Cameron Molberg started Greener Pastures Chicken in Elgin, where he is committed to providing the highest-quality, most ethical and affordable organic pasture-raised chicken possible.. His grandparents were people of the land and got him interested in organic farming. They provided food to the family from their farm and garden in Fredericksburg. Cameron started out in Austin with two restaurants with local and organic foods, but it was hard to find product for the restaurants locally. They had to bring it in from Mexico and California. This led him to work at a feed mill, which takes local grain product to supplement food for organic chickens and other livestock. Cameron also had an pasture production egg farm and went from 8 stores in one state to having eggs in over 250 stores over 11 states using contract suppliers. In 2015, Cameron started brainstorming about Greener Pastures Chicken. He met up with NFL player Von Miller in 2017, who used cleaner eating to rebound from an injury. They started building the Greener Pastures Chicken operations in 2018. Cameron showed us pictures and a video of the facilities. He described how they augment the environment for their chickens. They move the chicken houses throughout the pasture to rotate the feeding process and not denude the vegetation in one area. He showed a comparison to what larger organic farms do. Cameron also discussed the Cornucopia Institute and the Real Organic Project – both help uphold the standards of organic farming. Cameron described different labeling that they put on their chickens including the Real Organic Project. He currently sells chicken to restaurants, direct from their farm and on their website, but is hoping to increase how one can purchase their chickens. He says it takes hard work to get his product out into the community.
Cameron is on a mission to improve rural economic development in the Austin area. A native of the Dallas area, Cameron received his degree in institutional management, animal science and food technology from Texas Tech University. He began working with local farmers in 2007 as a manager at a startup organic restaurant chain in Austin, Texas. To address some of the shortages he recognized in local organic products, he then accepted a position with the first commercial organic feed mill in Texas and one of the largest organic pasture-based chicken farms in the state. Known to some as an “encyclopedia in blue jeans,” Cameron serves as a resource for farmers, consumers, and organizations across the country. He currently serves as Board President of The Cornucopia Institute, which engages in educational activities supporting the ecological principles and economic wisdom underlying sustainable and organic agriculture. He has also previously served as Treasurer of the Texas Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association.