Our All Natural Fertilizer
This Ain’t No Ordinary Manure
Our Farm’s Choice fertilizer is all natural and organic. It is ethically produced and mindfully made for farmers like you who want the best possible product for their land, for our land. Our fertilizer comes from Hickman’s Family Farms hens, raised and cared for in rural Arizona. In an effort to conserve resources and eliminate waste, Hickman’s produces a unique, unmatched fertilizer. Whether you own 10,000 acres or a 10×10 planter, let us help you grow something beautiful.
The Farm's Choice
Fertilizer for Farmers—professional and recreational.
Products for Agriculture
Top priority and most importantly, Hickman’s Family Farms takes superior care of their hens. With a team of nutritionists, Hickman’s ensures their hens have a well-balanced, nutrient rich diet that is high in calcium, giving our fertilizer a great advantage over other manures even other types of chicken operations fertilizers. These products are suited for use in all aspects of agriculture, from large farms to urban farmers, organic and conventional—all have had great success using The Farm’s Choice Fertilizer products.
At The Farms Choice, careful attention to detail and proper moisture monitoring are applied in creating a 3/16” sized pellet ideally suited for application to a wide range of crops. AG pellets are available in a several analyses- 4-2-2, 6-2-2, and 8-2-2 all with around 8% calcium for greater soil and plant health. Every lot of manure is tested for nitrogen levels before and after processing and complete analytics are run at the end of every processing day, including pathogens. As with our heat treated product all of our AG pellets are OMRI and LGMA certified. AG pellets spread very easily thru most types of spreaders making this product a great choice for pre or post planting and side dressing row crops.
This is a non-pelletized or “crumbled” product that has been screened and run through our rotary dryer to achieve “pasteurization” that enables us to eliminate harmful pathogens. These products are spreadable and break down easily with moisture. Our Heat Treated products are OMRI certified and are ideal for pre-plant applications on crops ranging from leafy greens to grapes. The Farms Choice Heat Treated Products come in a wide range of sizes from 50lb bags to Bulk and are available in 4-2-2 or 6-2-2 analysis.
The Farms Choice is pleased to now offer an OMRI certified liquid fertilizer product to the market. Coop Juice is somewhat unique as it is not a typical “tea” product. This product is produced by “water screening” the dust that our rotary drier, which makes our heat treated products, creates. The liquid is essentially a brewed product and retains all the effective properties of chicken manure but in a rapidly available form. Conventional and Organic farms have found this product to be very effective and economical to apply. It is currently being used on nearly every conceivable crop from alfalfa to fruit trees, again both conventionally and organically farmed. Coop Juice is a product to consider as an every application product or as a great supplement to your fertility program. Coop juice is available in 250 gal totes or in bulk tanker loads.
You may also know it as “chicken litter”. The Farms Choice makes this product available in screened or unscreened lots. We windrow and dry this product, constantly monitoring moisture, temperature, and nitrogen levels. Loads of screened or unscreened material are at optimal moisture levels and you won’t be paying for wet, heavy product. Both products are easily spread with a commercial spreader or spreader truck and provide a very economical product for both organic and conventional farm applications. DCM is generally available in only bulk loads.
The Farms Choice produces a premium compost for use in various agricultural applications. Although the product is not OMRI certified we can provide you turning records that will verify that it complies with accepted composting standards and it is LGMA approved. The compost is approximately 80% DCM and 20% green waste making it heads and shoulders above dairy or cow manure in nitrogen and necessary elements for soil health, as well as lower in salt and weed content. The Farms Choice Premium Compost is available in 50lb bags and bulk loads.
The Farms Choice Poultry Meal is a 10-0-0 product in a fine meal consistency. Poultry meal is manufactured at our on site, in house, Protein plant from processing our own chickens. This product is OMRI certified. If you’re looking for one of the highest Nitrogen levels that can be found in organic products, this is a good fit for you. The combination of all organic product is what attributes to the especially high Nitrogen content– this product will give you month of slow released nitrogen for long lasting even growth. Poultry Meal is available in Totes and Bulk.
Products for Turf
The Farms Choice Fertilizer Company provides a line of fertilizers ideally suited for turf care. Our products are effective and affordable for all turf applications from golf courses, parks, ball fields or any turf area, large or small. Our products are well-suited for your regular fertility program, at over seeding, during renovation or grassing in, transition, and/or aerification. If you are having problems with moisture retention, nutrient uptake, or compaction/trouble in filling – we have a product that can help restructure your soil profile and help reduce your water and fertilizer expenses. It has been said: “Carbon is the new nitrogen!”
