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

Farm Update

written by

Ben Simmons

posted on

August 26, 2018

A big decision we made back in the Spring was to sell our hay equipment which we have done. Cutting hay is counter-productive to growing soil health even when you feed it back onto your pastures. And, it takes a lot of time - about 1.3 hours per acre. A bigger problem concerns scheduling. With the trips to Attala for processing and deliveries that are set dates it is hard to schedule time to cut hay - then there is the weather to consider. There are plenty of folks who love to cut and sell hay so we have decided to buy our hay needs and import those nutrients onto our pastures.

Of course our 1st objective is to have grass for grazing. Hay is a backup to grazing for drought or periods of extreme cold when the grass does not grow.

Some of the capital from the hay equipment will finance a "new to us" freezer and processing room for chickens. The freezer and panels for the processing room delivers today. There will be some concrete, plumping, and electrical work to accomplish as well. All should be accomplished before the July processing date.

Many are asking about our eggs! Well, the heat has caused the size to drop and some of the older hens have stopped laying. As you know, we did add 350 pullets a few weeks back. They are starting to lay small to medium eggs. Please be patient. We will have eggs for our June pickup schedule for sure.

This is the BIG week we have been waiting for. Mississippi's new Agriculture Commissioner visits our farm this week. I am looking forward to getting to know him and sharing concerns about issues we face. From what I have heard, our farm is his first visit and folks are watching close to see his response. Please pray that God will use us and our farm to open hearts and minds.

Customer Feedback-
"Real food the way it was intended", Obtaining high quality food from high quality people right from the community in which we live.....WOW..... what more could you ask for? The flavor and tenderness is superb in both the beef and pork offers. No need to cover the meats with excessive seasonings and marinades.....lightly season with your favorite herbs then sit back and enjoy the natural flavors. ~J Bazor

Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “Always in the big woods when you leave familiar ground and step off alone into a new place there will be, along with the feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging of dread. It is the ancient fear of the Unknown, and it is your first bond with the wilderness you are going into.”. Wendell Berry

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

More from the blog

Half/Whole Beef Orders | Part 2 w/ Dr. Casey Means

Half/Whole Beef Orders: Beef sales this year have been outstanding. Especially our half/whole custom beef orders. Frankly, we have had to outsource the processing to Homestead because at this time we don’t have the capacity to handle the increased volume. This has also let us increase the quantity of cuts that we sell through our website. We are planning ONE more harvest of seven beef (14 halves) for 2024. The harvest date will be November 5th. That will give the processor time to complete your order where you can pickup before your Thanksgiving holiday. If you are interested then you need to email me ASAP as we already have folks on the wait list. Here is a link to helpful Ordering Tips.

Farm Updates | Hurricane Francine

Hurricane Francine: After much hype, Hurricane Francine turned out to be mostly a non-event here at the farm. In fact, the storm I wrote about last week was much worse than Francine. We mostly had limbs to pick up and clear from fences. We were very thankful for the 3.5 inches of rain as well as the number of folks who checked in on us. FARM UPDATES: 1. Our new pullets we have ordered are on schedule for delivery on September 14th. They typically need 6 weeks before they start laying. So, supply should improve soon. 2. Last week 71% of the people receiving our Newsletter clicked to open.