Ultra High Stock Density Grazing

Check out this POST from a couple days ago on the Homesteading Today site. It relates to the Small Farm conference in Columbia, Mo. I had really wanted to attend this event, but because of a youth conference, I was in a hotel with a ton of teenagers-not farmers! The original said that it was a wonderful conference, but the follow-up posts brought up a pretty cool topic that I haven't heard very much about ... Ultra High Stock Density Grazing!

There were two main speakers there talking about grazing. One was Jim Gerrish (of Management Intensive Grazing fame) and the other was Greg Judy (someone that I don't know much about now, but I'm sure I'll learn more). From reading the posts, it sounds like Mr. Gerrish talked a lot about year-round grazing and using stock-piled tall fescue as a winter forage (gotta find out more, because we have a lot stock-piled now) because of it's cold season nutritional value ... plus they say it can support between 2,000 and 8,000 pounds per acre when managed with rotational grazing. That means we are talking about grazing somewhere between 3 and 10 or so Dexters! Hmm... I think that would make me consider swapping out the corn for grazing.

But, 2,000 to 8,000 pounds per acre of winter grazing is nothing compared to what Mr. Judy does. He practices Ultra High Stock Density Grazing and grazes around 500,000 pounds of beef per acre! Okay, I don't know if I can even imagine that, but he is not the only one doing it so it must be working! If this is possible (and I'm sure it takes a ton of inputs) I don't see why more people aren't doing it ... well, I guess I know why they aren't ... but it is pretty cool. Of course, if you have density this high you are going to be moving them more than once a day.

This is pretty cool stuff and speaks to the possibilities of what we could do without that 70% of our corn crop that is used to feed cattle. It should be noted that according to the poster, Mr. Gerrish is running between 50,000 and 100,000 pounds of beef per acre on his farm. One of the posters said they asked Mr. Gerrish if he was opposed to Ultra High Stock Density Grazing. He said that he wasn't opposed to it, he was just lazy. Mr. Gerrish only moves his cattle once a day at the most so there is a bit less work involved, but he still gets very high yields from his pastures.

I would be interested in reading more about this if anyone has comments, link suggestions, or knows of books relating to the topic!

Tree Crops ... Pigs ... and Tons of Links!

First of all, consider this a bonus post! I'm going to be out of town at a youth event on Saturday so I decided to make a bonus post today.

I read an article this morning from one of my back issues of The Stockman Grass Farmer. I can't remember the title of the article off the top of my head and it isn't close by, but it was an article about tree crops and trees as a forage producing crop for pastured livestock. It talked about nuts for hogs, cattle eating some leaves, and things like that. Also, it talked about creating a savannah like polyculture on your farm by having trees spread throughout your pasture. When you think of your timber as an asset to the farm, you find that it can be used for logging, providing forage, giving shade and wind protection, heat, and so much more.

On our farm we have quite a bit of forest land, but it has a very overgrown forest floor. We have debated different methods of clearing out the woods and making them work for the farm instead of just looking nice! That article really got me thinking about the possibilities. The possibilities of doing some selective harvesting for lumber, adding pigs to open up areas, and letting the Dexters reach the edges to munch on the shrubs and find protection from the wind. Also, there are areas that have been overtaken by cedar trees that we could work back into savannah land.

Well, all that thinking brought be back to the pigs. Pigs are something I would really like to add, but I have to get my dad totally on board with them because they require supplemental feed. We are not new to pigs, in fact we have had pigs off and on throughout the years but always in a conventional setting. With the conventional setting the pigs were never very popular on our place! But, what if we did them unconventionally and managed our woodlands all at the same time? It is an interesting thought, and something that I have been reading a lot lately.

Below are a ton of links that I have read recently. Most of them come from Walter Jeffries of Sugar Mountain Farm. Make sure you bookmark his blog as it is a treasure trove of information!

Feeder Pigs on a Wood Lot - Homesteading Today

Pasture Pigs and Boars - Homesteading Today

Pastured Pigs - Homesteading Today

Boars With Piglets - Sugar Mountain Farm Blog

Keeping a Pig for Meat - Sugar Mountain Farm Blog

What is a Half Pig Share - Sugar Mountain Farm Blog

How to Weigh a Pig With a String - Sugar Mountain Farm Blog

More Fencing - Sugar Mountain Farm Blog

To Cut or Not - Sugar Mountain Farm Blog

How Much Land Per Pig - Sugar Mountain Farm Blog

If you are interested in pigs I strongly suggest you check out these links, and then bookmark the Sugar Mountain Farm Blog. The picture above is some of their pigs on pasture ... it seems like he is doing some wonderful farming, and I would like to take a page from his play book.

Cross Fencing and Pasture Management

I read an article last night in the Stockman Grass Farmer magazine from their "Develop Your Grazing Skills" column titled, "More on Cross Fencing." It came from the August, 2005 issue of the magazine and was a very interesting read. The article is not about how to put up cross fencing as much as it is about why we need to have cross fencing. In the first few paragraphs the author of the article asks two questions ... Why cross fence? And, what is the purpose of multiple pastures? Here are his answers:

"To create multiple pastures ... to optimize the production from your forage and the persistence of desirable plants by encouraging their health and growth."

