New Year, New Relationships
Each New Year I focus my energy to a single task in my business. As a multi-service entrepreneur, it is easy to put too many to-dos on my plate, so instead, I try to focus on one over-arching task each season
New Year, New Relationships
Each New Year I focus my energy to a single task in my business. As a multi-service entrepreneur, it is easy to put too many to-dos on my plate, so instead, I try to focus on one over-arching task each season.
Last year it was ‘learn how to raise cattle in 18 months versus 24 months’ and ‘grow my online portfolio’ in weddings.
At the end of last year, I’d completed both of these tasks but I felt more alone than ever. Now, I’m an introvert through and through, but this sense of being alone was deep, deeper than I ever thought and ever let myself recognize.
So, per usual I sat down at the end of the year, reconciled my books, looked through the data I’d collected on both the farm and weddings I’d designed for and said, ‘what’s next’. (ps. I love these ‘mundane’ tasks and usually find myself caught up in them). This year it wasn’t a black and white task that came to the forefront of my mind. It was this ‘feeling’ (which I’m not always good at recognizing) in place of a ‘learn this’ or ‘achieve this’ task.
It was the desire to form meaningful relationships.
Sure, it is easy to preach ‘know your farmer’ but I started to question what steps I’d actually taken to know people in my community. What steps had I taken to know the people who trust and buy from me? What did my stance on ‘know your farmer’ actually means to me, this introverted farmer who loves animals and gets anxious in crowds? I have fear, I lack confidence and ultimately it’s been what’s kept me from truly living what I so desperately wanted for my customers. For them to know me, their farmer.
The same became so drastically apparent in my wedding design as well. I’ve met vendors, had coffee with vendors and made some friends in the industry. I’ve serviced my brides, openly communicated with them and had a very happy experience with each of them over the course of the year. But, these people that I’ve met, had coffee with and serviced always seemed to be an arms distance away. Not because I’ve purposefully decided to keep a distance, but instead I chose to lean into what comes naturally to me as an introvert. But, ultimately as a person, I need relationships with more meaning.
I now see how vital relationships are for every person. Every introvert, every extrovert, every entrepreneur, every mother, father, sibling, and the list goes on. We all crave more meaningful relationships in our lives. I think it has become more apparent to me as an entrepreneur because so much of ‘marketing’ and ‘running a business’ seems to be done on the other side of a screen.
And while all that ‘screen time’ is necessary it’s time to practice what I preach and form relationships with you, with my readers, with my customers and clients and those who receive my weekly emails.
So, that is what 2020 is going to look like for me and this business. I’m focused on getting out of my comfort zone, getting to know all the special people that surround me and welcoming you into the pretty and not so pretty parts of running a farm and floral business. I hope to get to know you better and share more of myself with you this decade.
I’d love to meet you, and I’d like to formally welcome you to join me at an event this season. Let’s get to know each other better.
Farm | Our first season of grazing our EQUIP pasture
Our first day of grazing was June 2nd.
Reflecting on our first season of grazing our EQUIP-funded pasture
June 2nd, 2019
Our first day of grazing was June 2nd. I fell significantly behind this spring because I was heavily exhausted in my first trimester of pregnancy and I still had a water line to finish before I could get cattle moved. So, by June 2nd the alfalfa and grasses were significantly over-grown so most of our first grazing in each paddock was trampled vs. eaten.
Our rotation schedule
When I met with my mentor and EQUIP partner this spring she mentioned I would likely move cattle each day, to which I thought, ya I’m sure with how I’m feeling I’ll move them everyday… BUT sure enough I moved cattle each day until July 13th. We had LOADS of grass to be eaten with such a cool and wet start to our grazing season. The cattle trampled and ate and I moved them every day. July 13th things changed with a heat wave and I moved them every two days to keep my work lighter during this time. Of course with that decision I instead made my paddocks larger, which left more to be trampled in the process. But, we got through a few days of a heat index over 100 degrees and we went back to daily moves.
