Alaska Ag......Plucked Again

In the scramble to make a buck in Alaska agriculture, many folks have tried various business models, inventive production techniques, attempted new crops and a wide range of assorted scams and dubious transactions have all had their place here. Sometimes, the only way to tell the difference is by the trail of victims left behind.

One such victim is a relatively unknown supporter of Alaska ag, who is, in his own right, an astute businessman with many years of successful history in the corporate world.  Just how this otherwise perceptive individual fell prey to one of our shining champions of locally grown, is unknown.....but fall he did:

Over 2,600 whole frozen chickens, abandoned into his care. And he is has been (reportedly) plucked himself, to the tune of over $90,000.00. The local champion has recently posted on social media that "their visions no longer" matched or words to that effect.  I have no doubt that the business man wanted to get paid for his services and investment, and the producers (who may or may not be paid) were sure that their hard work was happily sold into the fast growing Anchorage market.  But the truth is in the photos here, and tell a different story.

However, take a close look at this label:

A simple bar code does not an inspected chicken make.  Despite oral claims and fancy sales pitches, the co-op does not meet any USDA standard. And in fact, many of the weights are wrong, many by nearly four ounces.

The requirements for actual exempt labeling are:

So, there you have it. 2,600 improperly labeled, improperly weighed chickens, evidently produced *without* a ready market.  If there had been a ready market, they would not exist.....proving that the ground work for local poultry was not adequately researched, and that either the price point is beyond the market, or the demand for this specific product does not meet production-or a combination of all three.

Plucked, indeed, and a mighty shiner on the face of our local champion.