Zakarison Partnership Poultry Processing Workshop

2009 Food Safety Workshop

Zakarison Partnership

Chicken Processing Workshop, October 11, 2008

Pullman, Washington

Zakarison Partnership (Eric, Sheryl, Russell, and Elaine Zakarison) is a diversified eastern Washington crop and livestock farm. They produce wheat, barley, oats, hay, locker lambs and pastured poultry on their 600 acres north of Pullman, Washington in Whitman County. About one-fourth of their most highly erodible acres are in the Conservation Reserve Program in permanent grass cover. They are transitioning a small number of acres to organic certification, while at the same time experimenting with farming systems that are sustainable and drastically reduce petroleum and petrol-chemical inputs. In order to transition to organic farming systems, they are incorporating alfalfa/grass cover crops in rotation, along with Austrian Winter peas to increase soil fertility. Sheep and pastured poultry are used to harvest forage during the cover crop phase, and to control weeds during fallow periods. Some of their goals are to produce organic small grains by using direct seeding, minimizing tillage, raise crops with minimal petroleum consumption, and market the crops locally.

To reduce petroleum inputs, Eric is experimenting with draft animals – draft mules, horses, and oxen – which will be used for light tillage, planting operations, haying, hay feeding during the winter months, and log skidding in their woodlot. Eric is currently driving a mule/horse combination team, and has two “working steers” in training. These “solar tractors” are maintained with fuel produced on the Zakarison farm, including grass, grass hay, grain straw, and oats. To complete the farm power/nutrient cycle, all animal manure is spread back on their farm to enhance soil fertility.

Speakers: Eric Zakarison, Zakarison Partnership

Karen Killinger, Assistant Professor, WSU Food Science

Topics Covered