Our first ‘rest’ period was just shy of 30 days for our first rotation, due again to the cool and wet weather we had the grass was growing well. I had planned on continuing with a regulated rotation, however, when an adviser visited the farm he suggested I get my beef back on the best grass instead of being so rigid with my rotation and paddock one was at it’s prime; so I moved them back to that paddock shy of 30 days.
The rest of the summer I maintained a Paddock 1 - 30+ rotation. During the heat of the summer I moved every one to two days depending on my paddock size. I had a few paddocks that were weaker in vegetation so I moved through those quicker than areas with good vegetative stands. I’m dealing with some significantly sandy areas that didn’t seed well so they are thin, leaving very little to eat.
Once fall approached I continued to move every one to two days depending on the quality and quantity of my vegetation.
Thanks to a smaller herd we grazed until November 16th this year!
I made things as easy as possible
I decided before we moved cattle down to this field that with how I was feeling I was going to need to make this first season as easy as possible. So, in the spring I ordered a couple hundred step-in posts and three reels. I set up my entire field with the step-in posts so that with each rotation I was only moving wire. I have to say this was a life-saver for me, especially this season, the less walking laps the better.
Later in the summer my mother purchased a JD Gator for me to use, and that was an incredible help as my energy level diminished with my growing belly.
we made hay
We only grazed 13 head this summer, our capacity is about 30, so this early grazing season we decided to take first and second crop hay from one side of the acreage and the area we cut totaled about 8 acres. Since we had such a great growing season we felt that it would simply age-out if we didn’t cut it since we had very few mouths to feed.
We only cut the areas that were heavy alfalfa which happened to be a big swathe down the middle of our field, so it made some pretty great hay and bounced back for our third rotation of grazing quite nicely.
We ended up in the end taking first and second crop hay and stock piling to extend our grazing season as well as the additional mouths we added in the fall.
things i learned
The biggest thing I learned this season was to be flexible. I thought each paddock should be evenly spaced, that my rotation should go in a certain pattern, and that I should graze my entire field in the same manner. The fact is however, that our 20 acres are very different. Some areas have abundant alfalfa, some clover, some grass and some with heavy weeds which all graze differently and need different periods of rest. I also learned to be patient (aren’t I always learning this in farming). I started the grazing season frustrated with the ‘unevenness’ of growth, diversity and size of my paddocks. I like things even, similar and predictable, again when will I learn farming is NOT predictable.
Overall, I am thrilled with what the pastures produced this year, calves got fat and nothing was over-grazed. I look forward to continuing to see changes and developments with future years of grazing and management. We’ve come so far but there is still so much room to grow!
Our field after the east side was grazed and the west side was cropped.
East side after first rotation, west side after first cropping, view from south
View of our cattle grazing the east side, two day moves, view from south.
Rotation #3, view from South
Events | My Farm-to-Table Baby Shower
Planning parties is something I just love to do, so when I found out we’d be welcoming a baby I almost immediately started planning my baby shower.
My Farm-to-Table Baby Shower
Planning parties is something I just love to do, so when I found out we’d be welcoming a baby I almost immediately started planning my baby shower. Now, my mother, friends and family would have LOVED to take care of all the planning for me, but I can’t help myself. Party planning is just too fun to give away!
As a farmer I wanted to plan a farm-to-table style party. Fresh, local foods from some of my favorite farmers and local vendors was the foundation of the shower. Traditional, of course not, reflective of my personality, absolutely.
I am so grateful for my family and friends for pulling all my ‘plans’ together into a beautiful afternoon celebrating baby McCoy. I have an incredible group of ladies who showed up to make me feel so special and to send me off into this new adventure in such a fun way.
