Virtual Farm Tour :: The Farmer's Market

While not literally on the farm ... the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market is a huge part of the farm. Last year we did twelve dates at the market (including the two winter indoor markets), and this year we are full-time vendors there each week beginning in May and ending the last Saturday of October. We are in the homestretch now, but it has been a very good and eventful season so far ... even if I've done about half of it on crutches and in a cast!

The Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market is a pretty large market covering four city blocks plus three north/south side streets off of the main avenue. I believe it has somewhere close to 200 vendors and averages large crowds each week with over 15,000 people. Needless to say it is a very large crowd each week and even though it has been hot we have had nice Saturdays and plenty of people.

For our farm the biggest thing about the market is getting our name out there, meeting people, and sharing our story. The great thing about the market is that there is an opportunity to really build a relationship with the customers and they can get a pretty good picture of the farm. Just in this first year we have built a great following of regulars who come pretty much every week (and mostly at the same time). Those regulars have also become some of our best advertisers and often recommend our pork to friends or people checking out the display while they are making their purchase.

We have been averaging about a hog per week in sales at the market with pork being the mainstay of our sales ... and the only thing that we've had consistently each week. At the beginning of the market we had a little lamb left over which sold very well, and the one beef we did this year sold out very quickly! We have also had our whole chickens for a few weeks and should have more throughout the last two months of the market. But, our pork has been our thing and I hope to gain a reputation as the place to go to for the best pork at the market.

The biggest thing about the market for the farm though is just the exposure. I have often commented that our eventual goal is to be selling just wholes and halves. I strongly believe that is the most sustainable method for the farm and for the way we raise the animals, but in order to get to that place people need to get to know us. This year we have been taking reservations for whole/half hogs and quickly filled up the spots for our fall hogs and are now taking reservations for the spring. If things keep up the way they are going now I can see us eventually working our way out of the market ... which could be a good thing.

But, for the time being ... the market is a great avenue and connection to a great crowd interested in some of the best pork available!

The Pigs :: The Good

A farm is a constant lesson in humility ... or at least my farm is. When one thing is going well that usually means that ten things aren't. But, one (faintly) bright spot this year has been the pigs. I still feel like I have a lot to learn when it comes to farrowing, handling, feeding, selecting, sorting, etc ... But, on the whole I would say that the pigs are the highlight of the farm for me. Despite all the things that still need to be learned or figured out the pigs are still doing well as the center piece of the farm and at least continue to provide a cash flow.

This is the first year that I've had a somewhat organized plan for getting them to the woods and on pasture. I was able to make a five or six acre semi-permanent paddock for the growers that was a good mix of pasture. Although I did not get it divided up for rotation like I wanted to the area was large enough to give them plenty of room to forage through the woods and the grass. They truly were happy pigs (and still are) out there.

The downside of course to pigs on five or six acres is that when it comes to loading up three of the forty odd pigs out there things aren't as easy as in a confinement operation. Let's just say that I have spent "a while" loading up pigs ... even when I thought I was taking the time to do it right! What I did do is build a "sorting/loading" area around their water. The idea being that if they are used to coming into an area at least they may give it a chance when it comes time to loading. I also tried to strategically let the feeder empty when it was time to load them so I could feed them by hand in the "sorting/loading" area.

Sometimes it has worked ... sometimes it has not. One of my major problems is that my small livestock trailer has no center divider so there has been times when one pig has escaped while trying to load the second or third pig. I'm getting better at it, but it is not a perfect system. What has happened though is that each time I've had to load pigs my loading system has grown ... my most recent (and successful) method had me putting up an electric netting fence all the way to their feeder to corral them ... it worked!

Raising the pigs to market weight isn't the only issue though ... sometimes I think marketing is even more important than any sorting system or rotational grazing. This year we have been marketing through our usual channels like the Iowa Food Coop and by selling wholes and halves, but have also added the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market (for twelve Saturdays). All of the time marketing has led to my deep belief that selling wholes and halves is the most financially and ecologically sustainable thing for the farm, the heritage breeds, and our customers! More on that later...

:: Farm Rock :: Able by NEEDTOBREATHE ... listen here ... buy here ::

Where Have I Been?