After all of the discussion on the post about the documentary "King Corn", I thought about this article more in philsophical sense than the practical sense. In my family and in my part of the Midwest, management intensive grazing is not really the thing to do. We have around 70 to 80 acres of pasture land on our farm and 13 cows. I want to begin MIG grazing even though we have few enough animals and plenty of land just to throw them out there and let them have at it. But, it just doesn't resonate with a farmer who has grown up continually grazing during the growing months, supplementing with grain, and driving gas guzzling machinery in order to feed them year round.

In the article Mickey Steward, the author, suggests that if he were allowed only three tools to manage his pastures they would be, "a calendar, an organic matter sample, and a camera." The calendar would be his tool to record when he put animals in and out of a particular pasture, the organic matter sample would provide information about the health of the soil, and the camera would help him keep track of ground cover density. That is a very interesting list to a Midwesterner. Around these parts the list may have included a tractor and baler, chemical sprayer, a four wheeler, or even a plow/disc/harrow/planter/sprayer/combine or any combination of those so we can ditch the stinking pasture and grow a real crop ... CORN!

There are a couple of action points that I am going to take away from this article. Number one, I am going to take some pictures of our pastures. This way we can get an idea of what we are starting with and see if there are any changes once we start a MIG system. And number two, I am going to begin getting more materials to begin cross fencing when spring hits. I believe that it is important to get started on MIG even if we are doing it on a small scale with 13 little Dexters.

Here are a few practical quotes that I gleaned from the article:

• "So, another 'rule to live by' is never let your forage get too tall. How tall is too tall? It depends where you are, but over six inches is over the optimum, and over 12 inches is a real obstacle to grazing and air flow. Air flow may not seem important, but if you are a big fat cow standing in grass up to your belly on a 100 degree day with no wind, forage height is of real concern to you."
  
• "And when is the time to enter a pasture? During the growing season, it is when three solid leaves of growth have developed on most of the forage plants and after at least 21 days of rest."
  
• "The single best thing I learned in Range Ecology was that your livestock will continue to look good long after your pasture has been seriously damaged by over-grazing. DO NOT use livestock condition as a pasture management tool."
  

More Thoughts on a Business Plan...

Yesterday I posted a portion of an article about creating a business plan. That information comes from Penny Huber who leads a class called, "Growing Your Small Market Farm." I am realy awaiting a brochure for this coming years class and praying that it doesn't take place on Wednesdays! I thought that little section that I posted yesterday was eye opening for me ... when it comes to a business plan I am clueless. (Hmmm, kinda sounds like me and farming.)

I found the "myths" and "facts" interesting. When I take a step back and look at myself I see that communication is not a problem, work ethic is not a problem, even farming ability (or the capacity to learn) is not a problem ... but, I have been scared of the business part. I feel like if I can get started down the marketing path I can do that, but I have wondered if I could ever tackle the business side. It was reassuring to read that it is possible to learn how to be an entrepreneur. Hopefully I will be able to learn some of this from Penny Huber!

As I mentioned yesterday, points number two and three resonated most with me. Point number two says, "The business planning process must involve everyone in the family and/or business." This is very important to me because becoming a beginning farmer is a very big step emotionally and financially. In fact, with our Dexters we have already taken a large step along the way. I think it is very important that my wife and I are on the same page as we look at how the farm will work and how it will pay. Another factor is my father and step-mother. Right now that's where our cows live and possibly where farming could take place so it will be important to have them on board with any business plan we formulate.

The second point is as follows, "The business plan must reflect reality. 'Interview other people already in the business to get their input.'" Since I got this farming bug in my system I have tried to seek out sources of what is actually working. I have read books, magazine articles, and research reports. I have talked on the phone with farmers, I have had e-mail correspondence with people making their farm pay their salary, and I have visited local farmers who are farming full-time or working towards it. This research has been helpful because it adds reality (to steal a word from the quote) to the ideas that are bouncing around in my head. Also, I hope to make it out to more farms and see what is working for people in Iowa. (Hmmm... Sugar Creek Farm ... do you accept visitors!?!)

That little article that I quoted in my post yesterday was a good introduction to a farming business plan for me. I would like to investigate this further and will be searching out people to talk to and information to read. Here are a couple of books I was thinking about checking out via inter-library loan. If you have any thoughts on either of them I would love to hear your thoughts.

Farm Fresh : Direct Marketing Meat & Milk by Allan Nation

Making Your Small Farm Profitable by Ron Macher

A Business Plan?

Do you ever feel like you are out of your league. I'm a high school soccer coach at a school that doesn't place a lot of emphasis on a sport unless it ends with ball (football, basketball, baseball, and softball). We don't have the greatest equipment, but we make do with what we have. I know for a fact that when a team shows up at our place with matching warm-ups, bags, water bottles, shoes, and more my team feels like it is out of its league! Well, whenever I read about or start to think about a business plan I feel like I am out of my league.

But, I feel like a business plan is an important part of any farming venture that I want to be involved in. I want to have an idea of what I'm getting into, what it's going to cost, what I need to return, what I can invest in, and how much I need to sell. So, last night I did a little "googling" to see what I could come up with. Below is a section from an article about the 2004 Practical Farmers of Iowa Conference. If you would like to read the article in its entirety you can click HERE. Below I have copied the section that specifically speaks to farming business plans in general:

How to develop a workable business plan

When you run your own farm, you’re an entrepreneur as much as a producer. That means you need to understand business planning 101, said Penny Brown Huber, program administrator for Iowa’s Growing Your Small Market Farm Business Planning Program.

