About

Olive Hill is a small family farmstead located in the middle of rural central Michigan — just less than one hour north of Lansing, about 20 miles northwest of St. Johns.

Owned by a young family of four, the farm’s day-to-day operation is guided by the same principles on which it was founded when a flock of twenty-five chickens made their way into the family’s overgrown backyard as they set out to produce healthier, more humane meat for their dinner table.

Local – It doesn’t get more local than the grass that grows on the ground beneath the feet — hooved or otherwise — of Olive Hill’s animals, the same grass that comprises a majority of their diet. But even the supplemental grain they’re offered is locally grown and milled by a family-owned and operated elevator less than ten miles from the farm. All of Olive Hill’s products are also consumed locally and specifically produced to provide local families with good, affordable food.

Sustainable & Diversified – From the selection of the breeds of animals raised — those whose instincts remain strong — to the way in which they’re reared — living off local land and giving back to it in the form of natural fertilizer — we aspire to sustainability in every area of production. And part of attaining that lofty goal is rearing a wide variety of animals and plants, each one filling a specific niche, in our farm community.

Humane – Probably one of the single most driving forces behind the decision to found Olive Hill was a desire to consume only humanely produced foodstuffs and it remains one of the single most important pillars of the operation to this day. All animals on Olive Hill are treated with respect and compassion. Whether they’re destined for the table or not, they all become a member of the family for the whole of the time they spend with there.

Better Than Organically Grown – Olive Hill is not certified Organic with the USDA. Why? Because we have higher standards of production than they do. Did you know USDA Organic chickens can be raised in closed, crowded barns just the same way conventional chickens are? In fact, in order to produce USDA Organic products we’d have to radically change our entire set-up. And not for the better. We use no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. We do not routinely administer antibiotics, commercial wormers or synthetic chemicals of any kind to our animals. We just don’t believe in confining them to controlled environments for the sake of a federal label.

Heritage-Breed Based – We raise heritage breed animals wherever possible. Many of the breeds we seek to utilize are considered endangered by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Our decision to do so is two-fold. First, we raise heritage breed animals because, as mother nature intended, they are able to provide a more sustainable agricultural model. Second, we raise heritage breed animals because we believe their conservation is of dire importance to the future of not just our country, but the world.

Balanced – Unlike many small farms we do not seek to ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater’ as the old saying goes. Instead we strive to learn not just the do-nots from our bigger brothers and sisters in agriculture, but also to derive from them some of the dos. 98% of American farms are family owned, after all. We do not feel the wisdom and experience of any farmer should be discounted simply because of the size of his or her operation. Above all we aim to produce food in an efficient and pragmatic manner while maintaining our convictions and believe that farmers from all walks of life have something to offer in our journey to meet that goal.