We've reached another moment of accomplishment at the farm. We raised our first grass-fed steer and had him processed. We picked up 516 pounds of beef from the butcher today. Two of those quarters, about 250 pounds, were sold to friends. At $2.00 a pound, that covered the processing costs and some of the feed we used in the last six weeks. Not totally self-sustaining, but not bad for a first effort. We also have 250 pounds of beef in our freezer for our own use. I imagine the retail cost of what's in our freezer would run close to $1200. It's exciting to realize that except for the occasional seafood, bacon and sausage, we are now providing all our own meat.
We haven't dealt with the reality of eating our cow yet. I don't know what that first meal will be like but I'm hoping that we can take a page from Native Americans and give thanks for the life that was given so that we might eat. I expect that the peace of mind I feel when serving and eating our own chickens will be duplicated as we enjoy a cow that we know was well cared for and healthy.
We are already debating buying another milk steer verses investing in a Dexter cow to milk and produce calves. With a goal of self-sufficiency, the next project is always beginning.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Spring Cleaning
Last week, we started some much needed cleaning. The cow's pen has gotten beyond icky over the last month. Rob rented a Bobcat to muck the stall. The mucking part went well and T-bone enjoyed his lovely digs for the first part of the week. Then it started to rain. On Thursday morning T-bone informed me in no uncertain terms that he had absolutely no use for an indoor swimming pool and we needed to fix the problem right away.
A sunny day today found Rob up on the barn roof trying to determine if there was a clogged gutter or blocked down spout that might have caused the flood in the cow pen. Unfortunately, there was nothing that indicated a quick fix. I think we will be adding a drain behind the barn this summer.
Since Rob was doing his best to take care of the cow, I decided to sneak a peek at my bees. When I walked down to the hives I was distressed to see only three lazy bees buzzing around the outside of my first hive. I tapped the side of the hive hoping to hear a healthy buzz but heard nothing. That was disappointing and distressing. My other hive was busy and buzzing. There were at least 100 bees crawling around on the front of the hive with dozens of others flying in and out. I know that I bought two hives so I'd have one left in case something happened to the one of the hives but I really was hoping to bring both of them through the winter.
Since the day was sunny and only a little breezy, I decided to take a look at the first hive to see if all my bees were dead or gone. Cracking open the outer cover of the hive didn't give me much hope. The only thing there were two dead bees. Opening the inner cover showed a different story. There were bees! Not a ton of bees, but a respectable amount of bees concentrated on four or five frames in the center of the hive. They were doing exactly what they were suppose to be doing. They were caring for the brood and waiting for spring. I may get two hives through the winter after all.
After getting Rob off the roof, we spent some time putting things to rights inside the barn. I'm not sure how so many things wandered during the cooler months. We reorganized shelves and created new empty spaces. We tagged some things for sale. Anyone need three sets of sliding glass doors? For the first time we were able to open two of the large sliding doors on the back of the barn. It feels good to sweep things out and know that new projects will be starting soon.
A sunny day today found Rob up on the barn roof trying to determine if there was a clogged gutter or blocked down spout that might have caused the flood in the cow pen. Unfortunately, there was nothing that indicated a quick fix. I think we will be adding a drain behind the barn this summer.
Since Rob was doing his best to take care of the cow, I decided to sneak a peek at my bees. When I walked down to the hives I was distressed to see only three lazy bees buzzing around the outside of my first hive. I tapped the side of the hive hoping to hear a healthy buzz but heard nothing. That was disappointing and distressing. My other hive was busy and buzzing. There were at least 100 bees crawling around on the front of the hive with dozens of others flying in and out. I know that I bought two hives so I'd have one left in case something happened to the one of the hives but I really was hoping to bring both of them through the winter.
Since the day was sunny and only a little breezy, I decided to take a look at the first hive to see if all my bees were dead or gone. Cracking open the outer cover of the hive didn't give me much hope. The only thing there were two dead bees. Opening the inner cover showed a different story. There were bees! Not a ton of bees, but a respectable amount of bees concentrated on four or five frames in the center of the hive. They were doing exactly what they were suppose to be doing. They were caring for the brood and waiting for spring. I may get two hives through the winter after all.
