Fair Wages for Whom?

Hmmm...Tough topic to say the least but I wanted to address some things that have come to my attention recently in regards to fair wages.

First last week I read the following about Greenfield Farm organic co-op which was started in Ohio by a group of Amish:

Our feasibility study showed that 50 percent of Americans don't care what they eat as long as it's quick, cheap and tastes good," Wengerd says. "The other 50 percent care, but maybe 20 percent are willing to pay a premium for it. They're looking for wholesome food that is safe and they want to buy it from people they trust."

20%?!?! Well, to say the least that is not very many. Oh yeah---in the scheme of things population wise I am sure it is a lot of people but well...really it's not even a quarter of the population.

O.k. so the next part that came to my attention has to do with my own products. Yarn, fiber, fleeces etc.
We have a local show coming up (Christmas on the Square in Chickamauga, Georgia) and we will be renting a booth there to sell our remaining pelts, fibers,yarns and fleeces from this year.
Recently I put some of my yarns in the local hometown museum ---per their request. I went recently to pick them up to take to this show I will be going to. Unfortunately none of them that I had left there had sold. The lady who runs the museum told me that she gets raves over my items but they don't sell because everyone feels they are too pricey. Well, for one---it is a "small hometown" museum not MoMA in New York City by any means of the word, so of course people don't walk in expecting to find "quality"products that are somewhat costly. Nor are they expecting one of a kind art. Which is basically what my yarns are. And two---it's not that they necessarily go there specifically for yarns or fibers either. But...

Anyway what does this have to do with the above title? Well, fair wages---for me of course.
Let me just lay out what goes into developing my items start to finish and as you read it remember that many "value added" products from other farms have just as much effort in them as my products do. Then the next time you are considering specialty items---whether it's art, yarns, gourmet foods, organic products or whatever-----you can decide if the price really is worth spending based on a greater understanding of the work that may be involved.

So, yes, my products can be expensive. Why? Well, because in the end everyone touching my product, except for me, receives a "living wage". I suppose that living wage is open to interpretation but let me give you some examples of things that reflect the cost of my finished products. No where in this little "dialog" will I subject you to the "I have to spend my time feeding and caring for them" cost either. Why you ask? Because that particular "wage" is paid back when I have good food from my farm on my table. I do not pass that particular cost on to those that buy my added value items.

So, for the complete cost of fleeces and yarns here we go:

First: I shear my sheep. And lets just pretend that whatever lambs they have pay for their for their feed throughout the year. At this point my wool starts at zero dollars. However---it takes me about 15 minutes with blades (initial investment of about $400 dollars) and some electricity and shearing oil to get the fleeces off my sheep. I get about 2 to 1/2 pounds of usable fleece off of them after I spend time skirting manure and the worst junk out of them (another 15 to 30 minutes of my time per fleece). If I don't skirt---the mill can potentially refuse my wool or worse the end product might not be the best.
How much should I pay myself? What is my time worth here?

Second---I box my fleeces up and spend my husband's money to ship them to a mill. This includes the gas to drive them to the post office.
Not all mills are equal in either price or quality of finished product but the average to wash, card and turn my fleeces into basic roving is about $11 a pound based on sending in at least 5 pounds of fiber (some require no less than 8 pounds) of each color I want run. If I don't have the minimum I either have to store the fleeces until I do or pay a set up fee ranging from $10 to $25 dollars extra per batch.
Do I pay myself for the labor of boxing and shipping like I would receive if I did that job for another company?

Third---I pay to have them shipped back to me.

Fourth---I take my product and using my electric scales weigh out 2 ounce sections of roving, wrap it in a paper label I make from purchased supplies (marked with my farm name, price, weight and fiber content). Do I pay myself for the time invested? Should I consider the electricity? Obviously paper and ink has to be considered.

Alternative fourth---I dye my fiber (my best seller by far). This uses not only the dye I purchase from a company paying others at least minimum wage, but my time, my gas to run my stove, vinegar to set the color and my water that I purchase from the city. It is also wrapped in a label.

Last option----I spin the wool. Dyed or natural matters not. To make a fairly bulky 2 ply (the quickest to spin) requires about 2 hours of my time to get about 100yards from start to finish and about 3.5 to 5 ounces of fiber depending. There are people that can spin faster but most spin at about my rate. If I spin something thinner it requires much more time. Lace weight takes a long time. I don't spin that for sale anymore---only personal use. So should I charge $2 or $3 or even $5 dollars and hour for spinning (less than minimum wage) or more?

So....basically the point I am trying to come to is what IS a fair price for something. For me my competition is cheap labor yarns in the $4 range, made by large companies in other countries, who get volume breaks and buy wool from farmers that raise sheep for meat. Most of those farmers consider their wool a throw a way side product. No matter that I try and raise a premium product that's sustainable and organic my price for my labor is what kills me.
So consider that the next time you are trying to decide exactly how much are you willing to pay.

Think about also, that if I charged just $3 a hour for my labor, the cost of living in the U.S does not allow for me to be able to support myself on that price---if that were my sole supporting job I mean. Of course, just considering my wage at $3 an hour and no cost for washing, shipping, dying etc, the price for my yarn is about $2 higher than the "average" competition already when I spin yarn. How could a person in the U.S even make a living on something like that. To bad that some of these skills will fall to the wayside because of our "advances in technology". All these technologies do cost us though. The unseen costs of water use, electricity, large buildings to heat and cool and all the concrete invested in the parking areas etc etc.

