Sadly, I must report that the event was not a smashing success. I could see disappointment in those that attended, vendors, and the fine folks and volunteers of BJP Ranch. I must admit, that I, too, was disappointed. Perhaps not for the same reasons, however. I was disappointed in the lack of compassion in the community. The ranch does great things for kids who would not have that benefit anywhere else.
However, I am not totally down trodden, nor displeased. And, I think, neither are the maneging staff of the ranch. I talked with one of them afterward, and there was the sense of "pulling up the boots" and getting to work on next year and make it happen (this was the first year). I think they will learn from this event and apply those lessons to further the ranch and what they do. My family and I have signed on to volunteer at the ranch, in some small way,and help where we can. I am glad for that. I am glad for the connections we made with some fine people in those two days. Which leads me to the point of all of this.
While it was not extremely busy, some people did stop by. Of those people, we made a few very good contacts and built relationships. You'd be surprised how quickly a relationship can be built when you share common interests like, real foods, natural farming, stewardship, etc...
There was a woman there who owns an outdoor motorized sports dealership, promoting their line of ATV's (I won't mention their name without permission). Talk about an interesting person. In the Stockman Grass Farmer , I read all the time about rotational farming and grass farming practices in New Zealand. I read about seasonal dairying and open air milk barns, different grass species and such things. In other words, I read about farming practices that are old hat in other countries, but taboo here. Where do you think she was from? That's right, New Zealand! Where do you think she grew up? On a Dairy farm in New Zealand. I got to pick the brain, and listen to someone from there who lived it! That was great! (I really wanted one of those ATV's!)
We met a couple who are just getting started and knew a bit about Fertrell, who bought a bunch of product and now know where we are, as the local dealer. They were thankful to have met us and talk. Did you get that? They were thankful to talk to us. There was a relationship built right there in just a few minutes. Do you see where I'm going with all of this? When a need for a product comes up, who are the first people that come to mind? The ones with which you have a relationship. And it is that relationship that will keep them coming back to you, despite someone else's cheaper version or "better" product. For the relationships, I am thankful.
There were also some people who do not know a thing about Fertrell or building soil or healthy animals. But now they do, and it could be the beginning of an education. For that, I am thankful.
Thank you to BJP Youth Ranch, for an opportunity for all involved. I pray that it will be bigger and better next year, and we will be there again. I look forward to working with you all as a volunteer in the coming months as I am sure I can learn much from an operating ranch and help some kids.
On another note, I would like to begin a once a week tradition here on Cedar Cove Farm's blog. I would like to feature a Fertrell product, once a week, to help folks understand Fertrell and what they do. Yes, I may increase business for us, but that is not the whole reason as I know many of you don't live near me. But to get the word out about building soil and taking care of our animals. I believe that all of us want healthier animals and soil, but don't have the knowledge or resources to do it. I am just learning as I go, myself. So, in an effort to fill that gap the first product I will talk about is Fertrell's Poultry Nutribalancer . This product has come to mean so much to us that I don't envision us being without it, as long as we raise chickens.
This product is made with specialty minerals, produced only for Fertrell. We went from a mortality of around 20-25% down to around 1-2%. For every chicken that lives, that's a few more dollars in profit. That is a huge gain in itself. The mixture of vitamins, minerals and pro-biotics is unmatched in the poultry industry. We can attest to the health of our flocks and the quality of the meat. Our customers have told us, after we started using this product full time, that they were the best tasting birds to date. That is quite a compliment. I am not going to suggest that Fertrell's Nutribalancers make the meat taste better, instead, I will suggest that the healthier the bird, the better it will taste. We have a custom blend that includes one 60# bag of Nutribalancer per ton. One half ton will feed 50 birds for 8 weeks, start to finish. With the decrease in mortality, we are making more money and the customers are eating healthier "food fit to eat" from pasture, not a confinement house. It is a win-win for all of us. Try some, you won't be sorry.For more information, click the link to Fertrell's website found at the right, or you can email me, and I will try to help you out as much as I can. Thanks.
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