FARM HAPPENINGS
The dog days of summer have arrived. By early August on the farm most of our operations team members are worn down from the heat, humidity, and peak summer workload that on many days keeps us humping it from sunup to sundown. The cumulative exhaustion sets in and we can sometimes get grumpy this time of year.
On the positive side we see signs the workload is easing up soon. Our last batch of broiler chicks for the season arrived on Tuesday, and that means in three weeks, by the end of August, we will have all the baby chicks and turkey poults out of the brooder house and into the field shelters. Once the brooder house is empty we see a reduction of our daily chores by 1-2 hours spent feeding and caring for the chicks.
On the topic of dog days I included a picture of our handsome English Shepherd Oddi with his ever present frisbee. He is absolutely obsessed with the frisbee…he carries it all over the house and around the farm and likes to drop it at your feet hoping for any chance to chase it. I will say that his obsession has forced me to up my frisbee-throwing skills to get him the perfect long toss leading to a full speed leaping catch in the air.
FARM STORE UPDATE
We have fresh chickens available again this week in the farm store through Sunday, while supplies last. And again next week then we take a week off from chicken processing. If you have never tried a real slow growing, pasture-raised chicken, freshly-processed, this is a perfect time.
And this is peak season for getting fresh local produce, harvested daily. From our on site gardens we have cherry and slicing tomatoes, green and purple beans, yellow and green zucchini, scallions, pickling cucumbers, beets, kale, and scallions. And local garlic, mushrooms, and microgreens. There is nothing like a real heirloom tomato, grown in organic soil, harvested at peak ripeness!
Other organic produce in stock now includes SWEET CORN, apricots, nectarines, peaches, strawberries, mini watermelons, cantaloupe, mangoes, green, red, yellow peppers, potatoes, carrots, onions, asparagus, cucumbers, turnips, a variety of apples, pears, brussels sprouts, ginger, and sweet potatoes. I highlighted sweet corn because its nearly impossible to find organic sweet corn on the cob but we are sourcing it from a new midwestern Co-Op that has a broad supply of organic fruits and veggies, many grown in the midwestern states.
ON SALE THIS WEEK
Our laying hens are still producing well, so our pasture-raised egg supply is strong and we continue to offer discounts on the egg bundles - pickup 4, 6, or 10 dozen and save up to $1.50 per dozen. These bundle discounts are available in-store or pre-purchase online for store pickup.
And we are holding our ground beef sale over for another week. Get 15% off all ground beef bundles which includes the 15, 25, and 45 pound packs online, or any purchase of 10 lbs. or more in the farm store. The sale price is good for both in-store or online purchases for shipping or curbside pickup. Stock up now on this versatile product.
RESERVE YOUR ALFALFA FEST TICKETS NOW
We are excited to sponsor the 2025 Alfalfa Fest in nearby Caledonia, a gathering of LIVE music, friends and fun in support of Farmers Rising's Education Programming! Join us on Saturday, August 23rd starting at 3 PM. Chef Andy will be cooking up some wonderful treats including a Beef BBQ sandwich made with our own grass-fed brisket. Learn more about the Alfalfa Fest band lineup and purchase tickets here. I look forward to seeing you there!
That's it for this week, stay cool our there!
Cliff, Anna, and the Farm Team