From Catfish to Chickens: Justin Ensz’s Next Chapter

Twenty-four-year-old, Justin Ensz, grew up on his family’s farm, helping his father raise and harvest catfish. However, in 2011 the Ensz family expanded the farm operation with their first chicken houses.

“Peco happened to call and ask if we wanted to put in chicken houses, and shortly after that, we got our first flock,” Justin said. “Two years ago, I began renting the houses from my dad and am now maintaining and managing them day to day.”

In addition to being a contract producer, Justin’s father farms row crops and sells his corn to Peco for chicken feed. With over 10 years of experience working with Peco, Finns & Feathers is an integral part of Peco’s supply chain and helps bring quality products to its global customer base.

“I enjoy working on my family’s farm and appreciate the opportunity my dad has given me. My plan is to stick around for a long time to continue what we’ve built.” – Justin Ensz

“It’s amazing to think that we are taking care of chickens that are going all over the world,” Justin said. “Not to mention the number of people we are feeding.”

The collaboration of a multigenerational farm and a family business such as Peco quickly turned into a genuine relationship. Justin enjoys catching up with the service techs when they come out to the farm because they don’t only talk about business but ask about his hobbies and life outside of work.

“I’ve known most of the people that work for Peco the majority of my life,” Justin said. “Having an established relationship with the service techs, team members at the feed mill, truck drivers and other contract producers allows me to trust they will take care of us when we need it.”

A strong relationship with contract producers allows Peco to act as an external support system to ensure they have what they need to take care of the flock.

“Peco does a great job watching over us and being ready to help,” Justin said. “Our service tech checks in regularly and will come right away if I have an issue.” Justin enjoys the flexibility that comes with raising chickens and the ability to be his own boss, but still have the support of his family. His experience has built confidence in the long-term success of the farm and allows him to focus on providing a quality product for Peco’s customers.