Producer Profile … Numurkah Turkeys
Hill Street recently spent time with Trish Simmons, Turkey Farmer at Numurkah Turkeys in country Victoria, to find out a bit more about life as a turkey farmer and what makes her turkeys so good.
A family affair
Trish Simmons and her husband Ian have been farming turkeys for around 30 years in Numurkah, Victoria, about 40 km out of Shepparton, near the NSW border. Numurkah has a population of about 5000 people and Trish says it’s a nice country town. Today two of their children, Jodie and Ashley, also work on the farm, as well as two additional team members. So, it’s a very hands-on family-run operation.
Trish and Ian raise turkeys from one-day-old chicks and grow them according to the sizes required. A 3kg turkey will be around 8-10 weeks old, a 6-7kg turkey about 13-14 weeks old and a very large turkey of about 15kg will be 16 or 17 weeks old, which they have supplied for people celebrating American Thanksgiving.
What makes Numurkah Turkeys better?
Trish thinks that what makes Numurkah Turkeys better than other turkeys in the market is the way they grow them. Their birds are not caged, but housed in large sheds where they can go outside during the day. At night they are kept warm with curtains that are drawn across the sides of the shed. They spend most of their time walking around being free. Trish says they’re happy birds and are nice and placid.
Another big difference with Trish and Ian’s turkeys that Trish believes makes a difference, is that when it’s time for the turkeys to be processed, they are walked to the processing facility, which is on-farm, rather than caged up and trucked a long distance as other growers do. Trish believes that this means the birds are not stressed, and this results in a better-quality product.
Trish and Ian send their turkeys into Melbourne every Wednesday where they supply many butchers and poultry sellers. They’ve supplied Hill Street for several years ever since commercial turkey production ceased in Tasmania and Marco reached out to his cousin Nick Kavouras, who was then running a poultry store in Camberwell Market. Nick put Marco in touch with Trish, and we’ve worked together ever since.
What’s on Trish and Ian’s Christmas table this year?
With four children and 14 grandchildren, Christmas is a big affair in the Simmons family. And yes, the Simmons will serve turkey, as well as other meats, on Christmas Day. Trish likes to do a turkey roll filled with turkey mince, and either a cranberry or apricot and macadamia stuffing. On the side will be roast potatoes, pumpkin and cauliflower, followed by a plum pudding, and a well-deserved, good lie down!
