My family moved to what became Nature's Gourmet Farm the summer of 1970 - just before I started the 8th grade. Prior to that my exposure to farm "work" was bush hogging my stepmom's parents farm as well as spending a summer replacing a 5-strand barb wire fence along two forty's or 2,640 feet worth. Back then, all of the post were creosote wood only. Papa was a stickler for the details. Every post hole was hand dug (more than 220 of them). When setting the new post the top had to be the right height - that often meant

In the documentary "Living Soil Film" they mention that a really diverse healthy ecosystem will contain up to 10,000 POUNDS of living biology in the soils! And, that 10,000 pounds was the weight of two elephants - and elephants eat a lot. So, it takes a lot of plant matter to feed soil biology. To learn more about Living Soil and things you can do to protect your soils click to watch the FREE documentary - more than 4 million folks have. Early 2022 we had our soils tested to see why our plants were not growing. The Haney Test told us there were plenty of nutrients available in the soil, but not in the form plants could use it. The PLFA test told us the biology in our soils. The optimum would be 1:1 ratio

Last weeks article regarding the dangers of seed oil fat was well received based on the number of comments received (and only 1 person unsubscribed). In about a days time all the rendered tallow was sold out and the balance of tallow fat (yet to be rendered) was also sold out. The good news is we cut & packed beef this week and have added more tallow fat to our store inventory.

Last week I mentioned our Farm Field Day with Dr. Williams. One of the new farmers I met is named Larry. Larry also does some consulting work for the USDA. As we discussed issues in Agriculture Larry mentioned that the new farm bill was being debated in Congress. He continued by explaining that the farm bill sets the SPENDING and POLICY priorities for the USDA. And, how big business is the major influencer (through their lobbyist).

Some time ago I mentioned that our farm was hosting a NCAT (National Center For Appropriate Technology) field day led by Dr. Allen Williams. Well, the date was Saturday, April 22nd. NCAT put together a nice flyer and used their normal channels to "get the word out". I invited all the farms (12) that get feed through our farm (Resaca Sun NON-GMO), and Dr. Williams let folks he thought might be interested know as well. NCAT foot the total cost including lunch. That means attendees did not have any expense

This week our team spent a lot of time in the plant! Typically, after our last Saturday delivery route each month we turn our focus on restocking so customers will have product to order when the time comes for their delivery. We had postponed slaughtering pigs about a month until our plant was ready. Monday was scheduled for pig slaughter that would include five customer orders for half/whole pigs as well as seven pigs for our farm store. PLUS a bonus - three RAM LAMBS! Sean & Emilie (the young couple who were using our pastures for their sheep) have actually found a farm to purchase and closed on it the end of March. They have relocated all of their sheep to their farm except three ram lambs that were born here last Spring.

Thanks for taking the time to open and read our weekly Newsletters! Our open rate is consistently in the mid-50% range which is very good compared to most direct market farms. A few farms that I follow tell me their open rate is in the low 40% area. That surprises me as I thought they write a pretty good newsletter. Feedback from last weeks Newsletter regarding mRNA vaccines for livestock was extremely positive. Nobody wants to eat their shots....Right? When you come across something you benefitted from is great to be able to share with others who could also benefit. What do I mean? Well, I had been looking

Over the last 3-4 weeks I have received numerous questions from customers regarding mRNA being given to livestock - particularly beef. This week, the number of calls have drastically increased due to news sources. Please note that I am only sharing this information because so many customers have asked about our position on mRNA vaccines for livestock. It is your responsibility to gather the FACTS and make your own decisions. Frankly, I am not here to discuss politics - my belief is 99% of politicians are compromised

Last weekend while traveling to make our Coast deliveries Beth read me an article from Meatingplace titled "First Cut". The article was about the status of the USA beef industry from the perspective of the large meat processors that does trickle down until it lands at the local farmers in communities across the country. This point is really important. Some of the points the article pointed out include: • January 2022 meat packers enjoyed record profits of $554 per head. By January 2023 profit

Let me begin by defining what GMO's are. Genetically modified organisms are living organisms that have had their genetic material changed in a laboratory in order to better resist herbicides. The organisms are combined with many different genetic materials to cross-breed a novel organism. Most nations around the world require GMO labeling, but the United States government currently does not have any requirements, though many are beginning to be labeled. It's important to note about 95% of the corn and soybeans grown in the U.S. are from GMO seeds. The primary herbicide used is Roundup with the active ingredient glyphosate. This is the Brand and chemical to date, that Monsanto has settled over 100,000 Roundup lawsuits worth over $10 billion. Over 30,000 lawsuits are still pending

If you missed Beth's discussion last week about Meat Based Diets you can always read (or read again) on our website. Here is the link. Several customers wrote back and shared their thoughts. I asked two of them for permission to share with y'all. First, Delores wrote; "I know I chose the right farmer when he watches the same influencers that I do!" And Susan wrote; "We began our low carb/Keto journey early in Covid, to strengthen our immune systems. Our minds were blown by the information we were learning that was exactly the opposite of what we had always 'known'. We're now mostly carnivores, and found your farm after a search prompted by Dr. Ken Berry's discussion of regenerative farming. I liked the idea of supporting local ranchers and farmers! Dr. Berry did a video not too long ago regarding the cost

We are going to take a look at some of the diets (or eating lifestyles) that many of our customers are utilizing and are having great results. KETOGENIC DIET: A diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates (sugars) that causes the body to break down fat into molecules called ketones. Ketones circulate in the blood and become the main source of energy for many cells in the body. PALEO DIET: A diet based on the types of foods presumed to have been eaten by early humans, consisting chiefly of meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, and excluding dairy or grain products and processed food. KETOVORE DIET: The Ketovore diet is a mix between ketogenic and carnivore. It is a relatively high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that aims to induce ketosis in the body. The Ketovore diet is focused on consuming mainly animal products for ample protein intake. CARNIVORE DIET: A low-carbohydrate diet