Have you ever had one of those moments where you wonder where you have been ... only to realize that you have no idea where you have been! That is kind of what I feel like. I know that I have been somewhere and I know that I've been doing something, but I don't really know where or what. Now I am back though ... and I really mean it though ... at least for a little while that is because I have the posts started already. I do know a few things for sure though :: I am still farming ... somehow, I am still a beginning farmer, and Blogger has changed a lot and I'm confused!

If I were to step back and look with a totally objective prospective I think I would say that the farm is actually moving along as well as could be expected ... considering the circumstances. I always need to keep reminding myself that when the farm started it started with nothing and now it at least has something! Here is the nickel tour of what has been happening ::

• The pigs remain the centerpiece of the farm and they are being raised with some degree of success in the woods and on the pasture. 
• The cows are doing their thing, but the jury is still out on how well the beef side of the farm is working (maybe more on that later). 
• I love the sheep ... although they have caused innumerable problems and I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to them.
• The laying hens are still the rescue chickens and have the run of the farm. There is one small batch of pullets in the "egg-mobile" following the cows, but something bigger needs to happen next year so that the layers are pulling their weight on the farm.
• This fall the first small batch of meat birds will be going to the processor. This was the trial run and I believe I'm ready to really ramp things up next year.
• Ten weeks down at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market and two to go. It has been a good learning experience and I have lots of ideas for next year if I'm able to make it full time.

On the downside I am still off of the farm from 7:30 AM until 5:30 PM every day. Now that the daylight hours are getting fewer that is making things more difficult and in my mind I'm rushing to get things prepared for winter ... the reality is though that I'm just hustling to get each days chores done. Keeping the head up though.

So ... I'm back ... at least until I run out of my posts (I do have a few written ahead). 

:: Farm Rock :: Dark Horses by Switchfoot ... watch here ... buy here :: 

Agonizing & Pork for Sale & Farm Updates

Sometimes I just think and think and think and agonize and agonize and agonize ... and well ... you get the idea. There are just some decisions that I have a difficult time making as I try to process the information and come to the best conclusion. One of those decisions that I'm agonizing over right now is pricing. I know that I need to adjust my prices and I'm not ashamed of that (because if I don't the feed prices might drive me mad). But, what I do agonize over is just how much to raise them and how exactly to land on that perfect price!

Without a doubt I am not very prepared to figure out the exact amount that I need to charge because I'm not doing a very good job of tracking feed conversion and feed consumption of my growers and sow herd. That's not to say that I don't know how much they are eating and about how much per day that they are eating, but rather I'm just not sure how well that feed is working and at what rate it's turning into pig pounds! I've read quite a few research papers on the topic and I know that I need to do a good job keep the feeders adjusted and things like that to get just the right feed-to-weight conversion, but I'm not there yet.

So, I just toss the figures that I have around in my head throughout the day and then try to land on a price that I think is fair for the farm. I'm getting close to having it nailed down and when I do then I'll be sharing more information about the pay-as-it-grows program. If you are interested in a pork whole or half feel free to send an e-mail and I'll add you to the list!

Even though the weather has taken a step back from the 60º and 70º temperatures that were so much fun I have been making my way around the farm and taking stock of the projects that need the most attention as spring comes. There are some repairs that need to be done on the hi-tensile fence, along with some fencing issues that just never were finished. I really want to get out and mow down some tall grass and bushes, but the PTO isn't working on the tractor (again). Of course I need to get thinking about prepping the garden ... thankfully there is a rear-tine tiller to help me this year! And, if I wanted to save myself some headaches later this year I should really be out in the woods cutting paths for the pig paddock fences!

We'll see how the spring goes ...

Where Have I Been...

For about a month I have been mostly gone when it comes to the blogging world, in fact I'm not sure if there will be anyone left out there to read this. But, I am back ... well, at least I think I'm back and I'm going to try to be back. I guess after 600 plus posts here and over 100 posts on the Epi-Log I kind of caught a bit of the writers block bug and slowly fizzled out. First I started posting later in the day, then I started missing a few days, and then I just quit posting altogether. But, today ... maybe ... I'm back. At least I'm going to try to be back because I miss the interaction and the exchange of knowledge!

So, what has been going on? I don't really know where to begin because I'm not exactly sure where I left off, but I will share a few updates today and over the next few days.