“Entrepreneurs are innovators,” Huber said. “They have a strong desire to create something new. They also have a vision of how their business will grow and a plan to make it happen.”

She presented these contracts between popular misunderstandings, and what she knows about farmers and entrepreneurs:

Myth: Entrepreneurs are born, not made.
Fact: Almost anyone can learn business skills.

Myth: Entrepreneurs are their own bosses.
Fact: Entrepreneurs work for many people, including investors, bankers, customers, employees, and family.

Myth: Entrepreneurs set their own hours.
Fact: Entrepreneurs work long and hard for their success.

Myth: Entrepreneurs love high-risk ventures.
Fact: Entrepreneurs look for ways to minimize risk.

Huber gave these steps, and comments, for successful business planning:

1. The business owner assumes the lead in the business planning process. “You can’t expect an Extension agent or someone else to write your business plan for you.”


2. The business planning process must involve everyone in the family and/or business.


3. The business plan must reflect reality. “Interview other people already in the business to get their input.”


4. Develop contingency plans for worst-case scenarios. “If you get sick, a building burns down, a hailstorm destroys your vegetable crop, or your livestock get infected with disease, you have to have a plan.”


5. Set objectives and goals that are achievable. “Two to three strong, clear goals and objectives will really help you move along,” Huber said. “Your first goal can be, ‘I will write a business plan.’ Your objective can be, ‘I will write my plan by Dec. 1.’”


6. Include innovative marketing ideas. “Developing recipes that feature the foods you raise can be a great way to promote your business.”

Once your write your business plan, review it often and use it as a guide.

I thought the article brought up some good points for a total business plan beginner like myself to think about. I don't want to make an extra long post here, but I will comeback tomorrow with some of my thoughts on the article. Let me just say the points that really hit home with me were numbers two and three. One of my major reasons for farming is the family aspect ... my family and the families that we will sell to. And, I am all about learning from the experience of others. In fact, that is what a majority of the posts on this blog of mine are about, learning from others. I would appreciate any thoughts on business plans in general or more specifically farm based business plans.

King Corn?

Okay, this may be bordering on propaganda... but I just thought I would throw it out there for anyone's thoughts and responses. As I was checking out the new Movie Trailers over at www.Quicktime.com I came across the movie titled, "King Corn". I didn't really know what to expect so I clicked on the link and watched the trailer. What I found was ... well, I guess you can say that it was interesting. Basically, it isn't so much a movie as it is a documentary about two guys from the east coast who come to Iowa (my state) to discover where all of this corn goes. Somewhere along the lines they end up growing an acre for some reason and make a movie about their experiences and investigations.

I watched the trailer, went to the website, and came away confused. Here I am living in a state that thrives on corn (and beans) and the subsidies that go along with it. My family members live off of corn, my neighbors do, my friends do, well ... basically a lot of people in Iowa do! But, does that make it the right way to farm? Does that make it the most healthy way to raise the animals we eat? Those are good questions to ask ... but when you ask those questions in Iowa ... well, let's just say they aren't popular questions.

There were a couple of red flags that popped up on my "propaganda radar". First of all "The Austin Chronicle" said, "As relevant as Super Size Me and as important as An Inconvenient Truth." I just don't know if I can trust anything that is compared (in a good light in this case) to movies by Michael Moore and Al Gore. It just grates against my world view! And secondly, it is mostly showing in large (mostly liberal) cities. I realize that is where it will receive the most welcome response, but it would ease my mind if it branched out a little.

Basically, I don't know where I stand ... I'm an Iowan. I eat lots of corn, I put ethanol in my car, I feed yummy corn to my backyard chickens, I really love corn! On the flip side, I am sold on pastured beef and God's creation of animals sustaining largely on pasture. So, what is an Iowa boy to do? I would love any thoughts on this movie or basic idea. It is something that really interests me as I look at a transition to the farm.

**UPDATE** If you check the comments you will see that the director for King Corn noticed my post. I have e-mailed him asking to keep me up to date on any Iowa screenings. Also, the folks from Sugar Creek Farm commented about a screening coming up at Iowa State University. You can check out the details by clicking on this LINK. Thanks for reading!

Done on the Farm...

Well, on Saturday I was able to head down to the farm for a few hours. Really, it was just a time to unwind after a busy week and before a busy evening. I didn't really do too much work, but I was able to repair a little fencing, take some pictures, and walk around the farm inspecting some potential pastures. Plus ... I was able to talk with one of the Amish neighbors for about thirty minutes.

My main piece of work was to shore up the fencing a bit in the area where the cows are going to over winter. We had put up a cattle panel fence around roughly two acres of pasture (was plenty when it was built!), but we put it up quickly so some of the panels were attached to the posts and to each other with twine. What would we do without twine? On Saturday I just went around the fence and wired everything together so that nobody would be breaking any twine and getting out. It was a beautiful day and it was a wonderful time of work.