Featured Farms & Producers
Homestead Meats, LLC | Summer Sausage and Sausage Sticks
Meadowlark Organics | Flour for pastries
Bailey’s Run Winery and Vineyard | Wine
Munchkey Apples | Apples
Winterfell Acres | Veggies
Landmark Creamery | Cheese
Edelweiss Creamery | Cheese
Potter’s Cracker’s | Crackers
Madison Sourdough | Bread
Carandale Fruit Farm | Grapes
Floral
Stationary
Photography
Wood For Charcuterie Boards & Benches
Farm | Renovating Sheep Pastures
How we’re renovating our sheep pastures - from overgrown to lush and nutritious
Renovating Our Sheep Pastures
This is a lengthy post… about nerdy stuff like grass and soil. I love documenting and this post is certainly a compilation of lots of documentation. So, if you like soil, grass and learning about how other farmer’s make decisions, this post might just be your cup of tea.
what we started with
Our sheep pasture consists of seven acres, three of which are significantly sloped and heavily wooded. Two acres was an existing alfalfa and orchardgrass field with two acres that is mostly brome grass.
using web soil survey
I looked at what we have for soil and slopes in our pasture. You can find your soil map HERE
72% of our pasture is | Newglarus-Dunbarton silt loams, 12 to 20 percent slopes, moderately eroded
17% of our pasture is | Elkmound-Northfield complex, 30 to 60 percent slopes, very rocky
11% of our pasture is | Eleva sandy loam, 12 to 20 percent slopes, eroded
What we did in 2018
In spring 2018 we cleared about 2 acres of brush which included prickly ash, grey dogwood, sumac, plum, boxelder and mulberry. I over-seeded the ‘thicket’ areas with a mix of grasses and legumes, of which 30% was legume. Over the summer months I focused on keeping the woody species from coming back in, using mowing and herbicides. In the fall I heavily grazed a 1/2 acre area of brome grass and over-seeded with the following over-the-counter mix:
50% Gulf Annual Ryegrass
27% Intermediate Ryegrass
19% Orchardgrass
3% White Clover
1% Medium Red Clover
In October I took our cattle through a two acre area that was primarily brome grass and had them beat it up to expose soil.
what we did in spring 2019
In spring 2019 we worked on clearing additional brush in the most heavily sloped areas. These areas have significant timber including walnut, catalpa and cherry. We removed mulberry, elm, cedar, boxelder along with honeysuckle, grey dogwood and plum (plum is poisonous to sheep). This area still has significant cover and will need additional clearing, maybe next year.
In the late winter spring months I developed my knowledge on sheep pasture mixes, mixes that maximize gains, and our options for our drought-prone slopes. With my research I developed the following pasture mix.
Our pasture mix
Chicory - 40%
Ladino Clover - 15%
Alice White Clover - 15%
Alfalfa - 5%
Orchardgrass - 10%
Festolium - 15%
My research lead me to develop a mix with a high chicory content. Chicory is non-bloating, and local farm research showed significant gains on chicory based pastures. I also realized during my research that sheep prefer legumes over grasses, so I made sure to develop a mix that put more focus on the legumes than the grasses. Chicory, alfalfa and the grasses show better drought tolerance than the clovers; however, I wanted to try and get some clovers established on the less sloped areas that will get more water. I’m curious to see what my results are after this growing season.
our alfalfa and brome areas
The bromegrass areas I over-seeded with a Ladino and Alice White Clover mix. Over the coming years I anticipate continuing to replace alfalfa with clover, chicory and other legumes, and diversify the brome acerage with additional legumes and chicory.
Planting on slopes
Since three acres of our sheep pasture are in-accessible with a tractor, I broadcast seed by hand and put sheep hooves on it for a day, right before a good rainfall. This three acre pasture was broadcast with the chicory blend.
how i’ll manage grazing this year
I will be managing weeds and woody plants this season by rotationally grazing both the sheep pasture and the brome area. Sheep are fantastic gardeners and I can’t wait to see the progress made by using them for management this season.
What we did in 2021
This spring we finally hired a company to come and finish removing invasive species including Mulberry, Boxelder, Grey dogwood, Sumac and others. These removals exposed additional acreage and opened up the canopy allowing light to infiltrate. I seeded the newly open areas with a mix of meadow fescue and orchardgrass. I also fertilized most of the average after putting a heavy coat of manure over the land last fall. This season we will lightly graze it to allow for it to establish, control weeds and allow the land to come to life.
video documentation - 2018 fall pasture walks
Video has already been a great resource for me as I develop the grazing systems at our farm. It provides a really great reference to what was happening the following season, challenges and what I was looking at doing in the coming year. It is insightful to what I thought my plan was last season, to what I actually implemented this season. Video has proven to be a quick and effective way to manage our grazing here at the farm.
