It's A Girl

Yesturday started calving season here on the farm. Our first calf of the season is a girl (she's called a 'heifer' in cattle lingo). She is the first calf that the guys have actually gotten to witness being born....we've always seem to just miss all the other ones being born in the past.

Meet our new addition.


The little lady is just a day old sitting and sleeping in the corner trying to stay out of the way. They sleep a lot just like human babies do. This time is about the only time you can go up to it and pet it because in a few weeks it will be runing all over the place and it will be hard to catch. It's surprising how fast they can run for being so little.
Our only goat (it's a pigmy) is eating hay-- always thinking it's better on the other side of the fence. Now he has someone his own size again.

Mom came over to check things out and to make sure her calf was still OK since we were all close by watching it. This is her first calf.

The guys had to section off some of the barn to make a 'nursery' so the little one doesn't get trampled because it's still a bit to soon to put everyone back onto pasture. The black cow (the one in the bottom right corner) is looking like she will be giving birth very soon so she was moved into the nursery today in preparation.

I don't know if you can see him or not but if you look in the background behind the fence, you can see our Angus bull (he has horns) munching on some hay.....he's the father.

As mom was over checking out her calf, she starting munching on some hay. She was a bit of a sloppy eater with more falling out of the mouth than what made it in... so the calf got buried in the process.

Action Alert! Stop NAIS

If you want to help stop NAIS, you action is needed NOW.
If you don't know what NAIS is, see the earlier post on it (title: 'Want Food Freedom?' OR under the label of: 'In The Know')


USDA COMMENT PERIOD ENDS MARCH 16

In January, the USDA proposed a rule to require farms and other properties where animals are raised to be registered in the federal NAIS database for existing federal disease control programs. The rule also sets the stage for future mandatory animal identification. If you haven't already submitted comments on this proposed rule, please be sure to do so before March 16! An easy way to comment online is through the Organic Consumers Association's automated system, at http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26665

Please be sure to personalize the letter! It can be as easy as a couple of sentences at the beginning stating who you are (for example, a farmer, consumer, property rights proponent) and why you care about NAIS.


CONGRESSIONAL HEARING ON NAIS, MARCH 11

The U.S. House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry will hold a hearing on "animal identification programs" on Wednesday, March 11, 2009. This is the first time in several years that any Congressional Committee will hear testimony about NAIS! It is critical that the thousands of farmers and consumers who oppose NAIS make their voices heard in this process!

STEP 1: Before the Hearing:

At the end of the alert is a list of Subcommittee members. If one of the Subcommittee members is from your state, call that member. If your state does not have any representation on the Subcommittee, contact your own Representative and ask him or her to approach the Subcommittee to urge them to oppose NAIS. If you're not sure who represents you, go to http://www.congress.org

When you call, ask to speak to the staffer who handles agricultural issues, and talk with them about your concerns about NAIS. Use a brief personal story to explain how NAIS would impact you. Emphasize that you want them to ask hard questions of both the industry and USDA representatives, and to make sure that people representing those who oppose NAIS are also heard at the hearing.

STEP 2: At the Hearing:

If you are in the DC area, please try to come to the hearing!

WHEN: Wednesday, March 11th - 10:00 a.m.
WHERE: 1300 Longworth House Office Building (go to http://www.aoc.gov/cc/cobs/lhob.cfm for maps and parking information)
WHAT: Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry -- Public hearing to review animal identification systems.

The subcommittee will hear invited testimony only, so you won't be able to speak at the hearing. But it is still good for the subcommittee to know that a lot of people care enough about this issue to show up in person!

Immediately after the hearing, we encourage you to visit the Subcommittee members' offices. Be polite and concise during your visit. Let them know that you were at the hearing because you are against NAIS. Briefly bring up one or two points that you felt weren't covered at the hearing that show the problems with NAIS. Keep your visit short and thank them for their time.