After I did that I just spent sometime walking around and inspecting the new cows. Remember, last week we more than doubled our herd size and I really hadn't had the chance to check out the new additions in full daylight because it was dusk when we picked them up and after midnight when we dropped them off. All things considered I think our new additions have brought up the quality of our herd. The two black 5-year old cows are very nice looking animals with some great lineage ... plus, they have great calves at side (one beefy bull calf and one nice heifer). Joanna, the cow with the bell, looks great for a cow that is 8-years old. At first I wasn't going to get her at all, but once I saw her I was really impressed. I'm hoping to get a few heifers from her. The last two new additions are a 20-month old cow and her young dun bull calf at side. She calved way to early (they didn't know she was bred), but delivered a healthy calf and she looks alright herself. Her mother is Bailey, which is one of the new 5-year olds. I think she is a little smaller than our heifer Victoria, but that may just be because she has been nursing her calf during a time when she would normally be growing.

If all goes well we will have six calves on the ground in 2008, which will give us a nice jump while we are building our herd. Plus, we will have the opportunity for at least nine calves in 2009. I'm excited about the way our herd is shaping up. We have five females that carry dun, so I would really like to find a quality dun bull.

After hanging out with the cows for a while I took off to go check out some potential pastures. I was waylaid by the Amish neighbor on the way and had to listen to him scheme about making money for himself off of my Dexters ... it was really pretty funny and nice to chat with him! We have about 20 acres that we can turn our cattle out to when we get some fencing up. I would like to get them out there this week so they have have some green grass before we really need to start feeding them hay. We had them in the small pasture this week so the Amish could do the chores easily. Also, I'm excited about the grazing possibilities for next year ... and the hay production possibilities!

It was a great day to be on the farm and really got my juices flowing. I am going to start putting a business plan together it he next few months just so I can begin to quantify some of my farming desires. I think this is an important step because I don't want to go flying into this farming deal without a plan. I know some of you are probably wondering if I already have ... but, I don't think so. The cattle we have now are sort of the test group. We can learn from them and sell them as seedstock if we decided to go a different direction. We will see what I can come up with.

Picture Descriptions From Top to Bottom :: Ethan standing with the herd; Kenosha and Bailey in front of the herd; Joanna, Bailey, and bull calf; Joanna with her beautiful bell; the Stoneyfield herd; Bailey, Joanna, Kenosha, and the heifer calf.

Today is the Work Day

You know how I went to the farm last week? Well, nothing that needed to be done was done last week ... and the things that were needed to be done are magnified now because we have more than doubled the Dexter herd. So, since I am living the bachelor life today I am going to head down to the farm to spend some time with the cows and do some work. I won't have much time so I will spend the day doing some fence repair and prepping their winter pasture for the cattle. If I have a chance I may working on fixing up a fence where we are going to move them until the grass turns brown. The weather is nice and it looks to be a fine day for working.

The picture I have put up with this post is of the farm. It is one hundred and sixty acres and includes everything inside the red box. There are three small ponds and a bunch of rolling hills and timber. Roughly, less than half of the land is pasture with the rest being timber.

The land needs some renovation, but most on the edges between the pasture and the woods. My dad test drives zero-turning mowers so the pastures have been mowed continually and what was once weeds comes up in mostly bluegrass and clover (except for the portion of fescue). It is almost like we have been rotationally grazing much of the land for the past seven years ... we were just rotationally mowing it! I'm hoping to use some live stock to clean up the brush areas on the edges of the woods and hopefully open them up a little bit from the multiflora rose mess that they are. Oh, and the arrow points to where the cows are now!

Tender Grassfed Beef

Sorry for the late posts this week. Normally I like to be able to put up my post first thing in the morning, but the next few weeks will be be very busy. This week I have been helping with The Power Team and have only been able to be home for a few hours each day. But, if I have enough energy to get out of bed tomorrow I am going to drive down and check out the new cows in the daylight, get some pictures, and do some work. In the mean time ... now back to your regularly scheduled post ...

I have slowly been making my way through one of my free back issues of The Stockman Grass Farmer. In the August 2005 issue I have been reading first there is an article about meat toughness and off flavors. It has a very interesting title, "Grass Feeding Does Not Cause Meat Toughness Or Off Flavors." Okay, so maybe it wasn't a real creative title, but it did get the point across.

Lately it seems like I have been thinking about and blogging about (it is interesting that I consider that a verb now) the walls I am facing or will face in my pursuit of a small family farm based around the pasture. This seems to be one of the walls. It has already come up when I talked with my dad, my in-laws, my friends, my family, and a few people who I would consider potential customers. Here in Iowa, and across the midwest I'm sure, there is a strong bias against grass-finished beef because it is so much different than the cultural norm. In fact, in Iowa it is almost considered un-Iowan to not feed cattle grain ... I mean if you are feeding them corn then you are supporting the local farmers! Well, I do fill up with Ethanol so that will have to be enough for me.

The article is written by Anibal Pordomingo and it brings up some very interesting points from personal observation. I will also point out that I have read a lot lately that points to tenderness having nothing to do with marbling in the meat, but all to do with the genes of the steer. Grass-finished beef doesn't have to fall to any of the stereotypes ... but you will need to be able to educate those that eat and purchase your beef. I do like the idea of educating people ... it is what I enjoy about being a pastor and youth pastor and it is what I loved when I was a history teacher!

So, here are some real reasons from the article why that steak may be tough:

• Fast chilling...
  