Another thing you may not have know is that most farmers that sell to the local "wool pools" average about .50 cents per pound of wool. Even for a large sheep that is about $4. Just enough to pay the guy who shears the sheep. Or maybe they made .50 cents or a buck per sheep. Whoopee!---their going to get rich on that aren't they!

When we, as Americans, are trying to decide how much to pay people for something we have to remember not to compare their job here in the U.S to the same job in say...China or India. Not only do those people in those countries make less, but even if they make a "good wage" for their country---- their cost of living is still quite a bit less than living here. In the end it gives them an advantage when comparing my product made here in the U.S to theirs. By the way---look at the label the next time you buy yarn. Most all of it is made overseas. Just like a lot of things we buy now.

So flip that object over----even if you still buy it---and look to see where it was made at the next time you are out shopping. You might be surprised at how infrequently you see "made in America".

Don't get me wrong---I am not whining about money. Well, in a general sort of way I am.
However I do want people to understand exactly what is encompassed in the cost of a farmer's prices.
As I said I wouldn't in the beginning---- I didn't even touch on the time I spend feeding or caring for my animals---nor food costs or fencing. At one time land prices were set, per acre, at the price of the lambs that a person could get off them in one year. After that---your land was paid for and you could profit from that point on. No longer is that the case for farmers. Land is very expensive and that is just the first hurdle before feed, animal purchases, labor, equipment, storage facilities and on and on.

Here's an article on wealth and income inequality. to top it all off. It has some corporate issues in it----but I am not even trying to bash corporations or anything. I just want people to consider wages and what people really need to live on.

Have a great day all!!

Managing my Hay

So, since this drought has gone on for so long we have worked very hard to "manage" our hay appropriately. I mean---when you can't even steal a bale of hay because it's so scarce well...you have to care for what you have.
Waste---especially of hay is always an issue. All livestock love to walk, climb, fling, roll in, run through, and poop on their hay. I don't know why but there you have it.
Round bales come under particularly aggressive attack---probably because they are big and don't get eaten as fast, but small squares are not really that much safer from the "waste fairies".
For a long time we didn't have to worry about hay and so we didn't really care about the waste. The bales were only $25 dollars for about a 650 to 800 pound round bale. Need a new one?---just drive down the road a mile or so and pick up a new one. Or just across town about 10 minutes away there were even nicer rounds. So, though we did try and keep the animals from completely destroying them it was inevitable that eventually some of it did get wasted.
Last year the weather started to show it's true colors and we became a bit more conservative with hay feeding since it became a bit harder, though not impossible, to find hay. Rounds were tarped in the driveway and fed out in small piles or stuffed into moveable fence panels tied to the regular fence. Square bales too were fed out in small piles or stuffed between the two fences like filling in a pita pocket.
As we moved into summer though and we were STILL feeding hay----we really began to give serious thought to how to feed the hay through summer then on into the winter so that NO hay was wasted. By now hay had become and will remain difficult to find. If you do find it---it's pricey. We now can only get square bales for $7.50 each---though I heard they went up since last we bought. That's $7.50 for just a measly little 70pounds of hay. You do the math in comparison to what we used to pay. Also---though I only have to feed out not quite one bale worth of hay a day I will have to feed more as it gets colder and there is no green grass left to help supplement.
So, after deciding it had become somewhat imperative that we design a hay feeder of some sort I stumbled on the two sided feeder that premier 1 sheep/livestock supplier had on their web site---it's in the downloadable instructions/chart section.
Well, after all my procrastinating for years now---someone should smack me. This feeder was so easy to build that I did the first one, which was the bigger one, in about 3 1/2 hours by myself. The second, though smaller one made by my husband and I for the rams was even quicker. Somebody kick us for being lazy! I tell you what! And wow! how easy to put hay in to it instead of trying to stuff it between two fences. Humph!---how disappointing that it took so long to become aware of this "labor saver" of a feeder.
Also, as a really great bonus---it has a "trough" area that can be used for grain or alfalfa cubes without any spilling. Since it's so stable and part of the whole unit--they can't knock it over while they fuss and fight amongst their selves during feeding. That part is o.k for my ewes----but a huge (HUGE) convenience for the rams who bash around so much during feeding of grains or cubes that most of the feed in lower troughs or bowls gets spilled and smashed into the ground.

And cheap! though we did already have a livestock panel specifically for goats/sheep that we had purchased at Tractor supply for $25 dollars---the wood was very cheap. (small aside to those who try this---we own very large bolt cutters that make easy work of cutting the 16 foot panels to the correct sizes). We even used some of our scrap lumber pile for the bigger one so total cost for it was under $50---most of it being the part of the goat panel we used. The smaller one obviously was cheaper though we did have to buy new wood for some of it---but it used the leftover part of the goat panel in it.
I wish I had built this years ago because not only is it easy to feed hay in but it also keeps the fleeces much nicer than the way we had been doing it. We spent much less time picking VM (vegetable matter), specifically hay, out of the fleeces after we sheared this summer.