STEP 3: After the Hearing:

You can submit written testimony to the subcommittee before the hearing, at the hearing, or up to 10 days after the hearing. Send your testimony to the Hearing Clerk, Jamie Mitchell, at Jamie.Mitchell@mail.house.gov Be sure to put "March 11 Hearing - Animal Identification Programs" in the subject line. Keep your comments clear, polite, and concise.

We will send out some guidance after the hearing for key points to make in your testimony, based on what is said at the hearing. If you are submitting comments before the hearing, you can draw ideas from the "Reasons to Stop NAIS" posted on the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund's site at http://www.ftcldf.org/nais.html (scroll down past the news items and lawsuit information) or from the comments submitted by FARFA on the USDA's proposed rule for NAIS, posted at: http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/files/090202_FARFA_Comments_USDA_rule.pdf

SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Below are the Subcommittee members, their party and state, and phone numbers. You can also send an email by using this format: firstname.lastname@mail.house.gov We strongly recommend that you make at least your initial contact with the ag staffer with a telephone conversation.

Mike Rogers (R-AL), (p): 202-225-3261, (f): 202-226-8485
Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), (p): 202-225-6131, (f): 202-225-0819
Jim Costa (D-CA), (p): 202-225-3341, (f): 202-225-9308
Joe Baca (D-CA), (p): 202-225-6161, (f): 202-225-8671
Betsy Markey (D-CO), (p): 202-225-4676, (f): 202-225-5870
David Scott (Chair), (D-GA), (p): 202-225-2939, (f): 202-225-4628
Leonard Boswell (D-IA), (p): 202-225-3806, (f): 202-225-5608
Steve King (R-IA), (p): 202-225-4426, (f): 202-225-3193
Walt Minnick (D-ID), (p): 202-225-6611, (f): 202-225-3029
Frank Kratovil, Jr. (D-MD), (p): 202-225-5311, (f): 202-225-0254
Adrian Smith (R-NE), (p): 202-225-6435, (f): 202-225-0207
Tim Holden (D-PA), (p): 202-225-5546, (f): 202-226-0996
David P. Roe (R-TN), (p): 202-225-6356, (f): 202-225-5714
K. Michael Conaway (R-TX), (p): 202-225-3605 or 866-882-3811, (f): 202-225-1783
Randy Neugebauer, Ranking Minority Member (R-TX), (p): 202-225-4005 or 888-763-1611, (f): 202-225-9615
Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), (p): 202-225-5431, (f): 202-225-9681
Steve Kagen (D-WI), (p): 202-225-5665, (f): 202-225-5729

For more information about NAIS, go to www.FarmAndRanchFreedom.org

Want Food Freedom?--STOP NAIS !!

Coming soon to a neighborhood near you:

--fewer food choices
--fewer local, grass-fed and organic options
--fewer small farmers/ranchers
--invasion of animal owner's personal privacy
--destruction of personal property right
--bigger agribusiness
--more government invasion
--higher food cost
--increased taxes

Sounds like something we all look forward to doesn't it? This could very well be the scene across our landscape soon if we don't stop the efforts of our government (and big agribusiness) to put into place the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).

You may not of heard of NAIS yet (as the media isn't covering it) or if you have, you might think that it doesn't effect you as you don't have any animals. BUT if you like buying your food from local farmers, this system just might put them out of business which means you loose your food source which will ultimately give us all fewer choices and higher food prices as only the big guys will survive...so in the end, it does effect you! And to add insult to injury, if you have a few animals as pets, this will effect you all the more. This is not just a farmer/rancher issue--this is a food freedom issue!

There is a newly released, 8-minute video on the NAIS from Liberty Ark Coalition that does a very good job of explaining this invasion. To view video go to: http://www.libertyark.net/NAIS-new/NAIS%20Clip/

I would suggest after you view the video, that you poke around their website and read more about NAIS and become more familiar with it and see for your self how over reaching this is.

This program is at the moment voluntary (it's become a forced voluntary in some states) but the goal of the USDA is to make it mandatory for all.

WHAT IS NAIS?

