“Hutterites have always been farmers,” says Lone Pine Colony’s Peter Entz. “This is what we know.”  

Peter has invited us out to the colony and we’re in an unassuming office beside the barn, one of many blue-roofed buildings on a vast stretch of land about 20 kilometres northeast of Stettler, Alberta. Peter's great grandfather was a Mennonite in Europe but later joined the Hutterites, who practice rural communal living. Farming is in Peter's blood, and he's passed on his knowledge to his son Tony, who now runs the barns for Lone Pine chicken. And Tony's raising birds that are certified humane and antibiotic free. 

"We produce the original big chickens, like the ones you used to see growing up," says Tony. 

The key to getting quality birds is to give them the room and time to grow naturally, he says. At Lone Pine, the free run chickens are raised a full seven to nine weeks, roaming around the pens eating and drinking anytime they want. And to top it off, the birds are fed grains grown right on the farm. Read the full story here, and try Lone Pine's plump, premium chicken on Stockboy Special this month!