If you are concerned about the issue of carbon footprint, ask the producer of the chicken you buy where the grain on which they were raised came from. Our chickens are raised in barns and processed in facilities that were literally built in corn and soybean fields. Since every pound of chicken in a package takes between two and three pounds of corn and soybeans to produce, the math is simple: It takes far fewer non-renewable resources to transport packaged chicken than it does grain. Why? The vast majority of feed grains produced in this country are produced in the Midwest, and corn and soybeans are the dominant feed sources for chickens. We determined that the best location was in an area where no other poultry company had chosen to operate-in the heart of the Midwest. Environmental concern with issues such as local production and reducing one’s carbon footprint hadn’t really taken hold in 1998, but even then we believed in operating in the most sustainable way possible and with a keen eye to preserving natural resources. Instead, we took a much broader view, opting to locate where the natural resources necessary to operate to our standards were most readily available, and available in a manner with the least potential adverse impact on the environment. After all, the industry labor and influence were well established in those areas. The easiest choices were to go where everyone else was: the broiler belt in the Deep South, the eastern shore, and the West Coast. Our first issue was where to locate our operations. We appreciate the challenge to stay ahead of the pack-a challenge that drives us to get better and better it does not, and never will, tempt us to cut corners or settle for anything less than the best. We have been pleased to see that several producers have subsequently tried to emulate many of our principles and processes, and we welcome those developments. This summary describes many of the things we do differently than the industry and explains why we do them that way. There are always improvements and enhancements to be made, and our quest to be the best and to continue to raise the bar will never end. We’ve also learned a great many things along the way, including the fact that the job is never done. We have restored taste to store-bought chicken in this country, and we take great pride in that accomplishment.
We knew we would have to be able to do things efficiently, but we also believed that consumers would be willing to pay a little more for a superior product produced with these principles in mind. Further, we believed that we could do so while keeping a careful eye on the environment and on the sustainability and renewability of the resources we would need to access.
We believed-and we still believe-that the right way includes the proper treatment and care of our chickens and also our people, and the utmost care and discretion in how we process and package our product. Not necessarily the easiest, fastest or most efficient way. In other words, to do things the right way. We set out to study every step involved in raising and processing chickens so as to define and then implement methods which we determined would result in the highest quality finished products. Tecumseh Poultry was founded in 1998, based on a simple goal to produce the best fresh chicken in the United States.
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