We offer a 1/8” pellet ideally designed for turf grass use. The size allows the pellet to fall through the grass canopy with ease. We also treat our Turf Pellets with anise oil to mask the scent to give the product a slight licorice smell. The overall odor dissipates in 2-3 days with regular watering. The Farms Choice Turf Pellet is available in sizes from 50lb bags, and 500lb, 1000lb, and 2000lb totes, and bulk. The 4-2-2 analysis with 8% calcium will help build your soil profile and give you a slow, even release of essential nutrients, allowing your turf to grow at a steady, even pace without a spike of growth and increased mowing activity. Turf Pellets are ideal for year-round regular fertilization or any other turf application.
This is a “crumbled” product that is particularly good at time of aerification. It covers somewhat better and provides faster breakdown and availability. Easily spread and very cost effective. Heat Treated is available in 4-2-2 and 6-2-2 analyses. We offer the product in various sizes to meet your needs, from 50lb bags, to totes, to bulk deliveries. Can be effectively blended with sand or gypsum when top-dressing, leveling, or applying other bulk products for great efficiency.
The most economical product for your turf needs. DCM – Dehydrated Chicken Manure – is a 4-2-2 product and is the base product from which our Pellets and Heat Treated are made.Purchase this product screened or unscreened. Price is based accordingly. Blend with gypsum or sand to get a two for one application; particularly good at over seed and/or aerification. Available only in bulk loads.
The Farms Choice’s newest product. If you’re looking to supplement your fertility program or want an economical “everyday” fertilizer, this is it. It can be injected or sprayed and can reduce your labor costs. We can deliver in 250 gallon totes or by tanker depending on your storage ability. Coop Juice is 100% liquid chicken manure derived from water screening during our heat treating process. It is safe, affordable, and instantly available for uptake by turfgrasses. This product is a great for year round use.
The Farms Choice Premium compost is comprised of 20% green waste and 80% DCM. We closely monitor turning schedules, moisture, and temperature to create a “true honest” compost. Effective for thin or bare spots, overseeding, filling in, or new planting. The Farms Choice Premium Compost is a great product for your turf application. Available in 50lb bags or bulk loads.
Products for Lawn & Garden
The Farms Choice is proud to be a provider of great organic products for the home gardener and landscape professional. The same great care and products used by organic farmers, golf course and turf professionals are available in several offerings and sizes for the lawn and garden user.
These consistent high quality pellets are ideal for use on any type of landscape tree, shrub, or vine. They are also ideal for the home vegetable garden and are OMRI certified and safe to use on all edibles. AG pellets can be used pre plant or after planting in vegetable gardens, they are great for use on fruit, nut and citrus trees, and your shade trees will love them too. Available in sizes for any size garden or landscape – 15# tubs, and 50lb bags. You’ll find this product to be one of the most affordable organic fertilizers on the market.
The Farms Choice Premium compost is a great product for getting that vegetable or flower bed ready to plant, planting new trees, shrubs, vines, or rose bushes or for adding to the top of any garden area or tree well.TFC Premium Compost is an ideal product for use as a seed cover for your new or over seeded lawn. Manure from laying hens is virtually weed free! Our Premium compost is a blend of Dehydrated Chicken Manure and green waste so it is a renewable product that is good for the environment and your garden. Premium compost from the Farms Choice has been carefully monitored for following strict composting protocols and is certified by LGMA – the Leafy Greens Marketing Association. Safe to use around and in gardens and pets, good for the environment, and your plants- it is a win win product! This product is available in 50lb bags and bulk deliveries for those large landscape projects.
If you’re looking to have the greenest lawn in the neighborhood and save money- this is it! The Farms Choice Turf Pellets are used by golf course and turf professionals all over the state. They trust our product to give their turf a championship look and help them save water, and cut down on how often they have to mow- saving labor and wear and tear on equipment. You can reap the same benefits as the pros by using TFC turf pellets. This is one of the most affordable at about 1 cent per square foot per fertilization. The pellets are treated with Anise oil for odor reduction which will make your neighbors especially happy! Available in a 4-2-2 analysis in a 50lb bag- 1 bag will fertilize up to 2000 square feet of turf and you’ll see results for several months without having to mow any more often- unlike many conventional fertilizers! It’s easy to spread with a hand held, cyclone, or drop spreader. Easy to use, easy on the environment, and easy on the pocketbook- you can’t go wrong with The Farms Choice Turf Pellets.
Testimonial from Jim Barrow
We have been both using and selling Hickman’s 4-2-2 pelletized chicken manure since 2009. It was important to see how it worked personally before even giving out samples to my landscape maintenance clients.
