Spring Has Sprung?

When I looked out of the window this morning, I could hardly believe my eyes! It was snowing like a “big dog”… the snowflakes were incredibly large! 

Some friends on Facebook described seeing hamster-sized flakes ... I didn’t see anything that big!

I’ve lived in Missouri all of my life, but I guess I’ll never get used to this bipolar weather. Last week it was 80+ degrees, and we were wearing short sleeves and bathing in the sun. Today it’s 33 degrees on this first day of Spring, and it’s looking like we’re going to have to get out the snow shovel.

Although as I’m writing this, I can hear the melted snow drip to the ground, since the sun has decided to start shining. …Oh well…

Welcome to Mooosouri!

...and 2 Hours Later...

Today is also the official day that we start advertising our home-grown beef for sale. If you are interested in purchasing some freezer beef, click on the “Buying Beef” tab at the top of the page, or click >>HERE<< to be taken to our order form.

For the past few years, we have been selling our naturally grown, grass-fed, grain-finished cattle 3 ways:

•  a whole beef, which can be around 500 lbs of meat
•  ½ beef for the serious meat lovers
• and ¼ beef—our standard most requested size of freezer beef.

This year, however, we will also be selling bulk ground beef; again in 3 sizes:

• Quarter pound beef patties (10 lb. box) $55.00
• 10 lbs. ground beef (1 lb. pkgs.) $42.00
• 25 lbs. ground beef (1 lb. pkgs.) $100.00

Although we don’t usually harvest our beef calves until June (approximately), the ground beef orders will be available as soon as we receive enough orders to process.

So if you are interested in either the freezer beef or the ground beef, please fill out an order form. All orders can be secured with a small deposit equal to ¼ payment of your expected charge.

Where's The Beef?

It's coming up on that time of year again, and I'm getting a lot of calls from people asking me 

“Where's the beef?”

Well, we weighed the fat cattle yesterday and The Farmer is very satisfied with the numbers. After calculating the weening daily average and the average daily gain, we found our cattle are doing super-duper!

The Farmer compared our calves to the recorded numbers of feedlot cattle and discovered that our home-grown, non-enhanced, naturally-raised beef average a better weight gain than the feedlot cattle that have been enhanced with hormones and other stimulants.

Yay, For the local farmer!

If you're interested in finding out more about our cattle we sell for freezer beef, >>Click Here<< or click on the Buying Beef at the top of this page.

A Successful Hay Season

After the rain had passed this spring, The Farmer was able to get out into the hay field, and we ended with a very successful hay season!

Due to a cool, wet spell late this summer,
we were able to get a second cutting this fall!



Being Content from Life With A Farmer.com

Is Your Beef Organic

Although our beef is not certified organic, we do meet the standards for organic beef.

In order to be an organic certified farm, we would have to follow certain rules set up by certain watchdogs, and jump through certain loopholes set up by certain lobbyists. As a “mom and pop” operation, we have neither the desire nor resources to bow to these bureaucrats.

Therefore, we hold ourselves accountable to keep our beef product equal to, or above, the standards set by the National Organic Program found in the Code of Federal Regulations. (Code of Federal Regulations of Certified Livestock)

Herein stated:

(a)    We provide livestock with a total feed ration composed of agricultural products, including pasture and forage, that are organically produced and handled

(b)   We do not:

a.       Use animal drugs, including hormones, to promote growth

b.      Provide feed supplements or additives in amounts above those needed for adequate nutrition and health maintenance

c.       Feed plastic pellets for roughage

d.      Feed formulas containing urea or manure

e.       Feed mammalian slaughter by-products

f.       Use feed, feed additives, and feed supplements in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

g.      Provide feed or forage to which any antibiotic has been added

h.      Prevent, withhold, restrain, or otherwise restrict our animals from actively obtaining feed grazed from pasture during the grazing season

(c)    During the grazing season we:

a.       Do not feed our cattle more than 30% dry matter, and then only in dire situations

b.      Our beef cattle graze on lush, green pastures for more than the 120 days required by certification

So, Yes…our cattle are Organic, just not Certified.

