Local Farm Makes Quality a Tradition
ALLEGHENY TOWNSHIP-Pounds’ Turkey Farm has been a fixture in the WEDIG region for three generations.
Family owned and operated for 70 years, the Allegheny Township farm has made what used to be more of an art into an exact science, meeting requirements and becoming state-certified to ensure their quality products will be available for years to come.
In addition to providing its own turkey and beef, Pounds' farm market also boasts other local offerings like eggs, Sand Hill pies and seasonal produce.
The goal is simple, Bev Pounds said, to provide customers with a variety of delicious and nutritious products.
She is one of three owners and operators at Pounds Turkey Farm.
“We accomplish this goal by paying special attention to the details—from raising our flocks and herds to processing and packaging, we are involved from beginning to end,” she said.
In an age where the use of growth hormones, antibiotics, and other additives has become an industry standard, the Pounds’ aim for ‘all natural’ relies on immaculate cleanliness and spacious coops and barns.
The Pounds family lives on site, which further illustrates its commitment to farm and market.
Cleanliness in the operations is one of the important parts of the family owned business, according to Tim Pounds, another owner of the farm and business.
Pounds’ Turkey Farm is a member of various organizations such as Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.
“We raise our flocks and herds the old-fashioned way,” Bev Pounds said, explaining that the Pounds’ turkey and cattle are raised at a slower pace, allowing a more natural development and better health.
Though this requires more time and investment, she said, the result is a superior product.
In addition to the celebrated holiday turkeys, more than 60 turkey products are processed at the farm. Favorites include hickory smoked turkeys and breasts, smoked bacon, snack sticks, deli meats and ground turkey sausage.
Pounds’ has consistently won awards at the Pennsylvania Association of Meat Processors annual competitions. Among past honors are Pounds’ homemade turkey potpies, which were recognized as the competition’s Grand Champion Winner in 2005, homemade cranberry sauce and turkey snack sticks with hot pepper cheese.
The Pounds family is proud to do work that helps nourish the surrounding community, and the owners are happy to open up its doors to that community, too.
Those efforts include regular taste-testing open to all on Fridays and Saturdays and also tours. Available during the fall, the tours allow scout troops, families and schools to see Pounds’ turkeys, coops and equipment, and learn about the daily routine.
Fresh turkeys are available at the farm or at about twenty Pittsburgh area markets during the Thanksgiving & Christmas holidays. Frozen turkeys are available from the farm year round. Nutritional information and cooking tips are also available at www.poundsturkeyfarm.com.
The Pounds’ Turkey Farm Market, located at 4200 Melwood Road, Allegheny Township, is open Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Though samples are available to customers anytime during operating hours, on Fridays and Saturdays Pounds’ Farm Market offers taste tests of a variety of products.
More information on Pounds’ Turkey Farm is available by calling 724-845-7661, visiting the farm’s website at www.poundsturkeyfar.com or by sending an email to bpounds@poundsturkeyfarm.com
Photos courtesy of Pounds' Turkey Farm.
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