Over the years we are seeing and hearing what we expected from this organic product, a very slow acting fertilizer; that, as you continue to use it, compounds its fine qualities over time. That being said, some of the material is in the soil even a year later, so if you apply it three times over a 12 month period, you keep getting more of the product working in the soil.
What is very attractive about this product is the slow growth of the turf when using the 4-2-2. This saves on labor, equipment wear, and waste disposal. While maintaining the green of the lawns, mowing can either be reduced or cause less clippings if you are mowing weekly. Less grass cuttings means less wear on mowing equipment and a reduction in waste disposal costs.
The 4-2-2 is considerably less expensive than many of its non-organic competitors, but you will need to apply a heavier application, ideally in the 15-20lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. Even at that application rate, you will not be punished with heavy growth, just darker green. What we have found is the more you apply, the deeper green and the longer lasting it becomes.
Ideally this product is most effective during the warmer soil temperatures (when the microbes of the soil are most active), so applying from March thru overseeding in October achieves maximum results.
My clients who do commercial maintenance, have not been able to test whether the 4-2-2 actually reduces water usage. My understanding is that golf courses which have been using this product for more than a year and have the technology to follow closely water management, have seen a noticeable reduction in their water consumption, especially with sandy soils.
We have also been using the 4-2-2 as a soil conditioner in place of gypsum or sulfur. Retention basins with turf get the advantage of an organic fertilizer and the very beneficial option of helping to eliminate the standing water.
Although we have not seen any glaring negatives with the 4-2-2, it is important to understand the following: it is a very slow product, so if you are dealing with a 911 situation to green up your property quickly, 4-2-2 will not save your bacon in the short term. Another concern has always been the smell. Hickman’s has been testing and improving the odor control. My clients have said they have had few to no complaints. Hickman’s latest odor control product, yucca, may be the best yet.
As with all fertilizers it is important to thoroughly water the product in before and after applying it to your turf or plants.
If organic products are important to you, or labor and dump fees are, the Hickman’s 4-2-2 pelletized manure is a product that should be considered for your turf fertilization program.
Sincerely,
Jim Barrow
Barrow’s Landscape Distributors
[email protected]
The Farm’s Choice Farmers
Together We’re Growing Something Great.
Meet Ed Curry
Ed Curry is a fourth-generation farmer in Pearce, Arizona. Of Curry Seed & Chile Company, Ed continues the farming that his grandfather and great-grandfather started in Oklahoma before him. Though the name may deceive you, the Curry family farms much more than just chilies—they grow beans, watermelon, corn and of course, peppers. Curry Seed & Chile Co. is responsible for setting the standard for Chile Peppers across the United States, with Ed supplying 90% of the chile breeding seeds in the country. “I love farming” say Curry in a recent interview with the Arizona Farm Bureau, “You need to love what you do in life and I love farming.”
Meet Arnott Duncan
Arnott Duncan is a fourth generation farmer based in Goodyear, Arizona. Duncan’s Family Farms is a well-known name in the greater- Phoenix area for Arnott and his wife, Kathleen’s work in bridging the gap between urban and rural life on their farm just outside the city. Founded in 1992, Duncan’s had officially expanded to organic farming by 1994 with a variety of greens from romaine to baby kale and spinach that you eat in many of the salads across North America. Duncan’s Family Farms is recognized as one of the leading organic leafy-green farmers in the United States. As our very first customer for our Farm’s Choice organic fertilizer, we are proud supplier of this incredible farming operation.
