Chick-Chick-chicken Time!

It is the time of year that we should be ordering our broiler chickens.  I have to be honest here-my heart does not seem to be into raising these chickens.  Oh we're going to do it, but I, kinda, don't want to.  I think I'm getting lazy in my old age.

Joking aside, what really has me bumfuzled is the cost of feed.  We sell many of the birds, keeping enough for ourselves, but it is getting harder to turn a profit.  We buy a ton of feed at a time, supplemented with grass in chicken tractors.  Last year, when I went to buy feed it cost $400 for a ton.  It's still cheaper using our custom mix than buying Purina junk, so it worked out, but I haven't checked on the price of things yet-so I'm dreading it.

In the end, I need to quit lollygagging and get the order in for the birds.  No matter what, they are still the best tasting, best for you chickens around.

I've Been Thinking

I need to start by saying that we had a picture perfect day here in the Ozarks.  The temp was a mild 73 degrees, cloudless skies and very light breeze.  Not bad, eh? 

We, as a family, spent the bulk of the day out of doors, performing menial tasks around the homestead.  The first thing we did was to move the cattle "back home" from across the road.  Our small paddocks have recovered nicely from the forced over grazing that occured last year due to the drought.  That went well, although the cows had to take a little trip around the house before going into the paddock.

Otherwise it was a very typical Saturday around here.  My lovely wife spent the day in the garden, preparing and planting to keep her family fed.  The kids and I put our new log splitter to good use and got a bunch of wood split and stacked for next winter.  My wife and I planted a couple of Goji bushes in a corner of one of the paddocks in keeping with our sustainable, permaculture course of action.  I have decided to let all the corners of the paddocks "go" with growth of various plants and herbs for food value to us, the animals and the wild thins like rabbits, birds and bugs.  It is that way in God's creation and so it should be on the farm.

Now to the title of this post.  My wife was working diligently in the garden when I walked by.  She stood up and said, I've been thinking...

Those few words usually mean more work for me.  They are usually followed by their cousin words like, what if we did this over there...?  or, why don't we do that in the area over there...? 

Sure enough, it was as I suspected.  Truly, I don't mind so much, after all, it is about keeping us all fed.  Really, these thypes of ideas she comes up with are all about survival.  In order to survive natural disasters or government meltdown you need to have a plan.  My wife's are ususally pretty darn good, so I go along.  I'm the labor behind the brains, you see.

SO, what's going on in your neck of the woods?

The Price For Lambs Is Increasing

Have you ever thought of raising lamb on your homestead?  Now might be the time to get in on it, the price of lamb has skyrocketed and the demand is increasing.  This might be a good money maker for grassfarmers and natural farmers and homesteaders.  Check out the linked article for more details.

Getting To Know Grass

Ive done a fair amount of reading on the subject of grass, not the kind you smoke-geeze.  What are the best grass species to grow?  What is the best time to sew?  How does a specific specie perform at different times of the year?  All good questions you should be asking yourself, if you are into farming grass.  Really, it is a mindset, a belief, a different paradigm, you will need to admit it and start calling yourself a grass farmer.  To grow cows, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys-whatever, you will need to grow grass, it really is that simple-in concept.  I cannot safely say that I have this thing figured out yet.  I am still working on it.  TYo help you work on it, you can read this article, but keep in mind that we live in Missouri.  This information may not apply to your neck of the woods, but use this as a spring board to get you thinking in the right direction.  Let me know what your thoughts or ideas are.

Leasing Farm Land Is A Growing Trend

No Risk Ranching: Custom Grazing on Leased Land



Leasing farms and farm land is a growing trend.  Some are even able to do it without cash.  In other words, leasing property from urban types who just want their land to be pretty and fertile.  This can be obtained through a good rotational grazing system.  The linked story, however, is a bout a dairy in Washington state in which the farmer was able to lease his farm to another farmer and all is good for both sides, a win-win.  Kind of a feel good article, but it can be used to cause pause for thought to other farmers out there looking for a way to grow their business.

Demand For Bison Is Soaring

Bison ranchers are having a hard time keeping up with demand as more people are seeking heathier meat.  Bison grow slower than beef animals, making things difficult for bison ranchers.  Maybe we just need more bison ranchers?

Give A Man A Fish And He'll Eat For A Day. Teach A Man To Fish And He Will Eat For A Lifetime

Montana ranchers have sent a bunch of beef cattle to Russia in an effort to give the Russian cattle industry a boost.  I don't quite know what my opinion is on this.  I do wish we, in America, would worry more about our homeland and less of others.  I guess this is a good thing, maybe.  Read the linked article and judge for yourself.  Let me know your opinions and thoughts.

New Study Proves The Health Benefits Of Grass Fed Animals

Once again, science has determined that eating grass fed beef and dairy products is actually healthy for you.  This is what God has been saying all along, you see cows were meant to eat grass that is the way they are designed.  It is an unnatural state for them to be in a confined area being fed GMO grain.  Now we have even more scientific proof that God's design is perfect.  You might want to keep this article to use for reference when answering question for your customers.

