Meet Abundant Pastures
Truly remarkable is an understatement when you step onto the farm of Matt and Lea Atkins. Nestled outside of Claremont, IL Abundant Pastures is home to pasture-raised poultry, lamb, beef and turkey. What stands out the most isn’t the livestock or even the carefully, detailed managed pastures but that their operation is being run alongside the help of their six young kids. The family farm is rooted in faith and built around hard-work.
For the Atkins family, the farm is both a business and a way of life. It is their livelihood and classroom. It serves as their sole source of income, but it is also the foundation of their family's values and daily routines. They take great pride in building their success together. Lea homeschools their children and every family member contributes to the operation, this fostering a shared lifestyle where each person plays a meaningful role in Abundant Pastures’ success.
From Left to Right :
Miriam, Isaac, Lea, Baby Naomi, Matt, Esther, Hannah, and Grace
More than a Farm The family Behind the Food
"There's nothing I'd rather have than time with my family," Matt explains. It's a simple statement, but powerful, its their foundation. One that becomes evident the moment you visit the farm. Whether caring for livestock, moving fencing, processing orders, or preparing for market, the family works together toward a common goal. Facing any challenges that arise, together.
Their children play an active role in the operation as well. Grace, the oldest daughter, helps with invoices, website management, and other business tasks while still finding time to enjoy one of her favorite parts of the farm—lambing season and being a kid. Isaac has become a trusted source of knowledge around the operation and often helps guide interns and other farm workers. Even the youngest member of the family, only a few months old, brings joy that reminds everyone why they work so hard, serving as a reminder of the life they have built together. Miriam has a special gift, pouring love and care into her younger siblings. Hannah and Esther also do valuable tasks, ranging from egg washing to helping fill customers’ orders.
The children don't simply help around the farm—they are growing up immersed in it. Alongside daily responsibilities, they are developing practical skills, learning stewardship, and gaining an understanding of the care and commitment required to raise food responsibly.
Miriam shows layer chicken
What makes Abundant Pastures Unique?
The Atkins family has a strong commitment to efficiency without sacrificing animal care. Their laying hens live in mobile pasture-based hoop-houses equipped with automated systems that provide consistent access to feed, water, light and nesting areas. The houses are moved daily to fresh pasture, giving the birds access to new grass while helping distribute nutrients naturally across the land.
The same thoughtful approach extends throughout the entire farm. The family's poultry program runs on a carefully planned schedule. Every three weeks, approximately 750 broiler chicks arrive on the farm and begin their journey through a series of pasture-based housing systems. These chicks spend their first weeks in heated brooders, where reliable propane heaters provide consistent warmth and peace of mind, even during power outages. As they grow, they move through the system and onto fresh pasture.
Matt has fine-tuned the process over the year. By managing lighting schedules and maintaining nearly 20 hours of daylight, the family has found a balance that promotes both healthy growth and efficient production. Birds are grouped according to size, allowing smaller birds additional time to grow while larger birds are processed first. Matt states - “So, everyone gets the chance to be the “big-bird”. The result is a system designed around both animal welfare and consistency.
The turkey flock follows a similar rhythm. The family raises approximately 150 turkeys at a time, primarily from spring through fall. By November, the birds have reached market weight and are ready for the holiday season, when demand peaks. Thanksgiving remains one of the busiest times of the year, with turkey breasts, drumsticks, and whole birds among the farm's most sought-after products.
Turkeys are raised alongside geese, which help deter predators.
Sheep and cattle rotationally graze together, utilizing the pasture efficiently while improving soil health and forage quality.
Feed is another area where the Atkins family has control. Rather than relying on a commercial feed mill, they grind and blend feed directly on the farm using non-GMO corn and roasted soybeans. While the nearest feed mill is a considerable distance away, producing feed themselves allows the family to know exactly what their livestock are eating while helping manage costs and maintain consistent quality. This level of oversight is uncommon and reflects their commitment to quality from start to finish.
Where feed is grinded and blended on farm
Males are tagged on the Right ear while Females are tagged on the Left
Sheep are run with cattle, they offer protection from predators and they are dead-end hosts to one anothers’ parasites - so nothing is transmittable cross species
Roots at the Heart of the Operation
The connection between healthy animals, healthy soil, and high-quality food is something the Atkins family understands deeply. Their management practices are designed not only to care for livestock but also to maintain and improve the land for the future. Animals contribute nutrients back to the pasture, fresh forage supports animal health, and the cycle continues year after year with rotation.
That same continuation shows up off-farm, in all aspects of the business. Over the years, Abundant Pastures has developed a loyal customer base that stretches across the tri-state region. The St. Louis area, in particular, has embraced the family's products from the beginning. Through regular trips to farmers markets and direct relationships with customers, the Atkins family has built a community of people who value knowing where their food comes from and who produces it.
Those relationships have become one of the most rewarding aspects of farming for the family.
Meat Chicks in Brooder House before going to pasture
Poultry Houses as they move along pasture, at their different stages. They are pulled with tractor as they weigh up to 1500lbs or more if chickens are in nest boxes! (5 Total: 1 Turkey, 2 Layer Hens and 2 Broilers) This field used to be row crop but now is thriving pasture!
Turkeys on Pasture with 4 geese protecting as more dominant bird
Faith Through the Challenges
Like many family farms, however, the journey has not been without challenges.
When a fire impacted their local processor, the Atkins family suddenly found themselves searching for an alternative solution. Rather than allowing the setback to derail their business, they adapted quickly and found a path forward. They remain grateful for the support they received and thankful the disruption was limited compared to what it could have been.
That resilience is a reflection of who they are!
The Atkins family has built something special—not simply a livestock operation, but a family-centered farm where every decision is guided by stewardship, quality, and a commitment to doing things the right way. When customers purchase products from the Atkins farm, they are supporting more than a local business. You are supporting a family that pours its heart, time, and energy into producing food they are proud to share with others. And perhaps most importantly, they are supporting a way of life centered on something increasingly rare: the opportunity to work together, grow together, and spend time together as a family.
Further showcasing the detail of Matt’s work; throughout the farm there is waterline run underground with a hydrant positioned to reach anyone with a 100ft hose to make watering easier and more efficient. The chickens water is weight censored and will re-fill the bottom rim as water is drank.
Abundant Pastures has experienced tremendous growth over the years, but that growth has not come without challenges. Through it all, Matt and Lea have remained committed to stewarding their land well and building direct relationships with the families they feed.
"Matt doesn't quit," Lea says with a smile. While growth can bring its own stresses, Matt takes a practical view. "I imagine shrinking and stagnation is stressful too, so might as well grow."
That mindset has helped carry the family through both opportunities and obstacles. More than anything, they enjoy connecting with customers, helping neighbors, earning trust, and bringing high-quality local food to more tables. In doing so, they are helping strengthen the local food system and creating a lasting impact far beyond their farm.
When asked about family favorites, the Atkins quickly mention brisket, steak, and halved turkey breasts. These products represent more than just popular cuts of meat—they reflect years of hard work, careful management, and a commitment to quality.
The trust they've built with customers may be one of their greatest accomplishments. One customer described Matt as "the most trustworthy farmer" they know—a compliment that speaks volumes about the integrity, transparency, and care that define Abundant Pastures.