After getting Rob off the roof, we spent some time putting things to rights inside the barn. I'm not sure how so many things wandered during the cooler months. We reorganized shelves and created new empty spaces. We tagged some things for sale. Anyone need three sets of sliding glass doors? For the first time we were able to open two of the large sliding doors on the back of the barn. It feels good to sweep things out and know that new projects will be starting soon.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Raising Heritage Birds and Establishing a Breeding Flock
One of our successful farm efforts is found in our hen house. Over the last nine months we raised 100 meat birds and more than ten laying hens. We harvested many of the birds, sold some and have some living happily in our hen house. While learning about chickens and raising our meat birds, I learned about heritage breeds. Did you know that farm animals face extinction just like wild animals? With our food supply being mass produced, the animal breeds chosen must meet the standards for production. The desirable qualities for animals of the past don't always translate to large scale food production. As a result, breeds are being lost. Last year, the idea of farm animals facing extinction was totally new to me. I thought farm animals were farm animals; black and white cows, pink pigs, white hens, brown horses. As you can tell, I had and still have a lot to learn.
If you are as new to this farm thing as I was, perhaps, you may be interested to learn about heritage breeds as well. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy does a great job on education. Slow Food International is also an organization that does a great job on education.
As a result of learning about heritage breeds, one of our plans for this year is to start two breeding flocks. It may be a lofty goal but we are doing our research and making our plans. This spring we intend to start with a straight run (that means a mix of boy and girl) of Buckeyes, a heritage breed of chicken that is on the threatened list. We will have to separate our mixed bag of hens and roosters from the new chickens. We'll probably cull the older birds as the new Buckeyes begin to lay. We plan to go into next winter with at least fifteen Buckeyes. Next spring we hope to be enjoying a new flock of chicks from our own chickens.
In addition to the chickens, we also plan to purchase a straight run of Bourbon Red turkeys, another heritage breed. The Bourbon Red is on the ALBC watch list. We are still deciding how many turkeys we need to start a flock. We'd like to have a couple of birds for the table this year with at least two hens and a tom for breeding.
Going to the grocery store and buying a couple dozen eggs and a five pound bag of frozen skinless, boneless chicken breasts would certainly be easier. As we've discovered with our other endeavors, the start up costs are greater but the investment is worthwhile. I'm excited about the idea of preserving a breed. I'm excited about linking our farm to history. I'm excited about laying the foundation for birds that will be part of our farm for years to come.
If you are as new to this farm thing as I was, perhaps, you may be interested to learn about heritage breeds as well. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy does a great job on education. Slow Food International is also an organization that does a great job on education.
As a result of learning about heritage breeds, one of our plans for this year is to start two breeding flocks. It may be a lofty goal but we are doing our research and making our plans. This spring we intend to start with a straight run (that means a mix of boy and girl) of Buckeyes, a heritage breed of chicken that is on the threatened list. We will have to separate our mixed bag of hens and roosters from the new chickens. We'll probably cull the older birds as the new Buckeyes begin to lay. We plan to go into next winter with at least fifteen Buckeyes. Next spring we hope to be enjoying a new flock of chicks from our own chickens.
In addition to the chickens, we also plan to purchase a straight run of Bourbon Red turkeys, another heritage breed. The Bourbon Red is on the ALBC watch list. We are still deciding how many turkeys we need to start a flock. We'd like to have a couple of birds for the table this year with at least two hens and a tom for breeding.
Going to the grocery store and buying a couple dozen eggs and a five pound bag of frozen skinless, boneless chicken breasts would certainly be easier. As we've discovered with our other endeavors, the start up costs are greater but the investment is worthwhile. I'm excited about the idea of preserving a breed. I'm excited about linking our farm to history. I'm excited about laying the foundation for birds that will be part of our farm for years to come.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Savoring the Fruits of Our Labor
One of the things I love about our farm life is enjoying the fruits of our labor. Tonight for dinner we had two of our own roosters roasted to perfection. For dessert we had Raspberry and White Chocolate Fudge Brownies made from our own raspberries and eggs. A year ago I could only imagine the benefits of living on a farm. Now I enjoy those benefits at almost every meal.
We are currently planning our garden and livestock for the spring. Now that I understand that we can really grow food and then eat it I am excited to provide as much for ourselves as I can. My garden increases in size every time I go to the store and buy something only to realize that I could grow this myself. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, lots and lots of tomatoes, green peppers, strawberries, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, turnips, asparagus... The list grows and grows. It's a good thing we have a really large yard and four children. Lots of space and lots of hands to help.
Each time we eat one of our own roosters the memory of the harvest slips away. The benefit of cost and pleasure now make the labor and gross factor grow fuzzy. Maybe 100 roosters isn't such a bad idea. Maybe we should try more.
As we savor the fruits of our labor during the lull of winter it's easy to lose sight of the labor that produced those fruits. It's easy to feel is if it is all as simple as opening the door to the freezer and selecting what we want. It's easy to overlook the real man hours involved in each bite of chicken and each raspberry in our brownies. It's hard to reign in our enthusiasm and vision with reality.
