We all have our Good Days and Bad Days. It is a fact of life. This Friday was a triple bummer day for me. First, about four weeks ago Moises started working for us. I knew in the first few days he was going to be a great addition to our farm. He caught on real quick and took the lead. If he had not performed the task before he watched closely and asked questions to clarify his understanding.
Good Morning and hello from your farmer, Most folks may think I have lost my mind! You really think insects are beneficial? Absolutely, in fact according to Dr. Jon Lundgren, founder of Blue Dasher Farm and the Ecodysis Foundation in South Dakota, stated that for every "bad" insect you target with pesticide you are actually killing hundreds or more of beneficial insects. And the unintended consequences of other life that depends on those insects for their food, etc. How would he know this? Well, at one time he worked for the USDA and in 2012 was recognized by the President as one of the top scientist in the world. However, he also recognized USDA policy did not support facts from his research - so he quit his job and started Blue Dasher Farm to support his passion for honeybees. So, let me give you some examples from our farm to support beneficial insects. First, we do not spray pesticides on our pastures to control insects. Last year while at Two Rivers Outdoors in Richton (they sell hardware, lumber, seed, fertilizer, etc.) a farmer was in there buying pesticide to spray armyworms eating his bahiagrass pastures. The word was "armyworms are really bad this year". Two clues here: 1) his pastures are monoculture and nature does not like monoculture 2) this was not his first time to spray... he had already not only killed the armyworms (temporarily) but also all of the beneficial insects that are also predators to the armyworm. I was there buying materials to build chicken tractors and thought - wow, I need to check my pastures. That afternoon I made time to check my pastures. Thankfully, I did not find any armyworms nor signs where they might have been. Why, you may ask? Consider this quote by Dr. Lundgren, "If you want to save the bees you first have to save the soil". Credit has to be given to our commitment to Regenerative Principles. Briefly, our pastures are very diverse including the weeds. We do not till the soil exposing bare ground that releases carbon to the atmosphere and destroying soil biology. This gives us healthy plants without chemicals. Did you know that insects AND disease first attacks weak plants and animals whose immune system is compromised? Guess what! It is no different for humans. We don't worm our cows - because they do not need to be wormed! Worm medicine is known to kill gut biology that also kills the dung beetle. And, dung beetles are responsible for breaking down the cow "patty" and carrying pieces into their hole in the ground (that also helps aerate the soil). Without the dung beetle you loose these beneficial task. Our adaptive (rotational) grazing management practice helps us take care of our cows so they don't need worming. Our cows eat tall grass vs. short grass typical of continuous grazed pastures AND then are moved to a new pasture allowing the previous pasture to rest and break the parasite cycle. I could give you many other examples like not spraying for mosquitoes because the pesticide also kills their natural predator the dragonfly, but your get the point. A serious consideration is: How healthy is your immune system? Do you tend to eat conventionally or regeneratively raised food? Maybe you have been looking for premium ALL NATURAL GOODNESS of beef, pork, chicken, and eggs raised on pasture as God intended - with emphasis on Regenerative Principles and NOT conventionally raised animals (with growth hormones, drugs, chemicals, and antibiotics) - and where animals are treated humanely - then you have come to the right farm. Our delivery schedule and product availability is listed below along with order buttons that will take you to our website where you can browse over 90 product choices and place your order from the convenience of your home. It's that simple! Lastly, Beth & I wish you a Happy Fourth of July and hope you enjoy time with family & friends. As you gather around maybe listen to this song first sung by Kate Smith during WWII in her effort to bring hope to Americans. God Bless America by Kate Smith! Yes, I want to Place My Order Beth & I really appreciate your business and thank you for rewarding our hard work with your trust and support. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Good Morning and hello from your farmer, Most folks may think I have lost my mind! You really think insects are beneficial? Absolutely, in fact according to Dr. Jon Lundgren, founder of Blue Dasher Farm and the Ecodysis Foundation in South Dakota, stated that for every "bad" insect you target with pesticide you are actually killing hundreds or more of beneficial insects. And the unintended consequences of other life that depends on those insects for their food, etc. How would he know this? Well, at one time he worked for the USDA and in 2012 was recognized by the President as one of the top scientist in the world. However, he also recognized USDA policy
Everybody loves our nutritious and great tasting chicken! So, to celebrate our 4th of July we are offering 10% off on our whole chickens and chicken breast when you buy seven (7) or more packs. The offer is good beginning NOW through the July 16th delivery date - OR as long as supplies last. Whole chickens were $4.35#.