• Because of space and handling restrictions, some people work the carcasses warm and chill the cuts.
  
• Few carcasses in a maturation chamber.
  
• Stress prior to slaughter.
  
• Cooking too fast.

And, here are some reasons from the article why that steak may be spoiled or have odd off flavors:

• Chilling, freezing, thawing, and re-freezing.
  
• Freezing too slow.
  
• Dark cutters, stressed beeves.

You will have noticed that grass-finishing had nothing to do with the toughness or off flavors. Grassfed beef can be very tender and very flavorful ... hopefully these points will be some more ammunition in the battle against conventional Iowa wisdom.

The Stockman Grass Farmer

This past week I received my first two issues of The Stockman Grass Farmer magazine. They were running a special (like all publications always are doing) where you could get two free back issues with your subscription ... so, these are my two back issues. I am very excited about getting this magazine because it will provide a new source of monthly information on grass farming and grazing in general. Plus, it hits the issue from all different angles.

For example, in the August 2005 back issue I received there is a sidebar article on the cover titled, "Surgeon Has Developed A Growing Heart Healthy Grassfed Beef Business." That title caught my eye right away because one of the many reasons I became interested in grassfed beef was because of the health issues. Last year I found out the details of what I guessed was the case. I have rather high cholesterol ... especially when you consider my age. In fact you can just about take my age and add a zero at the end and you get my cholesterol reading! I had read that there were benefits from eating grassfed beef so I started doing some research.

My dad would love nothing more than to feed our cattle corn ... he says it just feels like the right thing to do. But, from a financial standpoint and from a health standpoint and from a "God created cows to eat grass" kind of standpoint that just isn't the right thing to do and I am having to slowly convince him of that fact. I'm hoping this article will be another piece in the puzzle.

The article talks about Steve Atchley who grew up on a cattle ranch in Texas, but ended up leaving the ranch to become a heart surgeon. Later in his career he developed a hand condition that stopped him from being able to perform surgery. That is when he decided to take another approach to attack heart problems. It seems like his approach was two-fold. Yes, he truly believes that the grassfed beef is healthy for the heart, but two he believes that having a grassfed system is more healthy for the farmer/rancher. In the beginning of the article he says, "I could see first hand that the stress of commodity ranching was literally killing them," when talking about the farmers and ranchers he had as patients.

He went on to form a business distributing grassfed beef across the west. He has faced opposition along the way from the grain based folks and from the natural grain based farmers, but he feels that he is on the right track for the cattle and for the people that eat them.

"I was firmly convinced that you couldn't feed grain and have a heart healthy product," said Mr. Atchley.

Sorry for the late post...

Okay, you know how I mentioned a special trip yesterday? Well, the pictures in this post give you an idea of what that was all about! Yep, we added seven new Dexters to the Stoneyfield herd today. Here is the run down :: two black five-year-old cows, one black twenty-month-old cow, and one dun eight-year-old cow ... along with those we have one black bull calf from Bailey (5 yrs), one black heifer calf from Kenosha (5 yrs), and one dun bull calf from Breagha.

I am pretty excited about adding these girls (and boys) to the herd because they are all pretty good quality. I will say that it was an adventure getting them ... first we got a late start because we had to look high and low and then low and high to find a part to refix the bearing problem on the trailer from the last trip. Then, when we got there to pick them up they weren't sorted from the herd yet. Let me just say the whole trip is a long story and it was a long day, maybe I'll write more about it later.

But, despite everything I'm excited about having five new girls on the farm. The four cows have all been exposed to the herd bull for around five months so we are hoping he caught them and we will have spring calves. If everything goes according to plans (see post from yesterday) we will have six calves on the ground this coming year and at least nine the following year. Plus these girls add some more diversity to the herd as far as bloodlines go. Two were breed in Colorado, one in Kentucky, and one in Missouri. Also, the two Colorado cows contain some Canadian breeding in their pedigree.

I am sorry for the shortness of this post and the lack of content, but it has been a very long day considering I made it home after 3:00 am and I'm running on four hours of sleep. The pictures aren't great, they were taken in a McDonald's parking lot, but they do prove that we went and got cows! Look for more pictures as soon as I make it to the farm.

P.S. You might notice from the first picture that the dun cow does in fact have a bell on a collar around her neck. Super Cool!!!

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men...

Well, I went to the farm with high hopes yesterday. But, there were two things which I forget to plan for. Number one... the weather! We have had an unusually wet fall in our part of the state and today was no different. So, we had to dodge a few rain drops. Number two... life doesn't like to run on schedules! My wife and I had planned to run some errands in Des Moines while the grandparents stayed at home with the kids. Things went longer than expected so we didn't make it home as soon as we had hoped. Subsequently we didn't make it to the farm until much later than hoped for. We did have a nice enough time to show of the Dexters and horses to my in-laws and I enjoyed being out in the pasture with my cows! But, no work was done.

On the positive side I'm excited about a couple of new reading materials I received and ordered. Today I received my first two back issues of the Stockman Grass Farmer magazine. I've looked at articles on-line and in a sample issue and it looks like a publication I will enjoy reading each month. In fact in the one issue that I have sampled so far there is an interesting little article about a heart surgeon who started a grass-finished beef business because he knows the health benefits first hand. Secondly, I ordered a copy of, "The Contrary Farmer," by Gene Logsdon. I have read many good reviews about this book and I'm looking forward to sampling it myself. I think it will be as much about the world view and thought processes as about the ins and outs of "contrary farming".

