rain

Rain again last night. We have had perhaps five plus inches of rain over the last two weeks, all of it coming as showers of an inch or so. We are beginning to discover the farm's wet seams again. As we resume spring field work after each shower, we discover that dry on the surface does not necessarily mean good footing for the equipment. When it was so dry earlier this spring and the last half of last season, the entire farm was more like a road and we could walk or drive anywhere. Not so now. The cattle are enjoying the rain driven grass growth and are now midway of their second rotation across the pastures. The sows like it too, the group on pasture often must be brought home to eat its daily grain ration. Next on the agenda is the building of the new lane which will give the other sow group access to the other half of the pasture and make the cattle rotation easier to operate. That will commence as soon as it is dry enough to drill the post holes. Things are exciting here. The sow facility we worked last year to build is performing above expectations. The sows are comfortable with it and so are we. It enables calm and careful handling and feeding, while facilitating maximum value from the pastures that surround it. And we are thinking about and planning for the next big event, which is the building of a new farrowing facility later this summer. Will keep you posted. Take care. Jim

Spring

Today I led the cattle back on to the pasture from the lot where they had waited out the storm, protesting loudly all the while. As I walked, I could hear our crew of red-headed woodpeckers having at the scattering of dead trees in the grove. Cindy said she saw several working on a standing popular behind their house. It pleases me to think that a farmer who pays attention can be guided from winter through summer entirely by listening to the wild things. Several weeks ago it was the migrating geese that dominated from their overnight digs down in the lower pasture. They are on their way to the Lac Que Parle for the summer, and like a group of teenagers, they talk incessantly. Kind of a goose pajama party going on down there. It has been several weeks now since we heard the cackle and rasp of pheasant as they have moved away from the yard for the summer, into the windbreaks to gain access to the grass and wait for the growing crops to provide their summer cover.

Soon the little cattail slough will come alive with the language of thousands of frogs underlying the screaming of the red headed blackbirds sorting out their territories. And before long will come the multi noted song of the western meadowlark, which is the introduction to real summer in the pastures.

The cattle are started with their grazing, the first group of sows has been turned to pasture, soon to be followed by the second, the days are getting longer and the pulse of the land stronger. Enjoy your world, whatever it is and take care of it! It is what we have on earth.

Jim

sickened

About 48 million Americans are sickened each year by food borne pathogens. Some 3000die each year. Most common is salmonella. Just last year, Jack DeCoster's chicken and egg empire sickened thousands and caused a minor ripple in official Washington over whether he would clean up his act voluntarily so that the regulators would not have to do their job. He is operating again. However, a Pennsylvania dairy farmer whose sales of his own milk has not caused a single problem shut himself down after an injunction was obtained by the FDA stopping him from selling his product.

Last year, a Wisconsin farmer, also selling his own milk, was visited by authorities packing firearms and told to shut down. And just last week the DNR in Michigan, with the permission of the governor in that state, based upon a feral pig law just passed by the Michigan legislature, showed up on several farms meaning to shoot pigs being kept outdoors. You can add many examples to these stories. They keep popping up all the time.

The first thing to say is that we in local foods have them scared. Someone very powerful wants us all out of business. And the second thing is to notice that the regulators are picking battles they think they can win. Instead of going after the conventional food system which is the basis of the vast majority of those 48 million cases of sickened people each year, and the 3000 dead ones, they are picking on farmers. And small ones at that.

The battle is shaping up. The thing to remember though, is that it can only be won by brains, not guns. Washington is deteriorating from the inside and the open question has to do with how long it can keep a lid on all the "misbehavior" it wants to control. We still have a chance to exert some influence upon the states and their legislatures, if we will pay attention to electing the right people.

And it is critical that all of us who sell anything to anyone take steps to get them aware of what is going on and keep them that way.

Jim

March

We are seeing moisture a little more frequently now as we move into spring and have hopes that we may be in a trend back to a kind of normal or at least average in terms of the weather.

Our beef business has been going well enough that we are current with the animals we have and are not able to process more for several months. The best approach would be to delay further slaughter until the second half of the grazing season to allow more growth on our younger animals and also to give them a chance to graze for most of the season, thus not only putting on weight, but increasing the level of Omega threes in the fat. Remember as we do this, that while we may run short of beef cuts for your orders, we are and will remain well stocked with first quality ground beef, all taken from animals maintained and grown on grass and forage. One year ago, we bought a small stock cow herd, essentially doubling the size of our herd of production females. This increase in finishing animals will begin to be ready in the second half of this year. We ask your patience in waiting for our expansion.

Also, on the pork side, we regret to report that we simply will not be able to supply Easter hams this year. We are sorry. Our restaurant trade, which buys ham all the time, has increased to the level that we simply have none to spare. As many of you are aware, we are in the midst of a serious expansion of our hog production, and we very much hope and plan that next year's Easter will be back to normal. Meanwhile, remember to ask for certain other beef or pork cuts that are also suitable for holiday meals. We have a good availability of pork loin now and some of the nicer beef roasting cuts.

Jim

Conversations With the Land

The book is here! Consisting of fifty-nine columns collected over about 15 years, it is one hundred sixty four pages long and covers topics like rural people, rural life, farming, agricultural economics and politics. See it soon on the website.(on Carye's art page) The cover photo alone is nearly worth the $15.95 price. Call us at the regular order number, or e-mail at grassroots@pasturesaplenty.com to get your copy. And have a Merry Christmas!

Jim

hunting season

The boys came past in hunter orange today, one to walk the north windbreak from the north toward the yard, the other to start in the west windbreak, then proceed through the grove and walk through to the north windbreak. I don't know if they got a shot off. If they bagged anything, I didn't hear about it.

The old pheasant rooster took off awhile after they had given up, starting from near the yard and angling sharply up past the leafless box elders and cottonwoods, trailing behind him his raspy rusty scream as he cleared the tops of the Austrian pines. Not today, not today, he seemed to be saying. I am sure he was the same one that wintered partly on our yard cleaning up after the sows for some of last winter after the snow covered the entire farm to over a foot deep. Wily old bugger!

We don't have to leave the farm to hunt. That says a lot. Our farming is more generous to the wild things than it used to be. I am not taking up hunting anymore, but am taking real pleasure in noticing our large variety of birds and being able to find unfamiliar plants in the pastures and fencerows that I have to work to identify. Wild things are part of our farm's community.

Fall

The season is winding down now. The cattle are on the cropping acres, cleaning up, the hog buildings have been repaired, well enough we hope. We have manure to haul, a little light tillage if we get the chance and we need to close up our new sow feeding project for us to finish in early winter. Time to relax for just a bit. Actually part of the relief from farming this year is the rush to put final touches on a book of essays we hope to publish by the holidays. We will make it available on the website when we get that far. Meanwhile, enjoy what is left of fall! Stay warm

Jim