Last year was our year of intense learning. This year is our year of serious planning. We will continue to savor the labor and the results and pray that we can find a balance for the two.
We are currently planning our garden and livestock for the spring. Now that I understand that we can really grow food and then eat it I am excited to provide as much for ourselves as I can. My garden increases in size every time I go to the store and buy something only to realize that I could grow this myself. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, lots and lots of tomatoes, green peppers, strawberries, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, turnips, asparagus... The list grows and grows. It's a good thing we have a really large yard and four children. Lots of space and lots of hands to help.
Each time we eat one of our own roosters the memory of the harvest slips away. The benefit of cost and pleasure now make the labor and gross factor grow fuzzy. Maybe 100 roosters isn't such a bad idea. Maybe we should try more.
As we savor the fruits of our labor during the lull of winter it's easy to lose sight of the labor that produced those fruits. It's easy to feel is if it is all as simple as opening the door to the freezer and selecting what we want. It's easy to overlook the real man hours involved in each bite of chicken and each raspberry in our brownies. It's hard to reign in our enthusiasm and vision with reality.
Last year was our year of intense learning. This year is our year of serious planning. We will continue to savor the labor and the results and pray that we can find a balance for the two.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Honey Bee Expo
I spent the day learning about bees. Our local bee keepers association hosts an annual Honey Bee Expo and I was blessed to be able to attend this year. To be honest, I haven't given much thought to my bees in the last few months. I have gone out every few weeks to look at the hives from the outside, mostly just to look at them and be sure that there is still signs of life outside the hive. It seemed as if all was well. It turns out that I haven't been doing all I should for my bees. I should be tapping the hives and listening. I should still be inspecting. I should know how my queen is and how the cluster is doing.
After listening to some experienced bee keepers talk about bees today I know I've got a lot more care taking to do. My bees are practically neglected. I need to be listening to my hive. When we get a warm, sunny, calm day I need to crack open my hives and take a peek. I need to get ready for spring. Apparently, my bee vacation is over.
I listened to speakers talk about prepping for spring, splitting hives, extracting honey and inspecting your hives. I learned that free bees are the best bees. I learned that if you are going to put up a bear fence you need to hang bacon on the wires. I learned where two or more bee keepers are gathered together there are as many methods as there are bee keepers. Mostly I learned that I have a lot to learn.
Over the next few months I need to get at least one new hive ready. It would probably be a good idea to get a nuc ready too. Supers are also a priority. I'll need at least three of those per hive before the first of April. I'm going to do some research to make a choice about extractors and we are going to prep an area for honey production. It sounds as if we will soon be busy as bees.
I
After listening to some experienced bee keepers talk about bees today I know I've got a lot more care taking to do. My bees are practically neglected. I need to be listening to my hive. When we get a warm, sunny, calm day I need to crack open my hives and take a peek. I need to get ready for spring. Apparently, my bee vacation is over.
I listened to speakers talk about prepping for spring, splitting hives, extracting honey and inspecting your hives. I learned that free bees are the best bees. I learned that if you are going to put up a bear fence you need to hang bacon on the wires. I learned where two or more bee keepers are gathered together there are as many methods as there are bee keepers. Mostly I learned that I have a lot to learn.
Over the next few months I need to get at least one new hive ready. It would probably be a good idea to get a nuc ready too. Supers are also a priority. I'll need at least three of those per hive before the first of April. I'm going to do some research to make a choice about extractors and we are going to prep an area for honey production. It sounds as if we will soon be busy as bees.
I
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Measure of a Cow
Our most recent farm job was to measure T-Bone, our 10 month old Holstein steer. The reason you measure a cow is to determine how much they weigh. The reason you want to know the weight of a cow is because the weight of a cow indicates when the cow is ready to be dinner. This is just one of the many jobs that I had no idea needed to be done a year ago. This is just one of the jobs that I've learned to do in the last year. In fact, last year, I could never have predicted that we'd have a cow much less need to measure him.
Getting the cow to stand on one foot on the bathroom scale is beyond the realm of possibility. Also, I don't think the bathroom scale goes high enough to measure a cow. Thankfully, someone way smarter than me figured out that by measuring heart girth of a cow you can estimate weight. This is much easier than getting the cow to step on a scale. However, with a cow, nothing is really easy.