I look forward to documenting our pasture progress again this fall.
video documentation - June 2019 update
Farm | Sheep Pasture Renovation Update
Here’s an update on how our sheep pasture renovation is coming along!
how our pasture renovation is coming along
This spring we did a lot of brush clearing and some frost seeding of desirable grazing grasses and legumes. Now in early June I’m happy with our results so far. Now I’m going to be using sheep to keep the weeds and brush managed over the course of the grazing season, they are great little mowers.
Check out how it looks in the video below.
Farm | No, Lamb Meat is Not From Baby Lambs
I get this question a lot actually, and I can’t believe I didn’t think to answer this question here on the blog before…
No, Lamb Meat is Not From Baby Lambs
I get this question a lot actually, and I can’t believe I didn’t think to answer this question here on the blog before…
So, I’m catching up and answering this question today
‘is lamb meat baby lambs?!’
Heavens no, that would be a sad world if we harvested baby lambs. They are so stinkin’ cute!
So what is ‘lamb’ meat?
Lamb meat is simply meat harvested before a year of age. Our wethers (ram lambs that have been castrated) are mature at 8-12 months. This season they were harvested at 10 months of age if they were singles, and 12 months of age if they were twins. Lambs at this size are fully mature (they grow like weeds) and would get less tender at an older age.
Then there is mutton
Mutton is the official term for lamb harvested after a year of age. Most often this meat is harvested from old breeding stock that is no longer in their prime breeding age. These animals are harvested and we’ll use the meat to make a tasty mutton grind, we don’t believe in letting any life go to waste.
Eat with confidence
I’m sorry it took me this long to ‘clear the air’ on this one. If you have any additional questions on your lamb be sure to ask!
Homestead | Goodbye Winter
I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready for the hustle, mud and lack of sleep that spring brings more than I am this year. I’m sure you can agree.
Winter 2018-2019 You’ve Been Real
I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready for the hustle, mud and lack of sleep that spring brings more than I am this year. I’m sure you can agree.
This winter was a tough one for many reasons. We started the winter three month short on hay due to the incredibly wet summer which meant I needed to buy hay in from other local farms to keep everyone fat and happy. The ice storm in January kept our driveway so slick that getting additional hay in meant either sleds or some sort of miracle. We got our miracle in the form of pot-ash (salt) from our local farm store after everyone sold out of every bag of ice-melt available the Midwest. Two hundred pounds of pot-ash made our driveway somewhat pass-able for the Bobcat. So, as I fed my very last bale of home-grown hay our delivery of additional hay came. Matt drove it down the driveway two by two, literally the very same day.
Due to the poor weather for cropping last summer hay was at a premium. So instead of small bales that are easy for me to hand-feed, we had to buy in large square bales. So, needless to say I’m not going to miss hand-feeding large squares flake by flake and I’m making plans to upgrade our small square baler instead of buying a large square baler when the time comes.
On top of the hay crisis we dealt with some extreme cold. Temperatures that dipped into -55 degrees with the wind-chill. The animals were tucked and fared well even on the coldest nights. We were blessed to be protected from such extreme wind chills here in the valley, and I’d guess we sat somewhere in the -40’s. When we bought our farm I never thought about the benefits of being ‘tucked in’, but I’m thankful we were. It sure made those cold days more bare-able.
The driveway being iced for over a month meant hauling feed, groceries and fuel for our furnace down the driveway. I used tarps to haul salt and feed when we couldn’t get a car out or down the driveway. We’ve decided to never buy a two wheel drive vehicle again.
Spring 2019, thank you for being here
So, bring on the spring. Bring on the crazy hustle. Bring on the mud. I’ve never been so ready.
Renovation | Our Farm Plans for 2019
Better late than never, right?
Our farm plans for 2019
Better late than never, right?
