Restock Dates: Please see our Farm Blog where we post our weekly newsletter for the latest updates

Baby It's Cold Outside

written by

Ben Simmons

posted on

February 1, 2018

Product Update –

1) Chicken - Our last batch of chicken for 2017 has been delivered. Next batch will be available early May 2018.

2) Beef - We have plenty of recently processed beef cuts in our freezer waiting for your order. Do you need larger quantities - then consider our best family value Half Beef-Custom Processed! To learn more visit our store at https://naturesgourmetfarm.com/store/product/half-beef-custom-processed

If you plan to buy a Custom Beef our upcoming harvest dates are:

January 2nd

February 11th

March 11th

April 15th

Then, will be the Fall of 2018

To reserve, simply place your order, confirm with the deposit, and let me know which date best fits your needs.

Farm Update –

Baby It's Cold Outside! What a way to start the first week of 2018. Most farm infastructure is not built to handle this many days of hard freezes in a row. 

Let me take a minute of your time to let you know how our farm & animals have handled the cold.

First, the cow herd. They did very good. I once read where a cows comfort zone is from 7 degrees to 70 degrees. So this cold was not a problem. My responsibility was to make sure they had plenty to eat - a full belly prevents a lot of problems.

Pigs - our older batch did just fine. Last Friday we took delivery of our next batch of weaned piglets. So, I placed a bale of hay in their area to block the north & west wind, cut the strings, and formed a bed for them. Little pigs sleep piled on top of each other. They also did very good.

Hens - last weekend I placed the plastic back over the shade cloth end panels to block the wind. The key for hens is to stay dry and out of the wind. Cold is not the first concern as evidenced by my friends at Seven Sons in IN. We kept the sides down and the North door closed. Monday when it was the coldest the inside temp was 45 degrees at egg gathering time. An indicator of how well they did is their lay rate increased from 80 to 85 percent this week! The above picture was taken Tuesday afternoon - very Happy Hens. Be Sure To Add Eggs To Your Order.....

Water Systems- the biggest concern here was how to water 700+ hens. So, in preparation, I prepared a 55 gallon barrel inside the hoop structure and hooked it into the water system. We soon discovered that we also had to bring portable water containers for early morning until the hoop structure warmed up and the water system thawed. Fortunately only a minor break in pipe and today we are back on the well.

Cool Season pastures - the cold pretty much killed the brassicas! I am sure it also put the grasses and legumes into dormancy until it warms up again - which it is suppose to do starting tomorrow. By Wednesday the forecast is for 70 degrees.

Winter-time Favorites

Link Sausage

Pattie Sausage

Ham Hocks

Ham Shank


Freezer Stockers (best deals)

Half-Beef Custom Processed

Quarter Beef

25# Hamburger

15# Chuck Roast

15# Pork Chop

As always, thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm. 

Ben & Beth

Look Forward to Seeing You At Pickup Next Week!

More from the blog

New Pullets | Calves | Job Opening

Pullets arrived March 1st– every 6 months we receive a fresh batch of pullets. This year we were not sure if our late February to early March batch would be available…even though we ordered them last September. However, mostly since we have done business with the same farmer since the Spring of 2017, he prioritized our order and delivered them March 1st. While the price was higher, I was braced for a much higher price. Our pullets are typically 17 weeks old when delivered. They will start laying at about 24 weeks. That means we should start seeing medium eggs by our May delivery dates. YEAH!

Eggs | Broken State GVT

Interesting Egg Article– the price and availability of eggs is a hot topic as well as a solution. Industry and regulators (maybe also include media) would have you believe it is because of bird flu. But, is it bird flu OR some other agenda? Beth received a link to an article from Farm Action out of Mexico, MO who have sent a letter to the FTC and DOJ urging them to investigate and take action to restore competition and lower eggs prices. Key facts Farm Action quoted are: Key Pricing Facts:

Half Beef Shares | Egg Pricing | Visitor Stories

NEW Egg Ordering Process – As you know, eggs are not only expensive, but are now being rationed by grocery stores. We have had our share of extra folks contacting us because our prices are lower than grocery stores. This reminds us of March 2020 when our freezer went from FULL to EMPTY before we knew what was happening. I would say 95% or more of those who first bought during Covid left when store shelves filled back up. We are NOT interested in customers shopping price, but only customers interested in our quality products.