Spring 2020 Newsletter
2020 is undoubtedly a crazy, unprecedented time for all of us. We have been staying busy on the 700-acre operation, and social distancing is definitely a built in amenity. With the industrial food system being exposed as a house of cards by this pandemic, we have experienced an increase in calls and requests for beef, lamb and pork- and even breeding stock. We have decided to grow our beef herd after downsizing it just 2 years ago. Our sheep flock continues to grow, as people discover the delicious benefits of grass-fed lamb.
We have a limited amount of pastured pigs this year and have already sold out. BUT- we have decided to keep one of the best young old spot gilts as a breeding sow for next year. So we will have more delicious forest fed pork in 2021. This decision was made after seeing the horrible fallout in the commercial pork system. Every happy, pastured/forested hog we produce, will be one less needed in the industrial world.
We just completed lambing season and have 125 healthy, bouncing lambs out on pasture. Calving season for us kicks off in two weeks. The grass is coming in slower than any recent year. It seems winter decided to hit us in April and May. I walked to check the sheep flock this morning and was greeted by 40mph winds, sleet, and freezing temps. Highland weather will try your sanity.
We are also re-introducing laying hens to the farm- with a new flock of Rhode Island Reds coming to the farm this week. We will have some local free -range eggs available from week to week. Unfortunately, our farm lodging business has been non-existent with the stay at home orders, and we are trying to decide how and when to re-open the cabin and Rainbow Springs lodge. We will hopefully announce that on Facebook in the next 2 weeks. Facebook page
Meat Shares for Fall 2020
100% Grass-Fed LAMB - We currently have freezer lambs still available for the fall. We are lowering the price this year to help all we can during this crisis. The lambs will be $5.75 per pound based on hanging weight (+ butchers fee) and will be ready in November. Our lamb and beef will be processed by T&E meats, in Harrisonburg. Please reserve yours now with a $100 deposit.
100% Grass-Fed Beef Shares – 3 beeves left. We are offering quarters (split halves) this year, as well as halves and wholes. We are still taking deposits- $150 for a quarter or half share. $300 deposit for a whole beef share. You pay the butcher fee directly to T&E meats. All prices are based on hanging weight. For example- an average hanging weight of a whole beef is approx. 550 pounds. So a quarter share would be 137.5 pounds X $4.50 per pound= $618.50 plus butchers fee. This usually would yield about 100 pounds of beef in a variety of cuts per your custom instructions for the butcher. We can help you with your cut instructions.
We hope you will support our farm. We are passionate about providing clean food and cherish our relationships with each one of you. Having relationships with local farmers has never been more critical. The future will require a sustainable, local focus on food. We will do our best, to be a part of this shift back to small farms across this country.
Stay safe!
Lou Ann and Chuck