---- A (short) background ----

The National Animal Identification System poses a serious threat to all farmers, ranchers, livestock owners, and companion-animal owners, whether they are organic or conventional, small or large, involved with animals for business or for pleasure. If it is made mandatory, every person with even one horse, cow, chicken, pig, goat, sheep, or virtually any other livestock animal on their premises will be required to register their homes and property into a database and subject their property and animals to government surveillance.

The USDA has been working for over five years to force NAIS onto American animal owners. NAIS is designed to identify and track each and every individual livestock and poultry animal owned by family farmers, hobby farmers, homesteaders, and pet owners across the country.

USDA claims that NAIS is a disease tracking program, but has refused to provide any support for its claims. In reality, NAIS will impose high costs and government surveillance on every farmer and animal owner for no significant benefits, and will likely force many small producers out of business. NAIS does nothing to improve food safety for consumers or prevent animal diseases. This program is a one-size-fits-all program developed by and for big Agribusiness.

NAIS will increase consolidation of our food supply in the hands of a few large companies and put the brakes on the growing movement toward local food systems.

A grassroots movement has already successfully stalled USDA's plans for NAIS, which originally called for the entire program (premises registration, animal identification, and tracking) to be mandatory by January 2009. It is imperative that people speak up to protect the right to farm and the right to choose our food supply!

Another website to check out that is also covering this NAIS issue-- http://www.farmandranchfreedom.org/

Honey Maple Oatmeal Cookies

This cookie recipe actually uses 2 natural sweeteners -- honey and maple syrup.
I do use a tad bit less than what the recipe calls for as there is also sweetness that comes for the raisins and/or dried fruit that you also add. We have gotten use to things being not as sweet that I can usually cut the sweetener down some in most recipes and it still turns out OK....plus it's more economical as I can make my sweeteners go further that way.

I have thought about it more than once that adding flaked coconut (unsweetened, of course) to this would be good too, but I've not done it yet. If you try this, you might want to add less oats to make up for the added dryness of the coconut.

One last thing--The darker grades of maple syrup do work better for baking/cooking as the maple flavor stands up better to the other ingredient.




1 c. butter, softened (I use 3/4 c. butter & 1/4 c. coconut oil, softened but not melted)
1/3 c. maple syrup
1/3 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
2 1/4- 2 1/2 c. rolled oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1 c. walnuts, chopped
1/2 c. raisins (I use a mixture of raisins and other dried fruit that I have on hand and it's usually ends up being a bit more than 1/2 cup.)

Mix butter (coconut oil too if using it) and sweeteners together then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix to combine. Drop about 1 1/2 tbsp. of dough onto greased or parchment lined baking sheet (***or see note below). Bake @ 350* for 15 minutes.
Yield: about 2 1/2 dozen


(***The cookies can be a bit crumbly so one day I decided to not make them drop cookies and try some thing different to see if that would help. I chilled the dough for a short while to make it a bit easier to work with, then instead of dropping it, I took a chunk of it and formed it into a flatten disk and put that on the cookie sheet. They are now more uniform and hold together so much better).

louise

Don't Follow the Chickens!

If you are one of those that doesn't want to consume your animal products from confinement operations (CAFO) for varies reasons or don't live by a CAFO, you still might be exposed to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

You may not know it, but the agriculture industry is the biggest user of antibiotics and they're playing a major role in our antibiotic-resistant bacteria problems. Antibiotics are continuously used to ward-off diseases due to the confinement nature of their operations.

The findings below gives us all the more info that we need to boycott meats produced in this manner. Yes they produce cheaper products, but in the long run it is hurting us more than we thought....so it is worth it? The solution: buy from a local farmer that does it the humane, healthy and grass-fed way!


***** from: Acres, March 2009 ********

Researchers at John Hopkins University have uncovered an unusual means whereby humans may become exposed to antibiotic-resistant bacteria: driving behind chicken-laden transport trucks.

The new study was conducted on the Delmarva Peninsula coastal region shared by Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, which has one of the highest densities of broiler chickens per acre in the country. The investigators collected air and surface samples from cars following 2 to 3 car-lengths behinds poultry trucks for a distance of 17 miles. The cars had air conditioning and fans turned off with windows wide open.