As the queen of taking on too much in a year, it’s taken me some time to develop our plans in a ‘realistic’ and light-deadline kind of way.
BUT, I did want to share a few of the things we’ve decided made our priority list this year.
our hay and equipment barn
Last fall we installed all the posts for our new hay and equipment barn. I’m so excited to get started on this project. This winter we had hay tucked into every nook and cranny here and at a friend’s farm, so I’m excited that next season we will have all our hay stored here. Our equipment spent all last summer in the weather so it will be nice to have a place for that as well.
Livestock Barn Extension
I’ve already out-grown my original livestock barn. So we’ll be adding another bay for our sheep this year.
Water Line
Last season we set up our 18 acre pasture and this will be our first year grazing it! So we will be installing an above ground water line in order to adequately water our cattle while they graze.
Dry Lot
Our dry lot was thrown up two years ago, because we had to move our four steers to the farm ASAP. It needed grading last season and once that was complete we had too many things going on to finish the fencing. This season we’re hoping to finish the fencing and corrals in our dry lot to make handling and winter shelter easier on us and our livestock.
We are also hoping that we will be able to add a bunk feeder for our cattle and permanent feeders for the sheep. We will see how far we get with this. It is definitely lower on the list of must-do’s.
Clearing
This is the job that never ends, or so it sometimes seems. We still have quite a bit of clearing to do in our upper pastures before we can finish some interior fencing projects and seeding. While I already believe this is unlikely to happen, it always remains on the list.
Farm Store
We’re also be roughing in our farm store. It won’t be complete this year but we’re excited to get things more organized for you to visit us!
it’s going to be another busy year
We’re (or actually I’m) trying to set more realistic goals this year so that we can reduce the stress that often comes with such a hefty to-do list. We never expected fixing up this farm would be easy, but renovating the farm has sure been quite the project. While the annual changes have been huge and rewarding, it can sometimes feel like an over-whelming, never-ending project. We’ll get there in time and I’m trying to push myself to be patient.
I will of course be posting our progress and projects here throughout the season, so stay tuned!
Farm | Why We Decided to Farm
During our final semester of college farmer Brit was exposed to the documentary Food Inc., which is quite frankly horrific. Food Inc. documents some of the practices in the modern food industry, particularly the meat industry in America.
Why we farm
we wanted to know how our meat was raised
During our final semester of college farmer Brit was exposed to the documentary Food Inc., which is quite frankly horrific. Food Inc. documents some of the practices in the modern food industry, particularly the meat industry in America. After being confronted in such a dramatic way we had to face the harsh reality that we didn’t know where the pork on our table was raised, how our chicken was fed, or how our burger was processed. The scariest part for us was that we had not even questioned it before.
Flash-forward to our post-college life and we knew we wanted to make a change in our eating and purchasing - of meat products in particular. So we started raising our own cattle, just for us, and put our dollar to work in our local community with our purchases from local farmers. But, our own necessity for knowing how our meat was raised grew into a burning passion to make a bigger impact.
we’re passionate about connecting you with your food
Which leads us to today. We’re raising beef and lamb for dozens of families in our community and keep an open door policy. Our passion is sharing our farm, our livestock and all aspects of of raising beef and lamb with you. From babies we bring home or birth right here on the farm, to their ‘one bad day’, to how we actually feel about the meat industry, we’re open to sharing it all with you. We believe that what you eat shouldn’t be a secret and your farmer shouldn’t be a corporation.
Our promise is to do our best to answer all your questions so you can dine with the confidence that your meat was raised in the manner you expect.
Homestead | Ringing in a new year
This is always my favorite time of year. I’m a dreamer and a do’er and I thrive on setting goals. So, this time of year always energizes me as I look back at last year and look forward to a new year in front of me.
ringing in a new year at homestead
This is always my favorite time of year. I’m a dreamer and a do’er and I thrive on setting goals. So, this time of year always energizes me as I look back at last year and look forward to a new year in front of me.
