Custom Meat

There has been a lot of confusion about how "custom" farmers work. We don't know in advance accurate hanging weights of animals or customer cut choices... cut choice is up to the buyer, the customer pays the processor separately. We would need additional licensing to sell processed meat even if we weren't the processor, and that's not what we do... We aren't selling meat, we sell animals and cows are sold by the whole, half or quarter. Pigs are sold by the half. When the coyotes did not eat all of our birds, poultry was sold by the whole, but could be processed into quarters if the customer wanted. If you want Alan to deliver it when it is done, he just asks for the check for the processing part before he picks it up (made out to the processor), and some gas reimbursement if the drive is longer than the average. We don't sell farther than 100 miles from the farm, and rarely more than 25 miles away. The processing cost and hanging weight of the animal are unknown at the time we take it to the butcher. When they process it, they weigh it and charge for the cutting/grinding/packaging/whatever. You need to call them to give them your order when we bring them the animal and to find out your cost. Then when they tell us how heavy the animal was, we ask $3.50 per pound hanging weight 1/4. (This is lighter than the live weight but heavier than the de-boned weight.) The picture previously posted of Alan and the calf is the calf that became the bull that became the steer that will feed 4 families. It had a good life enjoying room to run and fresh well and creek water and a varied pasture (exercise and diet lead to healthier animals with leaner meat and more omega 3 fatty acids naturally). Not sure if the calf in the picture or it's nursemate was the sire of the Indian Summer heifer we have now. We had the calf's mother supply milk to an adoptee and did not castrate either before the next cow was conceived... Like I said a good life for an animal on the farm. That is what our farm is about... raising our own children and letting the animals that provide us food have a good life and raise young of their own. There is no better teacher than nature, and we adults are still learning too. If you have questions, please post them and sorry if there is a delay in the response... life happens.

Spring Goats

The last of the Spring kids have been born. Sad to say we lost a few. In the picture you can see last spring's group first with the green grass. (The plants are just starting to grow, but I needed to see green so I found an old picture to add.) The top two are the kids born last year. Gertrude is the tan one with the white belt. Splosh has the white face & body with black ears and Shirley has the white wiggle on her face. There are a few others that were born before the herd joined our farm last year, but I'm featuring the ones born here. Hansel & Gretel are the next two going clockwise. Then Christian. The bottom 2 photos show the birth of Sun. His littermates were Uniqua and Anders. Frostie is on the bottom left. Mrs. Black is the nanny in the middle who is raising Frostie and Christian. You can see Saddle nibbling on her ear, sad to say Saddle didn't make it. So it seems we have added 9 goats (5 girls, 4 boys) since we started... and the first year has hardly begun.

We tried milking Mrs Black and the other two goats that had delivered at the same time. She had the most milk of the three and took to nursing the little ones on her own. We will let the other females run with the buck to see if late summer brings more kidding.

This year's boys have all been fixed... we don't want any unexpected early kids next winter. Last year's boys will have to be sold or go to the butcher. Any orders?