Using Cattle To Create Pastoral Scenery?

Who would have thought that creation of a pastoral landscape could be considered a viable bi-product of farming?  Honestly, that is the furthest thing from my mind.  However, this Virginia farmer had what he called an "epiphany".  The moment when all else, all other prior beliefs and knowledge seem to fade away.  If we consider sustainable agriculture and what that means, maybe we all need to have an epiphany.

Pigs Prefer White Clover

Who says pigs don't eat grass?  A new study shows that pigs not only eat grass, but have preferences.  Raising pigs on pasture is the best way to allow a pig to be a pig, not only is this a healthy way of feeding them but very cost effective as well.  Read more here...

Grass Fed Beef, Argentina tyle

Here is a neat article that takes a look at Anibal Pordomingo's ranch and opperation in Argentina.  I have read many of his articles in the past and he really knows grass farming and grass fed beef.  I know many of us are not as big as he is, but I think we can still learn from his practices.  One thing we do have in common is that, like many of us, he works a job outside the ranch.  How do you balance your full time job and manage your homestead/farm at the same time?

Grazing Cattle For 300 Days Out Of The Year?

Maybe someday.  Have you ever dreamed of rotationally grazing cattle for 300 days out of the year?  The Univerity of Arkansas has done just that, read more here...

Pasture Crawling?

If you follow rotational grazing, or, mangement intensive grazing, you know that pasture walking is an important aspect of your management.  It is important to get a look and feel of the condition of your pastures, to see bald spots or other damage that needs repair.  Or to find holes that might need filled.  Most importantly, you can get a feel for the condition of the soil, based on the life on the surface.  We have been working on this soil, here, for several years now.

Today, I did a pasture crawl.  Yup, you heard me right, I got down on my hands and knees and crawled around on the ground.  No, my eye sight isn't so bad, yet, but I did want a closer look at some legumes and I just stayed down there.

I am excited as we have legumes, clover and Korean Lespedeza, growing, voluntarily, in our pastures.  These two legumes are spotty, but there none the less.  This is good news.  Legumes are nitrogen fixers.  They capture the N in the air and transfer it to the soil, which makes for healthier grass.  Grass need N to grow at all.

This is something that I have not been very pro-active about planting.  Not because I didn't want to, but, because I just haven't, for what ever reason.  I did throw down some seed a few years ago, but never saw anything from it.  I grazed it way too soon after soing that it was probably eaten before it got established.

I have written before about inadvertant planting, and I think this is how the clover and lespedeza got there.  When I feed hay, I scatter it in different places, trying not to feed in the same place twice.  There are seed in the hay and the cows, with their magnificent hooves, plant the seed for me.  It is quite wonderful to watch God's creation do what it is supposed to do.

While down on my knees, I tried a clover leaf.  The first taste seemed good, but then there was the after taste.  I'm glad cows like it, I didn't think too highly of it.  I will stick to eating it in the form of meat and milk.  It tastes much better that way.

Leave some comments sharing what you discover on your pasture walks, or, crawls, as it were.

Mob Grazing On A Small Scale

Comeback Farms: Rejuvenating Soils, Pastures and Profits with Livestock Grazing Management


Where have I been, you ask?  Well, I have been here, just busy.  I know, the same old excuse, right?  I promise, I have been.

There are so many things going through my head, right now, that it is causing a little anxiety.  I am trying to do the foremost thing that a grassfarmer should do, think.  It would seem that, since I hit 40, that thinking thing comes a bit more labrously.

But, I am thinking of things I would like to do to prepare for the spring.  The biggest thing I want to accomplish is to get some grass sown.  I plan to do this the same way I have in the past, and it has proven moderately successful.  I plan to throw down the seed in the places I spread hay.  This serves a two-fold purpose.  The first is that the hay, itself, has plenty of seeds in it, thus I spread it around, trying hard to avoid feeding it in the same spot, day after day.  Through this, the seed gets spread, pretty simple.  The second is that when I throw the seed down around the feed spot, the cattle push it in the ground, saving me from having to till.  Dual purpose with good results.

A good source of grass is essential to a sustainable rotation.  I am still working toward this end as what we had to start with was not so good.  We have improved much over the last few years, and I expect that trend to continue.

I plan to cut down the brambles that plague the pastures.  This should help in the microbial action and build the soil.  Last year, I implemented what I call a pseudo-mob grazing on our small homestead.  I liked what I saw and I was even able to extend the grazing season a month longer than last year.  This year, I am going to try to dicipline myself to control the grazing a bit more and mob them even more.  I may chicken out, when the grass is too short, I get nervous.  The goal is to create a longer rest period between first and last paddocks.

I want to study this closer than in time past.  What I want to do is take our small homestead and make it a model for mob grazing on a very small scale.  We're talking 3-5 animals on 5 acres.  Ten acres, if I can get some fence built this year.  I've been trying to build that fence for two years now.  Pray about that, please.

So, I will keep you posted as things progress.  I have high hopes, but first, I need to get some seed in the ground.  THen there are the broilers and the rabbits and the.....