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Good News for MS Agriculture

written by

Ben Simmons

posted on

May 19, 2018

Farm Update –

The picture above was taken in D Paddock on April 12th when I moved the mama cows into the new paddock. You can see the Crimson Clover, White Clover, Vetch (purple flower), Oats, and Brassica. 

After completing April delivery I came home switched to the cattle trailer and loaded my truck for a trip to Springfield, MO. Drove most of the night to arrive in time to view the bulls to be auctioned Thursday at 1 PM. I had a list of my favorites selected first based on ultrasound data for tenderness, rib-eye area, and marbling. There were many good yearling bulls to choose from. While I did not get my first choice, I did get an equally high quality bull. Additionally, I offered to deliver bulls back towards home to help pay for my trip. I left Springfield with 8-bulls. Dropped mine off at home Friday evening. Reloaded the remaining 7-bulls Saturday morning. Dropped one off near Dothan and then the remaining 6-bulls near Ocala, FL late Saturday afternoon. 

I spent Saturday night and Sunday morning with some dear friends (a retired Air Force Chaplain) who really helped me a lot during my first Air Force enlistment at Plattsburg AFB, NY. It was a blessing to see them again.

On the way home I visited a farm near Pineapple, AL to see about the possibility of buying some yearlings. The farm was recommended to me by Dr. Allen Williams who has worked with the owner for 15 years to improve his herd genetics, soils, and forages.

As you may know by now, MS has a new Ag Commissioner. From what I have heard and read he has the potential to help small farms - certainly cannot be worst than Smith was! The MS Market Bulletin had a really good article on Andy Gibson that you can read here once they post the latest edition.

During my trip I was thinking who would be best to help me invite Mr. Gibson to my farm. Then, last Thursday afternoon Senator Hill called me to say she would like to bring him to see our farm the week of April 23rd. Of course, we are thrilled to have them come. I will prepare a short presentation about our farm, issues working with Smith & the meat inspection division, opportunities for MS Ag, and solutions. More to come!

 Customer Feedback- 

The beef is so tender and juicy! Just very clean tasting beef! The chicken is wonderful! Ben, we love your products and are always satisfied! Thank you again for growing healthy forage for the animals! R. McGarrah

Quote Worth Re-Quoting –  "Don't you find it odd that people will put more work into choosing their mechanic or house contractor than they will into choosing the person who grows their food?" --Joel Salatin

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

Ben & Beth

 

More from the blog

Cows & Pigs

Brand New Services– About six weeks ago Dixie Electric Power installed a brand new electric line with poles down my road. They replaced the old copper lines with aluminum and the poles are much better quality and taller. I asked the district manager when was the old copper line installed and he said since electric service was available for us… so, maybe since the mid 1940’s? Then, this week our complete road was blacktopped!!! If you have visited our farm you know it was long overdue. For years it has been patched to the point where the patches had patches. Hahaha

Clean and Cold | Adorable Calves

New Calves On Our Farm– Sometime in April we call our vet and schedule a breeding soundness exam for our bulls. This is before we add our bulls to our cow herd May 1st each year. Our oldest bull, affectionately named “Ole Man” by the guys here, was born on our farm the Spring of 2016.

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!