21st Century Workhorse

In days gone by, nearly all farmers had a workhorse or mule on their place.  These animals were used to lift and carry burdens on the farm.  Much like the old days, I recommend farmers have a modern day workhorse to help with getting daily tasks completed on the farm.  Here is my workhorse; it is 20 years old and is still paying for itself.  I use this machine nearly everyday doing multiple chores around our farm.  Here are a few things that I use it for:

1. Hauling hand tools around the farm like: a post driver, bolt cutters, chainsaws, hay bales, etc.
2. Streching electric fence wire
3. Moving the chicken tractor
4. Checking different pasture areas
5. Pulling small equipment

Now, like anything else a workhorse must be used responsibly and with caution.  If not used with respect, these useful tools can cause heartache in your family and become a curse instead of a blessing.  So ride with care.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Two deliveries

Last night we loaded the chickens in the stock trailer for this morning's delivery.  Since they have to be at the butcher early in the morning, we lessen everyones stress by preparing the night before.  Already our second batch is being processed and will be ready for pickup tomorrow.  Our boys are glad for a few less chicken chores as the days are getting colder.  It is more pleasant to do chores when it's warmer.  The chores won't take quite as long only having the layers to feed and water.

We delivered whole chicken and whole chicken cut in pieces to Java Jo'z in Lafayette so you can pick up some easily as you get your chai or latte' for the day!  It is our goal to make it hassle free for you to buy our healthy, farm-raised meat.  We would love input in ways to accomplish this to fit your schedule.  Share your ideas in the comments below, and we will do our best to accommodate you.  May you count your many blessings this Thanksgiving season!

Our Logo!

Our good friend, Nathan Wright, designed our new logo.  We love the new look and hope that you do too.  We wanted a logo that reflected days gone by......when farming was less industrialized & competative, when things like helping your neighbor was important, taking time to drink iced tea on a hot summer day under the shade of the maple tree, when dad and mom worked directly with the children, and when food products had superior flavor and were produced for quality instead of quanity.  These are some of our goals, and we hope that you too can experience some of the blessings that came with the  "good ole' days"!

Locally Sourced Foods New Hot Trend

NEW YORK:  The latest hot trend in food retailing is local foods.  This trend toward eating as close to home as possible has grown to a $5 billion business in 2007 and is projected to grow to $7 billion business by 2011 according to Local and Fresh Foods, a new report from market research publisher Packaged Facts.  This market is being driven by food safety issues and America's awakening "green" culture the researchers said.  New trends include "food miles," "the Slow Food movement," and "locavores" a term used by Michael Pollan's best-selling book The Omnivore's Dilemma.  "Restaurants, value channels such as drug stores and convenience stores, and even academic foodservice venues are tuning into the fresh and local consciousness that is taking hold in America," said Don Montouri, the publisher of Packaged Facts.  He said the movement is growing beyond fruits and produce into locally produced meats, fish and baked goods.

Projected harvest schedule

Several people have asked about our harvest schedule for our meat products.  Here is a projected schedule for the various products that our farm offers.  Stay tuned to our blog for updates, or let us know if you would like an email notice when we will be processing a specific product.
Sheep: Spring (March-May)
Beef: Spring-Fall (March-October)
Pork: All year, next available harvest will be around the New Year 2011
Poultry: Eggs- season long starting spring 2011; Meat birds- currently avaliable with last 2010 harvest taking place late November 2010

It is our desire to offer our customers the freshest, locally grown, natural meat products available.  Because we are committed to quality and freshness, we like to encourage our customers to place their orders well in advance so we can deliver your meat with wholesome goodness direct from the processor.  You can place your orders via email, or call us at: 1-765-414-9352.

Working together as a family.

One of the greatest joys of farming is the togetherness you have with the most important people in the world, your family.  Our family has been working together cutting, splitting, and stacking firewood over the last few weeks.  We make the whole experience a family event working together to bring in the wood, split it, each taking turns running the hydrolics on our family's 1952 John Deere A that operates our log splitter.  Once split we stack the wood into measured stacks ready for our customers.  Some pick-up the wood, others have us load it into our dump trailer and deliver it right to their homes.  We are select-cutting unwanted trees and cutting up those trees that have fallen over the last few years in our wooded area.  Our farm also has a large amount of locust trees on it.  These trees are not desirable to have around due to the huge thorns around the trunk and on the branchs, but they are one of the best woods for firewood because of the high BTU's created by burning it for heat.  We are coming up with several stacks of a hardwood mix of firewood consisting of maple, hickory, oak, hackberry, and other various hardwood species.  We have sold several ricks and are currently taking orders if you find yourself in need of firewood for this coming cold winter season.