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| MoneyMonday, November 12, 2007 5:42 PM CST |
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Saunemin teen makes Thanksgiving staple his business
SAUNEMIN -- Saunemin teenager Jeremy McWilliams figures he’s got a good 10-year start on most young business owners. He started his turkey business five years ago at the tender age of 11. What began as small operation with 36 turkeys had grown to the “good size” of as many as 300 turkeys earlier this year, McWilliams, 16, said. He imagines he’ll have a “pretty big” business by the time he’s 21, as opposed to what it would be like if he didn’t begin work until adulthood. “You’d be that many years behind. It gives it a nice head start,” said McWilliams, who also sells chickens and eggs through his venture, Little Farm on the Prairie. McWilliams wants to get another head start this year as he works to expand farther south into the Bloomington market and reach more customers who want a locally raised, fresh turkey for Thanksgiving. “We’ll have a place in Bloomington for people to pick up,” he said. Expanding business McWilliams also will have his white broad breasted turkeys for sale at County Market in Pontiac for the first time this year. Frontera Grill in Chicago will buy turkeys for the second year in a row. “When we first started, it was more like a hobby,” McWilliams said. “It’s a business now.” The teenager is fairly nonchalant about his success at such a young age, saying he doesn’t think about it much. “It’s nice. A lot of people that age don’t have their own business,” he said. But Greg Besgrove, store director at Pontiac’s County Market, knows it’s highly unusual work for a 16-year-old. “There’s a lot of adults you don’t see with that kind of ambition. It’s neat to see,” said Besgrove, who also carries McWilliams’ eggs and chickens at his store. “He’s got a great future in front of him.” McWilliams does the farm work, but he has his dad to thank for the idea. McWilliams had a paper route to earn money when his family lived in Ottawa, but he needed a new source of income when they moved to a farm in Dwight. Larry McWilliams suggested his son raise and sell turkeys. “I always liked animals,” McWilliams said. “I was willing to give it a shot.” The experiment worked, so the next year, he got more turkeys. Last year, he nearly sold out his 250 to 300 turkeys. He started this year with 300 turkeys but lost 100 in a summer flood. The business expanded through word of mouth and advertising, McWilliams said. He’s sold a lot of turkeys to family, friends and his dad’s handyman business clients. He’s also had help from Stewards of the Land, a Fairbury-based group dedicated to helping and training farmers, including kids. Five people younger than 16 are now involved in Stewards of the Land, said Marty Travis, who started the group with his wife, Kris, and also farms Spence Farm in Fairbury. It’s refreshing to see kids like McWilliams set goals and do a good job, he said. “He’s just an impressive young man,” Travis said. “I think he’ll go pretty far.” Daily responsibilities McWilliams, who’s home schooled, spends about 90 minutes daily from June until Thanksgiving caring for the turkeys, in addition to a couple more hours tending to his chickens. His tasks include giving the turkeys food and water and moving their pens each day. “They’re just fun to work with. It gives me something to do,” he said. His 200 turkeys are housed in five pens in his turkey pasture. The pens have wire fencing and aluminum siding and roof, but the animals have access to grass. Pasture-raised turkeys also are safer from diseases that are common in turkeys kept in buildings, McWilliams said. McWilliams also supplements their diet with chemical-free grain. “It makes for a healthier bird,” he said. And customers will notice a difference, Travis said. Turkeys direct from the farm have a lot more flavor and are juicier than the average store-bought turkey, he said. “It has to do with what a bird eats,” Travis said. Add in the business from the eggs and chickens, and McWilliams said he makes more money than he would with a regular part-time job. Much of his earnings go back into the business for the next year, but he also keeps some spending money to hang out with friends. Little Farm on the Prairie also provides him another opportunity that’s unique to most teenagers. “You’re not working for somebody,” he said. “I like being the boss.” Fresh turkeys Interested in buying one of Jeremy’s fresh turkeys? Here’s what you need to know. Sizes: 11 to 25 pounds Price: $2.39 per pound To place a direct order: Call (815) 848-3817 Deadline: Jeremy will accept orders anytime before Thanksgiving, as quantities last. But call sooner to have your pick of sizes. Pick-up: Turkeys will be available at Dwight and Bloomington pick-up locations Nov. 20-21. Other option: Turkeys also will be available at County Market in Pontiac. Visit or call the store at (815) 844-7158 to pre-order. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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