Guest Newsletter Contributor

1) Chicken - Next whole chickens will be April 26, 2019 (our 1st batch of chicks arrive Feb 28th)! PLEASE NOTE we have individual packs of breast, and soup bones in stock. Leg quarters & liver are sold out.

2) Beef - We are in stock on Rib-eyes as well as all beef items. Beef Sausages were added Jan 18th. Custom Processed beef half & whole will be available mid March for orders

3) Pork - We are sold out on pork cuts except for Link Sausage, Pork Chops, and roast (2). Custom Processed pork half will be available mid March when we also will process for individual packs.

4) Eggs - Egg production has dropped 190 eggs per day since Dec 27th. After trouble shooting the problem with my supplier for hens & feed we determined the cause was lack of light due to failure of our solar system to adequately charge during the 12+ days of rain/overcast days. As Bill said, "when God created the hen he gave her a clock that says do not lay eggs unless you have plenty of light because there want be enough bugs to feed your chicks!"

The problem has been corrected - lesson learned. The hens should start laying again soon. We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience this has cause you.

Guest Contributor! - Larry sent a reply to last weeks newsletter on Expectations and gave me permission to share with you this week.

Hello Ben and Beth!

I always appreciate your emails and updates, along with the 'editorial' aspects of the posts. In your January 12, 2019 post you mentioned that some consumers are disappointed in the 'taste' of grass-fed products they have tried. Some folks don't realize how far our tastes have been influenced by the extreme flavors of sugar, salt, and even additives and artificial flavors that permeate our food supply. It is also not widely known, but scientifically proven, that the balance of gut bacteria influences our desire for and our tolerance for certain foods. If the microbiome is out of balance with 'bad' microbes, they signal the brain for more sugar, along with other things that help them thrive and are not necessarily good for the host (the human body and brain). A good example would be chocolate, which is a fantastic 'super food', but we are exposed to it on a daily basis with high sugar and manufactured oils, so it's benefits are minimal to non-existent when combined with high sugar and unnatural oils now being produced by the food industry. Most folks will not take advantage of this great food that combats everything from cancer to Alzheimer's in it's pure state or made at home because it doesn't taste as good as a bar of 'chocolate' off the shelf of the local 'quick stop'.

But, with a little patience and resolve, foods that were unattractive to the palette become tolerable and even tasty over time because the good microbes begin to be fed and, as by-products, give us the hormones, chemicals, and neurotransmitters needed to support our health physically and mentally. I would suggest that if you have an aversion to a food that you know to be healthy, and would do you good if you consumed it, you may want to check your microbiome.

If you have a small child who is constantly asking for sugary treats and other high-carb foods such as bread (many also don't know that bread, white or whole wheat, has a higher glycemic index than a Snickers bar, not to mention the gluten and other unpronounceable ingredients) and/or juices (a glass of orange juice can contain up to 12 teaspoons of sugar, as much or more than a soda) I will wager that they have had an antibiotic prescribed in their past and this totally disrupted their gut flora and there was no follow up to address the issue, or other factors such as the nutrition of the mother before birth, and even Caesarean delivery.

What I am getting at is that if you or someone you love is a 'picky' eater or simply has an aversion to the taste of healthy food of some sort, it would be prudent to check out why on a microbial level. Especially a history of antibiotic use. I am not saying that if you are perfectly healthy you should like Limburger cheese! But it is now proven by hundreds of studies from all over the world that the Standard American Diet (SAD) is responsible for up to 90% of all chronic and fatal disease. It is now suspected to be at the root of debilitating disorders such as , anxiety, depression, senility, Alzheimer's, ADHD, celiac disease, MS, Parkinson's, OCD, and even schizophrenia, along with all the auto-immune spectrum such as arthritis and many skin disorders including acne and psoriasis.

So, taste for food (and it's cousin, smell) are very good indicators of our future health if we are paying attention.

I was a Registered Nurse for 20 years, working in a half-dozen fields from surgery to hospice. In each I saw the ravages of poor diet and lifestyle. The tragic (and terrifying) part of this was that the diet and lifestyle was accepted not only by the patient as ok, but by the medical profession as well. There is now a movement afoot to change this, based on the latest science, which I hope will save the current generation much of the pain and anguish many of my patients underwent. The success of your farm is a testament to the fact that the word is out about artificial and adulterated factory foods. But, as I found out in my practice, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink, unless of course, he is thirsty enough.

Regards
Larry Lee

Customer Feedback- "Good morning, I'm sorry to reply to you this way, but I don’t have anybody to show me how to get on Facebook to leave a customer comment. Just wanted to tell you-Our order of bacon was absolutely the best we ever fried & ate. It fried so nice & even. I saved the grease to use later (for seasoning other foods). The taste was like no other we’ve ever had before!!! It was, well you just have to try it, then you will understand.I really can’t describe it in words.

The website is another positive. Its easy to follow & order. Ben & Beth are some of the nicest people to do business with!! They put the customer first in their business. – the end for now." ????
Thank you, M. Strite

Quote Worth Re-Quoting – “All progress occurs because people dare to be different.” ~ Harry Millner

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