• As you know from previous posts (at least I think this has been covered), the perimeter fence is completely up now and working wonderfully. I still have to put up four 12 foot gates (two openings) on the outside by the woods, but other than that we are just using it and it is working great. Out on the line we get about 9.6 kV, which I think is pretty good (and I can say from first hand experience it provides quite a shock!). The next chore is to put up the fence around the house, it will run at half voltage and have a cut-off switch.
• Last week five pigs took a trip to the locker. Loading was quite a chore, but I feel like I was a little more prepared this time even though it still took a while. One of these days I will build the perfect system, for now less than perfect will have to do. In other pork related news we now have two state certified freezers that we can sell meat out of. This allows us to sell by the package or by bundles of cuts. I'm looking forward to this because I know we have quite a few customers interested in 10-20 pounds instead of a half or a whole. The inspection process was pretty easy. We just had to pay the money, have them come out, show a label from the locker (we can put a "raised by" label on it), and put up a "No Smoking" sign by the freezer. If you are insterested in pork send us an e-mail and we will let you know what is available when it is available.
• The shed ... ahh ... the shed. It needs steel on the sides, I haven't gotten that done yet...
• Our new bull Sundance is adjusting well to the farm and being kind of loud! He is doing great, but we have him seperated from the herd still so he likes to call out and make his presence known to the ladies and the other boys in the herd. I find that he likes to talk the loudest at the times when I like to sleep the most. But, other than that we are still super glad that he is here and I absolutely love his temperment ... and he loves his treats!
• Winter hay is still and ongoing issue for me, but I think we are starting to get this squared away. In fact I didn't mean that to be a play on words, but I think will will actually be feeding mostly small square bales this year (from our farm and my dad's). I think this will work out the best, because it will make it much easier to feed inside the shed with deep bedding for the animals. Now, I just need to line up some corn stalk bales for bedding (I have no idea how many I will need).

So, I'm back ... and ... that is just a taste of what has been going on while I have been away from the blog. As some of you may have figured out I haven't been getting back to all my e-mails either with all that has been going on, but I'm slowly making my way through those as well. Thanks again for all the insight and discussion all you readers have added! All that help has really come in handy as we begin to make some visible progress on the farm.

Farm Updates...

You may have noticed that I haven't posted the past couple of days like I usually would. Things have been busy on the farm as I've been pushing to get some projects finished up so I can move onto the next thing. I thought it would be good to just share a few quick updates today while I'm at work...

• The fence is really coming along and I'm hoping to have the perimeter wrapped up tonight after picking up some supplies in town. All I have to do yet is bury a wire underground and then put on some jumpers. With that we will have electric fence all the way around! Some of the finishing touches will have to wait until a couple other projects are done, but the most important stuff is done.
• If you are scoring at home we have had four calves this year. One dun bull calf, one dun heifer, and two black heifers. Seventy-five percent heifers ... I guess I'll take that! I will admit that in the evenings I often get side tracked watching the calves run around kick up their heels.
• Our pigs are growing. In fact we have five butcher hogs ready to go and I'm thinking they are going to be pretty tasty because of the Berkshire in them. The only problem we are facing right now is that the processor we used last time is booked up because of fairs until late August. We are looking for another option now, but if you are interested in a half or a whole just let me know.
• As I have mentioned previously the shed is up and it is now ready for steel to be thrown up on the sides. I'm hoping to get the project knocked off the list in the next couple of weeks, but we have to do a little planning first. Hopefully it won't be an overwhelming job, but if I have learned anything out here on the farm I have learned that nothing ever goes as planned.
• In other farm related news my wife has been canning green beans at least once a week for the last few weeks. When all is said and done we hope to have a good supply for the winter. Also, the sweet corn is coming along nicely, but it isn't quite ready yet. I can't wait for it!

Around the Farm Update

Well today is the supposed to be the day for the sow to farrow, so we will see what the day holds. When I checked first thing this morning she was just hanging out in her hut ... like she has been doing 95% of the time since we put her in a pen by herself. I've got to admit that I'm getting pretty excited for her to farrow and am looking forward to having some little pigs around if everything goes right. We had the first calf on the farm last weekend, so maybe the first pigs this weekend?

