Topic: Farm
Just a quick entry to let you know we're still at it. First cutting of hay is in, but not very good. Got 6" of rain on it before baling!
First batch of chickens were great. We sold all but four of them - pretty good since we didn't have orders for that many. I'm still trying to train my customers regarding planning ahead. I'm not a grocery store...
Our pigs arrived and are now about 50 lbs. We have a dozen. They have a lot with dirt and grass to play in. We feed Fertrell's Swine Nutribalancer recommended ration.
We have had four calves. Three heifers! That's good when you're building a herd, starting with five bred cows. The other died during birth to a 2-yr. old heifer. Most would cull her. I don't know if I will. I like giving second chances. We have one more to calve in September/October.
Second cutting of hay should come down any day. Great weather for it! 90+ degrees.
Time to order our second batch of chickens. People have been asking if we were going to have more, so we might build another pen and expand our production. We need some in our freezer too. We're blessed to have a local locker that processes chickens by hand (except the picker). At less than $0.80 a bird, I can't do it myself given the time and capital needed. Maybe in the future. My customers can choose to have their whole birds flash frozen by the locker for an extra $1.50 per bird. We've been selling at $2.00 a pound for our whole broilers, fresh.
The cattle are on their third rotation over our best 6 ac. pasture. We use daily moves (See Salatin's Salad Bar Beef). We have wooded pastures that we use to relieve the open pasture when we need more time to rest it. We don't move them daily on those wooded pastures because it is too difficult to get a standardized paddock size.
My boys and I recovered some old galvanized roofing from a barn that was destroyed by a tornado in 1989 on our farm. We used it to cover our old, leaking garage roof, which we use as a shop. They did a great job cleaning and organizing the shop for usefulness.
We hope to sell our alfalfa hay for cash at a local auction. That helps offset the cost for the custom baling. We hope to set aside the extra cash to buy our own baler.
Successes and failures in the garden. Good crop of peas, but short-lived in the Iowa heat. Tomatoes are doing great this year. Last year we had none. We planted 90 cabbages in an extra plot to see if we can make some quality sauerkraut and can the rest. We love cabbage! Sweet corn is silking, and first cucumbers are on. The spinach and lettuce mix has been good eating. Potatoes, onions, garlic, winter squash, green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, asparagus, rhubarb, herbs are all doing well. First green beans were wonderful. Our pepper plans have stopped growing. We're brewing manure tea to try to give them a boost. We're also trying to keep our early cabbages from the bugs. The soap spray isn't working. We'd like to try garlic, but it is not available locally. We may try soaking garlic powder in water and spray it on.
That's the farm news from Shady Larch Farm. If you would like to visit sometime, let us know. We're thinning about putting up a "bunk house" for visitors.
God bless you!