What are our feeding methods?

I know how imperative it is to know about what food goes in to the animals that you are eating. That is why finding a farmer that you trust is crucial. Whether or not the farmer is local to you or it is a farmer that is capable of shipping their products to your doorstep, building that relationship is important. It may seem daunting having to search for a farmer, and then once you find one, what questions are you supposed to ask?

I think most importantly it is to find out what they are feeding and how they treat their animals while also caring for the land they raise their animals on. We are proud to be able to raise the majority of the feed that we feed to our animals, including our laying hens. And I wouldn’t feed anything that I wouldn’t let my family eat.

So, what do we feed our animals?

Chickens:

Laying Hens:

Our laying hens have full access to our ranch. That means, they meander through the hay stacks of grain, grass, and alfalfa hay. The scratch through the broken hay bales that we have set out for our cows. They also have the ability and take full advantage of the pasture that we had planted last year. But they do get supplemental feed. They also have access to non-gmo barley. During the summertime I also really like to ferment their feed. It helps to make the nutrients more bioavailable and even extends your feed. Fermentation is something that I usually only do in the warmer months-or at least when it isn’t freezing outside. The last part of our hens diet, that is extremely nutrient dense that I like to add, is milk or milk products. Any excess milk that we have after milking our cow goes to the chicken. But another milk product, whey, is also packed full of healthy components. Whey is a by-product of cheese making and apparently delicious. The girls go crazy over this treat.

Meat Birds & Turkeys:

Meat birds and turkeys have a little different nutrient requirements. In the past we have raised the meat birds in their own fenced pen with access to a barn. Meat birds are not known for foraging unless you’re raising a heritage breed. But by allowing them full access to their own pasture, they have the opportunity to eat bugs and grass etc. This year we shifted gears. We house the birds in moveable tractors and rotate them through our irrigated pasture and anywhere around the farm that they could graze. I am excited for the new setup and to allow fresh pasture daily to our birds while being supplemented with homegrown grains as well as a non-gmo ration.

Beef:

We are proud now to be offering two different types of beef and we are able to do this because we have two different herds of cattle. We offer grain finished, Angus beef and will soon have meat available from grass finished Highland cattle.

Grain Finished

Our grain finished beef is on grain for the last 180-200 days of the finishing process. They are raised with their mothers on native grasses, irrigated pasture, and alfalfa fields and ultimately raised on grasses for the entirety of their lives. They are fed a ration of home raised barley and non gmo corn to supplement. They also have free choice alfalfa, grain, and grass hay that we raise here on the farm without any harmful fertilizers or pesticides and with organic principles.

Grass Finished

We are offering something new this coming year. We have a herd of Highland cattle that we will be grass finishing for a grass finished option. These steers will never eat any grain. They are raised on the native grasses here in Modoc County. To make sure that we do not over graze our meadows we rotate also to an irrigated pasture. When there is snow on the ground and these cows and steers need supplemental feed, they are offered alfalfa and grass hay that is raised here on the farm.

Lamb:

Our lamb is raised on the native grasses of the farm and irrigated pasture. They have two wonderful guard dogs that travel with them around eating down grass and weeds when we move them around the farm. We do this by setting up electric fence and moving it to areas that have overgrowth or grass. During the last 5-7 months the lambs are finished on alfalfa and non gmo corn and barley.

Pork:

We are proud to say that our pork is also raised on pasture with a nice creek and shaded trees. They are free to roam with plenty of space for each one. They are supplemented with non gmo corn and barley and offered alfalfa as well. Most days we have extra milk on hand from our cows and the pigs love it as well as extra eggs from our chickens.

Lane is filling his bucket full of locally sourced non-gmo corn to feed our group of grain finished steers.

Holding down the farm.

Okay what a crazy few weeks.

For those unaware, aside from the farm we own and operate a trucking business. We recently had to let go one of our driver employees. This left an open seat during one of our busiest times. So that meant one thing-that Jon was needing to hop in the truck and drive. Therefore, the littles and I stayed home and held down the fort. This is the first time that I was left home alone with the boys since Waylon was born. This first week Rylee was gone, but I was grateful to have her help in the following weeks. Something about having someone just here with you is comforting. However, even though Jon was gone, that didn't mean that our chores could be passed as well. he did his best to get everything done that I would be unable to do on my own, and I attempted to take care of the rest.

If you don’t have littles and have never tried getting them out of the house early or on time then I don’t know how to explain it. It is not the easiest, especially to two little boys whose ideas of fun is to headbutt each other. But because it was so difficult to get out the house early for morning chores, my Mother-in-Law graciously helped me by feeding everyone in the morning. That took so much stress off of my shoulders. Also because Waylon has been battling the same cold for several weeks and wasn’t sleeping well. I usually ventured down early afternoon to get started on my milking and afternoon feeding. I kept my expectations low-especially the first week. My kids have never enjoyed being in an office setting-even with having whatever toys in there. It makes it difficult for me to get anything done, especially if I am alone. So I decided to not even do any paperwork aside from payroll that first week.

Instead, we spent a lot of time outside. I poked around outside in the garden while the kids dug in the sandbox or Lane dug holes for my plants. And before long-Jon was home and we were ecstatic.