The strains of pathogenic bacteria collected were found to be resistant to 3 antimicrobial drugs widely used to treat bacterial infections in people. These drugs are approved by the FDA as feed additives for broiler poultry. The bacteria were found on a pop can inside the car, on the outside door handle, and in breathable air samples collected inside the vehicle. The study is the first to look at exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria from the transportation of poultry.

The findings can be found in the first issue of the Journal of Infection and Public Health (www.jiph.org)

Free-Range, Pastured Eggs

My apologies to all for not posting in a while. School has started up again and my attentions have gotten diverted to other activities. However, I would like to continue my series about our products. Today, I will talk a little about our free-range, pastured eggs. What makes our eggs so different and special from other free-range eggs? The same thing that makes all our meat products different: grass. The laws regarding free-range eggs only specify that the birds need access to the outdoors, not grass. This "access" could merely be a concrete or dirt yard. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens within the industry.

The great thing about our production methods is that our chickens actually get to act like chickens. They get to run through the pastures, breath fresh air, and scratch around for seeds and bugs. This is how eggs were produced 100 years ago, and that is what we are trying to accomplish today. This is what produces the dark yellow yolks our eggs are known for. Also, because our hens live in a portable house with a wire floor, their droppings fall directly onto the pasture and fertilize it. To discover the amazing health benefits you can get by eating our eggs, you can refer to the post titled "Egg-citing News!" under the labels "Our Products" or "In the Know."

Pure Maple Syrup

OH--HOW SWEET IT IS!

There is nothing like the taste of pure maple syrup either on a stack of pancakes/waffles, french toast or added as an ingredient to a recipe. Maple syrup makes a great natural sweetener with the addition of a natural maple flavor.

A few weeks ago we started the 2009 syrup season here at the farm. It is not an easy process in many way as it is just hard physical labor plus it's time consuming but afterwards it is rewarding as we get to enjoy the fruits of our labors. I would like to give you a little glimps of the maple syrup making process so you can see what is involved in making real maple syrup.

Before I get into all that though, I thought I would first give you some maple syrup facts:

--Ohio ranks 4-5 each year among the 12 syrup producing states.
--Syrup season begins when you have above freezing day temperatures (ideally in the 40's) and below freezing night temperatures(ideally in the 20's). This creates internal pressure that causes the sap to flow up through the tree.
--Syrup season ends when it continues to stay warm and the tree buds begin to swell. The sap develops a bitter tastes at this point.
--It takes on average, about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.
--In a GOOD year, each whole tapped into a tree will yield about 10 gallons of sap which equals about 1 quart of syrup.
--Sugar content of sap = 2%...it's clear with 98% water.
--Sugar content of syrup = 67%....it's light brown with 33% water.
--Native Americans taught the settlers the process of "sugaring".
--A grove of sugar trees is called a "sugar bush".
--When the sap flows it's "sugar weather".
--Place where the sap is boiled down into syrup is a "sugar house or "sugar shack".
--The word "sugar" is used more than "syrup" in industry lingo because the sap was made into hard sugar instead of syrup because it was more easily preserved.

Here are some nutritional facts about maple syrup:
--Maple syrup contains as much calcium as does whole milk.
--Good source of potassium, manganese and zinc.
--Contains trace amounts of other minerals, vitamins and amino acids.
--Low in sodium.
--No fat or cholesterol.
--Lowest in calories of all the natural sweeteners.

The ingredients of pure maple syrup: pure maple syrup.

The ingredients of Mrs Butterworth syrup: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Water, Salt, Cellulose Gum, Molasses, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Natural and Artifical Flavor (Caramel Color, Corn Syrup), Artificial Flavor, Citric Acid, Caramel Color, Mono and Diglycerid.

Now you tell me which one you think is better for you....the God-given one that is nutritious and only has one ingredient OR the man-made stuff that has no nutrition what so ever in it.....actually it will probably pull nutrients out of you to digest it?