There are two issues that we now need to address to make this feeder fit us even better.
One: A roof. The feeder needs some sort of roof that is easily moved, lifted off,or tipped so hay can easily be put in and it could then be used in an open area of a pasture. Both of ours are under cover---the big one is used to divide our "catch pen" and the smaller is under the new chicken coop addition.
Two: Wheels. Wheels and maybe a hitch of some sort, along with a roof would make it easy to move the feeder from pasture to pasture or just around a pasture so they don't "beat down" the grass in one area.

So here are the pictures. The last one shows how we dealt with the open end of the smaller hay feeder. It also allows one more animal to eat at that end. Plus an extra picture of my now healthy Princess (with hay hanging off her face and body!)

Good day all---here's to rain

Bucket O potatoes

We are now getting potatoes---very nice potatoes at that. Only one so far has been "nibbled" on and we will just have to send our Jack Russell on patrol in that spot more often :-)

Considering that we had a late, late, very bad frost, which nipped back the growing tips, all the potatoes came back fine from under their piles of leaves and went on to produce. We probably won't get as many potatoes as we could or should have because of the frost and then drought---but I am pleased with those we are getting. Very decent size with some "whoppers" for baking. If we had watered them also, I am sure we would have gotten way way more than we will. However---we do not have a well and so we pay to water. My bill for water one month was more than the electric bill for running the a/c in my house---so we quit watering. Considering we were using soaker hoses---we were a bit surprised at the amount.
The potatoes never did get any of that water anyways---purely because we knew watering so much would get expensive (we just didn't realize HOW expensive). We were just trying to get beans, which we had a very large section of, and keep alive the artichokes and tomatoes. No matter though---it didn't work completely. Yes, we have kept things alive---however it is unlikely we will be canning this year. There has only been enough at any one time to eat for dinner that night-- but not to can. Maybe if we get some more rain in the next month a few of the plants may kick in and produce well towards the end---but we aren't really holding our breath.
No matter----we did learn that we love our leaf mulch and will try and con the city into bringing us, and our neighbors, more this next fall for use in mulching potatoes and other garden plants this next year. Underneath some of the areas, the leaves are starting to really break down into some beautiful leaf "mold" that should do amazing things for our soil. With the advent of fall, and hopefully rain, we will till up a few of the spots that got a bit out of hand (too few leaves and too many weeds) and then over seed everything with a fall cover crop. Maybe by the time we have "optimum" rain---we will have the most amazing soil and will end up with a jungle of produce for canning and giving away.
Potato wise we have been lucky here this year. Stuart and Gabrielle in Brittany have been getting more than their usual rain for this year (just like our family in Texas) and their potatoes---along with their neighbors---ended up with scab because of the wet soil that probably never has dried out in between rains. Well, each year is a challenge now isn't it. When you consider my last post, and this years weather--- I don't have to wonder to much about why some people just didn't want to stay being farmers. People should have more respect for farming----it's somewhat stressful. Next time you go to market and buy berries or tomatoes---thank that person for sticking it out. They need a pat on the back once in a while.

Summer door

Finally something to take a picture of that isn't dry and brown looking.
My chickens---with a pictures of a few hens and a number of the roosters above----are now starting to lay eggs. Itty bitty teeny tiny eggs right now. I forgot how small "new" eggs are when a hen first lays--very small. It has been a while since we had young hens so, though we remembered that it worked that way---we were still surprised at the size of them (or lack actually).
Anyways---this weekend they got a new door to their coop. We had realized that the ventilation we provided wasn't working quite as well as it could so we got another salvage door, cut out the glass and panels, and added hardware cloth. Voila! New screened door for improved ventilation. Their "winter door" is stored inside their coop right now and will go back on about the end of October. Lucky chickens---two doors for their house. What more could they ask for? Well, maybe some bugs.
We have noticed that there are a few "pluses" to this drought. Well, I mean if you want to look at it optimistically that is. There are really no Japanese beetles and the ones we do find are very very small---not those jumbo whopper ones. Not many grass hopper or caterpillars to eat our plants. We have absolutely no mosquitoes. I mean---with no rain, no dew and our pond now dusty dusty dry at the bottom (yes, it is completely gone)---there is no place for them to breed. Always a plus not to have mosquitoes right? I also believe based on what I have seen that with the late Easter frost we got--then the drought---that some of the pest cycles are being broken. So next year might be a great agricultural year. Fingers,toes crossed. Prayers sent on their way to heaven. Salt over the shoulder etc etc. Oh yes---rain dances commenced. Anything that might help.
One more thing before I go---our mystery chick from so long ago is actually a Rooster. Yes, the crowing gave him away. AND though he is very attractive he is also mean as a snake----and one of these days when we have more than a minute of time he is going into the smoker. Nasty bird. He follows me sometimes along the fence "talking" to me. I know what he saying too----"come over here and I will kick your behind" That is until I get in there---then he tries to get me from the back. Nasty rooster. We only had one other mean rooster---but the raccoon got him.
By the way a really nice lady named Diana emailed me recently and she too received the same "mystery chick" from murray mcmurray as we did. Here is her web site. They also raise Irish Dexters.

