Yearly Final Harvests: Chickens and Honey at Berryton Home Farm
Busy Busy Busy!
These past two weeks at Berryton Home Farm, we closed out the year’s final chicken harvest and completed our August 2 honey harvest, two milestones that tested our regenerative system’s adaptability in a scorching Kansas summer. My full-time job at the City of Topeka and Sally’s role as a full-time mom and homemaker keep our operation lean, demanding efficiency in every task. The Kansas heat has pushed us to innovate, but our experiment succeeded, and a bountiful honey harvest—over 1,000 pounds—reinforced our commitment to land and community. These efforts, rooted in regenerative principles, show what’s possible when we work with nature’s rhythms.
The chicken harvest was an experiment to raise our usual number of birds while beating the intense heat. Near-fully grown chickens generate significant body heat from their dense meat, which, paired with high summer temperatures, can be deadly. Mass losses are not only heartbreaking but economically disastrous, as we’ve invested heavily in feed, time, and care by this stage. A single heatwave can wipe out a flock, erasing weeks of work and threatening our livelihood. This year, hotter than most, tested our resolve. We adjusted our schedule, growing and harvesting all our batches before August to avoid peak heat, and relied on our mobile coops, moved daily to fresh pasture. The chickens grazed on clover and bugs, staying cool and healthy in a system inspired by regenerative grazing pioneers. Our core team, seasoned from years of harvests, worked with precision at our shaded processing station, finishing by midday. The birds, now in the walk-in freezer, are ready for Topeka area customers who value pasture-raised meat. This success preserved our flock and land, proving that careful planning can outsmart even the toughest summers.
Over the weekend, we turned to our hives for the honey harvest, a critical task timed for August 2. Cooler weather set an ideal stage, and the bees’ cooperative mood eased our work—a relief, as an Englishman, I find the heat in protective bee suits nearly unbearable. Our hives, bearding heavily from strong colonies, promised a robust yield. Saturday afternoon brought a slight weather shift—rising humidity and a breeze—that agitated the bees, making them defensive. We adapted, moving inside to extract the honey supers that we had harvested during the morning keeping the harvest on track. Our new uncapping tank, a major upgrade from hand-uncapping’s slow grind, transformed the process and we were able to get four people uncapping at once. It also holds storage for the extractor which means we didn’t need to slow down as the honey was spinning out of the frames. Wax and honey flowed seamlessly to the extractor, cutting hours off our work. Friends and family joined us, their hands lightening the load as we pulled over 1,000 pounds of wildflower-rich honey, its deep prairie flavor a testament to our thriving hives and pollinated pastures.
We also prepped the hives for winter, a crucial step to ensure the bees’ survival. We checked frames for brood health, added medication to control the dreaded Varroa mites, drawing on lessons from past seasons. This preparation aligns with our regenerative ethos: strong bees pollinate the clover that feeds our cattle, which enrich the soil through grazing. The chicken harvest supports this cycle, as their scratching builds soil health, creating a loop that sustains our farm year-round.
The heat’s challenges—whether for chickens or bees—underscore the stakes of our work. Losing a flock to heat stress or mismanaging a hive risks not just products but the delicate balance we’ve built. Our mobile coops, simple tools, and new equipment like the uncapping tank reflect our commitment to efficiency, letting us focus on land stewardship while juggling busy lives. The support of our community, from helping hands to loyal customers, makes this possible. We’re not just raising food; we’re building a system that endures, one pasture, hive, and harvest at a time.
Visit www.berrytonhomefarm.com/farm-store for our latest honey and pasture-raised pork. Sign up for our newsletter for updates on winter prep. If you’re in Topeka, call to visit—see the hives, the pastures, and the land we’re preserving together.