Why do we farm?

We get asked this questions sometimes.  Why farm?  or Why would you farm?  Farming requires so much dedication!  Do you really want to take care of all those animals?  Wouldn't there be easier ways to make a living?  We just give a smile in response!  Most people don't understand why we would choose to be committed to all the "hard work" that comes with our farm.  Even our friends that farm in a conventional way (grain/hog) think we are crazy!  We're the "old fashioned" farmers who work like "dogs" and use "outdated techniques and management styles".  Were really OK with all the critisism and being considered weird.

Let me tell you a few things that these weird folks get to enjoy while farming the "old fashioned" way.

1. NO DEBT!  This is a huge issue in conventional ag.  A conventional farmer generally does not become debt free on his farm until he retires and has his farm sale.  Like when he is "OLD"!  YUCK! we came from conventional farming families and started down that road ourselves and said "You have got to be kidding; I have to be in debt to make this farming thing work "!  We had farming debt when we were "big modern day farmers" and we hated it.  Monica and I decided that if we were going to farm again ever, we would NOT do it with debt.  How freeing it has been.  Sure we have had to grow slowly, but that's been good also.  It has allowed us to really focus on what we want to do and to try to be good at it.  It also has given us the opportunity to have more liberty in our management style.  See, most lenders are a little freeked out by those "organic/natural/old fashioned/......farmers.  Yes, we will continue to grow if the Lord wills, but by His grace we are determined to do it without being a servant to Mr. loan officer.
2. SATISFACTION!  Yes, good old Satisfaction.  The blessing of being able to say that we are farming in the best possible way for ourselves and for future generations.  There is something satisfying about trying to manage what you have in a way that is sustainable, healthy, and leaving things better than the way you found them.  Yes, I can sleep good at night knowing that our farm may be weird, but it is not raping the soil, abusing the livestock or corrupting human food for other people to suffer from.  I will take my SATISFACTION any day!
3. FLEXIBILITY!  Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape!  Flexibility is important to our family.  We enjoy the ability to adjust our schedules or plans at times.  This allows us to stop and watch the sun rise or set, stand at the fence and just watch the animals do what they love to do, or take an afternoon and go fishing.  I work in the construction field at times and find it soooo demanding.  I love to help people with their building problems but always look forward to getting back to the farm.  Having the flexibility that comes with our operation also allows us to stop and enjoy life, our family and all of God's wonderful creation.

I like the way the late Paul Harvey said it........

There are other reason that we Love our life on the farm.  Maybe we will share them with you here, but for now we need to go.  Remember wherever you may find yourself on this journey of life that God is good all the time.

The family milk cow

We got a Guernsey milk cow last spring.  Her name is Scarlett.  In the morning while the family drinks coffee, she calls out, "Moo, milk me .''  When we go out she is waiting at the gate ready to be milked.  We feed the milk to the pigs.  They go ''HOG WILD".  The pigs only get the milk after the dog have had their share. In the future we plan on making many delicious dairy treats.

Almost all ground beef is contaminated enough to make you sick

A close look at ground beef reveals some pretty disturbing stuff, a Consumer Reports investigation found. Some 300 packages containing 458 pounds of ground beef were bought at stores of all kinds in 26 cities, and every single one contained fecal contamination.

That's more than just gross: It can cause serious illness when beef isn't cooked to the recommended 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Any meat can make you sick if not cooked properly, Consumer Reports notes, but ground beef is especially risky because cows raised on crowded feedlots tend to have manure on their skin, which contains bacteria that can end up in the meat during processing—and bacteria from one cow can end up mixed with that of many other cows.

The testing also revealed antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" in some of the meat, though they were a lot less prevalent in beef labeled "grass-fed organic," which tended to have less bacteria overall.

Experts advise consumers to buy sustainably raised beef when they can—and always make sure it's cooked all the way through. "Remember, when it's ground beef, you're taking it and grinding the bacteria from the surface of the beef into it," Consumer Reports' director for food safety tells CBS.

"So unlike a steak, you're really moving all that bacteria all around the beef. So it's especially important for ground beef, to cook it to 160 degrees to be absolutely safe." (Health officials say "cannibal sandwiches" are a very bad idea.)

This article originally appeared on Newser: Almost All Ground Beef Has Fecal Contamination

Something NEW!!

This season we are trying something new to grow on the farm.  We are growing some Spelt, which is a ancient wheat or grain.  We have two different types that we hope to harvest this summer (around July 4th) and use for a whole grain food product.  Some research indicates that the ancient grains do not bother folks with gluten allergies.  We hope to do some testing and see how it goes.  If you would like to try some of the grain let us know and we will work something out.  In the future we would like to provide several locally grown grains for our families.

We have a good stand of grain this year and look forward to seeing the field golden yellow ready for harvest.  Follow back up with us to see more pictures!

Our Cow Herd

Last week we had 2 calves . This is one of them.

We are trying to build our herd one at a time. Right now we have 18 to 20 cows.

Our cows have been getting out of the fences all week.  It's like the saying goes, "The Grass Is Always Greener On The Other Side Of The Fence."

                                                                                               Zach

Spring on our Farm

There is a lot of maintenance to do on a farm in spring, such as getting out the equipment and servicing it.  We also worm cows, spread manure, check fences for winter damage, and overseed pastures. A lot of planning goes into farming.

 My favorite thing about farming is it teaches you to work hard and
to have a good work ethic.

                                                                                                  Zach

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!