Nothing much here

So I notice I haven't been posting much recently. That might be because currently our life is Boring (with a capital B). Not in the sense that we are doing nothing---but in the sense that all we are doing is just more of the same ole thing or something everyone else does: mow lawns, trim weeds, and trying to keep up with getting the garden planted, potatoes hilled, feed animals, clean etc etc. We have fallen into the mundane. It's that time of year. The busy time---when everyone is just trying to keep ahead of all the things building up to do. Soon though---I will have my son to help me since school will end within the next few weeks. That will be great---maybe I will be able to get a step ahead in the "must do this" category instead of barely keeping up with it.

Yesterday we had a new lamb---Now I just have one ewe left to go. My goodness---they dragged this out this year. I tell you what! For just 11 ewes we have lambed from March 25th to.....well we don't know yet do we. Here is a picture of the lamb: A solid black ewe lamb. The lamb doesn't look very big right now,especially since some of my other lambs are 5 weeks old now, and maybe she won't be. You just never know though--- her dam is one of my largest ewes. Next year when Bit (this lambs mother) is fully grown she may be my largest. Not large in the sense of tallest or longest etc----but big. Bit looks like a linebacker. So we will see how this little ewe turns out. She has a little "flash" of white on either cheek and the middle of her forehead. Cute. The "flash" says: I am not spotted----but I carry it. She's so black I could barely get a good picture of her---besides the fact that she was in the shade.



We had a boyscout troop come Saturday to see our sheep and cows. It seemed like they had a good time---and we did since we enjoy telling them about our animals. They got to pet Rose our smallest Dexter and then Ike our ram (who was very good and even let them rub his horns which most rams don't like) and they even got to hold and pet some of the lambs. I sent them home with some fleece so they could see if they could make something with it. If nothing else they will have fun trying to felt it since felting is just mashing and rubbing soapy wet fleece to get it to turn it into something. In the end they get to earn a badge for it which is the best part about the whole thing.

Sunday--we tattooed, tagged and gave shots to ewe lambs.
First you take this thing pictured on the right with the little needle looking things (numbers and letters). You put them in the hand held "squeezer" and you squeeze the numbers/letters into their ear ---being careful not to squeeze all the way through which sometimes happens. Then you rub tattoo ink into it. After you put letters in one ear and numbers in the other, you take the other nasty looking plier type things with the single needle on one side--slip the needle in the hole of the green tag (or whatever color you choice) Put the other half of the tag in the slot on the opposite side and ---Poke it through their ear. Bummer huh. Now how much do you think they like us after that! Of course they do forgive us and I try and remember that we humans "tag and tattoo" ourselves too---but I can't say it's the best part of lambs. Glad my sheep don't require castrating or tail docking---Yik.





Now here's a baby that doesn't like her new tag. Eventually she will quit hanging her ear like that. They get bigger/stronger over time. Though I imagine it still hurts a bit today which is probably why she is hanging it so much in this picture---she usually has it up a bit more than that.




Lastly---over the weekend we went to see Spider-Man 3. Did I like it? Well, it was o.k. Had lots of cheesy "moralistic" parts to it. I don't mind moral---but I don't like cheesy. The one thing that bugged me the most is even at the end when Peter Parker/Spider-Man decides he was not doing things "correctly", you never do you hear him tell anyone "sorry". Even if it wasn't completely his fault. When you see the movie you will understand what I mean about that. This was definitely not as good as it could have been. AND (don't read this if you don't want to know more) there really is not happy ending---for ANY of the characters in the movie. Even the side bit characters don't get a sorry---or even something fun/good to look forward to. Blah! I liked my pop corn and drink though :-D

I will try and post more frequently but it may be sporadic for the next month.


http://www.smallmeadowfarm.com Registered Icelandic Sheep and Irish Dexters

And we have a door

A door for the chicken coop was the prize of the day. At a whopping $45 dollars from the salvage place it is only 1/4" too tall. It also has windows in the top half which are are not cracked or broken in anyway and it comes with a fairly decent paint job with cream on one side and natural on the other. Since I looked at a number of broken window doors and many in the colors of purple, bright yellow and fuschia ---I consider this quite the find. No cool 50's pea green or pink to match my inside color though--bummer. Lot's of $100 dollar and more doors---so I was happy with the price of this one. So... if all goes well the coop should be finished this weekend--or at least 90% I hope. Pictures of it, with freshly attached door, soon to come. Stay tuned: same blog, different day. (or maybe that's same chicken channel?)

How we manage our.....

Recently we have had a number of questions both on the blog and through our web site about how we take care of our pastures and animals. Many others like us are struggling to turn not well cared for small acreage into productive "mini-farms". Basically self sustaining, organic farms---at least to a degree.

Since our original purchase of the acreage we have divided it into 5 sections that are based on the soil type and plant growth. 4 of these sections are permanently fenced and the 5th is on two sides.
Each section has its own pros and cons and so each requires differing amounts of amendments and styles of application. Over time we have acquired, and hope to acquire, tools that will enable us to more effectively handle some of the property without owning a larger tractor. Some of the tools we have or hope to purchase are: a 30 gallon pull along liquid fertilizer sprayer, a pull along and hand push lime/granular product spreader, a new scythe for cutting along the sides of our dam and some barrels and a small pump for making compost teas. There are a number of other coveted tools---but those would help greatly.

