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Around The Farm Updates

written by

Ben Simmons

posted on

November 3, 2018

Porterhouse Steaks - The origin of the porterhouse steak could have come from Manhattan's Pearl Street around 1814 where the owner of a particular porterhouse, Martin Morrison, started serving large T-bones. ... The porterhouse steak may have also originated in a Cambridge, Massachusetts, hotel and restaurant. Essentially two steaks in one, a Porterhouse steak, cut from the short loin of (typically) a steer, has a filet on one side of its T-shaped bone, and a New York Strip on the other. A T-Bone Steak and a Porterhouse Steak are essentially the same steak - The Porterhouse is simply a large T-Bone with a larger portion of Tenderloin Filet. It is a great His & Her steak to share!

APPPA Event - Last weekend Beth & I traveled to Alabama to attend an American Pastured Poultry Producers event at Marble Creek Farmstead. This was our first time to attend an APPPA event. There were folks from AL, MS, GA, FL and Ontario Canada. We had a great discussions about regulations, processing, marketing, and production challenges. In our "space" it is about collaboration and NOT competition among ourselves. We were there to encourage, support, share solutions, etc. with each other. We picked up several ideas that we intend to implement on our farm. To be successful in small direct market farming I believe you have to attend events like this or you will get stagnant and most likely go out of business.

Cool Season Forage - I was able to plant another 55-60 acres of cool season forage this week. Our mix included oats, rye grass, 3-clovers (with microbes), and a forage pea. Some of the first planted will be ready to graze by late November about the same time the cows complete grazing stockpiled summer grasses.

Store Renovations: We have completed our store renovations! Our objective is to have fewer clicks to communicate our principles, practices, products, etc. as well as have a "refreshing" look. Please check us out and let us know what you think.

Customer Feedback-
"Just a note to let you know your beef is the best we ever experienced!”
- Larry & Geni

Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do." ~Wendell Berry

Thank you for supporting our regenerative, local farm.
Ben & Beth




























































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Farm Improvements

Farm Improvements – Fresh water is a necessity for raising healthy animals on pasture. Until recently, we used an ICB tote on a small tralier that we would refill from our well. During the summer the frequency greatly increases in order to keep the chickens hydrated. So, I called my buddy at Southern Pipe and ordered pipe, fittings, etc. and then rented a trencher for May 16th to install 2,700 feet of 1.25 inch PVC pipe. Along the line we added 15 Plasson Quick Coupler Valves that we will hook to as we move the animals through our pastures.

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Small Farm Republic

Pasture Talk With Our Cows– Tuesday morning I was out checking on our cows and took the opportunity to record a short 2-minute story about the time I saved the life of one of the “pet” cows Number 608. Click to watch here. Small Farm Republic- is a book written by John Klar. A former attorney who contracted Lyme disease, John now farms in Vermont. I spent much of last weekend reading his book. He is very pro-small farms and presented a lot of evidence to support his position. On page 77 he makes a comparison to the number of farms and farmers during the Great Depression versus today. During the Great Depression the American population was 100 million. According to USDA charts