The biggest challenge came with getting the cow to stand still. If you've read previous posts you know that the cow is not all that happy about being approached by Rob. You also know that I prefer to stay on side of the fence opposite the cow. Even before I knew how much he weighed I knew that it was a lot and that I didn't want any of that weight pressed against any part of my body. I like scratching the cows neck and head. I do not want to come in direct contact with any other cow parts, especially his feet.
Food is just as motivating for cows as it if for people. By luring him with carrots and corn we were able to get the measure wrapped around T-Bone just behind is front legs. This is the heart girth. That might be helpful on some trivia game at sometime in the future. T-Bones heart girth showed him to be 69". That translates into about 940 lbs.
Our research says that butcher weight is about 1200lbs. Our research also says that a 900 lb cow equals about 500 lbs of meat. That's a lot of meat. We'll be checking around in the next few weeks to see what our options and costs concerning butchering are. We will also be trying to find new homes for some of our chickens in the chest freezer.
We have another skill to list on our resume. We are able to take the measure of a cow.
Getting the cow to stand on one foot on the bathroom scale is beyond the realm of possibility. Also, I don't think the bathroom scale goes high enough to measure a cow. Thankfully, someone way smarter than me figured out that by measuring heart girth of a cow you can estimate weight. This is much easier than getting the cow to step on a scale. However, with a cow, nothing is really easy.
The biggest challenge came with getting the cow to stand still. If you've read previous posts you know that the cow is not all that happy about being approached by Rob. You also know that I prefer to stay on side of the fence opposite the cow. Even before I knew how much he weighed I knew that it was a lot and that I didn't want any of that weight pressed against any part of my body. I like scratching the cows neck and head. I do not want to come in direct contact with any other cow parts, especially his feet.
Food is just as motivating for cows as it if for people. By luring him with carrots and corn we were able to get the measure wrapped around T-Bone just behind is front legs. This is the heart girth. That might be helpful on some trivia game at sometime in the future. T-Bones heart girth showed him to be 69". That translates into about 940 lbs.
Our research says that butcher weight is about 1200lbs. Our research also says that a 900 lb cow equals about 500 lbs of meat. That's a lot of meat. We'll be checking around in the next few weeks to see what our options and costs concerning butchering are. We will also be trying to find new homes for some of our chickens in the chest freezer.
We have another skill to list on our resume. We are able to take the measure of a cow.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
New Year New Challenges
The temperature dropped last night. Colder weather brings a new series of issues with our animals. The primary concern with below freezing temperatures is how to keep water available for the animals. Today, our solution was to change the water frequently. That's not going to work all the time. I won't always be here to stir the water three times a day. I also prefer not to go outside and mess with water when it's cold. In fact, I prefer not to go outside at all when it's cold.
Now, I understand that as a farmer I am obligated to take care of the animals. It's an obligation I take seriously. I will go out when it's cold. I just won't like it. Also, if I could go out less frequently, I'd like that. Because of my desire to go out less frequently I've been researching de-icing solutions.
It appears that our cheapest fix for the chickens is to pull the waterer out of the coop at night and during the day position the heat lamp closer to the waterer. Sounds easy enough. We'll be trying this starting tonight.
Our fix for the cow seems a bit more complicated. We could get a de-icer for about $25 but it's a floating one. We are concerned that the cow would play with it. I'm not sure that's our best option. Breaking the ice a couple times a day is an option. We rarely spend more than four or five hours away from home. As long as we made sure the water was clear before we left, the cow should be able to drink enough while we are gone. There are heated buckets but they are kind of pricey.
It's funny to think that this time last year we didn't have any thoughts about taking care of animals during the winter. We were just praying that we'd be living on the farm soon. It's amazing what a difference a year makes.
Now, I understand that as a farmer I am obligated to take care of the animals. It's an obligation I take seriously. I will go out when it's cold. I just won't like it. Also, if I could go out less frequently, I'd like that. Because of my desire to go out less frequently I've been researching de-icing solutions.
It appears that our cheapest fix for the chickens is to pull the waterer out of the coop at night and during the day position the heat lamp closer to the waterer. Sounds easy enough. We'll be trying this starting tonight.
Our fix for the cow seems a bit more complicated. We could get a de-icer for about $25 but it's a floating one. We are concerned that the cow would play with it. I'm not sure that's our best option. Breaking the ice a couple times a day is an option. We rarely spend more than four or five hours away from home. As long as we made sure the water was clear before we left, the cow should be able to drink enough while we are gone. There are heated buckets but they are kind of pricey.
It's funny to think that this time last year we didn't have any thoughts about taking care of animals during the winter. We were just praying that we'd be living on the farm soon. It's amazing what a difference a year makes.
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