Grazing season has started! We were able to get both the beef herd and dairy herd out grazing the lush spring grass over the last 10 days and they are loving it.
With all the rain we've had the past few weeks the pastures and hayfields are growing like crazy. We are looking at possibly cutting hay next week at our Wisconsin farm where some of the fields are getting so long the alfalfa and grasses are starting to bloom and go to seed. Hopefully we can find a few dry days late next week to get that hay baled. In a typical year we don't take a first cutting of hay until late May.
All the hens are out in the pastures 24/7 now and we have noticed a big improvement in yolks and egg quality vs. the “winter” eggs. But our production has slowed down a bit with the stormy weather, hopefully we can get that pumped back up with some warmer and sunnier days next week.
Milk production has been good but we are “drying off” a few of the cows in preparation for June and July calves so we haven't had a lot of excess milk available for in-store sales, just a few extra jars most days after the online sales are completed. We are waiting for a young heifer named Wildfire to calve any day now and if all goes well she will add to the production numbers within a week or so. If you would like to get an email when we have extra milk available…add your name to the Raw Milk Fans email list today.
We will begin our weekly Saturday farm tours tomorrow (May 2nd) at 1:00 PM. This is a 75-90 minute guided tour around the farm on a hay wagon, with stops to visit all the different animals we raise including baby chicks, dairy cows, broiler chickens, pigs, and laying hens. Reserve your seats on our website or purchase tickets in the farm store.
“MEET THE MAKER” EVENTS SCHEDULED THIS WEEKEND
Tomorrow (Saturday May 2nd) we are excited to welcome Julie from Bushel & Pecks out of Beloit, Wisconsin. She will be sampling a selection of the great local foods they produce in their preservation kitchen including a wide range of hot sauces, ferments, jams, and pickled items. She will be out in front of the store from 10 AM to 1 PM so be sure to stop by and say hello.
On Sunday (May 3rd) we will have Anna Guziak, our flower lady, selling seedlings and talking about her gardens and growing techniques from 10 AM - 2 PM.
In the coming weeks we have an incredible lineup of additional local food growers and artisans scheduled to visit our farm store:
Sunday May 10th - Aleks from Pocket Garden Farms will be offering her organic vegetable and herb seedlings and growing advice from 10AM-1PM.
Saturday May 16th - Fisherman Mark from Bering Bounty will be back to serve up samples of his wild-caught Alaskan seafood with cooking tips and recipes from 10:30 - 2:30.
Stay tuned for more Meet the Maker events coming later in May!
FARM STORE UPDATE
We have a few items on sale in the store this week, including our Chicken Wings and Chicken Legs (save $2/lb. on each), as well as Beef Snack Sticks and Beef Fat. And we have some new recipe cards in the store to check out.
We are also excited to be getting more and more fresh local produce in the store every week now. From Karolina, our onsite vegetable farmer we have fresh Mint Leaves, Chives, and Red Radish bunches.
From our downstate Illinois farmers we have organic Ramps (probablyt the last week), Alpine Radishes, Rainbow Chard, Green and Purple Rhubarb, Kale, Butterhead Lettuce, Green Leaf Lettuce, Green Garlic, Asparagus, Green and Red Cabbage, Turnips, Celery, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Oregano, and Cilantro.
Additional organic produce in the store this week includes California Oranges, Mandarins, Eureka Lemons, and Avocadoes. Plus local Michigan Apples, Igl potatoes, Micro greens, and Fresh Mushrooms (while supplies last).
With just a month to go before we start processing again, we have a quite a few whole pasture-raised chickens left. Save and buy a bundle of chickens online , for home delivery or curbside pickup. Or purchase 5, 10, or 15 lbs. of chicken wings for your next party HERE.
That's it for this week, please remember to bring us your leftover shopping bags and egg cartons so we can re-use them. We are running short of shopping bags and we hate to buy them!
Cliff, Anna & The Farm Team
1 comment
Hi ma" am my name is min Prasad gurung. My nationality is Nepalese but now stay in saudi arabia. I ,"ve been working in almarai dairy farm of Saudi Arabia for 5 years. I have amazing skills in dairy farm and knew all about dairy job. Please reply as soon as possible.thank you trinity service.