What's the Weather? Turkey and Brats. Alfalfa Fest. Pasture Walk.

As many of you have likely noticed we farmers are obsessed with the weather.  We check our phones multiple times per day to see if there are any changes to the forecast…much like normal folks check their social media feeds. Most farmers I know have at least two or three different weather apps on their phones to compare differing forecasts. Getting the forecast right is critical to our success as farmers - while we can't change the weather we can and must adapt our management decisions to what we expect the weather to do any given day.  

 

Sunny and hot? We want to make sure the cows have a shady area in their daily paddock to escape the midday sun. Thunderstorm expected? Move the cows to higher ground and make sure the Mobile Range Coop sides are down for the smaller chicks. Cooler Night? Turn on extra heat lamps in the brooder house and lower MRC sides for younger chicks and turkey poults. Dry spell coming? Maybe we can get in another hay cutting if we can be reasonably sure there will three straight days without rain. Almost every day we make decisions based on  the weather.  As I write this we have another hot and humid day in Dundee, which has been the case for much of the summer. But looking out over the ten day forecast we see a cooling trend with some highs in the 70's and a few rainy days, much needed at our IL farm location.

 

We have fresh chickens available again this weekend in the farm store through Sunday. We are taking a week off from chicken processing next week, however we will be taking in another load of the summer turkeys on Thursday and the final group on Monday 25th. And from that first load of summer turkeys we processed last week there is now turkey tenders, turkey breasts, turkey wings, and even ground turkey back in the farm store for those turkey lovers out there!  if you have visited the farm store recently and enjoy seeing the turkeys foraging on the pastures, they will be missed but in a few weeks we will have the Thanksgiving turkeys back out on that same field by the entrance drive. Reservations are filling up fast for the fresh Thanksgiving turkeys so never to soon to reserve one online.

 

We also have a full selection of our pasture-raised pork products in the farm store now - including bacon, breakfast sausage, pork chops, jalapeno brats, Italian sausage, and shoulder roasts. Grab the good stuff while it lasts as we won't be processing any more of our pigs until November. 

 

And this is peak season for getting fresh local produce, harvested daily. From our on site gardens we have organically grown: dill, scallions, green and purple beans, gold and green zucchini, pickling cucumbers, eggplant, cherry and heirloom tomatoes, and yellow onions. From Broadview Farms in Marengo we have red slicing tomatoes, green bell peppers, and sweet onions.  Plus organic garlic from Woodstock and Shitake, Oyster, and Lions Mane mushrooms from Crystal Lake. 

 

Other organic fruits and veggies available in the store this week include mini watermelons, avocados, pears, peaches, nectarines, apricots, mangoes, lemons, ginger, red/orange/yellow/ green bell peppers, turnips, onions, cantaloupe, a variety of apples. 

 

We also have a new item in the farm store - SimpliPops Sorbet Popsicles – cool down with a sweet treat, made with real fruit and sweetened only with honey. These are made locally with mostly organic ingredients. 

 

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 for in-store sales or pre-purchase online for store pickup.  

 

This will be the last week of our grass-fed ground beef sale. 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. 

 

We are also discounting organic chicken wings and drumsticks from our friends at Alden Hills Organic Farms, $1 off per pound while supplies last. 

 

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 will be there looking to connect with some AGF customers and newsletter readers.

 

Finally, we will be hosting a pasture walk at our Elkhorn, Wisconsin farm on Friday, September 19th from 1:00 - 3:00 PM. Join us to learn more about how we raise our grass-fed beef as well as lamb, dairy heifers, and pasture-raised eggs at this location.  This farm is about one hour north of our Dundee farm location, just down the road from Alpine Valley Resort and Music Theatre. And afterwards you can drive 5 minutes to Pizza Night at Grassway Organics Farm which starts at 4 PM.  Register HERE for our pasture walk.

 

That's it for this week, we look forward to seeing you at Alfalfa Fest next weekend.

 

Cliff, Anna, and the Farm Team