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Published on Leave a comment on Are you only looking forward?

Are You Only Looking Forward?

I was on my daily walk to the mailbox yesterday when I spotted this calf. He was "stuck" between two trees.  He wasn't in distress, he hadn't been there long. He could only look forward, to where he wanted to go.  If he'd taken a step back he could have freed himself.  However, the herd was in front of him, that's all he could see. He wanted to rejoin the herd, he wanted to go forward.

I have been stuck many times.  Not between trees, but stuck just the same.  It's hard to gain perspective when you can only focus on your wants. Looking ahead is always a promising perspective but you also need to remember where you came from and how you ended up, stuck.

Freeing this calf was easy.  I just walked straight at him and he backed right up.  Once free, he kicked at me, which must be a sign of gratitude. Off he ran.  If getting yourself out of a tight spot was always this easy we'd all take more risks, wouldn't we?

 

©Glenda Plozay, Forest Hill Farm Products,LLC

Published on Leave a comment on Garden Cleanup

Yesterday I cleaned up the garden, I had helpers. The fence that protects the garden from the chickens and sheep had only been down for a few hours when the word got out. The hens took over the garden. They came to follow the rototiller, forming a conga line, dancing, and scratching.    The remnants of the summer’s harvest are gone.  Lime has been spread. The blueberries have pine needle mulch to add acidity to the soil. I miss fresh tomatoes already. I miss peppers, green beans, and zucchini. What happened to summer?  Hopefully the first seed catalog will get here soon. It’s never too early to plan for spring.  Next year I have intentions to put in rain barrels, a small pond, and arbor. What was the road to Hell paved with?

Garden cleanup

 

©Glenda Plozay, Forest Hill Farm Products,LLC

Published on Leave a comment on Hair Color and Spanx, A girl’s best friends

I went "home" last weekend for my high school reunion. It was wonderful to see my childhood friends again.  Truth be told, all the girls looked pretty much the same. The guys weren't as recognizable, they had either grey hair or no hair.  It dawned on me; hair color and Spanx are a girls best friend.

"Growing old is like being increasingly penalized for a crime you didn't commit." Kit Pharo

I was a little concerned when the invitation included the instruction "Business Casual Attire."  Does  your business make a difference in selecting casual attire?  Manure free shoes and a clean shirt are usually fine for any business we conduct.  I was the only farmer in my graduating class, which isn't surprising,  Barrington High School is in a suburb of Chicago. It's not known as an agricultural community.
Being away for a couple days reminded me that I have a great life.  It's not surprising, but sometimes it's nice to be reminded.  When the grass appears greener, it's not. Forest Hill Farm grass is as green as it gets.  If you've ever thought about starting a small farm or agricultural enterprise, I'd highly recommend it.    Years ago we were given very practical advice, allow me to share:

If you'd like to become a millionaire and dream of farming here are two rules you'll need to follow:

1.  Start out with a billion dollars

2.  Buy a farm

If you start with a billion dollars and buy a farm, you'll end up a millionaire.  This rule also applies to most hobbies; boating, airplane ownership, horse ownership, quilting, scrap booking, etc...

There's a misconception about farming that was prevalent this weekend; farm ownership equates to an independent lifestyle where you work for yourself and have complete freedom.   Yes, we're fortunate, but our work load is hardly independent.  We are dependent on the weather, field conditions, farm implements, good mechanics, animals, fencing, and most of all our fabulous customers.  We are extremely grateful to all of you.  We truly hope we've expressed our sincere thanks to each and every one of you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

"If you're doing what everyone else is doing, you will never be better than average."

 

©Glenda Plozay, Forest Hill Farm Products,LLC

Published on Leave a comment on Arsenic in Animal Feed

The FDA announced that a drug fed to chickens will no longer be sold in the U.S.  Pfizer subsidiary Alpharma will discontinue sales of 3-Nitro.  Chickens are fed this drug to increase their appetites.  The FDA found that chickens fed arsenic had traces of the drug in their meat, primarily their liver. Pfizer will stop selling the drug in 30 days, after animal producers have had time to find new medications.  3-Nitro, a.k.a. roxarsone is the most common arsenic based animal drug, but similar drugs have been approved for poultry and pig feed.

The poultry and pigs at Forest Hill Farm eat non-GMO grains and grasses.

Published on Leave a comment on WHO Scandal Exposed
Pigs in pasture
Forest Hill Farm pigs in rape field

WHO Scandal Exposed

We’re talking World Health Organization (WHO), not the band. A stunning new report reveals that top scientists convinced the WHO to declare H1N1 a global pandemic. It has been uncovered that they held close financial ties to the company that created the vaccine. The scientists assigned to combat the H1N1 virus had their hands in the cookie jar. The report in the British Medical Journal exposed the hidden ties that drove WHO to declare the pandemic. The report’s author’s, Deborah Cohen and Phillip Carter concluded that “...H1N1 may yet claim its biggest victim - the credibility of the WHO and the trust in the global public health system.” Source: Natural News Article

 

©Glenda Plozay, Forest Hill Farm Products,LLC

Published on Leave a comment on NAMED COWS GIVE MORE MILK

“ A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew”
Herb Caen

NAMED COWS GIVE MORE MILK


LONDON: Two students at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom have won a veterinary medicine prize for showing that giving dairy cows names and calling them by their correct name increased milk production yield by an average of 258 liters per year. The researchers said the cows are very responsive to friendly milkers with a positive attitude. We are pleased to introduce you to our four dairy cows; Chloe, Lulu, Alice and Clairece.
Chloe is a Jersey-Angus cross. Lulu is a Holstein, and Alice and Clairece  are registered Jersey’s. They provide milk for our family and all of the pigs at Forest Hill Farm.