Most questions we get are either about our soil restoration, how we graze our animals or how we care for our animals. We also get many good ideas from others on how they are handling their situations but this is about our property---so I will stick with our solutions :-)
Since we read many books, magazines and articles we continually come across new and well used ideas. We have picked through them and narrowed them down to those that, have or seem as if they will, work best for us with the tools and money that we have. We read and utilize ideas from The Stockman Grassfarmer, Joel Salatin, Neil Kinsey, permaculture, Albrecht method, and many many others. So let me comment on some of the things we have been asked and have learned. This is not to say any one person is right or wrong---just that it has or has not worked for us. All properties are different and so there for not all things will work all the time for everyone.

Do you rotationally graze your animals and/or do you graze the sheep and cows together?
Yes, Sometimes they are all together, sometimes they follow each other and sometimes they are split in segments. Currently the rams are with the cows, so pregnant ewes aren't continually harassed, and the ewes are in their own group. For grazing we have a permanent outer fence and then cross fence with electric wire to make smaller sections when needed. We are still working on improving our use of electric wire to rotate with though. Electric wire can be bulky, hard to reel and heavy when there is a lot of it. Also the poles have not been long lasting for us---and the better type work for cows but not sheep. A couple more problems we have with it are: 1) we have very rocky hard soil in a number of areas which requires a hammer to install the "temporary" fence--not the easy "step it into the ground" situation it's suppose to be and 2) Since we use wire and not electric netting (expensive but much much better and a possible future purchase for us) the rams and lambs can just slide through to the next pasture, or neighbors yard, when they are in their heavier wool phase. (And yes, we do definitely have a strong enough electric box which is very adequately grounded)

Do you use clover (legumes) to improve your pastures?
Yes and no. We do plant legumes in our pasture for our animals, and some smaller areas have some clover and vetch in them, but clover (including most legumes) does not like "un improved" soil very well. Clover hates acidic soil. Also, alfalfa can require irrigation here which we are not set up to do. So if you have rocky, acidic, crappy, steeply sloped and dry in spots soil--- as we do---your legumes will flat out not sprout or it will grow all stunted looking and not become a full, thick stand like it is suppose to. I know since I have seen it--pathetic looking stunted clover. This whole thing is kind of a catch twenty two as someone once said: "you need good soil to grow clover for clover to make good soil". So how are we addressing the improvement and eventual establishment of legumes in our pasture? By rotating the animals through each segment regularly so they can poop on the property (a major Joel Salatin recommendation) and by liming and adding other amendments to improve our calcium and nutrients needed to grow good plants (Neil Kinsey is a good writer on this subject). We are also choosing trees, such as thorn less honey locust, and shrubs for their nitrogen adding abilities to help with this issue. see here
This year we will also start regularly spraying our pastures with various types of liquid "teas" to help with soil tilth and fertility.

Do you grow grass and legumes only or add other things?
We actually add other plants, also known as forbs, to our pasture on purpose. Much research on our part made us realize that plants like chicory, pig weed, dandelions and other plants add much needed vitamins and minerals to livestock diets---which helps with overall health and parasite control. Healthier animals show more resistance to parasites--which is always a plus. Our cows don't seem as open to the forbs, though they do like chicory. And though I would like to see them eat more forbs it's o.k since we have the sheep who will eat them. A recent writer in Stockman Grassfarmer has been doing studies on how to teach cattle to eat unfamiliar weeds that are good for them including canadian thistle. Now I would consider Canadian thistle a serious weed, but the above mentioned chicory a benign "forb". Thistle is much more aggressive in taking over pastures but with training the cattle could be eating them and reaping the rewards of their nutrition--which are supposedly many. If all cows ate thistle, well then, maybe we might consider it a forb too. I don't think I'll add those to my pasture though :-)

Forbs are also good for your soil since they, like alfalfa, "mine" for nutrients. Dandelions (free seeds everywhere) have large roots that open the soil structure like alfalfa allowing in rain and oxygen---and when they die back in the winter they add all the nutrients mined from down below as a small bit of compost. Believe it or not I don't have dandelions growing in my pasture and constantly harvest seeds along road sides to drop in there. Either my animals eat them "all gone" OR they aren't getting established----go figure since most people with grass would love to have my problem. If I planted the culitvated kind in my garden---I am sure I would have thousands!
Look around on line and you will stumble into protein ratio of various weeds/forbs which can be very high at times---good stuff.
Another food source we are trying is to add multi purpose trees, as in honey locust, for fruits/nuts/seed pods for the animals. And, in the future, we will experiment with sowing in oats in the fall instead of just winter rye and maybe some buckwheat in the summer. (P.S---I had heard livestock couldn't eat buckwheat but recently saw a University bulletin on using it for hay---if anyone has knowledge of this I would appreciate a comment since I would like to try it)

Have you tried worm compost on your pasture?
No, but I would LOVE to. Worm compost/castings have been show to be one of the absolute best items you can spread on your pasture or garden. Castings (even at the low rate of 200 pounds per acre) improve ph (rendering it neutral over time), add humus,make minerals available to plants, improves soil structure and on and on. The more worms you have in your pasture ---the better. They won't just come 'cause you want them though. You have to have a closer to neutral ph in your soil for them to be comfortable. Ph is my main problem: but when worms do finally show up---wow!
We could get worm compost in large enough quantities for our pasture IF we want to pay $285 to have it brought to us in a truck from 2 hours south of here. That's not including the cost of the castings either--hence our reason for not using it yet. One of these days though......maybe I will have a huge huge huge worm farm in the alloted 10 foot by 4 foot spot I have set aside and produce great volumes of castings for my pastures every year. hahaha I wish!