For information on buying our beef, click >>HERE<<, or go to the Buying Beef tab at the top of this page. 

Spring Calving Season is in Full Swing

March is the start of our spring calving season, and we have had six baby girls so far. Last year we had all bull calves, but this year looks like it's going to be a heifer haven!

The Farmer has been wanting to get some new heifers to replace some of our old cows (we have a couple that are almost 14 years old). The problem of replacing old cows with new cows is that the ones we are wanting are twice as much as the ones we are selling.

But since it looks like we are going to have a bumper crop of heifers this year, we have decided to keep several heifer calves and replace one bull. Otis (our bull) has been a great addition to the farm. He throws some mighty nice calves, and he's so gentle that the kids can walk up to him and pet him.

The other advantage of keeping calves from a bull that we have had on the farm for years is that we know the heritage of our breeding cows. Background tracibility in cattle is very important when selling processed beef.

Sounds like a plan...we'll see.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Wintertime has been very hard on the cattle this year. Missouri weather is very unpredictable. No matter how hard the weathermen try to figure it out, it often eludes their best predictions. The most constant thing about our weather is that if you hang around long enough you will definitely see it change.

The fall started out very nice and colorful, but quickly faded into 50 shades of brown as the grasses and leaves began to die. Although we did have some nice weather through the fall, when winter decided to hit, it hit hard! When the high for the day is a negative, that’s too cold for anybody, and this past week we had about 8 inches of snow on top of the coldness.

As you can imagine, this weather begins to take a toll on the animals, if they are not properly cared for. When the weather gets this bad, The Farmer feeds the cows a little grain with their hay. This especially helps the lactating cows, because a nursing mama’s body is working especially hard when it’s nourishing herself and her baby. Sometimes hay alone often lacks the necessary nutrition.

I took some pictures of the snow from the warmth of the house. With my new camera The Farmer bought me for Christmas, I’ll be able to stay in the house this year and take all the pictures of the farm. Well, maybe not when the weather gets nice, but as you can see there was no way I was going to stomp through this storm to take a few pics for our blog.

In case it’s not clear, those black things under the snow are our cattle waiting to be fed.

I hope it’s warmer where you are.

Have a Blessed New Year for 2014!

Local County Fair

The Farmer and I took the two youngest to the local county fair. Sorry to say it was anything but fun. Too small, too unorganized, too expensive. :(
 

Wouldn't be a county fair without goats, pigs, and horses

Blue Ribbon Winners

Carousel

Funnel Cakes, Corn Dogs, and Cotton Candy

Ferris Wheel

Mud Run (hmm...)

 

 

 

This post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure >>here

Old Mother Hubbard

Just like Old Mother Hubbard, I went to my cupboard and found it getting bare. Except the freezer was my cupboard and looking into it this afternoon reminds me that it’s getting close to calf-selling season again. 

At this time of year, our spring calves from the previous year are getting ready to be processed. They’ve gained approximately 800 lbs. since birth on mama’s milk, grass, and grass hay. Because food supply is limited for these calves, they are fed a little bit of grain throughout the winter months. Being time to condition them for processing, we separate our calves into the lot where they are still exposed to fresh green grasses, but their grain intake will increase—no argument that this improves marbling and, in my opinion, the taste of the beef.

However, the great debate over grass-fed beef vs. grain-fed beef always seems to intensify around here when new customers begin to inquire about our beef. There are strong opinions on both sides, but the final call comes down to personal preference.