Finally, I'm heading out on a special farming related trip today. I'll post some info on Wednesday or Thursday. Let's just say I'm pretty excited about this trip!

Going to the Farm

Every once in a while (not nearly often enough) we have a chance to head down to the farm for a day. We make sure the chickens have feed and water, load up the family, and load up Sophie and head down for a day of work, relaxation, and fun. I love to be outside working at the farm because it is such a difference from my normal day. And, I guess I just plain enjoy hard work. When I was in jr. high, high school, and college I detasseled corn. It was hard, hot, muddy work but I absolutely loved it. Plus the pay was good. Also, in high school when others were enjoying a hot summer day at the lake or the pool I was putting hay up in the barn for the Mochel family. I just enjoyed the hard work ... period!

So, as we make plans to head down today (mostly to take my brother and sister home and show of our Dexters to the in-laws) I'm making a list of the things I would like to do in our short trip. Here is my list ...

• Take down Shaklee Basic H to worm cattle


• Set up new electric fence paddock for the cattle


• Build covered mineral feeder to feed kelp mineral and salt


• Discuss winter wind break for cattle with Dad


• Pick up materials or pick out materials for winter chicken shed

I'll try and get as much done as possible, but there is never enough time when I am down there. Regardless of what I get done I know that I will have a great day and I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully I'll have an update for you tomorrow, and maybe even some new pictures.

"Organic Transition" ... an article ...

Every once in a while I check out the articles and forums at NewFarm.org just to see what is going on. You may remember I posted a link to an article a few weeks ago about a beginning dairy farmer who was getting out of the business because he just couldn't make it financially.

Yesterday I came across another article about a dairy farmer on the site that dealt with his switch from a conventional dairy to an organic dairy. You can check out the article, "CASE STUDY: Transitioning to organic : Spring Brook Farm", but clicking on the title.

The farmer in this article is not new to dairy farming. In fact while he didn't grow up on a dairy farm he has been working no them since he was young. An interesting thing is that he went bankrupt on his first dairy attempt, but he stuck with it because as he says, "it is in his blood." The article deals mainly with his transition from a conventional dairy (medications, corn silage, etc.) to an organic dairy that sells milk through an organic dairy cooperative. Most of his milk goes to Stonyfield (no relation to our farm) for their yogurt.

After my post yesterday about the frustrations of trying to go against conventional wisdom this article was a breath of fresh air. He was able to make the transition with out too much trouble, and he is finding there is much more value in farming organically. He finds value in the way he is able to raise his cows, how he treats the land, and through the checks he receives for his milk. Basically, organic was a stretch for him ... it is something that looked good and is now working even better than it looks.

Here are a few quotes from the article that really hit home to me:

“I started out when I was 24 lost everything when I was in my forties, and started all over again with nothing when I was 44. I could go manage a farm for somebody else, but that wasn’t what I wanted to do. Independence is a fierce part of it. I gotta do my own thing.”

“When I was a kid, and people asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, I always knew. I was driven,” Lyle says. “Things haven’t all been rosy. There have been a few detours, but I’ve stuck with it."

“I really don’t know why more farmers don’t go organic,” Lyle says, “especially small farmers who pasture. If you’re set up for pasture and you’ve got 50 to 100 cows, it makes more sense.”

You see, it can be done ... and in some ways if you are farming on a small scale you can do it better than the conventional farmers. Oh, the "it" I'm talking about ... I'm talking about supporting your family through the farm work and living and working together as a family.

New Blog Colors...

Okay, I have had a few people mention to me that the blog was difficult to read with the black background and white font. I decided I would switch to this one for a little while and see what people think. So... let me know if this is better, worse, or indifferent. I can try some other options if I need to.

Thanks again for everyone that checks out my blog. I update every day Monday - Saturday and just take Sunday off so there should always be some fresh content. I will continue to provide links or reviews to what I'm reading because that is how I'm building a lot of my plans and ideas when I'm not able to be "doing". Also, from time to time you will get updates from work on the farm.

Conventional Wisdom...

From Wikipedia:
Conventional wisdom (CW) is a term coined by the economist John Kenneth Galbraith in The Affluent Society, used to describe certain ideas or explanations that are generally accepted as true by the public.

Conventional wisdom is not necessarily true. Many urban legends, for example, are accepted on the basis of being "conventional wisdom". Conventional wisdom is also often seen as an obstacle to introducing new theories, explanations, and as an obstacle that must be overcome by such revisionism. This is to say, that despite new information to the contrary, conventional wisdom has a property analogous to inertia, a momentum, that opposes the introduction of contrary belief; sometimes to the point of absurd denial of the new information set by persons strongly holding an outdated (conventional wisdom) view.

Sometimes I feel like this is the toughest battle a beginning farmer will face. I realize that it probably is not the case because I really haven't experienced very much, but it is an obstacle that needs to be overcome.