Are you completely organic with your animals?
We try to be. In regards to feed we aren't really "organic". We try and grass feed our animals as much as possible off of our own pastures which we handle in a completely organic matter. When we purchase hay though, we are not getting a certified organic product and depending on the farmer---it can be more or less organic than others. Certified organic hay has not taken off around here yet but we look forward to when it does.
In regards to grain: again, sometimes we get organic and sometimes we don't. Availability and price both play a part. We don't really feed that much grain so this is not as much of an issue for us as it would be for some. It could be though when we are milking our cows and drinking the milk.
This year we are trying to grow enough grain, by converting our front yard into beds, to feed our chickens through next winter. This way we will be assured our chickens and eggs have been completely organic and gmo free. We will work towards growing enough for the chickens then try to grow enough for the cows while they are milked.
Another issue when considering organic handling of animals is whether they are "doctored" in sustainable ways. All livestock have parasites and diseases that can afflict them. Internal parasites are one of the biggest stumbling blocks to organic/sustainable animal production. We are currently experimenting with different ways to keep our animals free of internal parasites without relying on chemical wormers. We STRONGLY advocate the use of FAMACHA before ever worming a sheep or goat. We have also found that vitamins and minerals seem to play a much much larger part in keeping our animals from carrying dangerous levels of parasites or getting sick than we previously understood. Many diseases that afflict livestock from Johnes disease, hoof problems, CAE in goats to scrapie in sheep, and many other things, are now thought to stem from nutrient problems. It's hard to believe, but in reality we still don't know much about how soil and nutrients work together to effect our health and that of our livestock. It's a part of research that is overlooked frequently.
Yes, we have vets scoff at us for our belief in famacha and using vitamins and minerals for health of our animals. We are going on two years now with the things we have experimented with and we haven't lost an animal and we only seem to have made them healthier. Better coats, faster growth, healthy babies and on and on.
We did lose animals previously ---before we used our noggin and figured it out on our own after many many vets called for advice in many many states. It is hard to find a vet that will stray from the text book---even if your animals are DYING. I look back at goats we had and that the vets "wrote" off. I now know that in a couple of cases simply feeding kelp or other mineral supplements BEYOND regular livestock mineral salt blocks would have helped them immensely and solved two issues we had at the time--one of them infertility. It was simply a matter of nutrients. That was 12 years ago though---and even less was known then. Argh! Twenty twenty hind site :-)

Well, I hope this answers some of the questions. I know there are many more but with time I will eventually address all of them. If anyone wants to talk organic pastures or animals contact me at my email address alandtc at(@) catt.com

SmallMeadow Farm Icelandic sheep, Irish Dexters and heritage chickens

Wolf in sheeps clothing?

Have we had the wool pulled over our eyes? In a recent upheaval amongst Anti-Nais groups, Mary Zanoni has spoken out by stating we are getting our fleeces shorn and didn't even know it.
Here is her recent article stating that the groups supposedly working for us---aren't. In other words we might be getting "suckered". If you go to the main Liberty Ark web site you can read their rebuttal. Personal--I am not sure who I believe. Since I have always written my own letter to my representatives and others concerning my "anti- nais" stand I don't feel completely fooled yet-- maybe disappointed if it is true. This is all the more reason though, to individually write our own letters instead of always signing petitions and letting others do our work for us.

Good day all---I have been sick and won't be posting for a bit unless something great comes up.

SmallMeadow Farm Icelandic sheep, Irish Dexters and heritage chickens

Why?

First---let me apologize for my word errors in my post yesterday. I meant "hydra" not "hydro" and of course I will just ask you to ignore all the our/are and deer/dear type of mistakes that frequently inhabit my posts. I try---but I think my fingers can't keep up with my brain and afterwards, when checking, I know what I meant to say---so that is what I see. So on to the regular format now......

Cheryl asked me yesterday why we had chosen the breed of chickens that we did.
Well, I can't say that I have some formula that narrowed the field down to these three breeds. I wish I did since it would have made the selections a bit easier possibly. So as best I can I will tell you why I chose these breeds and if any of the rest of you----having ordered your chickens or who have chickens (Jamie , Phelan, Maggie or anyone else interested) would like to chime in on your own post --I think there are plenty of others who would be interested in this subject.

My first choice was the Cuckoo Marans. Marans are a "traditional" breed even though they are not considered rare per se and they lay the dark dark brown eggs that so many people love. We had a Welsummer previously (raccoon got her) and everyone always ooo'd and ahhh'd over the egg color. Since we live almost on the downtown square of this small town we felt that the extra dark eggs would help draw people up here to buy them. Free range, organic, freshly laid eggs for sale. By selling eggs, the chickens would help pay for their selves and possibly allow me to purchase an incubator. With an incubator---I could hatch chicks to sell. Then the birds would really be paying for their selves at that point. I liked the "cuckoo" part since I wanted something a bit flashier than just the black, white or gold. I would have taken a "splash " but couldn't find any.
As I previously said we had Barnvelders before, who also lay dark eggs, but some say the Maran is a bit "tamer" than the Barnvelders are--Supposedly. I don't know if that is true, but those Barnvelders could hold their own that is for sure and were a great bird--though they could have been a bit better layer (maybe that was just a problem of the genetics of the stock I purchased from a lady in Texas--I don't know).