 

©Glenda Plozay, Forest Hill Farm Products,LLC

 

Published on Leave a comment on The Watch Dog…In the News

The FDA announced that a drug fed to chickens will no longer be sold in the U.S.  Pfizer subsidiary, Alpharma will discontinue sales of 3-Nitro.  Chickens are fed this drug to increase their appetites.  The FDA found that chickens fed arsenic had traces of the drug in their meat, primarily their liver. Pfizer will stop selling the drug in 30 days, after animal producers have had time to find new medications.  3-Nitro, a.k.a. roxarsone is the most common arsenic based animal drug, but similar drugs have been approved for poultry and pig feed.

Forest Hill Farm pasture raised chicken

Published on Leave a comment on Reaching The Top

“Achievement  consists of doing useful things that most people say cannot be done.”  Waite Phillips

They climbed Mt Baldy in a day.  The peak is 12,441 feet. The vertical rise is 3640 feet in three miles. How did they do it? One step at a time.  Standing at the base the climb seemed impossible so the trek was broken into smaller, more achievable steps.  Instead of standing at the base and looking staight up the scouts stood at the base and looked ahead on the trail. Then they set realistic increments to make reaching the top achievable. They hiked from the base to a large rock. From the rock they hiked to a group of trees.  Once they reached the trees they decided on the next milestone.  Now, climbing Mt Baldy didn’t seem so daunting.  The climb progressed at a steady pace.  Each step progressed in a reasonable amount of time.  In a few hours they were celebrating at the summit. One step at a time is exactly how we’ve been farming for 21 years.

We didn’t start out with a farm.  We started with the dream of owning a farm.  Our first step was three acres in the country.  We planted fruit trees and a large garden. Chickens, dairy goats, and pigs came in the second year. A baby the third year. Ten additional acres the fourth year along with additional livestock. Another baby the seventh year. Hay equipment, tractor, and skid steer were added with more acreage.  Each goal was broken into smaller, achievable increments.  Currently we have eighty-three acres and a list of goals. One is to improve our pond. Drain tile would carry the runoff  from the shed roof and barn into the pond, this water reclamation project is near top of the goals list.  The water could then be filtered and used for livestock or crops, increasing the surface area of the pond for fish, wildlife, and recreation.

This picture is of our “yacht” in the farm pond.  We always called this raft our yacht.  It went on vacation with us to Florida every year when we’d visit family. On summer weekends it accompanied us to Lake Geneva or Lake Mills in Wisconsin.    One day a strong wind blew the inflatable rubber raft out of the pond where it snagged on the barbed wire fence and popped.  Dragging the deflated shreds to the house our son announced, “The yacht popped!”  We’ve since replace it with an aluminum boat. Our “yachting days are over. Now we’re boaters.

 

©Glenda Plozay, Forest Hill Farm Products,LLC

Published on Leave a comment on Feed pigs right!

 

In Japan they’ve been genetically altering hogs. They’re introducing vegetable genes into pigs.
We were watching the movie Night Shift, I love that movie.  Michael Keaton’s character, Billy Blaze records all of his “big ideas” into his Sony Walkman.  One of his ideas was to feed tuna mayonnaise, “This is Bill, call Starkist.”  Well this is Glenda, “Call Japan, feed pigs spinach.”  Better yet, let them graze a field of spinach.
Our pigs are healthy.  Our pigs are happy.  Our pigs have a varied diet of seasonal grasses and legumes.  In the spring they graze a field of forage peas, oats, and rape seed.  In the summer they graze on grasses, alfalfa, and clover.  In the fall they eat apples, pumpkins, and harvest their own corn.  In Japan scientists have “successfully” implanted the spinach gene into hogs.
Click Here for the story about vegetable genes implanted in hogs

 

©Glenda Plozay, Forest Hill Farm Products,LLC

Published on Leave a comment on Dairy Fat and Diabetes
Chloe

Scientists at The Harvard School of Public Health have concluded that people who consume full fat dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter are 60 percent less likely to develop diabetes.  People who consume full fat dairy products have high levels of trans-palmitoleic acid which helps regulate insulin and reduces internal inflammation Another diabetes risk factor) The study authors estimate that consuming three to five servings of dairy may deliver the benefit, more research is needed to determine the most effective amount. perhaps the scientists could also include grass fed dairy products in their study.  The benefits would likely grow exponentially.