World Egg Day

Next Friday, October 12 is World Egg Day. It was founded by the International Egg Commission (in Vienna in 1996. The idea behind the day was raising awareness across the world, of the important place eggs have in human nutrition. The first webinar on setting up a free range farm is planned for World Egg Day next year – Friday October 11 if sufficient funds are raised in a crowd funding appeal by Freeranger Eggs of Grantville, South Gippsland. The farm already has an eBook available for anyone who wants to establish a genuine free range farm. The crowd funding appeal is at https://www.gofundme.com/2tar52c

setting up a free range farm webinar on World Egg Day

We will run our first webinar on setting up a free range farm on World Egg Day next year – Friday October 11, assuming our crowd funding appeal is a success. World Egg Day, celebrated on the second Friday in October, was founded by the International Egg Commission in Vienna in 1996. The idea behind the day was raising awareness across the world, of the important place eggs have in human nutrition. The crowd funding appeal is at https://www.gofundme.com/2tar52c The webinars will be free for participants and everyone who registers will receive a copy of our eBook on setting up a farm.Free range egg production can be sustainable and ideal as a stand-alone business venture or to enhance income on an existing enterprise.

World Egg Day - a 'free range' definition

The definition of 'free range' will be a key feature of World Egg Day in Australia. At last, thanks to the Federal Court, there is now a specific definition which will be explained at an Open Day being held at Freeranger Eggs in Grantville this Friday and again on Saturday at the Farmers' Market at the Old Cheese Factory in Berwick.
One of the details in the judgement by Justice Geoffrey Flick  when he approved a fine of $300,000 for the mislabelling of eggs by Pirovic  Enterprises is "any free-range claim must be backed by farming conditions and practices ...under which hens actually move about on an open range each day.  Here's a piece run by ABC radio in Gippsland.
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/10/05/3863085.htm

Open Day today

Well the day has finally arrived. Our Open Day at the Freeranger farm to show how a real free range farm operates. Low stocking densities, plenty of space for the hens, unlimited access to pasture, the hens are never locked up, only natural grains are fed with no meat meal or colouring additives etc. etc......

Hopefully we will be able to get the message across to consumers that there are plenty of eggs out there labelled as free range which don't meet expected standards or labelling requirements.

Freeranger on ABC Radio

ABC Gippsland reporter Jenni Henderson came to the farm last week to record an interview about our farm Open Day this Sunday. She did an excellent job and the interview was broadcast on various ABC radio stations this morning. It may well be on Country Hour throughout Victoria at midday.
Details:
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/10/05/3863085.htm

Freeranger Open Day

Rather than print hundreds of pages for visitors to take away on our Open Day on Sunday October 13, all Fact Sheets are available on our website as downloadable PDF's

They can be accessed at: http://www.freeranger.com.au/fact-sheet-downloads.html

This is in keeping with the farm's environmental policy to limit unnecessary waste. We haven't quite achieved a paperless office - but we are getting pretty close.

The Open Day is designed to celebrate World Egg Day and showcase free range egg farming.

Open Day to celebrate World Egg Day

World Egg Day is on the second Friday in October every year - so this year it's October 11. To mark the occasion, we will have an Open Day on the Freeranger Egg farm at Grantville on Sunday October 13. (An open day on a Friday probably wouldn't work and we can't do the Saturday because we have two Farmers' Markets. So Sunday the 13th it is!
We will be able to demonstrate how a genuine free range farm operates with low stocking densities; without the need for feeding pellets containing meat meal and colouring additives; without beak trimming the hens and without having to lock our chooks up - even at night.
The Open Day is in addition to workshops on starting a free range egg farm which are run throughout the year on the Grantville property. The last one was as part of Fair Food Week a couple of weeks ago. (We will probably run another workshop in November but we haven't set a date yet).
We will get information kits together for visitors to the farm Open Day to take away with them.

The first World Egg Day, organised by the International Egg Commission was celebrated in 1996.
Much more info later.
http://thinkegg.com/index.php/world-egg-day/?lang=en

World Egg Day in October

Every year on the second Friday in October, it's World Egg Day, a campaign developed by the International Egg Commission to promote the consumption of eggs.This year it's October 14 and there will be a range of events here in Australia as well as around the rest of the world.
Here's the link for more info:
http://www.thinkegg.com/worldeggday.asp#
Now that medical researchers have come to their senses and recognised that eggs are good for us (even the Heart Foundation has given eggs the tick of approval), eggs are being included as part of a healthy diet.
My favorites are poached and scrambled, but I like eggs any way - as long as they are free range.The nutritional value and taste are far superior to eggs produced on factory farms. Those intensive facilities which call themselves 'free range' but debeak (or beak trim) their birds should also be classed as factory farms, because the hens cannot forage properly. They can generally only eat feed provided for them in pans or trays - so the eggs they lay are nutritionally identical to cage laid eggs where the chickens can only eat that same food. Genuine free range birds with full beaks are able to supplement their diet by eating worms, spiders, grasshoppers etc  - all the things they are supposed to eat and which add to the nutritional value of their eggs.

Here's one Chinese treat you could try to celebrate World Egg Day: Thousand Year Eggs Take a dozen or so raw chook eggs and add a few ingredients, including ash, salt, clay and lime. Then, bury the whole eggs in the ground (a pot filled with soil will do) for a thousand years or so (the recipe calls for 100 days). Then, dig them up and munch away. Both the white and yolk will have a grayish, dark colour. The yolk will have a green hue or tint. Some find the grayish green yolk unattractive (I can't think why).
I'll defnitely pass on that. But if anyone wants to give it a go, please let me know how you went!!!