The Delawares were chosen because they are a newer heritage breed (we strongly believe in genetic diversity and these are also slow food listed), and they are not just "plain" white for a white chicken. They are listed as good egg layers (a bit better than the Marans), good growers for butcher, good layers in winter and fairly docile. We thought about raising "pasture poultry" with the grower/broiler cross breed birds that the hatcheries sell when we first started looking at chicks for this year. I heard though, that even when you grow them out in a better environment than confinement birds, they still can have leg, heart and other health problems because of their quick growth. The Delaware is actually one of the original breeds developed for the broiler industry that then became a recognized breed---but with a bit more history and a lot less problems. They are also suppose to be friendly, and let me say our chicks are. They don't "freak" when we take the lid off the brooder or pick them up, and they are quick to come over to our hands in the box to see what's happening. One even came and roosted on my son's hand yesterday evening. So, so far, we like them. We are also pretty sure we are able to tell which are the roosters already. We'll see if we are correct.

The Silver laced Wyandottes were chosen because I wanted a third bird to fill the order with. They are considered a "heritage" breed and listed on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (and slow foods) but that is only one reason for their purchase. They are supposedly as good of layers as the Marans AND more striking in their color I think. I have to admit---some other breeds were considered but I like to get as close to : dual purpose, good layer, heritage and attractive as I can. We'll see how they turn out and if we like them or not. The roosters are fabulous looking which will at least make them a pleasure to look at. The baby chicks are a bit flighty---but if that means they are less likely to be caught by hawks and even warn the others: all the better. We don't need pet chickens anyways :-)

One breed I really really wanted to get was the Salmon Favorelle. I really liked them when we had them last time, but as I mentioned on anther post: they are too docile for us in this environment. The hawks get them--and everything else too. They are attractive, great foragers, wonderful egg layers even in the fall/winter, very gentle and their roosters are gorgeous. Their only negative for us was the carcass size was smaller and slow growing. That was o.k though since we eat more of the eggs than the chickens.

We've also had some other breeds that I don't remember what they were--some were cross and some were not. Obviously all had their pluses and minuses. I don't know if any one breed is the perfect one. I think the same thing about sheep, cows,horses etc. We just have to look until we find the "perfect" one for our individual situation. I will keep everyone posted about the different things I learn about my chicks. Sometimes all you can find on line is the "standard" gobble y gook about each breed. Not what an individual person raising them really thinks about their pros and cons.

By the way we are pretty sure we now know what our Mystery Bird "brownie" is......A black breasted red Old English Game chicken. We are pretty sure based on the wing feathers we can currently see that it is a hen. Well, I can't say that I would have wanted one of them. I absolutely would not have wanted a rooster of that breed. We shall see if we like it or not.

SmallMeadow Farm Icelandic sheep, Irish Dexters and heritage chickens

And you MUST read this and pass it on!

We may not live there but surely we can help. Pass this on. This could as easily happen to you or someone you know. We also need to let our elected officials know that we are tired of the same ole' same ole'. If we can lend our voice---let it be heard

See the article Fighting for the Future of our Farm and then go to their web site if you like--- but if nothing else pass it on to another person.

Multi Use Plantings

Since we have a "small" farm of 6.5 acres, we try and cram as much into it as possible---in other words making the best use of each item that comes on the farm. When we are deciding on an animal we try and choose one suited to more than one thing. When we plant something we try and utilize it to its fullest---beans can be both a food for us and the animals AND shade in the summer. So recently when I was trying to decide on some new trees/shrubs for the pasture without shade I had the same multi purpose criteria in the back of my mind. We have struggled getting trees started in our largest, and least shady, pasture. If the animals haven't knocked down the fence and eaten it, then the weather has gotten them. Well, I think I have found what I am looking for: Siberian Pea Shrub. The picture above doesn't do it justice---it has attractive yellow flowers too. For those of you in the Midwest--you might recognize this shrub (caragana aborescens) since it is utilized there for livestock windbreaks, but it is also known for its ability to withstand drought, extreme weather and also bad soil. Our back pasture does not have good soil. We are working on improving it with lime, manure and no till cover crops but it takes time. Meanwhile this shrub might be able to help us out. It is a member of the legume family so it fixes nitrogen in the soil. It's seed also carries a protein ratio of 27 to 36% making it a great food for livestock---especially chickens. It can also be used as a food source for humans in areas with extreme food shortage though the Plants for a Future web site suggests it for development as a staple crop . The leaves are edible for livestock if you need them and they are also used to produce a natural blue dye. (Wonder what that will look like if we get to dye our wool with some of it.)
Needless to say---I think this plant fits the bill. We are going to order 50 seedlings from www.kansasforests.org seedling program and then plant them along the fence edges and try and protect them with electric wire this time. They do have a small amount of thorns which should help them out as they mature. The animals might eat the leaves but they won't strip the bark off of them which is how they generally kill the plants they get a hold of.
If you are interested in mutli purpose plants check out Plants for a Future---I linked it in the side bar also. They rate over 7000 plants for their multi purpose uses. They are really interesting and give a number ranking for the plants based on usefullness.

