Meet Bruce and Susan Swabb | Pastured Chicken Farmer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bruce and Susan Swabb and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bruce and Susan, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
During the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, my wife and I became aware of how vulnerable our food supply chain was. Too centralized and controlled by too few big businesses! We also became more aware of just how poor and adulterated our food was.

We felt that we needed to do what we could to restore our local food chain, build a local community and greatly improve the quality and nutrition of our food. Even for our dogs.

What should our readers know about your business?
We raise chickens. The way we raise them is unique, Our hope is that in the near future, more families will raise them just the same way we do, so that they too can feed their local community.

After 38 years as an accountant, I finally got to shift over to my agriculture background with the startup of Uncle Swabb’s Pasture.

Our primary focus is raising chickens for meat – called “broilers.” We have also partnered with other local, like-minded farmers to bring pastured eggs and beef to our customers.

Our foundation is built on raising clean food locally. Our food is medication free – no antibiotics, growth hormones or new fangled vaccines. Our chickens are raised outdoors on grass and sunshine. They are kept in pens for protection from predators, but they get moved to a fresh piece of pasture everyday.

Grass (antioxidant) and sunshine (vitamin D) are all the medicine our birds need!

We work hard to get to know our customers. Turns out that the customer relationships are the most rewarding aspect of our small farm. We meet new people every week in Stuart and Loxahatchee. All of our customers are searching for trustworthy food and are extremely excited to know the folks who raised it. Nothing is more satisfying for Susan and me than being able to meet their needs.

To those readers with an interest in starting a small farm, I am happy to share our experience. There is such a great need to build the local food communities. This is a simple business. You just have to show up everyday single day. There are so many farmer’s markets that need local farmers.

We are not too far from reaching our full capacity. Our goal is not to get bigger bigger bigger. We want to find that level that provides a good income, keeps us fit and also maintains a first name relationship with our local customers.

We would encourage others to follow our model all over this great State of Florida. We pastured chicken farmers can help and mentor each other.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I could show my best buddy around my favorite spots (and had a nice budget for the fun!) I’d do the following:

Kissimmee airboat ride to see some old swampy Florida. Get up close to some big gators.

Launch our skill from Burt Reynolds Park in Jupiter, maybe stop off at Guanabanas for brunch or lunch, then head to the sandbar for some people watching – and check out all the great boats. Stop at one of the waterside restaurants for a cold refreshment.

Launch our skiff from Manatee Pocket in Port Salerno and work our way around the St Lucie River and intracoastal around to Pecks Lake. You can beach in the intracoastal side and walk across the dunes to the ocean side for a day at the beach.

Charter a fishing guide from one if the captains operating out of Pirates Cove Hotel and Marina. We would bring home some mahi and snapper for the grill.

One little restaurant we always love to share with friends is Gettin’ Crabby in Port Salerno. Fun atmosphere, great seafood, excellent microbrewery beer on tap. No better place to end a say of sun and fun.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We are grateful to so many people and are amazed at the immediate tangible response to our food community focus. Our customers at our two farmer’s markets are so loving and excited to find quality, clean trustworthy food. They guide us and we love getting to know them- for the long-term.

But the guy who is the foundation of most everything we’ve accomplished in this chicken business is Joel Salatin. Joel is one of the most important figures in our country with regard to regenerative farming and teaching us how to farm small again. Doing it without big machinery and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. An amazing man with a gift for teaching. Joel does not know us – I need to thank him personally for how he has transformed our lives.

Website: Uncleswabbs.com

Instagram: Uncleswabb

Image Credits
Bruce Swabb