ready to take the leap! We would raise our own meat.

 

 I read Joel Salatins book, Pastured Poultry Profits. Joel explained the incredible health benefits of raising “meat birds” on pasture.

 

I was hooked.

 

At the time, we were living in Indiana on a 9,100 sq/ft lot. That didn’t stop me though.

 

 We bought 50 Cornish Cross broilers that were one day old and began growing them in our garage. By 3 weeks old the chicks had almost tripled in size! Great!

 

The smell, however, was getting intense. I needed to move them outside.

I Macgyvered up a makeshift chicken tractor and began rotating them through my incredibly small backyard. At five weeks old, the chicks were growing rapidly.

 

I asked my parents, who had fourteen acres in southern Illinois if I could bring the chicks to their house. They agreed.

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 This time, I built a slightly better chicken tractor.  It was derived from scrap wood, bent cattle panels that I had found buried in the woods, line, a tarp, and some chicken wire.

 

It worked!

 

 At eight weeks old we butchered our first batch of chickens. We were able to put over 200lbs of meat in the freezer.

 

We felt so accomplished.

 

While transitioning the broilers from our house to Southern Illinois, we bought a small batch of egg-laying chicks from Murray McMurray Hatchery. We ended up with fifteen total chicks that would again grow in our small garage before free-ranging in our ever-so-tiny backyard.

 

By the spring of 2022 we had fifteen chickens, six rabbits, and three children running around in our little back yard. Haley was pregnant with our fourth daughter.

 

You can guess what we needed… more space!  Not to mention, the city of Mt Vernon didn’t allow chickens, so I had to do my best to hide them in plain sight.

 

As we were looking to grow, my parents were looking to downsize. They offered to sell their house to Haley and I. We took the opportunity.

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Since then, we have moved and continued to raise four incredible daughters, who continue to help around the farm.

 

We have now raised over 500 chickens, dozens of rabbits, sheep,

goats, and pigs.

 

I wake up every day and am so thankful for the life we get to live, the knowledge we have gained, and the questions I have asked.

 

I would encourage you to do the same.

 

Here at Oxford Acres, we grow quality meat to live a quality life.

 

Our Mission Statement:

 

"At our regenerative homestead, we are dedicated to cultivating a holistic and nourishing environment where we grow food free of synthetic inputs. Through mindful practices, we aim to harmonize with nature, fostering a resilient ecosystem that not only provides sustenance but also contributes to the health and well-being of our local community."