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

Newsletter 2016 1114

written by

Ben Simmons

posted on

December 4, 2016

Upcoming Order Deadlines

Madison:

Order by Sunday, November 13, 2016

Pickup Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Hattiesburg & Hattiesburg Hwy 98 West

Order by Monday, November 14, 2016

Pickup Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Biloxi & Gulfport

Order by Monday November 14, 2016

Pickup Thursday, November 17, 2016

We believe in transparency, as there’s no better education about what it
is we do, how we do it and why, than an honest and straightforward conversation
about any aspect of our farm!

Veterans Day Sale: Thank you for your strong support
of our Veterans Day Sale. Only 1-day left to order for this weeks Pickup. We
are offering a $25 savings on our 25# Beef Variety Share regularly priced at
$205, now $180. Order now for pickup per the above schedule.

Those familiar with our Blog know we strongly support Buy Local as the best way to provide the highest quality food for your family as well as regenerate our communities, land, and families. It is a shame that Mississippi imports $8.5 billion in food per year while many rural communities struggle to exist. What we need is many more small family farms doing what we do. It can be done!

My friends at Seven Sons in IN tell the story how back in the 1990's their farm was corn and CAFO Pigs and barely supported one family. Today, it is a highly diverse family farm with direct market reach that includes over 4,000 customers. And, at last count, their pastured eggs are sold into 21 retail grocery stores. Their farm now supports eleven (11) families.

Our culture in South Mississippi is changing! More and more folks are switching to buying from local farmers. Our farms practice of leveraging the internet combined with local pickup makes it simple and convenient to buy local. Since we started offering local pickup in August our business has increased each month. And, customer feedback has been outstanding -  Satisfied customers share our farm with their family & friends. 

Quick update on availability:

Chicken - sold out till Spring. USDA only allows small farms to raise 1,000 per year.

Beef - Custom Process halves with be available late Spring

         - Other offerings are in stock

Pork - Custom Process wholes/ halves will be available about March 2017

         - Half Bundle and 25# Variety Share will be available for the Dec Pickup Schedule

Lastly, as you probably know, MS and several other Southern States are in a Severe Drought. Some of my cool season grasses have died from lack of water and will have to be replanted once we get a good rain. So, please join me in prayer that God will send some rain soon.

Thank you for supporting our local farm.

More from the blog

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.

My Advise How To Jump Start Small Farms In Mississippi

“Who controls the food supply controls the people; who controls the energy can control whole continents; who controls money can control the world.” — Henry Kissinger The fight to change food from addictive to nutritive will most likely be harder than the fight regarding tobacco (smoking) in public places that started back in the 1980’s. Note that my comments are NOT a condemnation of anybody who may use tobacco in any way as this can be a sensitive topic. However, it is personal to me as my Dad smoked at least 45 of his 75 years and died of lung cancer.

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