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Published on Leave a comment on The Pond

 

Late in the afternoon I enjoy visiting our pond.  The spring peepers are back. They sing throughout the night. It’s a song to welcome spring. I couldn’t see them but I heard them. As I walked down the hillside, as quiet as I was, they still felt my presence and went silent.  A few teal ducks were swimming. They took flight as I approached, too.

Esme, who loves swimming, grabbed a stick and begged me to throw it into the water. It was just the two of us, playing and splashing, throwing and retrieving. She dropped the stick, her ears perked up, off she ran, racing to scare away an intruder.  Being the smallest dog in the pack, she doesn’t usually get to play stick without interruption so she wasn’t ready to give up being the center of attention.  There was no need for concern, it was only Hobo. Old Hobo. He wouldn’t, or couldn’t, for that matter, chase a stick much less swim for one. He’d sink like a rock, at least in his present condition.  He’s extremely overweight, we’re working on an exercise plan.  Every day when I walk up the lane to the mail box he tags along.  He’s makes it about a quarter of the way, then lays down to rest.  On the return trip, with much encouragement, he’ll groan, get up, and waddle back to the house where he takes his usual position; prone. He spends the rest of the afternoon recovering. That’s why I was surprised to see him at the pond. With steep hills, a valley, and a fence to crawl under, the pond is a harder trek than the mailbox. It was nice to have his company. He's He's the ying to Esme's yang.

 

©Glenda Plozay, Forest Hill Farm Products, LLC

Published on Leave a comment on This Old Dog’s Learned a New Trick

Studies show that learning something new or having new experiences helps exercise our brains. Also, the benefits of a healthy diet keep our brains functioning in peak condition. New research published in Neurology (click the link) has found that elderly people with higher levels of several vitamins and Omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in grass fed meat and eggs, have better performance on mental acuity tests. They also exhibit less brain shrinkage typical in Alzheimer's disease. "Junk food" diets produce the opposite results.

Every year I try to learn something new, this year it was WordPress.  I took a class and revamped the website. Some areas still need tweaking, but I hope you'll enjoy the new look.  If you've been a subscriber to the old website's RSS feed you'll have to subscribe again in your web browser bar. In the last couple of years I've learned to paint with water colors and make mosaic fountains. This year's goal was conquering WordPress. This old dog is learning new tricks!  I am increasing my brain function. Next winter it will be photography and bee keeping. I am also going to learn patience, better listening skills, and work on increasing my attention span but... Oh, look, a butterfly...there it goes. Look how pretty! what was I saying, again?

 Humor

An older gentleman was shopping the other day, pushing his cart around the store, when he collided with a young guy, "Sorry about that. I'm looking for my wife and I guess I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

The younger man says, "That's OK. What a coincidence. I'm looking for my wife, too. I can't find her and I'm getting a little desperate."

The older guy adds, "Well, maybe we can help each other. What does your wife look like?"

The young guy says, "Well, she's 24 years old, tall, with blonde hair, green eyes, long legs, buxom figure, and she's wearing tight white shorts and a halter top. What does your wife look like?"
The older guy replied, "Doesn't matter. Let's look for yours."

Have Fun!  Enjoy Yourselves!

 

©Glenda Plozay, Forest Hill Farm Products,LLC

 

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Published on 1 Comment on Starting Gardens Early

On Good Friday potatoes are planted, St Patrick's day is for peas. This year I jumped ahead on planting a few other things, too.

I’ve been using Wall-o-water’s for years, but never set tomatoes out this early. Given the mild weather I was willing to experiment. Plus, I started two trays of tomatoes, which all germinated. I was running out of room under the grow lights so  the Black Krim and Roma’s are already in the garden. Cherry tomatoes will wait until there’s no danger of frost.  With luck the chickens will stay away from the broccoli and spinach.

The new transplants are surrounded by a single strand of electric fence, set close to the ground so the dogs will stay out of the garden.  The dogs love rolling in the freshly tilled ground.

It’s always entertaining the first time the electric fence is turned on. I love our dogs but they ignore my pleads to stay out of the garden. They chase each other through it, roll around, and dig up the new transplants. When the fence is plugged in it only takes one shock to keep them out for the season. After a week, or so, the fence charger isn’t necessary.