Our Calves Are Raised Naturally

According to the USDA, naturally raised means that the cattle have been given:

• No growth promotants
• No unnecessary antibiotics
• No animal by-products

Our Beef Is Organic

In accordance with USDA Sec. 2105, Sec. 2107, organically produced livestock must meet these qualifications:

•  Produced without the use of synthetic chemicals
• Not fed plastic pellets, manure, or feed containing urea
• Not given growth promoters and hormones
• Complete traceability (our calves are born and raised here)

The beef we sell to our customers is the beef we feed to our children; therefore, the quality of our beef can be completely trusted. Our cattle are not kept in a crowded feedlot, which is a problem with commercial feedlots, nor are they exposed to harmful chemicals and growth stimulants. Because they are our food supply, too, we take care that our cattle remain healthy in a very humane environment. 

If you would like more information on buying beef from us, go to the FAQ tab at the top of the page.  

Shared Link:

Grass-Fed vsGrain-Fed: What’s the difference 

The Final Tally

The best thing about spring is seeing all the signs of the new life that is beginning to appear at this time of year.

Seeing the grass sprouting up through the cold ground, the new blossoms on the trees, the soft sounds of the wind, the chirping of the birds, the warmth of the sunshine—I could almost burst out into song! (You should be thankful there is no sound) :)

One of the greatest things about living on the farm is being able to see our calves being born. Unfortunately, three of our heifers did not calf this spring so we are down from what we had expected. The birthing season has ended and we only have nine calves.

Although it was not the number we were expecting, we had a successful season. A couple of our calves were born during the frigid weather when winter would not turn loose of spring, and at times we wondered if they were going to make it. Seeing a brand new, wet, cold, shaking baby calf fall to the ground of a snow covered field is at times unsettling. However, the fortitude those babies have are nothing less than miraculous! It doesn’t take them long to nuzzle up to mamma and warm their little bodies.

Often the baby calves huddle together when laying out in the field. I tried to sneak up on them to take a picture, but they were too quick for me. As soon as they saw me coming they started getting up.

Oh well, I'll get a closer picture next time. Once it gets a little hotter,

they won't be so quick to jump up.

Spring Has Sprung

During the winter months, we contain our cattle in one or two of our back paddocks to make it easier to feed hay and to keep all our other fields from being tromped to pieces…you can imagine what a herd of 1200-pound cows would do in a soft, wet field.

Today it seems that the cold, snowy weather of the past few weeks are finally disappearing. Standing outside and looking out over the fields, I can almost see the grass growing. The smells, the sounds, and all the sights that come with a new spring are beginning to appear.

One of the first signs that spring has sprung, in our little world, is being able to open the gates and allowing our cattle to graze on the cool, green grasses of a fresh new paddock. I have to say, the cows seem pretty excited, too. 

It is quite funny to watch them crowd through the gate and run and frolic in the new field. (yeah…frolic!) I will have to post a video some time. :)

Looks like they had a belly-full

...and laying around in the sunshine

Of course, they have to get up to see what I am doing

Fortunately, for now, they are off the hay and onto the pastures. 

Now, like all farmers throughout the ages, we will be praying for rain, sunshine, and a profitable harvest!

Missouri Weather

We went into winter 2012 with just enough hay (fingers crossed) to make it until Spring. Well, as many know, Missouri’s weather is very fickle. In fact, rightly quoted...

"If you don't like the weather in Missouri, hang around until tomorrow and it will be different”. 

True to its nature, March came in like a lion with strong winds and an illusion to warmer weather,
but took an erratic turn when a spattering of sleet was covered by 8” of snow.

We could use a little global warming right about now!

Needless to say, we did not have enough hay. Fortunately, with a quick search on craigslist we found hay for sale at the Koch Farm in Washington. Looks like a great place to live. They have a farm that runs 100+ head of cattle, no more than 5 minutes from McDonald’s, Dairy Queen, and Schnucks! Some people have it all. :) (Ahh...I pleasantly digress)

You can see by the pictures below that we got the hay just in time. 

Saturday, when I took the pictures of the Farmer unloading the hay, it was 50+ degrees. 

Sunday afternoon we had a new baby boy being born in 6" of snow.

Well, for now we have enough hay for about a week... 

So, Old Man Winter, please get out of the way so Spring can be Sprung!