Some of the things I’m looking forward in this new business year is: growing our leather offerings, maintaining our growth in our herd, posting a vlog on a monthly basis to show more of the farm and floral studio with you, welcoming my first couple to the floral studio, celebrating with double the couples than I did in 2018 and taking classes to improve my knowledge in some of my weakest areas.
A New Year wouldn't be the same without thinking about where you’re going right? Last year I focused on being intentional. It was a beautiful year in many respects because I left one thing to focus on. I developed systems for more efficiently running my business, I focused on what really mattered in developing this farm and I connected with so many amazing vendors, farmers and couples that allowed me to grow both in my business but also in my personal confidence.
Intentional thinking and buying is now part of my daily business routine. I find myself consciously thinking through every decision, how it benefits my work flow or my customers and I’m thankful for a year that helped me develop this skill. It conveniently translated into my personal life and buying and I’ve begun to find myself focusing so much more on my community than I did in years past.
With last year’s success in intertwining intentional thinking into my daily life I’m excited to focus on another area this year. This year I’ve decided to focus on balance. Last year the farm controlled our entire life. While it was a season, and really a much needed season for the growth of this business, this year I want to balance business and personal growth. I want to balance the amount of time I’m developing this business and the amount of time I’m spending with Matt doing things we love together. While it won’t be a perfect 50/50 balance, I’m excited to push myself to work less and enjoy our time together without distractions even more. I anticipate that taking some time away from work will help me develop this business even further than I could if I spent every hour trying to make it work.
I hope you’ve had some time to reflect on what you’re seeking this year in your career and personal life. Let’s make 2019 the best year yet!
Farm | Grass-fed vs. Grass-Finished vs. Pasture-Raised What the Label Really Means
I think most people would agree knowledge is power. However, our food system has done a really good job of disguising itself and today I want to take some time to give you a little more insight into what the beef and lamb labels really mean.
Grass-fed vs. Grass-Finished vs. Pasture-Raised
What the Label Really Means
I think most people would agree knowledge is power. Our food system has done a really good job of disguising itself and today I want to take some time to give you a little more insight into what popular beef and lamb labels actually mean, it might surprise you how little information they actually give.
Grass-Fed
Grass-fed is probably the most over-used and deceiving label in the beef and lamb industry. This label essentially means that the beef or lamb you’re eating was fed grass or hay during SOME point of it’s life, often the beginning. This does not mean the animal was fed 100% grass and/or hay for it’s entire life. This label also doesn’t mean it spent any time eating pasture grasses. It could simply be ‘feed-lot’ beef that were raised on hay and later ‘finished’ on grain.
Grass-Finished
This label is your best confirmation that your beef was raised on 100% grass. This label can only be used when the beef or lamb was raised on grass and then ‘finished’ (brought up to final weight) on grass and/or hay. Grass-finished, like grass-fed, does not mean the animal spent time grazing pastures but at least you can be certain it was raised on grass alone. If you’re interested in the health benefits of grass-fed beef you’ll want to look for a label that says grass-fed and grass-finished beef, or ask your farmer.
Pasture-Raised
This label means that the beef or lamb you’re eating was raised on grass fields. It again does not mean it spent it’s whole life grazing lush fields (many pasture raised animals are still supplemented with grain) and it also doesn’t mean it was only fed grass and/or hay for it’s entire life. It simply means it spent some of it’s life on ‘pastures’ which is defined rather loosely. ‘Pastures’ can be overgrown fields or over-grazed fields so buying pasture-raised doesn’t mean that the animal got it’s nutrition from them, but it didn’t live it’s life in confinement so that’s a plus if you’re looking for a more humane burger.
Free-Range
Very few livestock are truly ‘free range’, meaning they can wander wherever there heart’s desire, at least that’s what you’d assume by this label right? This label is probably most common in the chicken or egg industry but I’ve been asked in the past if my cattle are ‘free range’ as well.
Let me assure you that the chicken or eggs on your grocery shelf didn’t come from chickens who were running around and laying eggs anywhere they please or pecking around an old farmhouse for grubs. It simply means (in most cases) that they had larger cages and were able to ‘move’ instead of spending their life confined to a cage the size of their bodies. So I guess the label is an upgrade but it’s likely not what you first assumed.