We have also been spending a lot of time lately in the garden getting everything put in. Better late than never is our garden motto this year and we are hoping to at least get a little produce. We have corn, beans, peas, tomatoes, pumpkins, peppers, and probably some other stuff that I'm missing in this years garden. Last years garden was just kind of thrown together ... this years garden is a little better ... next year I think we will be able to make our first all out garden attack on the farm. It just takes time to get everything lined up and together when you are still trying to build the farm!

In other farm news ... if the weather holds out a little I'm guessing we are about a week and a half from getting our shed started. The calves are mowing it down for us and I'm getting excited to get it up. Of course it won't have any sides until I put them on there, but it will be nice to see what it is going to look like and start making my plans for the inside and for the lean-to. It will help having the frame up so I can figure out exactly how I can best use the space inside, then I can decide what to do for walls/openings.

Other than that we just do as much as we can when we can. I'm really looking forward to getting the place cleaned up ... that is my biggest overall project!

Photos From A Weekend on the Farm

A few weekends ago some friends of ours came down for a weekend on the farm. I truly enjoy visitors and love to show them around our place and share our dreams and passions. Most of the time this means that we take a hay ride if the conditions will allow it, so on a sunny Saturday we hooked up the hayrack and set out for a jaunt around the farm. I have to admit that I really have fun driving the tractor around and talking about the farm.


As you can see from the picture above things started out fairly well. It was a beautiful spring day and the kids were having a blast. Along the way I decided to stop and pick up some fire wood because I knew that we were expecting a cold front soon and that a fire would be nice.


After cutting wood things took a turn for the worse. The sun was still shining and it had been over a week since the last rain, but before I knew it we had encountered some mud. It didn't take long for the mud to overpower the tractor and we were soon stuck.

The above picture shows the tractor tires before I had them buried. The one good thing is that I had enough foresight to just stop before I had it buried up to the axle ... of course it did eventually get buried up to the rims...


To make a long story short ... not only did the tractor get stuck, but as you can see the Expedition became lodged in the bog as well! Thankfully we have some great friends with even greater tractors who were willing to come pull us out of our mess! Since then the only thing that has been down in that valley is the bull ... when he has escaped ... and that is a story unto itself.

Can't Keep Up...

How many hours are there in a day ... all I know is that there isn't enough this time of year. All of the responsibilities are starting to add up, and there is still a ton that needs to be done on the farm. But, there is some good news. The storm shelter is being installed today, of course that also makes more work in the form of building doors for it and doing some landscaping around it. Oh well... Here are some pictures from around the farm.

Rainy and Muddy Farm Update

**Don't forget to go and sign-up (by commenting) on my 500th Post Book Giveaway contest. I know way more people read this blog (and participate) than have signed up, so get on over there and have a shot at winning a free book. It's just my way of saying thank you to everyone who has taught me, encouraged me, corrected me, and helped me along the way!**

Now, for the farm update. As you can see from the image above I went with a stock rain picture. That is because I have been spending as little time outside as possible because it is just plain awful out there. I don't have any numbers to back this up, but I would guess since Friday we have gotten at least two inches and probably more like three inches of rain ... with more to come. That is a bad deal no matter where you are, but in our muddy construction zone it makes it almost unbearable out there. We are getting the kind of mud that steals your boots when you go for a walk!

The one nice thing about the rain is that the temperatures have stayed above freezing for a while now. This is great because it means I can use a hose again to water the cattle without having to drain it and because we have been going through way less wood. One fire a day is about all we need anymore if we keep above or close to the freezing mark for our low (although I see that is supposed to change).

But, there is big farm news! Except this news is happening inside the house. Thanks to the help of my father and mother-in-law we now have about 99% of the trim up inside (except for something that can't be done until we build a bit more). Windows are trimmed out, baseboard is down, and the upper closets have one-of-a-kind doors. This is all wonderful and makes the house feel like it is about finished.

Beyond that I finally got around to do a few electrical projects that I have been putting off. I put in a couple outlets that were missing and put up some lights that I had been being lazy about. All of this adds up to one great thing ... we are just that much closer to closing the loan! What a relief that will be.

From a philosophical standpoint though, the work that was done here the past few days has really encouraged me. The help we have had from family and friends is what has made our farm possible, and I believe it even gives a glimpse of what we sometimes call the "simpler" times. In fact, listening to the rain without the distraction of the television (we still don't have one) as I sit in a house that I know is only here because of other people humbles me and gives me great hope ... hope for my family and hope for the future of this farm.