Bob’s Turkey Farm in Lancaster, MA, raises and sells Broad-breasted White turkeys and turkey products all year long. For Thanksgiving, they are processing 6,000 turkeys.
By the first week of November they had already sold out of the pre-ordered small 12- to 14-lb. turkeys, but still had turkeys for pre-order in the bigger sizes of 14 – 16 or 16 – 18 lbs. – and up to over 30 lbs.
“The majority of turkeys are hatched late June or July to grow the bird,” said Susan (Van Hoof) Miner, who has worked at the farm on Old Common Road for 40 years. She takes care of retail and bookkeeping and anything else that is needed.
Her father Robert Van Hoof started the 11-acre farm in 1954 and raised his seven children there. He passed away in 2018.
“My brother, Richard, has been here full-time since he was 18,” said Susan. He is responsible for breeding, hatching and raising the turkeys. They both grew up helping their father. Susan’s daughter Jennifer helps out too.
Their family gathering for Thanksgiving starts early. To help with Thanksgiving processing, their brother John Van Hoof is on hand. Their sister Jean flew in the first weekend of November from Seattle, WA, to work with them and returns home after Thanksgiving. Family members book their vacations for helping out at Thanksgiving to have a crew of six plus additional help to get things done.
Susan (Van Hoof) Miner holding a ready for pick-up Broad-breasted White turkey raised at Bob’s Turkey Farm. Photo courtesy of the Van Hoof family
“My dad bought the specific breed of turkeys from a farmer that went out of business in the 1960s,” said Susan, and they continued to raise the succulent Broad-breasted White birds.
They breed, raise and process all their own turkeys. They are fed a well-balanced diet that contains no hormones or antibiotics. They are given vitamins and supplements to support healthy growth and development. It is their practice to have the turkeys pastured outdoors, spending as much time as possible in the natural elements. Come autumn, they start to have concerns about natural predators and inclement weather so the turkeys are primarily kept indoors.
The flock receives their feed in 300-lb. feeders which are available to them throughout the day. “The predators coming in for the feed scare the birds. We had to take the feed off the field to protect the birds and bring the birds inside,” said Susan. The last time they encountered intrusive bear problems was five years ago.
Bob’s Turkey Farm has a store that is open year-round and boasts many products prepared in their onsite kitchen, including but not limited to deboned roasted/rolled turkey and turkey breasts, turkey pies, turkey meatloaf, bone broths, soups, quiche, turkey kielbasa and turkey sausage. They’re all kept in five display freezers and walk-in freezers, as well as roasted squash, red mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy.
It should be noted, however, that they shut the kitchen down the second week of November to focus on preparing and processing the turkeys for Thanksgiving. They will have salads and sliced turkey available. Many buyers are repeat customers who make it part of their Thanksgiving tradition to visit Bob’s Turkey Farm.
For more information, access BobsTurkeyFarm.com.
by Laura Rodley
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