October 27,2014

Farm happenings

Bethel is still pregnant and doing well. I stringed up the area for fencing so we have an idea for supplies next spring. With the calf, we'll most  definitely need it, especially if it's a girl. We'll be keeping her for an additional milk cow. Can I just take a second to say how I adore dairy products. Cottage cheese, sour cream, butter, ice cream, yogurt, and all the hard and soft cheeses!!!! To consume these products the way I'd like to would cost a fortune every week in our grocery budget. I'm so excited to have them all on hand, and fresh, and unpasteurized !!!

The coop is getting stripped and deep cleaned tomorrow in preparation for the deep litter winter composting chicken coop plan. Our little setup is difficult because there are two "floors" in the coop. It's still doable and I've researched enough to give it a try.

I've also decided to bite the bullet and stop being a cheapo. We're going to use pine shavings for bedding for all animals now. I'm hoping it will suppress my allergies a bit since I'll only have to work with a small amount of hay in comparison to the straw I've been handling.

We got lots of manure and "pee pee straw" thrown on the garden. I raked it out yesterday and Chris Jones brought over a load of sand. He rolled it all up to a beautiful soft finish. Doug is off this week so we'll be throwing a layer of more "pee pee straw" on top to rest and break down more. The "pee pee straw" from the cows is loaded with nitrogen and other yummy things soil likes to eat.
The price of Bethels milk may vary by selling time, but for right now, each gallon will be 5.00. I've researched pricing in surrounding areas of Illinois and most are selling for 10.00 a gallon. That's crazy to me. And completely unaffordable. We're a small operation and really aren't doing this to bring home the bacon. We're doing this to offer quality and healthy food to friends, neighbors and our community. That's the vision. Good food that's good for you, just how it was intended to be.