Now just repeat for 3 more weeks, ha! During those last 3 weeks I ended up having to deal with more pressing items. Our irrigation water was turned on and we started to lose pressure in our pivots-that’s not good FYI. And irrigation pumps are not my thing, okay? But a valve was opened to get us by u until Jon came home to fix it. Then my milk cow LuLu bloated. Thank goodness she is halter broke and somewhat decent to work with. She was a little more willing to deal with me because she needed help and knew I was helping her. I passed a tube into her stomach to let some of the gas out. Gas buildup can cause bloating in cows and can even cause death. but after the tube, I took her on a little walk and let her stand on a hill-hoping to allow her to burp to get more gas out naturally. And it worked!

Our turkeys also came in the mail. Upon opening the box there were casualties. But er had fresh water, food, shavings, and lights waiting for them. Waylon had full access to the backseat (yikes) while Lane and I set the turkeys up.

And lastly, a heifer that we had pulled in because we were worried about her calving on her own decided to calve. I was on my way to meet our friends at the feedlot to pair out our cattle when he called asking me to bring some chains. Baby was stuck and mom was over trying to push. I think I called Jon and told him that he couldn’t leave anymore! But all was good. She was delivered by the time I got to the corral and baby was healthy!

I was honestly nervous to take it all on alone with the kids but I learned that it is doable. I have very fussy babies. Lane was a colic baby and while Waylon was a generally happy baby, he has been needing extra attention lately causing me to divide my time majorly. But I do notice the more that I have the boys inside, the harder it is on me as well as them. To combat them I either gave them a snack, bath, or the most favorite-sunshine. We spent quite a bit of time in the ranger poking around. Waylon is happiest causing around outside and Lane loves to drive. So I just put some music on and drove around the farm checking things out.

I have much more confidence in myself to be able to handle most things when Jon is gone now but we definitely do enjoy all the moments that he is here. Grateful that he is able to go out and drive but even more grateful that he is able to be home and I have that luxury of working alongside him daily.

Planning a spring garden.

Spring is quite possibly one of the best times of the year. The snow melts, mud dries up, and plants start to thrive and grow. But before that, is where the real excitement kicks in. The spring garden planning.

I am by no means a perfect gardener. I haven’t had a real garden in a few years because I have been surviving the postpartum life while running a couple businesses. But this year is the year! I am finally getting back into my green thumb era. Nothing brings me more joy than growing and raising our own food. It may cost less to just buy certain things from the store, but there is just a real gratification from doing things with your hands and getting a return from it.

Some tips for starting your garden:

1. Figure out your layout and what kind of gardening that you plan to do.

   Where our house is located, and where our home garden is, it is very rocky. I am unable to plant plants directly into the ground because I simply cannot dig without hitting rock! So for my situation, I have to use garden beds, or get my husband to dig holes with a backhoe.

2. Determine your soil type and if you will need amendments.

   Soil health is so important for your success in gardening and there are plenty of options. My favorite fertilizer to use in animal manure. Between the chickens, horses, cows, and ducks.. We make a pile of manure and add old hay or straw into it as well and let it break down. This is then eventually added back into the soil to help nourish the plant.

3. Plan what you’re planting

   In the past I honestly just bought whatever plants and planted them. But now I am trying to be more mindful of what we eat and what we plant. I really only want to grow plants that I know for a fact we we will be eating.

   Here is what is on my list this year:

   1. Lettuce and Spinach

   2. Carrots

   3. Potatoes

   4. Zucchini, Spaghetti Squash, and Butternut Squash

   5. Tomatoes and Tomatillos

   6. Garlic and Onions

   7. Asparagus

   8. Broccoli, Cabbage, and Brussel Sprouts

   9. Jalapeños and Bell Peppers

   10. Peas and Beans

   11. Corn

   12. Blueberries, Raspberries, and Grapes

4. Choose wether you are buying starts or starting your transplants from seeds.

   I always have plans of starting all of my plants from seeds but usually don’t. I do not have a greenhouse set up and my house is entirely too small to have starts scattered across. But there are some seeds that are sowed directly into the ground: squash, lettuce, spinach, carrots, legumes, and corn.

   My favorite places to buy seeds from are Baker Creek Seeds, The Urban Farmer, and The Seed Exchange. Ask three of these websites are non-GMO, organic, and/or heirloom.

   But if I am going to buy starts, I like to support our local nurseries with plants with plants that take a longer time to get established: tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, etc.

5. Now is finding the time, making the time, to get your garden in place! I struggle with this with two little boys running around but I am ready to include them in my planning. I really find joy in doing things with my hands and also love spending time with my children. My plans to get the kids included is to create a Childs area in my garden. I have a sandbox set up with plans of adding a mud kitchen and their own garden boxes. Lane is already so helpful by pulling weeds…and fall garlic that has popped up! But how can you be mad… he’s learning and technically…we’re pulling green things out of the ground!

But something so important to remember, that I too need to remind myself is that you can start small. I see all of these gorgeous gardens and I want them but there is beauty in designing your own with your own style and building as you can. And that is my daily reminder.

What this space looks like.

With all of the uncertainty in the world, there is not a better time to secure your own food source or learn a new skill. And here I am trying to do both for my family. Thankfully, we are already raising high quality meats without any additives in a natural, sustainable way. But what about the other stuff? The stuff that you do rely on the grocery store for. Is there a way to make it at home?

I am constantly trying to learn new ways to preserve food or make things from scratch. I think having my children really changed my perspective as well as having some autoimmune health disorders. I want healthy options for my my family but I also wan’t them to not be deprived of anything delicious and fun. But deprivation doesn’t mean that I need to cave and offer terrible ingredients to my children.

But, that being said, I have a child with sensory food aversions. So we are working on that because a lot of our safe foods are processed snacks. So, join me here where I share my passions of non-toxic alternatives or you know, just that chaotic mom life.