Farming in the shade

Friday Fun Farm Facts

2012-01-27T08:39:00.000-05:00

Did you know?

Total farmland in Michigan is approximately 10 million acres. There are approximately 56,014 farms in Michigan with farmers caring for those 10 million acres. The average farm size is approximately 179 acres.

Production agriculture, food processors and related businesses employ about one million Michiganders.

Michigan's agriculture is second only in diversity to California. Imagine that!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T14:55:00.002-05:00

Blooming Yarn and Random Musings

2012-01-24T20:13:00.003-05:00

Soaking some yarn to make it "bloom" so that The Farmer can knit socks with it. Unwashed (as in straight off the cone) yarn is too crunchy to knit socks with.

The past couple of weeks have been filled with doctors appointments, claim forms, and prescriptions. Man, are there a lot of people sick in my family. Honestly, The Farmer hasn't been truly well since before Thanksgiving. He finally succumbed to a sinus infection about two weeks ago. He still isn't well, even after a round of antibiotics. One of our daughters is dealing with a mild medical condition and another daughter is dealing with a slightly less mild medical condition.

This leads me to wonder aloud why it is okay to take antibiotics when you have an infection, but not okay to give antibiotics to an animal when it gets an infection. Organic standards do not all make sense to me--especially those regarding animal care. Which is why our crops are organic and our animals are not. Would you or your family members pass for "organic"?

Despite the lovely pictures of last week, yesterday's weather catapulted us right back into mud season. Lots of rain melted all that beautiful snow. Both melted snow and rain combined to turned everything nasty. Today the wind and cold fixed that somewhat, but the farm is still brown and barren-looking.

I might just post a lovely picture from LAST week on the blog tomorrow for Wordless Wednesday. After all who wants to look at mud?

Friday Fun Farm Facts--Food Costs

2012-01-20T08:41:00.003-05:00

U.S. Consumers spend just 10% of their disposable income on food each year, while those in other countries spend much more.*

Comparison to other countries:

Pakistan - 50% of disposable income

Jordan - 43% of disposable income

Philippines - 38% of disposable income

China - 32% of disposable income

Japan - 14% of disposable income

Of the 10% of disposable income Americans spend on food each year, 58% is for food eaten at home and 42% is for food eaten away from home.**

* Based on a 5-year average of data from 2003-2007.

**Figures for all other countries are for food consumed at home. As food consumed at home is less expensive, the gap between these countries and the U.S. would be even greater if food consumed away from home was added.

--info from the American Farm Bureau Federation Food & Farm Facts booklet

Discouraged? Me?

2012-01-19T15:51:00.002-05:00

This has been a full week of media coverage of farms and farm issues. Tuesday The Farmer and I went to a webcast talk by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms fame. I have mixed feelings on Mr. Salatin's approach to farming--I love his article "Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal" but have issues with how he "makes a living farming" by taking in unpaid interns and by earning honorariums speaking around the country.

Today I read that agriculture and animal science are considered to be among the most useless college degrees (according to Yahoo, so I'm not giving it much weight, but still...).

Within the last few weeks, I found out that two local businesses that we are involved with are sympathetic to the work of the Humane Society of the US. I can't tell you how much the HSUS leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Do your homework before you support them. HSUS is an activist group that is very good at raising money to promote its causes. Its causes include eliminating animal agriculture, pet ownership and the eating of meat. All things that are sort of dear to my heart.

Yesterday McDonald's launched its PR campaign called "Meet The Farmers." The vitriolic comments on twitter and other social media were astonishing. There's a lot of folks who hate McDonald's and by extention, anyone who raises food for McDonald's menus. I'm not one who advocates a steady diet of Mickey-Ds, but they only sell what people buy.

I guess I'm glad that agriculture is in the news. I just wish I didn't feel like most of the news was an onslaught against farming in the US.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T07:07:00.001-05:00

Finally, Some Snow!

2012-01-16T21:44:00.004-05:00

Last week it felt like March or April here on the farm. We were flirting with 50 degrees there for a couple of days. Strange.

This is more normal for this time of year...

Saturday morning everyone was gone. The Farmer was milking cows for a friend. The boy was at a robotics meeting. One girl wasn't home yet from college for the weekend, and another was helping a friend pick out wedding dresses.

I had nothing that couldn't wait 'til after a walk. We planted this tree line several years ago. It's grown up nicely.

Though I saw no hard evidence of it, I'm sure the tree line provides wildlife cover.

Even the compost piles had a white top dressing.

It was a lovely day for a walk.

This fence is at the back of our property. I love looking at the trees just on the other side. I may even have woods-envy.

What's the weather like in your area?

Friday Fun Farm Facts

2012-01-13T08:17:00.000-05:00

Did you know?

Wool is an excellent insulator. Wool fibers trap a great deal of air between each other, giving wool great warmth for little weight. Wool feels warm since fewer fibers touch the skin compared with other fabrics, so less heat is conducted away from the skin. Smooth cotton sheets feel cold. Fleecy wool blankets feel warm.