Our Great Dane, Nukem was a slow thinker. He was the gentle giant, but DUMB. Every summer, he’d lift his leg on the electrified garden fence. That shock wave traveled into delicate territory sending him running and whining. It worked, though. He avoided the garden for the rest of the season.

©Glenda Plozay, Forest Hill Farm Products,LLC

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Published on 3 Comments on Best Farming Practices

Best Farming Practices
One of the questions we're  asked frequently is, “Why aren’t more farmers raising animals in better environments?”  The answer’s simple; money.

With high corn prices, record high land prices, and the ability to increase crop yields with chemicals, confinement livestock allows farmers to double crop.  When animals are confined to housing instead of grazing the land is freed up for row crops. Grazing land can now be put into more “productive” use.

Added into the issue is government subsidies that pay for corn and soybean crops, not pasture grazing. Acreage is too valuable to “waste” on animal production. The monetary return is too small for animal producers, especially when labor is factored into the equation.

Our farm is an extension of our lifestyle, values, and a love of  the environment and animals.  Our customers health and the health of our livestock is the priority.

Our son and I took a class offered by one of the universities on raising sheep.  The material presented was all about profit.  Keeping costs down, production up. According to the class instructor the bottom line dictates every aspect of animal production .  The class presented graphs and charts indicating how cheaper food sources could be advantageous when feeding sheep. In this instructor's opinion hay was too expensive. Hay wasn't profitable to feed. Corn stalk bales were the better choice.  Cheap grain mixed with cheap dry matter are more advantageous.

When the class was over I explained to our son that none of these ideas  would work on our farm. Our goal is to use the Best Farming Practices. In my opinion, conventional farmers are shooting themselves in the foot.  If a livestock producer sells meat by direct marketing, the customer's satisfaction is the model, not the bottom line. Quality products equal repeat customers. The university model works well, if you are paid for carcass weight, not quality. But producing crap isn’t a viable business plan. If raising garbage meat, with animals living in pathetic conditions, is all a producer is capable of then perhaps a new career is called for.  I’ll step down from my soap box now.

The book Righteous Porkchop by Nicolette Hahn Niman has been selected for the Linn Area Reads program. There are several events planned to promote good food choices. Factory farm meat is readily available. It takes greater effort to find pasture raised pork and grass fed meat.  Check out Linn Area Reads for book discussion locations and an events calendar.  On May 11 at 7 pm Nicolette Hahn Niman will give a presentation at the Hotel Kirkwood.  If you have any questions about pasture raised pork, or raising livestock in general, I’d be happy to answer them for you email us .

Best farming Practices

©Glenda Plozay, Forest Hill Farm Products,LLC

Published on Leave a comment on What a diffenrence a day makes…or seven
3/25/2012 one week later
3/18/2012 grass fire

What a difference a day, or in this case, seven makes.  Burned grass and charred ground were the aftermath of last Sunday's burn.  The blackened hillside contrasted dramatically from the green pasture separated by our fence line. One week later the new grass is coming through, hiding the scorched ground.

Only a week ago the landscape looked bleak. Now the birds, field mice, and pheasants are back.  Soon there won't be any evidence of the burn.

The hawks are circling, they can easily see prey below, the field's perimeter still has tall grass and brush for protection.

 

 

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Published on 1 Comment on The Best Laid Plans

It all started as a simple ditch burning, in the valley, on a beautiful afternoon.  A few hours and a couple of fire departments later, the ditch, along with about 100 acres, were burned. When Keith and Garrett went to the neighbors the ditch was already burning gently.  A fire break was lit to burn back toward the ditch, protecting the prairie grass. It wasn’t windy in the valley but the hillside had strong gusts which carried the flames across the dry grass.