Good Morning and hello from your farmer, I trust it has been a good week for you and maybe you have some fun things lined up for your weekend. Here on the farm it is HOT! Summer in South Mississippi is in full force. First, let me share a few updates from our plant. This week we have been in the plant each day since Tuesday. We processed chicken Tuesday & Wednesday and then cut & packed beef Thursday & Friday. Today (Saturday), Beth and I are grinding & packing ground beef.
Last weekend Beth gave an informative update on the status of our hens and egg production. Hope you were able to read it. Today, I want to show you a few pictures of our replacement heifers. Maybe I should start by telling you what a replacement heifer is. A replacement heifer is a young female yearling that is typically 15-24 months old that has not had a calf. The objective is to select the best of the best females from our herd and retain them to be future mama cows. Not just any female will do!
Good Morning and hello from your farmer (BETH), We tend to have a lot of conversations about eggs around here. We also field a lot of questions about eggs from you, our customer. We have had several setbacks and delays in our egg production over the last several months. First, water problems with freezing nights that took out water lines, etc. Hens need a lot of water to produce eggs. Then we had light issues. Hens need 12-16 hours of light daily to produce eggs. Ben was finally able to fix the problem by replacing the Midnight Brats and all bulbs in both houses. In the midst of all of this,
The "Gold" Standard! So, what are you talking about Farmer Ben? First, a little background and then I will fill in the details..... Nature's Gourmet Farm has been raising and selling meat chickens since 2013. Beth & I thought meat chickens would be a great compliment to our beef offering and after reading Joel Salatin's book "Pastured Poultry Profits" decided the next step was to visit Polyface Farms in VA during their semi-annual gathering in 2012.
This weekend many folks will be firing up the backyard grill or at their favorite vacation camping location. Memorial Day weekend is a great time for families and friends to get together for outdoor celebrations. USDA Food Safety Sandra Eskin “Summer is a time to relax and enjoy delicious meals with friends and family, but foodborne pathogens never rest. Following safe food handling practices during this and all other seasons can reduce the risk of you and your loved ones getting sick.”
This was an especially busy week at the farm! Even more so since Matthew's last day was Friday, May 13th. His elderly Dad has been diagnosed with cancer and Matthew wanted to spend more time with him as well as help his Mom out. While, we will (have) missed him we know he has made the right decision and will always be glad for the memories he'll cherish for the rest of his life. We bid him God's speed and are committed to pray for him & his family as they navigate the days ahead. Our other full time production help went to part time about 5 months ago when he fulfilled a childhood dream of becoming a fireman. Now, he only works at the farm 2 to 3 days per week. Fortunately, our plant processing team is hitting on "all cylinders".
Today I want to share my thoughts regarding questions that customers have asked me about gardens as well as some links that you may find helpful. Most of the questions revolve around soil fertility for their garden plants...and can they get chicken manure from our farm for their gardens? My first response is fresh or non-composted chicken manure used in a vegetable garden can transfer harmful pathogens into the plants as well as attract damaging insects. The key to soil fertility without chemicals is cover crops! If you have been a subscriber/reader of our newsletter then you know how much we depend on cover crops. Remember, nature operates slow! You cannot get up tomorrow and say "I think today I will plant a garden." You must plan ahead and operate with nature.
At Nature's Gourmet Farm we have been providing our customers broilers for the past 10 years. Each year we improve our operations to better care for the chickens and provide our customers a product that is full of ALL NATURAL GOODNESS, nutritious, and free of chemicals (healthy).
Veteran Owned & Operated