Cassoulet

2012-01-12T10:24:00.001-05:00

I come from a very limited bean background. Baked beans were regular fare, as was chili with kidney beans and ground beef. But I think that was the extent of our bean-eating. I like to joke that with a garden full of yummy veggies and Angus beef (and sometimes homegrown, pastured turkeys) filling the freezer, why would we ever eat beans? So now you know my food heritage. Meat and potatoes, with a side of veggies.

So I had never heard of cassoulet. One of our bean customers shared this recipe, and I thought I'd try it before I posted it. She seems to be one of those gifted, creative cooks who throws together wonderful food dishes on the fly, so I questioned her closely about some of the ingredients. How much? What kind? I purposely did not google cassoulet, as I wanted to use what I had on hand, and didn't want exotic ingredients (like duck?!?) to spoil my enthusiasm.

Here is the recipe as it was given to me. My comments are below...

Soak and cook legumes of choice until tender. Brown crumbled sausage and set aside. Sauté chopped onion and garlic until translucent. Add one jar home canned tomatoes, herbs and spices. Add cooked beans, sausage, and chopped kale. Cook until kale is wilted. Season to taste.

When I questioned her, Cody said she likes to use Creswick Farms' Moroccan lamb sausage. She also said "spices" can include an italian mix--like basil, oregano, parsley--in addition to fennel seed and a bit of cayenne.

I did not measure out the pinto beans that I quick soaked and cooked, but I probably used between one and two cups, dry. I used Eckrich smoked sausage (because that was handy). I chopped a medium sized onion and 3 cloves of garlic. I used the suggested spices, with the exception of fennel seed. Had some celery seed instead and so used a bit of that. I used a pint of home canned tomato "relish", which is chopped tomatoes, onion and assorted peppers. And, since I did not have kale, I substituted turnip greens. I served it with corn bread, because it sounded good to me. The photo below is of the cassoulet before the turnip greens were added:

It was good! I'll definitely make it again. Thanks, Cody!

This is January?

2012-01-11T11:40:00.002-05:00

Crazy weather. Our part of the world is known for snow and endless gloomy days at this time of the year. Yet today I have jeans and rugs drying on the line. And it is Day 9 (in a ROW) of sunshine.

The Farmer is taking advantage of the nice weather to do jobs that are much harder in the snow. (He's spurred on by the weather report of an impending snowstorm.) He moved three piles of skids around to the back of the sheep barn, so they won't be in the way on Shearing Day. We put skids (or pallets) under the hay stacked in the barn. Hay stored directly on a concrete floor molds from the excess moisture in the floor.

He moved load after load of compost from the compost building to the storage/finishing pad. He filled up all the feed barrels with oats and corn, to make daily feeding easier.

We really should be working on bookkeeping (in preparation for taxes). But we just can't bear to do unpleasant indoor jobs when the weather is so nice!

Friday Fun Farm Facts

2012-01-06T08:29:00.001-05:00

Did you know?

Over four million tons of sugar beets are processed every year.

Michigan produces more than one billion pounds of sugar annually.

There are approximately 1,100 sugar beet farms, totalling more than 150,000 acres.

Moving the Sheep Inside

2012-01-02T14:44:00.002-05:00

Three days ago we had unseasonably warm weather, but they predicted wind and snow coming. They were (at least partly) right.

We could have moved the sheep into the barn for the winter on that nice day. But we didn't. The truth is, they are not all that inclined to come in on nice days. They don't see the point of coming in, and they don't watch the weather forecast to see what's coming.

So yesterday, when the weather convinced them it was time to come in, we moved the sheep.

This is the latest we have ever moved sheep in. We've had essentially no snow. And while the sheep can surely handle snow (they're dressed for it, after all), we find it more difficult to feed them when there is a constant snow cover.

Happy New Year!

Friday Fun Farm Facts

2011-12-30T08:36:00.000-05:00

Did you know?

Annual per capita flour consumption in the United States is 141 pounds.

Wheat flour is an ingredient in many brands of licorice.

A Word to the Wise

2011-12-28T17:13:00.002-05:00

Watch out for stray yarn balls when you're vacuuming under the sock knitter's chair...

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T06:51:00.001-05:00

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned."

--Isaiah 9:2

Friday Fun Farm Facts

2011-12-23T08:30:00.000-05:00

Did you know?

Michigan soybeans have an economic impact of over $1 billion.

Nearly 7,000 jobs in Michigan result from the soybean industry.

Nearly two million acres of soybeans are planted annually in Michigan.

Friday Fun Farm Facts

2011-12-16T08:32:00.000-05:00

Did you know?

Wool is elastic. The crimp along the length of the wool fiber allows it to be stretched up to 50% of its length without breaking or to be crushed and resume its original shape. When released it "remembers" its original length and returns to it. That's why wool carpets remain springy, and wool clothing is resistant to creasing and recovers from wrinkling after hanging. This elasticity is also why 150 yards of wool yarn are used in an official baseball, and why wool felt covers piano hammers. Wool's elasticity also allows it to be bent 20,000 times without breaking (compared to 1,800 for silk or 70 for rayon), making wool garments very durable.

