Gratitude!

It has been a busy week here at the farm. While we have seen a slight slowdown in order volume like with eggs, we continue to sell out chicken within days of processing and most cuts of beef and pork before we receive the next product from the processors.

August has brought dry weather to our farm which means I am able to get into the pastures and take care of some much needed "maintenance". For instance today, after Beth & I packed the Jackson Metro orders, I spent about three hours removing smut grass. First, I gather all the seed head stems in my left hand and then very carefully cut them off with a pair of scissors. The seed heads are then put into a bag that will go to the dump. Objective here is to kill the offspring!

Then I use a sharp shooter shovel and dig up the plant. The dirt is beat off against the shovel back into the hole and left to die on top of the ground.

Smut grass will have anywhere from 3 to 20+ seed heads. University studies say each seed head can have up to 13,000 seeds. That is why you have to be very careful not to shake any off onto the ground in the process.

I always try to "cleanse" a pasture before letting the cows into it to graze because the seeds will attach to their bodies during grazing and spread as they graze from one area to another.

It is very hard work - but is the most effective method I know. There is a chemical that can be sprayed that is only effective if it rains shortly after spraying and then only about 80% of the plants will die. My method kills 100% and does not harm the other plants, bugs, biology, or the animals that graze the plants - and thus our customers that depend on our products to be "clean". That makes the hard work worth the effort.

Beth and I have a lot to be grateful for! We make a very good team here and support each other. I am very thankful for Beth as my wife, dearest friend, and teammate.

We are grateful for the work God has called us to do. What a privilege to steward the land and watch how it responds. And to care for the animals to ensure they live a very good life - and even in death are treated with respect.

Last Wednesday during chicken processing we had an Inspector from the USDA on sight to watch our slaughter process. He wanted to make sure we were humanely handling the chickens. Feedback before he left was all very positive. He complemented me how respectful I handled the chickens and how well the plant operates. We are grateful for the team that works hard to process the chicken so many of our customers enjoy.

In 2010 Nature's Gourmet Farm started selling custom process beef by the half or whole. Chicken was added in 2013. Pigs in 2014. And eggs in 2017.

August 2016 we started making our deliveries from orders received on our website. As of today, we have 2,087 people who have signed up to be our customer. This number has doubled since January 2020.

Lastly, we are grateful for the privilege to serve so many faithful customers and thank you for the trust you place in us to raise healthy, nutritious, and great tasting food for your family.

Weston A. Price Myths and Truths About Nutrition

MYTH: Saturated fat clogs arteries.

TRUTH: The fatty acids found in artery clogs are mostly unsaturated (74%) of which 41% are polyunsaturated (Lancet 1994 344:1195).

B Crochet. recently left this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Google Review:

"Excellent all around. The meat and eggs are far superior to anything one finds in the grocery store. And it's a good farm, run by good people, who are good to their animals."