In my opinion it is not ‘best practice’ to let animals ‘free range’ due to predators and other hazards found on commercial or small scale farms. And this label in my opinion is as vague as the term ‘grass-fed’ or ‘sustainable’.
What Are You Actually Buying?
What’s the best way to know what you’re actually buying? Knowing your farmer of course, do I preach that enough?. If 100% grass-fed and finished is important to you, ask. If a humane life growing on green pastures is what’s important to you, ask. If knowing the animal was harvested in a humane manner is important to you, ask. The beauty of getting to know your farmer is that you’ll be confident that the product you feed yourself and your family fits the criteria you’re searching for.
Our cattle and sheep are raised on grass alone
Here at Homestead we raised grass-fed, grass-finished, pasture-raised beef. We harvest our animals on these pastures and my promise to you is to always be open to any questions about our practices.
pin it!
Renovations | Greener Pastures
The lower pasture is done! Did I really just say that?!
The lower pasture is done!
Did I really just get to say that?!
To give you a little background if you’re new to the party, this spring our farm was the recipient of EQUIP funding - a grant program through the USDA. The grant was for establishing pasture on our 18 acres of tillable land. It was such an incredible blessing to receive the funding to grow our operation several years before I'd even dreamed it possible. I owe a HUGE thank you to Marie who continues to help me navigate these pastures as we work to restore grazing to this land.
establishing pastures
In April I worked with our neighbor Allen, to prep the lower 18 acre field for seeding. Last season it was a corn field so there were a lot of debris that had to be mulched in order for the seed to have a good chance at establishing.
After the field was prepped dad and I spent a morning spreading our 500 pounds of seed using a broadcast spreader mounted on Lil' Blue (my tractor). It went smoothly except for one bump and a few band-aids... sorry dad...
It couldn't have been a much better growing season, calm and frequent rainfalls speckled with days of sunshine. It was about a week and I started seeing baby alfalfa, and by the end of the season the field had good establishment on all but the sandy hillside.
fencing
Fencing this farm has been quite a project and the lower field was no exception. Old fence-lines that hadn’t been touched in decades needed to be cleared, old posts pulled and well worn wire that needed to be removed. Then it was back to planting posts, only 1/3 of which however are wood posts. I decided based on advice from Marie that we’d use composite posts for the wooded areas. That way when a tree comes down there is a slimmer chance of having the wire and post break, making mending much easier. I did leave a small property line with t-posts that were in good shape and straight so I’m hoping that stays nice for many years.
On the lower field I on a high tensile wire fence instead of the woven. It’s a cheaper fence to install and without the risk of highway I felt good about trying something different. Another perk is that the high tensile fence really disappears so our view is wide open. Since this field is most of our view from the farmhouse I wanted to make sure and keep things clean and open as much as possible.
I’m so pleased with how things turned out and I’m SO anxious to get cattle out here next season!
Farm | Our First Shearing Day
There are a lot of new experiences when you bring new animals to the farm. Today was our first experience with shearing and I can't help but laugh at how funny the girls look without their winter jackets.
Our first shearing day
There are a lot of new experiences when you bring new animals to the farm. Today was our first experience with shearing and I can't help but laugh at how funny the girls look without their winter jackets.
Unlike cattle sheep are not easily corralled... so getting them in the barn and ready for the shearer was probably the most comical experience I've had with these ewes, mom even jumped in to help.
Once the girls were settled into the barn Jerry went to work shearing them and clipping their hooves, what an incredible process. These girls are squirmy and I'm glad I wasn't the one with the clippers.
So in the next few weeks we will be delivering our first wool to the mill to have the wool cleaned and crafted into some comfy mattress pads. I can't wait to sleep on my own wool.
With temperatures getting warmer and lambing only a month away I'm sure these girls will appreciate the extra weight off their backs.
