Wednesday, December 24, 2014

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

We want to wish all of you a very "MERRY CHRISTMAS!!" this year!  Jesus Christ is the greatest gift to all of mankind and His resurrection makes ALL the difference for each of us.  We also thank you for the wonderful year that we have had.  God Bless your Christmas Season and a Blest New Year!

Monday, June 30, 2014

Spring and Summer brings new life!

One thing I love about the summer months is all the new life that we see around us.  New lambs, calves and plants push through the soft warm soil.  There is nothing like seeing a cherry tree in full bloom or mama cows licking thier newborn calves, nudging them to rise up on their wobbly legs.

                                          Disking a field this spring preparing to seed grass.

Yes, summer is a blessing!  We enjoy hot dogs around the campfire, trips to the lake to play in the water, fresh vegetables out of the garden, and the blessings go on and on.  Spend time with your family this summer, and go out and enjoy God's great creation.

Market report:

1. We only have a few cows left that will be ready to butcher this season, so reserve your quarter, half or whole asap.
2. Hogs will be ready this fall or early winter, so get your freezer ready for fresh pork.
3. We currently do not have any meat chickens, but do intend on having some starting in August.

Monday, June 9, 2014

What Happened!!

What happened to you!!  That may be the question some of you are asking.  It seems like we dropped off of the planet.  We haven't!!  But our world has been turned upside down the last several weeks.  We have faced several big decisions, and it hasn't always been easy to know which direction to go.  We have been able to make a few decisions, still praying and trusting for others, and resting in God's goodness and faithfulness all the way.  Keep praying for us!

The cows are doing good; several of the cows are getting close to having babies.  We added another milk cow to the herd and are looking forward to getting back to enjoying our own milk.  We haven't started any broiler chicks yet this year but hope to later this summer.  Also, our son is wanting to raise more turkeys for Thanksgiving.  Let us know if you are interested in either one.  We are limited on the amount of beef that will be available this year since we are keeping back our females to have for breeding stock in the future.  If you think you might want beef, let us know asap since we only have a limited supply.

Thank you for your support, prayers, friendship and being the base that keeps our farm going.  Knowing that we are helping other families have healthy food to eat gives us great joy and fulfillment.

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Check this out!

The typical dairy cow raised in a confinement dairy is injected with hormones to increase her milk production. Then after only two year's on the job, she's slaughtered and turned into hamburger because she's either sick, lame, fails to breed, or is a less than stellar producer. The average cull rate in the dairy industry is 30 percent. That means that each year, almost a third of our dairy cows are slaughtered and replaced with new heifers.
 
I was at a sale barn one day when several dairy animals were brought in the ring to be sold.  The gentleman who purchased the animals was a cattle buyer for a large fast food chain here in America.  After I saw the animals that the buyer got, our family has never eaten hamburgers at this chain again, and that was over 4 years ago.

A cow that's treated well, spared the hormones, and raised on pasture can be expected to produce milk for ten years or more. The cull rate in a grass-based dairy can be as low as 7 percent. The money that a farmer saves by not having to replace a third of the herd every year helps offset the fact that a cow free of artificial hormones produces less milk. Bossy gets the respect that she deserves and consumers get hormone-free, nutrient-rich milk.

Friday, April 4, 2014

Beef prices continue to climb!

Yesterday I was listening to the market report on the radio and feeder cattle prices had hit $1.77/lbs which is a record high price.  I am amazed at how the cattle market is so high this winter and historically prices always go up in the spring with grass greening up.  High beef prices make it hard on families to afford buying much beef.  Some alternatives to beef would be pasture raised pork, chicken or turkey.  These products have not seen such a climb in cost over the last few months and could be a affordable short term meat choice.  We have all four meat products available this year for your family to enjoy.  We are currently getting ready to order meat chicks for those of you that would like to enjoy pasture raised poultry meat.  If you would like to place a pre-order please let us know, and we will work with your family to accommodate its needs. 

Monday, March 3, 2014

Looking forward to another year to serve you!

2013 was a good year for each of us as we look back and see how God met each of our needs and fulfilled many of our wants.  We added new customers and continued to grow relationships with those who have become family friends.  This year we want to get to know you better.  We enjoy providing you and your families with healthy food, but ministering to others through a listening ear, a caring heart or a timely smile is the most important thing for us to offer others.   Jesus Christ is our best friend and is the only source of joy in the middle of a broken world.  I hope that He will become your best friend also; He will if you ask!

                                                              The boys say "Hi"!!

We are starting an email list this season of customers that would like to get personal messages from us.  Monica or I will be sending out short messages to those who are on the list about a devotional thought, events happening at our farm, other events we recommend, and products that are available for purchase.  This will more of a personalized message over the content posted on the farm blog.  It would be a great way to build a continuing relationship with our family.  The email list will be protected, not shared with others.  If you are interested, please contact Monica at monica@pastureplace.com to be added to this list.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Local Fresh grown Shrimp

We have a friend that has started raising shrimp over by the town of Flora.  He is a great guy, who wants to raise locally grown food for his community and surrounding areas.  The shrimp are raised in a controlled environment (small pools) and handled with upmost care.  The business is called Big Barn Shrimp Farm and is located right on the south edge of Flora on State Road 75.  You can talk to Jerry if you would like at 574-967-3266 or BigBarnShrimpFarm@gmail.com also follow him at www.facebook.com/BigBarnShrimpFarm Jerry sells his shrimp fresh by the pound at his store or he is planning on being at several of this years summers farmers market.  Enjoy! :)

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Feed them grass, not grease!

 

In yet another short-sighted experiment, researchers at Washington State University are feeding recycled restaurant grease to feedlot cattle in an attempt to raise the CLA levels of their meat. Although grease will indeed enhance CLA levels, it cannot compete with grass when the total nutritional value of the meat is taken into consideration. Meat from cattle raised on grass and legumes is not only five times higher in CLA than meat from feedlot cattle, it is also higher in vitamin E, beta carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids. Also, restaurant grease is high in a type of fat called "linoleic acid" or LA that is known to stimulate tumor growth. Although grease-fed cattle will have more of the cancer-fighting CLA, they will also have higher levels of the cancer-promoting LA, perhaps canceling out the anticipated benefits.

Comments: As long as researchers focus on artificial ways to raise CLA levels in animals, we will continue to have beef that is nutritionally inferior in other areas. We will also be plagued with all the problems linked with the feedlot industry including nutrient leaching, odor, diseased animals, and the indiscriminate use of growth promoting hormones and antibiotics