While I have not really grown up on a farm, I did spend my weekends on the farm with my dad as a child and have been surrounded with farmers my entire life. As I begin to take steps towards creating a farm and a farm business I am running smack dab into the brick wall of conventional wisdom. In my search to create a farm that is profitable for my family and that will provide an income that we can live on, I kept coming back to alternative/outside-the-box types of agriculture. You know, things like grass-finishing beef, pastured poultry, agri-tourism, u-pick berries, premium priced meats, etc. I was encouraged about what I have read and the conversations that I have had with people that I have talked with. I have had talked with people who are making it work, I have seen toured farms that are doing it or that are almost there, and I have read many success stories.

Yet, whenever I talk with my family I run straight into the conventional wisdom brick wall, and it is starting to hurt. In not as many words this is the answer, "It works for some people, but that is not going to work here." That just kills me! And, what kills me even more is then people suggest doing conventional farming as the answer.

I need to prove that it will be able to work. I have tried passing along books with hi-lighted sections so people don't have to read the whole thing. I have related experiences I have had farm tours. And, I have passed along articles from and about people that are farming outside of "conventional wisdom". But, that is just regarded as "propaganda"!!!!

I am not broken, but I am frustrated. It is obvious that there are farms out there not making money, yet they aren't willing to try something different. I thought that these alternative farming methods and relational direct marketing were really starting to take hold ... in fact I was worried that I had missed the boat. I guess that not everyone is convinced yet, so maybe there is still room for me.

What do you think?

Salatin vs. Avery Debate

**Bloggers Note: I write my blogs ahead of time now so I can post them first thing in the morning, but yesterday I posted a blog that was meant to be posted today so that's why the titles and writing seem out of sync. Just so you know.**

Okay... I realize I'm going a little heavy on the Joel Salatin information lately. I don't want you to think that he is the only guy out there and that I'm totally locked in to his systems and mindset, but he does write a lot and put a lot of information out there. I promise ... this post and the next one will be regarding Mr. Salatin, but after that I will hit some other sources or talk a little bit about some things happening around Stoneyfield.

I came across this DEBATE between Joel Salatin and Dennis Avery who was the director of the Center for Global Food Issues when this interview occurred in July of 1999. By clicking on the link you can read the debate between Mr. Salatin and Mr. Avery as the answer questions from callers on a radio show. It is a very interesting read because they come from two very different view points. Mr. Avery is a supporter of high yield chemical farming while Mr. Salatin is all about locally based farming providing for the area surrounding the farms.

I think the biggest thing I saw while reading this debate was the huge difference of world view between the two men. Mr. Avery believes that we need to rely on science and high production models in order to feed the word while Mr. Salatin believes we need to change our production models and mind sets. I believe we need to change our world views in general so I did find myself siding with Mr. Salatin on many points. I think this is the greatest exchange in the entire article and really speaks to the difference between the two view points:

Host Jeff Ishee: Dennis and Joel, it’s certainly been an entertaining two hours and a fascinating conversation. I had four pages of questions, and I haven’t gotten to a single one yet, and I’m bound and determined to ask at least one question. What role do you think that government should play, both on the farm, and in agriculture overall?


Avery: I think government should be a player in the research game, and I think that the government needs to be very aggressive in making sure that American farmers get the opportunity to help contribute to feeding a larger, more affluent population that we are going to have in the year 2040. That means eliminating the trade barriers and opening the playing field to everybody.


Salatin: Well, I don’t believe that we should have a USDA. Period. All it is, is collusion with the multi-national corporations, and they stack the deck and create all this scientific information that’s biased and prejudiced. We don’t get good research. I’ve watched it for forty years come out of the cow colleges, the land grant universities. Virginia Tech figures out how to kill a bug, and the environmental scientist group at the University of Virginia figures out what else it killed. That’s basically the type of research we have. So, I don’t think there is any place for the USDA. We’d be a lot better without it at all. Turn it into a free market . . .


Avery: But then you’d have only the companies.


Salatin: Ah! But I can compete with the company. But I can’t compete with all the academic fraternization that occurs with the collusion between the bureaucrats and the companies themselves. On equal footing, we’ll compete fine. Privatize it, and we’re in business.

If you read the debate let me know what you think. I really enjoy reading these sorts of things. While I completely believe that doing is better than reading there is only so much doing I can do when I live over an hour from the farm ... so, for the rest of the time I'm trying to prepare myself for the marketing of the farm and part of that is knowing why I do the things I want to do.

Last of Joel Salatin for now...

Okay, I know that I've hit Joel Salatin a lot here lately (to be fair, I did have a lot of Allan Nation posts lately!), but this will be my last ... for a little while. If you click on this LINK you will download or be taken to a PDF of an article from the November 2002 issue of Acres USA. The article by Mr. Salatin is titled, "Balance Sheet Switcheroo :: Assests Become Liabilities in Industrial Ag." This is another, "shape my viewpoint," article that I found interesting to read. He talks about the culture shift in agriculture that has turned the historical assets of agriculture into liabilities.

In the article he lists 10 specific cultural shifts from assets to liabilities. Here are a few that I found especially interesting:

#1. Feeding ourselves used to be a matter of national pride.
Being a part of the farmers who feed the people in my area is definitely something I would be proud of! But, our agribusiness now likes to buy beef from South America rather than from our own back yard.