Recipe | Hungarian Goolash
One-pot cooking
Hungarian Goolash
Ingredients |
1 package Homestead stew meat
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons paprika
Dash of pepper
2 onions, sliced and diced
2 bell peppers, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of diced tomatoes in juice
3 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons corn starch
How to Make This Deliciousness |
In your dutch oven heat olive oil. Coat stew meat in flour and sear. Add garlic and onions to soften and bring out the flavor. Once the meat is browned add in diced tomatoes, paprika, pepper, tomato paste and beef stock. Cook at 325 degrees for 3 hours stirring occasionally. After 3 hours remove from oven and add bell peppers and corn starch. Cook for an additional 30 minutes. Let sit and thicken prior to serving. Serve on a bed of noodles and top with cilantro, of course.
I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!
Recipe | Cuban-Style Shredded Beef
Cuban-Style Shredded Beef
Here is an easy recipe that spices chuck roast up a bit.
Ingredients |
6 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 lb. Homestead Chuck Roast
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 chilies diced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro + more for garnish (I LOVE cilantro)
How to Make this Deliciousness |
In a skillet heat oil and garlic, sear roast until brown on each side. Since I like to keep things simple, slice, dash and dump all the other ingredients in your crockpot and mix. Add your roast into the crockpot and cover with sauce.
Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred and serve over rice or in a tortilla shell.
I'd love to share an amazing compliment to this recipe. Cuban-style beans. I admit this is almost the best part of the pair and they are SO SIMPLE.
Ingredients |
1 tablespoon oil
1 medium red onion, diced
1 jalapeños, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin (I love this spice and I think an extra dash is delicious)
1 teaspoon chili powder
3 tablespoons cilantro
3 limes juiced
How to Make this Deliciousness |
Heat oil in a saucepan and saute the red onion and jalapeños until soft. Dice, mince and dump all the ingredients into the pan. Heat the beans, garnish with extra cilantro and serve. Yes, it's that simple and again so delicious.
Serve on the side of your cuban-style beef.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as Matt and I did. Who knew that a simple chuck roast could be so tasty.
Farm | Our Flerd
Our flerd
Well, it happened, we are now shepherds! It’s not too much of a surprise that we now have eight fluffy ewes, they’ve been on the farm radar for quite a while. After raising a couple lambs many years ago I knew it was a significant possibility that they would be added to our farm someday, because who would not want a lamb?!
So this weekend we brought home North Country Cheviot's, a dual purpose breed. We will be raising them here on the farm primarily for meat but I'm exploring ideas for using their wool as well. While the ‘cuteness’ factor was a heavy player in getting sheep for our farm (of course) they also come with some amazing farm benefits.
Sheep graze differently than cattle, so adding them to our pastures is super beneficial to the establishment, growth and maintenance of our new pastures. Sheep will graze what the cattle do not and are amazingly effective ‘mowers’. With the steep slopes on our farm they will be able to graze where we simply would not be able to mow with our tractor. Mowing is a crucial part of naturally keeping weeds in the pastures to a minimum, and is also essential to pasture regrowth; we are glad they will be taking the majority of this chore away from us.
Having sheep and cattle on the same pasture also allows us to better utilize our pounds per acre. Since both animals graze differently than each other we can get the most return for pound of meat to available grass.
We are also very excited to offer a new product to YOU. Grass-fed lamb has amazing flavor if you haven’t tried it yet we highly recommend you do!
Now to give you background on my new favorite word, flerd. We will be running our sheep and cattle together as a ‘flerd’ (flock + herd). When the lambs are young we will attempt to bond them to cattle, that way when a coyote ventures into our pastures they will run to the safety of the cattle. We have a lot of coyotes lurking around and since neither Matt or I are too keen on a guardian dog we are going to try this approach to keep our new wooly friends safe from predators. There have been many studies in which ranches have had great success with 'flerding' and we hope the same is true on our farm. Wish us luck!
Our flock will play an important part in establishing the pastures on our farm this coming spring. We have a lot of work ahead of us to best utilize this new addition but we can’t wait to see how quickly they change our landscape. We look forward to our first lambing season in April 2018 and offering you Easter lambs in 2019.