On to the process of making maple syrup:

When syrup making temperatures look like they are going to hold out for a while, you start the process by putting a whole in the tree....we call it "tapping the tree". Sugar and black maple trees are best to tap. If you start too soon your holes will dry up before the real flows start and you will have to retap-- so it is a bit of a guessing game at this point as to whether it's time to tap or not. After the hole is drilled, you hammer in the spiels (the thing that directs the flow of the sap out of the tree) and put on a bucket holder.

After the bucket holder is on, someone needs to follow with a bucket that has had a lid put on it (this keeps out rain, snow and other unwanted stuff) and hang it on the tree. Walking around in the woods and carrying all the items you need from tree to tree in this weather can be exhausting as the snow can still be deep and hard to walk in....or it's wet and muddy everywhere. Our farm has a little over a hundred buckets to hang. My mom volunteers to help us make syrup as she wants to do it 'for the exercise'...gotta lover her...she's getting her exercise alright. She is a big help! Thanks mom.

It is kind of neat to walk through the woods and see all the buckets hanging and listening to the pinging of the sap dropping in them.

Now we've gotta get that sap out of the woods! After the buckets are full, they need to be collected and this can be a great chore at times. Early spring is not the best time to be trying to get around (at least in our low lying woods) as you have to navigate through spots like these to get in and then hope you can get back out with a wagon fully loaded without getting stuck. This is all melting ice that you see in this picture.

In the middle part of our woods, we have a dry stream bed that flows through it and it's NOT dry in the spring. I am sometimes amazed that we don't get stuck more than we do. When this picture was taken, we had over a foot of snow on the ground that was melting (last winter we had a big snow storm that come after the seasoned started and getting around was just horrible). After the snow and the top layer of ground had melted this time, it was another real challenge! When it was time to collect sap, because it was so bad out, the fear of getting stuck was very high on the list. We decided to park the wagon in the higher dry spots and bring the sap to the wagon instead of the wagon to the sap. It's not easy walking through all this plus also carrying 2 five gallon buckets full of sap...and not to spill any of it. We've talked about going the tubing route, but we are not quite big enough to warrant the cost....and that has it's own set of problems.

After the sap is collected, it is brought up to the sugar shack in the back yard so it be watched while it boils down. Yeap- it's a shack, it's not anything pretty, but it works! What you see in the picture is the steam coming off in the boiling down process. It takes a good deal of wood to keep the fire going so it can stay boiling. Someone has to keep stoking it and adding more sap as needed....and round up wood when required.

When enough of the water has been boiled out of the sap, it is maple syrup--well almost-- it's not quite ready yet. We take it off, get another batch going if we have it, and move the boiled down batch to the next stage.

It is now brought indoors for a final consistency check. After that is completed, it's ready for filtering (which is what is being done in the picture above). The filtering process gets out all the twigs/leaves, ants, syrup sand, etc. This can be a slow process especially at the end when the filter is plugging up. Every batch is different in how fast it goes through the filter but it never seems to go through fast enough. When it is done being filtered, it is graded (by it's color) then we need to reheated so it can be bottled.

Now we have maple syrup!

Maple syrup does has many uses beside pancakes. Use it as a natural sweetener in coffee, tea, milk shakes or smoothies. It is delicious on oatmeal, granola and grapefruit. Maple syrup adds a wonderful flavor in baked beans and baked apples. It is a great glaze for meats or vegetables like sweet potato, squash, carrots. Many baked goods are yummy with maple syrup added for sweetness and flavor. There is also a cleanse program called 'The Master Cleanse' that uses it too for it's nutritional qualities.

Some people complain about the price of maple syrup but hopefully you will get an idea of why that price is justified as there is quite a bit of labor that goes into making it. Real maple syrup is, by far, more nutritious (and tasty) than its 'competition'. You should expect more from your food.

With all that, I want to encourage you to get some today and enrich your life by adding some pure maple syrup to your diet. We now have some new 2009 maple syrup to offer but don't wait too long to get yours as it is many times sold out by the time we make more the following year. Small containers are welcomed specialty gifts for family and friends or a great addition to a gift basket.

louise