A Pep Talk for Handmade Small Businesses

2011-12-14T09:22:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite craft advocates (who is herself the owner of a small "handmade" business) wrote a quick piece late last night that has provided me with a little pep talk this morning as I struggle with shipping labels and packing tape.

You can read her blog post here.

And if you are still looking for a good gift for a crafty person in your life, I highly recommend her Craftsanity Magazines and her peg looms.

Now, back to the grindstone...

Recent News

2011-12-09T07:21:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we moved the Suffolk sheep into the barn for the winter. They were very eager to go. Suffolks have been bred to eat corn over the years. Deep down in their souls, they really don't understand what's so great about grass pasture. So when things get sparse in the late fall, they really get unhappy. They are now entering their last trimester of pregnancy, and it is good to have them inside where we can watch them a bit more closely.

Our timing couldn't have been better, as we woke up to 2" of snow this morning. The Polypay sheep are still out on pasture. Snow does not hurt the sheep (they are dressed for it, with their wool coats), but it covers over their food. Unlike Suffolks, Polypays understand what is so great about grass.

We will see if this is a temporary thing--the snow. We'll haul hay out for them (as we've actually been doing already to supplement the pasture) and see if the snow melts off.

In other news, we've been busy with our outdoor Christmas market.

If you're in the West Michigan area, be sure to stop out and say "hi" to us at the Kerstmarkt. We're open Friday the 9th from 3 - 8 pm and Saturday the 10th from 9 - 5.

Friday Fun Farm Facts

2011-12-02T08:25:00.000-05:00

Did you know?

A bushel of wheat contains approximately one million individual kernels, and yields approximately 42 pounds of white flour or 73 one-pound loaves of bread.

The average one-pound loaf of bread has 16 slices. 73 loaves of bread would have 1,168 slices and those slices would make 584 sandwiches.

New Child Labor Laws for Farms

2011-11-30T08:33:00.003-05:00

Not a lot of time to blog, but I am very concerned about the proposed changes to the child labor laws having to do with farms. As I understand it, if these changes are made, we would not be able to employ our own children on our farm, much less any other teens. Younger kids will not be able to help run the sheep into the chute for sorting, worming or shearing. Nor will they even be allowed to be involved with 4H, as it puts them in contact with animals. Too dangerous, I guess, to show a lamb at the county fair.

Here's a link to another blog post on the topic.

And here you can read about and comment on these proposed changes. The comment deadline has been extended to December 1.

Back to the sweatshop (where we regularly ask our kids to use dangerous tools like felting needles and sewing machines)...

Friday Fun Farm Facts

2011-11-25T08:20:00.001-05:00

Did you know?

Wool absorbs moisture. Although the outside of the wool fiber repels moisture, the inside of each fiber can absorb a lot of moisture. Wool can absorb as much as 30% of its weight without feeling wet to the touch (compared to only 8% for cotton and less than 5% for synthetics). Thus an inner wool garment can absorb perspiration without feeling clammy--the wearer feels less chilled in winter and more comfortable in summer. A very interesting characteritic of wool is that it actually liberates heat as it absorbs moisture. A single gram of wool gives off 27 calories of heat every time it goes from dry to wet. Wool actually helps to warm its wearer!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T21:07:00.006-05:00

This has been the year from Murphy in many ways, as just about everything that can have gone wrong, has. Maybe you've had a year like that. Downsized? Medical issues? Relationships strained or broken?

Gratitude is a decision. Habakkuk, an ancient prophet, had some nasty circumstances, too. Here's what he wrote:

"Though the fig tree does not bud

and there are no grapes on the vine,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will be joyful in God my Savior."

Join me as I give thanks, will you? Sometimes it helps to say (or type) it out loud.

I am thankful for...

...food in the cupboards

...farmers' markets and the new friends we've made there

...freedom to worship as we choose

...family, near and far

...forgiveness offered and received

...farming

What are you thankful for?

Snowballs?

2011-11-22T13:07:00.000-05:00

We've only seen a few flakes of snow so far this year. That's okay--I'm willing to wait until closer to Christmas for the stuff that sticks.

In the meantime, can you guess what these snowballs really are?

Last Saturday we sold out of wool dryer balls at the Kerstmarkt. We've been scrambling to make more for today's West Michigan Co-op drop off (had orders for them, and can bring extras for impulse buyers). And of course we'll need more for Friday and Saturday's Kerstmarkt. So we've been working on dryer balls. What did you guess?

Handmade Saturday

2011-11-20T14:41:00.008-05:00

I know. It's Sunday, and I'm a day late. Better late than never. Here are more of my favorite etsy sellers from West Michigan:

Sara of BySaraLynn offers handmade accessories and home decor, including this cute embroidered perpetual calendar, kanzashi fabric flower magnets, and picnic placemat sets.

Sally of SallyManke offers amazing art quilts, table runners, coiled rope tote bags, and flower pins made from zippers.

Jennifer of OneHauteHostess offers handmade wirewrapped coffee scoops, cake servers, letter openers and more.

Maria of MomNMiaQuilts makes more than just quilts. Keyfobs, carseat strap protectors, burp cloths, totes, hair accessories and art buckets are just some of the items in her etsy shop.