In Canada, a small farmer with 99 or fewer hens can sell “ungraded” eggs at his/her gate, but nowhere else.  So a small farmer who sells eggs at the farmers market is breaking the law.   With prices for farmstead eggs skyrocketing, industrial egg producers are fighting back against what they see as an infringement on their territory.

“[Ungraded] eggs offer smaller producers a good revenue source. But this growing market for a different kind of egg is creating tension between the small farms that raise them and the egg marketing board that has helped to develop the mainstream egg industry in Canada and its large chicken farms.  This tension now is putting the future supply of this sought-after product in question as what some call the ‘egg police’ crack down on the grey market.”

What’s the risk of “ungraded” eggs? Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs says on its site,

“Eggs that are cracked, dirty, or leaking have a higher risk of Salmonella contamination…”

Indeed.  But even graded eggs have a risk of being cracked, hence the practice of checking the eggs in a carton before buying them.  And, as recent food recalls have shown, industrial food production does not guarantee food safety.  On the other hand, proper cooking also kills any salmonella that could be present.

Here’s another difference: graded eggs are required to be washed.  Ungraded eggs must be clean, but not necessarily washed, depending on state regulations.  When washing is not required, small farmers usually don’t– and many consumers prefer them this way because they stay fresh longer.

Here in Utah, a small farmer can sell eggs so long as they are not in a used egg carton, and so long as they are labeled “Ungraded.”   When we sold eggs, we sold them unwashed, unless they were dirty and required it.

(Suellen Hockey Photo)    BRISA

Pictures from last year. We are looking forward to having baby goats again

Today Chance Rain/Snow Hi 46 °F

Tonight Chance Snow Lo 31 °F

Tuesday Snow Hi 43 °F

Tuesday Night Chance Snow Lo 24 °F

Wednesday Chance Snow Hi 41 °F

National Weather Service: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?site=slc&smap=1&textField1=37.879583333333&textField2=-112.80625

You’re not seeing double.  One tankless water heater didn’t give us enough throughput, so we installed a second one just like it.

We chose tankless for two reasons: first, because it’s more efficient than a boiler.  And second, in the summer we’ll heat with solar and the inline design of the tankless makes it easy to bypass the heaters completely.

Will the two heaters give us enough heat transfer to pasteurize milk so we can make fresh cheeses?  We’re testing it right now!

This is Fern one of the three new goats we bought

SAM