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

What's Happening At The Farm

written by

Ben Simmons

posted on

January 30, 2021

It is never a dull moment at the farm! There is always something that needs to be done. One of the techniques I learned in the mid-1990's through the Air National Guard was how to set priorities.

The demonstration included four (4) different size rocks ranging from large to the size of pea gravel. Oh, they also used a fixed size container.

First, the smaller size rocks (the pea gravel) was put into the container. Then the next size, then the next larger size. These three sizes filled the container to where it was impossible to fit the largest rocks inside.

Next, they started over. This time the largest rocks were added first. Then , the next largest rocks, then the third largest rocks, and finally the smallest pea gravel size rocks. You guessed it - They all fit inside the container.

The KEY to understanding is knowing what the rocks represent. The largest rocks are the "important" typically strategic activities we have to accomplish. While the smallest rocks - the pea gravel - represents the "urgent" activities.

The problem is we all can get bogged down with the urgent things to where we have no room for the important things - just like in the first demonstration where it was impossible to fit the largest rocks inside the container.

So, why is your farmer bring this up?

We all know that 2020 was a challenging year - right. Well, frankly speaking, I believe 2021 will be even more so. That's why it is important for us to evaluate what are the large rocks (most important) things to me and make sure we put them in the the container FIRST. Remember, you will always have the urgent time consuming things that in the long run don't matter.

OK- so What Is Happening At The Farm? Well, besides the day-to-day activities we are building a much larger walk-in freezer. Why - because our current freezer is a bottle neck for the volume of business our farm has grown to. And, we want to add some really cool new products like turkey, seafood, and lamb to our store.

Once this is completed we need to build a new brooder for our chicks. Two reasons here: First, we have outgrown our current setup. Secondly, we need to be able to better control the environment during the first two weeks or so of their life.

January orders have been very brisk! Were you one of the 44 customers who purchased our *New* Winter Comfort Bundle? The response was great and we appreciate you giving it a try. It's hard to go wrong with a great value on premium grass fed beef and our delicious pastured chicken.

More will be coming out soon on a really BIG announcement so stay tuned.

More from the blog

Real Health Is NOT A Pill. It's A Practice!

Two Great Must Read Articles – Typically I don't make a big deal about articles we have read, but these two are so good that I felt they needed to be shared. The first is by Joel Salatin titled "Food Think" that is part of his The Lunatic Farmer blog. You can read the full article at this link. The second article is one Beth forwarded to me from the Health Viewpoints section of Epoch Times titled "Americans Spend Trillions on Health Care but Remain Unwell - Here's Why" Dr. Yang, FAPA, a board certified psychiatrist, begins by stating the difference between treating disease and building true health lies in a proactive and preventative lifestyle. Note - Beth and I would agree with other folks who commented that his article is spot on and very important for folks to read and understand. You can read at this link.

What's Your Favorite Sausage?

Sausages – so, we are looking to our customers for Sausage Inspiration! Since we added pigs to our farm in 2015 (wow- 10 years ago) we have sold basically the same five sausage flavors. The Patty & Regular Link sell pretty good, the Cajun & Cracked Black Pepper sell fair and the Jalapeno not so much. When you look around there are many various flavors available.

A Really Cool Farm Story

Our Really Cool Farm Story – To really understand I need to take you back to April 2024 when we took delivery on 23 heavy bred Red Angus cows from a WY ranch. If you are new to our newsletter, we purchased them from a ranch that converted to Red Angus in 1960 when they bought their stock from the ranch that started the Red Angus breed. And, have kept a closed herd since inception except for two years. This means these cows should be as close to the original breed as there is. When they were unloaded onto our farm they really kept their distance from us. Granted, our management style is different than the ranch where they came from - basically they were turned out onto the range in the Spring and