Oh yes, another plant we tried---and lost most to the drought (they were seedlings and needed a bit more water than they received) and animals this past year was thorn less Honey Locust. Pretty tree when it is grown---maybe the few that made it will turn into nice trees for us eventually.

Micro Farming Revisited

Last week I "reviewed" a book entitled Micro Farming, which I recommended to read about small farms and success on small acreage. Today while looking for some information (some grain suppliers) I followed my way through to these very interesting places.
First I started at the ovencrafters.net grain suppliers page: grain suppliers
Which took me to here: Field of Plenty--bioneer web site: www.bioneers.org . This is small excerpt of a book by the author telling why he wrote his book Field of Plenty (which I have never read) He touches on a number of small "micro farms". I got to this site since I was trying to find Jennifer Green and her heirloom grains.
That article sited in the very first paragraph this small farm as a prime example of success--- Fairview Gardens:

"Fairview Gardens is a twelve acre organic farm near suburban Santa Barbara surrounded by housing developments, urban sprawl and highways. This self sufficient farm which employs 15 people and grosses over 350,000 annually, produces over 100 fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, free range chicken, goats and other animals for over 500 families. In 1994 it was bought by a non profit and put into public trust to remain as a working organic farm and educational center called The Center for Urban Agriculture." (excerpted from a different source than the author of Field of Plenty)


The farm also has a book written about it entitled: On Good Land: The Autobiography of an Urban Farm by Micheal Ableman. I think I will try and read this.

Now when I see things like that---it makes it easier to believe that at some point I might be able to be somewhat food self sufficient. Obviously I need to put just a bit more time into it than I have previously :-)

Chicken Order

Well I finally placed my chicken order yesterday. Unfortunately I waited too long and was only able to order 10 cuckoo Marans (top two pictures) instead of 20 as I would have been able to last week. I also missed the delivery week of Feb 5th and had to take Feb 12th. Oh well, I still have another order to place for later delivery and I will get the rest of my Marans then. Or maybe I will order from someone like Sand Hill Preservation even though they can't delivery until in May. They do have a very large selection of heritage poultry (and sweet potatoes which is what we will be ordering early next year from them)
I placed my order through Murray McMurray. I would have liked to use a smaller individual but I really did want to have my chicks early this year so....
The bottom two pictures are of the Silver Laced Wyandottes that I ordered (not really a rare breed---but I liked their looks) and I also ordered some Delawares.
Marans--if you are unfamiliar with them are absolutely neat birds. They lay (along with Barnvelders and Welsummers---which we had years ago) DARK DARK chocolate colored eggs. Some of the eggs even have chocolate chip spots on them and are very fascinating. Cross breeding will reduce but not always kill the tendency for the dark eggs and from what I understand a more natural diet of grass and bugs keeps the color really dark and rich. That's what our hens always eat so I couldn't confirm that one way or the other.
The Silver Laced Wyandottes lay light brown large eggs and are pretty---so they will at least be productive yard decoration.
The Delawares are a heritage breed (developed rather recently in the forties) that were the precursor to some of the "new" larger broiler chickens. Supposedly they lay really large eggs (jumbos?) and the roosters grow out well for slaughter. Maybe if we caponized them they would turn into nice big tender roasters without the problems of the modern breeds- ( see that link along the side in "random places" entitled The Modern Homestead for info about caponizing roosters)
I almost purchased Salmon Faverolles --which I really really like, but I chose not to this time. These are one of my favorite breeds because they have a very mild personality and they are so pretty. They make absolutely wonderful backyard birds and will come and work with you in the flower/veggie beds if they can. They will even let you just reach down and pick them up---so passive they are. Absolutely perfect for a more urban setting than I have. The problem with them for me here is that they are so mild--the hawks get them. We have watched the hawks strike them and take them out. The Barnvelders, Marans and Welsummers on the other hand (and hopefully the others I ordered this time) will actually turn on the hawk and try and fight it off. And as far as we have ever been able to tell---they are successful. We still have lost them to other animals but at least while they are foraging in the pastures where there are no trees they are safe enough from the hawks.
We don't have an actual chicken coop yet at this house (we did at our other) but we are not sure if we will build one. I think we are going to try a movable tunnel. One that maybe can do double duty with the garden beds in the winter and be used for egg laying and rain shelter by the hens in the summer. We are still testing out theories to find something that actually looks not too bad (remember I live in suburbia on a corner), holds up well to moving around and is not horribly difficult to move. I know, I know---I am almost searching for the impossible. I am determined to succeed. We have tried many things over the years so I am sure we can make something work. One "wrench" in the works in money---I don't want to spend as much on the movable pen as I would if I just built a coop.

Here's another interesting site about Chickens --Henderson's chicken breed chart. It covers most all breeds with the 60 it has listed.
Oh yes, don't forget the American Livestock Breeds Concervancy.