In 1989, Bill Callahan walked away from a lucrative career in the computer field to take a chance in farming. Today, the 60-year-old Mifflinburg resident is thriving in the midst of a burgeoning local food movement, selling his pasture-raised meats, including turkeys, through area farmers markets and fine restaurants.
He started out raising beef on pasture as an economic way to utilize nearly 50 acres of grass; soon he added chickens. “I grew up on a farm. I knew what stuff was supposed to taste like, and the stuff coming out of the supermarkets wasn’t it,” he said, smiling in his typical, easy-going manner.
He believes the best-tasting meat takes time. Others produce meat faster, “but you lose the flavor that comes with maturity,” he said.
There’s also the fat content.
“People have lost sight of the fact that Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s are fatty acids. … If you don’t have fat, you don’t have them.” (Omega 6 and Omega 3 are essential fatty acids, which means human bodies cannot make the acids on their own and have to obtain them from food.)
About 10 years ago, he noticed more people taking an interest in pasture-raised meats. Many people with chronic diseases began searching the Web for alternative treatments.
“One of the first things they found was the connection between food and health and, at that point, began searching for alternative sources of food,” he said. “That was when we became really convinced that we had a marketing opportunity here.”
Ironically, his business doesn’t have a Web site, and there isn’t any advertising other than word of mouth. Despite the recession, business is good.
“We have more opportunity than we have production,” said Callahan.
Today, pastured pork represents half his sales.
Sausages and cured hams are made by Troutman’s Market in Middleburg. Hot dogs and bacons are prepared by Leona Meats of Troy. Leona Meats also makes his kielbasa, based on an old recipe obtained from Polish immigrants living in Youngstown, Ohio.
“They had a tradition where every Christmas they’d make a batch of kielbasa,” he explained. “They’d dig a hole in the back yard and smoke it. … If you knew them — and if they liked you — you might be able to get some. It had a flavor that was very, very memorable.”
He’s also one of the area’s largest producers of pasture-raised turkeys.
“I don’t range them to save money on feed, I range them because it makes a healthier bird. They have more texture and they’ll have a better flavor than one that’s been raised indoors.”
This year, he’ll sell more than 200, and demand is increasing.
A turning point
Market days are fun for Callahan, and he greets each customer with a smile. His friendly manner is conducive to conversation, particularly about food and farming, two of his favorite subjects.
Although he’s surprised at the rapidity and strength of the local food movement, he’s quick to point out: “As food issues and health issues become more prominent in the press, people begin to look for these alternatives.”
Several years ago, while selling at the Boalsburg farmers market, he noticed a number of his women customers were expecting or had small children. It was a “turning point,” impressing him with the tremendous responsibility born by all food producers.
“I think a lot of the problems in conventional agriculture would solve themselves if producers had to hand their product to the consumer, or that woman with the three small kids. All of the sudden it becomes very real, and you start to question what you do and what you consider to be good enough — the bar gets a lot higher, a lot quicker.”
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Where to buy
Farmer Bill Callahan’s meats are served at the Herdic House Restaurant in Williamsport and Elk Creek Cafe & Ale Works in Millheim. He also sells at the Susquehanna Valley Grower’s Market in Lewisburg and the Boalsburg and Millheim farmers markets, in Centre County.
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Bill Kavanaugh/For The Daily Item
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