Explore the importance of local food
Help us build the local food system together.
National Farmers Market Week 2021
This week just happens to be National Farmers Market Week 2021 so I thought I'd take some time to explore markets and what makes them so important to the local food system. Having worked at farmers markets for over 10 years I'm still a market junkie and often try to visit a local market even when on vacation. There are very few other places where you have the opportunity to connect with the actual folks that produce something that you use every day. The ability to speak directly to local producers and learn about their life and their products is such a gift.
Rotational Grazing
It’s important as a farmer to think about how everything works together for your particular farm: the land, the animal, and yourself. You live through dreams of what could be while practicing the reality of now.
Soil Mates
Pasture-raised animals produce better soil, this is how we do it!
Mother's Day on the Farm
We sure have baby fever here around the farm and how fitting it is with Mother's Day on the horizon! The baby chickens arrived first, and are enjoying their time among the pastures. We were a bit nervous to welcome them to the farm during a misty, cold, rainy day. Whenever an animal changes their environment, you want it to match as much as possible to the previous location to prevent shock and disruption in their quality of life. The baby chicks were used to a warm and dry barn. Luckily, our new chicken tractors kept the grasses below the tarps dry, and trapped in the warm air from the ground and sun to promote a warm, dry climate for them. We did lose a couple chicks to hawks throughout their first days, but our farm dog Tig will help chase the predators away sporadically. Our mama sows are busy birthing some pretty healthy litters in the fields. A good group of piglets born would average between 12-15 per mamma. The best sows are the ones who have given birth 1-2 times prior, and tend to keep a nice consistent weight in the fields. Another promising attribute for a mama sow is their protective instincts. If they grunt at us, chase, or give us problems within the first week of giving birth whenever we are around their young, it is a good sign that they will protect the piglets at all costs from predators like coyotes, raccoons and foxes. Here is a video showing you a 15 piglet litter, and a mamma sow's grunt: https://youtu.be/AZF9ImCKYls The final group of mamma's to showcase this week is our cows. This group of cattle have been enjoying the new Spring pastures since last week, and found them to be the perfect place to give birth. The first was one of our pure-bred Scottish Highlands. This is the second calf she has birthed, and she is doing a great job feeding and protecting it. The second was an Angus-cross. Do you notice her horns? One was injured when she was young, which caused it to grow differently than normal. It causes her no harm, and she's adapted to it. Her little calf is thriving as well. Happy Mother's Day from all of us at the farm!
Chicken Tractors
A couple weeks ago we dealt with some freezing temperatures on the farm, and were concerned of frost damage on our fruit blossoms. We are happy to report minimal damage on our trees as of today and are looking forward to stocking the farm market with our own fruit in the future.We are also prepping our pastures for the first round of chickens to forage the ground this year. Our new chicken tractors are built to keep our animals shaded and protected during inclement weather conditions, as well as provide a level of comfort for us as their caretakers. Last year, our chicken set-up required us to crawl underneath the structure in order to complete our chores. With a decent height built into our chicken tractors, it will eliminate the need to crawl around, allowing us to stand upright while completing our tasks. This will encourage us to do our very best at caring for our flock. The new tractors are also portable and will be moved to fresh pasture daily. Each tractor should supply enough shade, food, water, and comfort for around 300 chicks. Why do we spend so much time figuring different ways to raise birds outdoors? Giving our chickens the ability to act as naturally as possible foraging for fresh bugs and grass during their lives is better for the chick, for us, and the land. The chickens really do enjoy the fresh grass and are curious animals if given the ability to roam. We enjoy caring for animals while working outdoors; the great outdoors eliminates any need for ventilation systems for strong odors, and gives us the ability to soak up our vitamin D for the day. The land also benefits from the chicken manure, as it provides an excellent fertilizer for our grasslands, encouraging healthy soil beneath the surface.
Spring Break
Spring break...when you hear these two words what comes to your mind?
Great Lakes Fish
We were happy to see our fishing partners from the North featured in a recent Michigan Country Lines magazine, and couldn't wait to share it with you all. We have been working with Massey Fish Company for many years, and believe their approach to preserving the fish directly after catch, is the best in the business. The fish we receive from the Massey family always looks, smells, and tastes fresh. What makes the difference? According to BJ Massey (one of the sixth generation sons) "We sell what's fresh and plentiful. And we only sell what we'd be willing to eat," said BJ. " And I can tell you this - we're picky." This crew has been fishing the Great Lakes for, that's right, six generations. That aligns almost exactly with our family and how long we have been farming. We are proud to have Massey Fish Company as one of our partners, bringing you another source of quality food to your table. You can read the full article through this link: Tackling Commercial Fishing With Massey Fish Co.Our social media has also been chatting about Great Lakes fish which prompted an excellent question from one of our customers:"I love fish but wonder about our Great Lakes pollution levels, and how safe it is to eat the fish. Can you share the what you know about this subject?"Measuring the benefits vs. risks of eating any food can be very challenging for a consumer. What we understand, is that there are things you can do to lower your intake of contaminants based on choosing the right species, preparing it properly, and staying informed. The overall consensus of many safe eating studies is that people should stay away from eating large quantities of shark, tile fish, swordfish, and tuna, which are large predatory fish that accumulate contaminants in large quantities. On the other hand, species like whitefish, herring and perch are lower in contaminants and high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which add a great benefit to your body by eating them.In the Great Lakes, walleye, trout, and catfish are going to be higher in contaminants than whitefish, herring, and perch. Herring are very high in Omega-3 fatty acids per gram of fish than any other species. Remember that our entire food chain is contaminated; from plants to humans. Everything we eat will have contaminants in them, just in varying levels of concentration. There is a benefit to eating some species of fish because the health effects from Omega-3 fatty acids counter-act the effects of contaminants.Also, fish will carry contaminants other than mercury within their fat. You can lower the amount you absorb by trimming your fish, or broiling/grilling. This technique allows the fat to melt away during cooking, as opposed to frying the fish. Also, due to the Clean Air Act and efforts to reduce pollution, contaminants within the Great Lakes have decreased overtime.