Where to Find Us
Arizona
A&P Nursery
2601 E. Baseline Rd.
Gilbert, Arizona 85234
480-892-7939
2645 W. Baseline Rd.
Mesa, Arizona 85202
480-839-5362
6129 E. Brown Rd.
Mesa, AZ 85205
480-396-8800
40370 N. Gantzel Rd.
Queen Creek, AZ 85240
480-655-5789
Arcadia Color Garden Nursery
1828 N. 52nd Street
Phoenix, AZ 85008
602-955-4500
Berridge Nurseries
4647 E. Camelback Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85018
602-952-8080
Black Mountain Nursery
4840 E Dynamite Blvd
Cave Creek Az 85331
480-585-3740
Desert Horizon Nursery
19250 S Ellsworth Rd.
Queen Creek, AZ 85142
480-987-3308
Elgin Nursery
8606 W. McDowell Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85037
623-936-1100
Harlow Gardens
5620 E. Pima St.
Tucson, AZ 85712
520-298-3303
Jackrabbit Plant Nursery
4421 S. Jackrabbit Trail
Buckeye, AZ 85326
623-386-4700
Mortimer Nursery and Landscape
3166 Willow Creek Road
Prescott, AZ 86301
928-776-8000
Olsen’s Feed
(multiple locations throughout northern Arizona)
711 Elrod Road
Prescott, AZ 86305
928-445-1664
Plant Fair Nursery
3497 AZ-260
Star Valley, AZ 85541
928-474-6556
Preach Building Supply and Landscape
9430 N. 16th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85021
602-944-1304
Rillito Nursery & Garden Center
6303 N. La Cholla Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85741
520-575-0995
Sam’s Nursery
2230 N18 St.
Phoenix AZ 85006
623-204-7684
Shamus O’Leary Tropical Fruit Trees
8640 S. 19th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85041
602-434-5641
Sprinkler World
2114 E. Indian School
Phoenix, AZ 85016
602-954-9022
3164 S. Country Club
Mesa, AZ 85210
480-892-5001
4727 E. Bell Rd., #38
Phoenix, AZ 85032
602-992-1882
16700 N. 51st Ave.
Glendale, AZ 85306
602-938-3141
225 E. Ft. Lowell
Tucson, AZ 85705
520-888-9414
1925 W. Rose Garden Ln.
Phoenix, AZ 85027
623-587-7676
1001 N. Jackrabbit Trail
Buckeye, AZ 85326
623-587-7676
Stock Shop
6615 W. Thunderbird Rd.
Glendale, AZ 85306
623-487-9277
Treeland Nursery
2900 S. Country Club
Mesa, AZ 85210
480-497-2525
Warner’s Nursery and Landscape
1101 East Butler Avenue
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
928-774-1983
Whitfill Nursery
Main Tree Farm
2647 E. Southern Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85040
(602) 268-9096
North Phoenix/Scottsdale
824 E. Glendale Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85020
(602) 944-8479
East Valley
820 N. Cooper Road
Gilbert, AZ 85233
(480) 892-2712
Yuma Nursery Supply
4405 S. Avenue A
Yuma, AZ 85365
928-344-2820
California
California-Arcadia Garden (formerly known as Perla Nursery)
4827 Peck Road
El Monte, CA 91732-1301
626-442-4488
Meet Our Experts
We’re Here to Help You Grow.
Billy Hickman
Founder
Founder of The Farm’s Choice and Vice President of Operations at Hickman’s Family Farms, Billy Hickman knows a thing or two about farming and doing good for the environment. Since 1974, Billy has been involved in his family’s business of raising and caring for the hens in their care and feeding those around them. One thing is certain in egg-production, there will be some…manure. That’s why, out of mindfulness for the land around the farm, the idea for The Farm’s Choice sprouted—to recycle and repurpose one of the single biggest by-products of Hickman’s. Since 2007 when the idea came about, Billy has been an integral part of establishing a safe, affordable and sustainable product for The Farm’s Choice and is proud to give you his family seal of approval.
Jim Marshall
Sales Manager
When Jim started in 2008 at Hickman’s Family Farms, he was on the egg production side of the business, running a processing plant. After 3 years with the company, he moved to The Farms Choice fertilizer division. He has a deep affinity for the agriculture industry, with over 35 years in agriculture production and sales. Jim assumed the role of General Manager and Sales Manager of The Farm’s Choice in 2011, dedicated to helping farmers pick the correct products for their specific needs. Jim and his wife Jodee enjoy traveling and spending time with family.
John "Jay" Harper
Sales Representative, Arizona
John Jay Harper is a sales representative for Hickman’s Family Farms fertilizer division “The Farms Choice”. Prior to accepting this position at The Farms Choice, Harper was President and CEO of Harper’s Nursery and Landscape Inc. where he led the company into it’s 73rd year of business until selling the business in 2017. Jay is a Past President and current Board Member of the Arizona Nursery Association and serves on the government relations sub-committee of Cactus and Pine Arizona GCSA, and the board of the Arizona National Livestock Show. Harper has been the host of a gardening call in talk show on KTAR radio’s “Rosie On The House” program for over 25 years and is a frequent speaker to local garden club groups. Jay and his wife Trina live in Scottsdale and two children and two grandchildren.
Bill Van Gotum
Sales Representative,
Nevada, Arizona
A native Arizonan, Bill Van Gotum has been a professional fireman for 33 years and is still on active duty with the Buckeye Fire Department. Simultaneously to working at the fire department, Bill owned a local Feed & Tack store for four years. With his experience in the feed business, Bill went to work for Hickman’s Egg Ranch in Glendale, Arizona for seven years, selling feed to feed stores around the Valley of the Sun. After going back to work full-time with the fire department, Bill has happily returned to Hickman’s Family Farms and the Farm’s Choice selling fertilizer for the last 2 years.
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