#6. Once upon a time, farmers and related agribusinesses hired their neighbors.
My favorite place to shop in town is our local Coast Hardware store. It is owned and run by an older couple that have made that business their life. When I go in looking for a part and I don't know exactly the size I need, they load me up with three or four and tell me to bring back the ones that don't work when I get a chance. That is the type of community that will make our country and our families strong!

#7. During most of America's history, farmers peddled their wares in town.
This is all about cutting out the middle man and bringing the profits back to the farmers. Think about those Cheerios you buy at the store ... how much do you think the farmer gets of that $3.00 box of food?

#10. The early American ideal of the gentleman farmer, the noble, landed yeoman, was once revered as a cornerstone of the true wealth in this nation.
We need to restore the cultural view of farmers, and the only way by doing that is creating relationships between the farmers and the buyers. Again, think about those Cheerios ... do you have a relationship with that farmer?

Another quote I especially enjoyed is this one:

One of the greatest assets on a farm, in my view, is the sheer ecstasy of life. The priceless enjoyment of life's spontaneity must now bow to the unrelenting predictability of mechanized life. What an unfortunate change on the balance sheet.

I encourage you to check out this article. Like the last couple I have posted it speaks to shaping your world view and why we do the things we do (or in my case ... what I want to do). But, I will tell you that it makes me want to farm and farm differently...

Farming and Business Week

Check out "A New Push to Make Farming Profitable". This is an article written about Joel Salatin's Polyface Farm from August 10, 2007. I know it is a few weeks old, but this is the first time that I have come across it. It is a pretty interesting article where he tells about some of the financial basics of his farm. I was pretty impressed that he makes $700,000 per year on his 550-acre farm. The one question I would have is whether or not that includes his book sales and speaking engagements. According to his website he charges $3,000 plus expenses for each speaking engagement ... that being said, I would listen to him whenever I had the chance!

I don't have the need to desire to gain $700,000 on the farm, but I do think that it shows what is possible. It is great to see his business plan getting publicity in a business magazine. His popularity is growing every year and there are quite a few people who are beginning to duplicate his model, but I still believe there is room for more people willing to do something different. I would like to know some more about his e-mail buying club. That seems like it would be something to pursue if we ended up on land near my dad's farm which is about 100 miles from a big city.

I will leave you with this quote from the article. I think it best describes some of my fears when it comes to farming and the land a family needs to farm...

"The growing demand from legions of direct customers has led Polyface to lease an additional 700 acres of pasture over the last three years. Salatin says the profits from the weekend-farmer seminars as well as sales from instructional books he's written "are allowing us to make the investment without having to resort to loans," which are another bugaboo of traditional farming."

The original 550-acres he started out with was in his family so he didn't have go out and buy land ... now he can expand his operation with money from speaking engagements. Hmmm... maybe I can turn this blog into my money maker to finance my land!

I would love to hear any of your thoughts on this article or experiences you have had hearing Mr. Salatin in person. Thanks for reading!

Family Farming...

There are family farms, and then there are family farms... There are 1,000 acre plus operations run by a group of siblings in the form of corporation, and then there are 200 acre or less farms that are run by grandparents, parents, and children. They are both "family farms", but they are not alike. One is run like a corporation, while the other is run like a family. One may not include children because everything is done on such a large and grand scale, while the other may not survive without the children. One may be full of dangers around every corner from big machinery, grain bins, and more ... while the other just might be family friendly.

I realize that I may have just over-generalized things there, but I also know many people my age that grew up on the large "family farms" who never did anything farm related and couldn't wait to get off the farm so they could live in town and be closer to the things they enjoyed. And, in some senses their "farm" life was no different than a life of kid in the city. One of the many appealing things of farming to me is the family aspect. Again, I may be romanticizing things a little, but I envision our family working, playing, and growing together on a small sustainable farm. A safe place to raise our children where they will be surrounded by healthy hard work, the beauty of God's creation, and the family that loves them. I found an article by Joel Salatin from the June 2000 issue of "Acres USA" that speaks specifically to family farming. The article is entitled, "Creating a Farm Life Your Children Will Treasure :: Family Friendly Farming". You can read the entire article by clicking on the title.

It is a great article full of what I believe are very insightful thoughts. Here is one quote that really resonated with me and my desire to farm with my family:

"People kept telling me when Daniel was little, 'Oh, he's great now, but you wait, he'll be a pistol, you won't be able to control him, and all kids go through rebellion.' But they were all wrong; it doesn't get any better than this. And it's not because I'm a great dad, it's because we have time. People who say it doesn't matter how much time you spend with your children, it is just the quality -- it isn't true. All we have is time. If we can invest it in these kids and allow them to have projects that provide opportunities to praise them, they will develop team spirit and involvement in the enterprise."

I can't tell you how many times my wife and I have heard this same type of quote from people all around us ... at the store, among family, and at church ... instead of arguing we just shrug it off now, but hearing first hand experiences like that of Mr. Salatin just increase my desire to move to a farming life.

If you are thinking of farming or are farming right now with your family I encourage you to check the article out. Also, if the book is anything like the article I suggest looking at Joel Salatin's book, "Family Friendly Farming :: A Multi-Generational Home-Based Business Testament".


**Just so you know, the picture was taken by Pete Wettach. You can check out an amazing book of his photo's by clicking here ==> "A Bountiful Harvest"**