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Sustainability
See our sustainability in action at our Sustainability Gallery! New







(Above) Spring 2007, our composting plan in action on our family ranch





We are listed with OMRI


Our Organic Diestel Structured Compost (Humus Plant Food a type of compost that we create) is now listed with OMRI.

Founded in 1997, the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) provides organic certifiers, growers, manufacturers, and suppliers an independent review of products intended for use in certified organic production, handling, and processing. OMRI is 501c3 nonprofit organization.

OMRI reviews applying products against the National Organic Standards. Acceptable products are OMRI Listed® and appear on the OMRI Products List.

OMRI also provides subscribers guidance on the acceptability of various material inputs in general under the National Organic Program.

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We are official sponsors of Foothill Collaborative for Sustainability (FoCuS) FoCuS is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to facilitate and cultivate the growth and sustainable systems within Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties. Recently we donated five tons of Humus Compost to the School Community Garden Project.




August 2009, "Diestel Finding Success with Composting," the Union Democrat, Sonora, CA. Jason Diestel, Director of Sustainability Diestel Family Turkey Ranch, talks about the family's successful composting business and the benefits of using Diestel Structured Compost
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In the Press
September 2008, the Foothill Collaborative for Sustainability (FoCuS) School Garden Initiative 2008: Local school kids get a cool lesson in composting from Jason Diestel, Director of Sustainability, Diestel Family Turkey Ranch.
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Join us in sustainable living. Why? Because we like the air we breathe, the water we drink and the natural landscape we see.

As a consumer, you have the right to choose products that benefit our environment. And, as a producer, we feel that it is our obligation to preserve our environment for future generations to enjoy.

Our turkey products are designed to enhance the mind, body and well-being of our customers. Our organic byproducts are composted with the same commitment to quality and enhancement goals.

Our sustainability plan focuses on providing the best outcome for both our human and natural environments now... and into the indefinite future. We are working symbiotically with nature to develop natural solutions. It's not about limiting our footprint...it's about eliminating our footprint!

Join us in sustainable living! Click to see our Sustainability Statement (1mb pdf) and, for a glimpse of our sustainability in action, please visit our Sustainability Gallery.

For more about our commitment to composting see what's new with our Organic Diestel Structured Compost.

Sustainability means the world to us!


Jason Diestel, Director of Sustainability



By employing sustainable methods of agriculture, such as composting and eliminating the use of toxic chemicals, fertilizers and inorganic substances, we hope to greatly reduce our ecological footprint.

We are...
Eliminating the use of toxic chemicals, fertilizers, and inorganic substances in our environment

Conserving biological resources

Reusing resources instead of land filling

Conserving ground water

In detail...
We maintain a natural environment for all of our turkeys by eliminating the need for antibiotics and feed additives

We maintain a vertically integrated operation thus significantly reducing the quantity of fossil fuels needed to transport our products

We are committed to reducing the foot print that we leave in our environment by reducing our waste stream

After processing we treat all of our used water with a Zenon membrane water filtration system ensuring that the water we used is then purified, reused and returned to our environment to be just as pure as it was when it came from our well

We treat all of our solid organic waste by windrow composting. Through the use of composting we reduce the Greenhouse Gas Emissions of products which would normally be land filled by approximately 70 percent; by composting our manure, feathers and cardboard we are essentially reducing our waste stream by 75 percent!

We are committed to continually moving toward a company wide zero landfill waste policy

Sustainability Statement (1mb pdf) >>


Did you know? Composting reduces the volume of waste that ends up in landfills and improves soil fertility while reducing water usage by up to 20%!

Benefits of composting
Progressively healthier soil
Less soil compaction
Better water infiltration
Increased water retention
Decreased irrigation
Soil nutrients held in stable form
Reduced fertilizer demand
Reduced insect pressure
Fewer pesticides
Increase germination rates
Improved plant growth, crop quality and yield
Improved soil health
Higher antioxidant levels in produce

More about Organic Diestel Structured Compost >>