Free-range grower returns to roots on family farm

Three degrees of separation.

That's all it took, the temperature difference between 95 and 98, to doom half of Annie Keegan Filion's brood of 400 turkeys earlier this year. Turkey poults are extremely sensitive to warmth, and only 3 degrees cooler made them chilly despite the heat. They piled up and then smothered.

It was a heart-wrenching learning experience for her and Keegan-Filion Farm, the Lowcountry's only free-range producer of chickens and turkeys. The Colleton County family farm also raises pastured pork and grass-fed beef and sells fresh eggs and vegetables.

Although the turkeys would have been sold eventually, Filion took the loss hard. She is maternal and nurturing toward all the livestock. She frets if a bad storm comes up or if an animal is in trouble.

"She's good with animals, loves animals, so she takes a lot of care of them," says her husband, Marc. "She doesn't want to see an animal suffer, doesn't want to see an animal too cold or too hot. She does whatever it takes to see that they're as comfortable as possible."

To ensure, he adds, "that their life while here is good."

Starting anew

The couple didn't exactly plan on having a free-range chicken and turkey operation, although a farming life was their goal. But thanks to purpose and providence, Keegan-Filion Farm has come into its own in a relatively few years.

Charleston and Kiawah Island restaurants, now numbering 13, are the farm's primary customers. Up to 600 chickens are delivered to them monthly throughout the year. Keegan-Filion turkeys also will be on several of those menus on Thanksgiving Day.

(As for individual sales, pre-orders were made months ago. No more turkeys are available for this year.)

The turkeys are just one element of the farm that sprung up five years ago out of frustration and the desire for a fresh start.

In 2004, Annie Filion was re-evaluating her career. She had bumped up against the glass ceiling one too many times.

Out of high school, her first job was secretarial. Working for local distributors and manufacturers, Filion rose up the ladder to sales, then production planning and purchasing.

The jobs were challenging and rewarding for a time. Then she noticed that she was working as many hours as or more than her male colleagues, yet not getting the same title or recognition.

She enrolled in college and earned a business degree. "I just thought that maybe I'm being overlooked because I didn't have a degree. But that didn't help, really."

A new direction was in order. Filion landed on the idea of an organic market at the farm. She could work on her own and offer products not readily available in Walterboro. Her husband would stay at his full-time job and help on weekends and whenever he could.

They began with fruits and vegetables obtained from an organic supplier, then added free-range chickens purchased from Oaklyn Plantation in Darlington County.

Oaklyn proposed to Filion that she raise her own chickens. More chickens would ensure the survival of the processing plant. "But I'm perfectly happy getting my chickens from you," she told them. In the end, she decided to give it a go.

Local customers

Meanwhile, their market, six miles from Walterboro, already was losing business to large supermarkets that were getting in on organic produce. Keegan-Filion switched its focus to chickens, later expanding to egg layers, turkeys, pork, beef and vegetables grown on the farm.

The initial investment was 40 birds. Today, they have a minimum of 1,500 broilers on the farm at all times.

Chef-owner Mike Lata of FIG restaurant was the first local chef to buy chickens from the Filions and encouraged other chefs to do so.

The farm is important for a number of reasons, Lata says.

"One of them is, if you look at the major corporations that produce poultry, the way they handle and process their food, there couldn't be more things wrong with it."

Lata says buying from Keegan-Filion is putting back into the community and supporting sustainable farming practices as well.

"From every level, it feels good: from an economic standpoint to a holistic standpoint, and for the love of flavor. Annie's chickens are delicious," he says.

The poultry are housed in large, portable shelters called "chicken tractors." The shelters have no floors, allowing the birds access to fresh grass and insects. The tractors are moved daily to a new spot. A fenced-in area extending from each tractor expands the birds' living space during the day.

While the birds are confined to some extent, Filion says it's necessary to protect them from bad weather and predators such as foxes, hawks, coyotes and dogs. Most people think free-range means "you can just let the chickens out and be free," but they're too vulnerable, she says.

What about the reputation of the birds not being too bright?

"I think all animals are smart. I meet some obstinate ones that don't do what you want them to do. That doesn't mean they're stupid. They have a mind of their own."

Following in footsteps

"Chicken week" at the farm -- every other week-- is jam-packed with activity.

Sunday, the chickens are loaded into crates and put on the trailer. Monday is the trip to the processing plant, and the farm store opens in the afternoon.

Thursday is delivery day. And Friday, Filion picks up a shipment of baby chicks from the post office, just like her grandfather did years ago. The chicks need a lot of attention that first day.

Saturdays, for much of the year, they set up at the Summerville Farmers Market. That's when Marc gets to do his thing. "He's very passionate about the farm and what we do. That's his forte," says Annie.

The couple's goal is to launch an e-commerce site within the next few months to allow people to order their products online and have them shipped directly. They also want to start educational farm tours next year. Lastly, they hope Marc will be able to join her full time at the farm someday.

"Tomorrow would be great for him," she says with a smile.

Filion feels at home on the farm: It belonged to her grandfather, who sold eggs, grew vegetables and raised cows and chickens. She grew up right down the road and is proud to be reviving the family's farming past.

The work is arduous, the hours long, and there are plenty of days when the pigs or turkeys are out or the water's not working.

"Sometimes you get so wound up in the 'got to' that you miss the real beauty of it," says Filion. "But we do have those occasional days that we can say, 'Wow.' "

Teresa Taylor is the food editor. Reach her at food@postandcourier.com or 937-4886.