Burning fence rows and pastures is common practice in the country. When burns are planned a defensive strategy is implemented, the operative word here is planned.  Burn crews are equipped with shovels, rakes, and backpack sprayers. Water tanks on hay wagons and tractors with the chisel plows are ready for action. Those plans are for controlled burns.  A simple ditch burning usually involves only a couple of neighbors, a couple rakes, a shovel and stories to swap.  In this case mistakes were made:

This fire got away.
The grader blade, instead of a disc or plow, was on the tractor.
A defensive strategy plan wasn’t ready

"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley." (The best laid schemes of mice and men / Often go awry.) - Robert Burns

The blaze gained momentum, fueled by the wind, which carried the flames upland out of the valley.  Once they reached the dry grass the fire took off, as they say, like wildfire. Keith, with only a grader blade attached, started dragging a fire break. Successfully containing the fire from heading northeast, the wind shifted and brought the flames back down through the valley and up the slope on the other side. In the darkness the front tractor wheel fell into a gully. It was stuck. The fire department’s water wagon, a few yards ahead, fell into the same gully. It was also stuck.

In 2008 we lost two barns, equipment, hay, straw, and tragically our sows and piglets, in a fire. It was a horrible experience so we use extreme caution where fire is concerned. Fire can get out of hand so quickly, a simple wind shift can wreak havoc and precaution has to be the rule.  Thankfully, the fire fighters, as usual, knew just what to do. There isn’t any damage, in a few days the grass will start growing through the charred mass. The birds, who nest in prairie grasses, are safe. They’re just starting to return. They haven’t started building nests yet.

The school of adversity is a very good school, provided you don’t matriculate too early or continue too long. - L.K. Anspacher

Published on Leave a comment on Alice’s new calf

Alice, one of our Jersey cows had a new calf this afternoon.  We bought two Jersey cows last fall.  Now we have even more milk for the pigs.  In a few days I’ll start milking Alice in the morning, she and her calf will be together all day, separated only at night.  I love spring!  Everything is bright, fresh and new.

Nobody can go through an endless chain of farm births and growth and harvest - and be subject to nature’s mysteries, bounty, and sometimes harshness - without developing a philosophy of life.  -J. Brewer Bottorff

Published on Leave a comment on Save the best for last

With all the new lambs born recently we’re feeding the richest hay in the mow.  The more coarse hay is fed first. As winter progresses the hay supply is dwindling. The highest quality hay is held back until the end of winter. It’s reserved for cows, who are nursing calves, and ewes nursing lambs.  Keith brought down a bale and showed me a flake that was still bright, soft, and green. It was a blend of orchard grass, alfalfa, and clover. The heart shaped leaves of green clover, topped with brown flower heads, looked as if they’d been pressed in a book. This was third cutting hay.  It smelled sweet and the stems and leaves were still tender.  The plants weren’t tall, not on the last cutting of the season, but the pliant green blades were perfectly cured. Soft palatable hay, after a couple months of eating dryer hay, is a reward for livestock eager for spring grass.

Published on Leave a comment on Frost seeding
Late February
Ready for spring

On my way to the mailbox today the sun was shining across the fields. You could almost see the green shoots of spring grasses willing themselves to reach through the tangle of brown, lifeless turf.  This mild winter has the shrubs, trees, and plants fooled.  They’re ready to surprise us with early blooms.  Mother Nature still has a snowfall, or two, and bitter days ahead. With tight buds holding out for warmer days, it’s the perfect time to prune fruit trees and frost seed pastures.  Legumes are the easiest to frost seed, the tiny seeds sift through the protective cover of orchard grass. Each freeze - thaw cycle works the seed deeper into the soil. Late winter and early spring rains are magical elements. The seed’s are waiting for warmth to burst out of their protective coat and rise to meet the sun.

Published on Leave a comment on Labeling Meat Solutions

Meat. And Only Meat.

Accurate Meat Labeling

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing a new rule to establish easy-to-understand names for raw meat and poultry products. Most meat bought at the grocery store includes injections, marinades, or other added solutions.  Currently there isn't any way to identify this meat, no such label exists.  Here's an example; a single ingredient chicken (nothing but chicken) and a chicken with added solution are both labeled as “chicken” even though one may be 60 percent chicken and 40 percent solution.  What's in the solution? Who knows, the ingredients aren't disclosed.

T bone
100% Grass fed, Angus, T-bone steak

Forest Hill Farm sells meat.  Nothing added.  Just Meat.

©Glenda Plozay, Forest Hill Farm Products,LLC