So…it’s been an interesting start to 2017 to say the least!
The winter weather was not so wintry for most of February and now we’re looking at winter weather rolling in during March, before finishing the month warmer than average. If it feels like we mention the weather a lot it’s because we do. Ha! It’s really important to us when we’re working a minimum of 4-5 hours a day outside and we raise our animals in a grass-based system. Weather can make or break your season. It can mean that piglets are crushed by mom because they’re snuggling too close ($100+ loss per piglet) or it can mean cows are grazing earlier in the season and it saves us $40 a day in hay feeding. Weather and climate are instrumental to every farmers’ bottom line (and daily comfort!)
In February, we added 3 new litters of piglets! 21 in total – about 10 or 11 will be sold at the end of this month as weaned feeders to some neighbors and fellow small farms to finish. The remaining piglets will be moved out to pasture and finished in July or August on our farm. 🙂 We lost a few to crushing, which is never great but it’s to be expected when we choose not to use farrowing crates that confine mom to her side during labor and post-partum. The piglets are 3 weeks old already and are thriving! We have a blast watching them play and tumble together and then collapse into a piggie pile!
We started the year by listing our farm for sale and hoping to move to a farm north of us, with more acreage and the opportunity to expand. We had it on the market for 5 weeks and after 50 showings, decided to let our purchase agreement expire on the other property and pull our house off the market for the month of March.
Instead, Providence provided us with the opportunity to lease a larger farm that is close to move-in ready for us starting in mid-April. It has a beautiful, updated house with 35 acres of fenced in pasture, a new steel barn roof and hay making equipment (and a hay field across the street!) included. We are planning to move next month and get settled while re-listing our house before the baby arrives. We are hoping the spring weather, clean barns, green pastures and freshly planted flowers will show off what a beauty our little hobby farm can be. 🙂
When we listed the house this winter we were envisioned blankets of snow and twinkling lights. Instead, we got brown, dead leaves, mud everywhere, and rain and fog. I think a little sunshine will go a long way!
We will keep you updated with details as we finalize them but we will continue to service all the areas we currently do for milk – Lowell, Cannonsburg & Grand Rapids. And will be able to expand our production while cutting a lot of feed costs. While we will be farther from family and dear friends, we feel it’s the best move for our business and family.
SO! On to spring ordering! We will have grassfed beef and pastured pork available in April and meat chickens starting in June. Here’s to another delicious season on the farm!!
Grassfed Beef
We have just confirmed the on-farm butcher date of two Jersey crosses that will be ready for your freezer next month! April 5 is the day and the beef will be sold in quarters, averaging 125 lbs hanging weight at $4.99/lb. Custom processing will be done at Byron Center Meats and that cost averages $0.50/lb.
The meat is 100% grassfed and will hang to dry age for 10-12 days at the butcher before being cut and packaged. Quarters are split-halves meaning you’ll receive cuts from both the front and hind quarter of the animal. Typically a quarter will require 3-4 cubic feet of freezer space. {We plan for 1 cubic foot per 25-35 lbs of meat}
Click Here for Details & Online Ordering
Pastured Poultry
Ordering is now open for our pastured, non-GMO meat chickens and Thanksgiving turkeys! We generally sell out of turkeys early in the season to be sure to reserve yours soon. Chickens will be done in small batches of 100 in the months of June, July, August and September. This will be your only opportunity to get FRESH chicken for the season! Chickens are $3.75/lb and include the offal (average weights are 4-6 lbs). Turkeys are $4.50/lb. and we are making a concerted effort to reduce the size of our birds this season. They free-range for so much of their diet it’s always difficult for us to gauge how much to supplement with feed. We hope they are in the 15 – 25 lb range!
Click Here for Details & Online Ordering
Farrow to Fork Berkshire Pork
And, last but not least, we will have a spring batch of pigs ready for your freezer in April! We’ve updated our pastured pork page to include LOTS of processing notes and information to make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck in terms of how your family consumes pork. Halves are $3.89/lb and whole pigs are $3.75/lb We expect average hanging weights in the 160 – 180 lb range for whole hogs.
Click Here for Details & Online Ordering