Greetings,
Our winter vacation from the market has been anything but a vacation! We have been busy working on several projects here at the farm. The largest one is putting up more fencing. And anyone that has done fencing knows what a job it is. But when we are finished, we will have almost twice the pasture area. With the drought continuing (-2.35″ in Jan.) we will need every bit of it unless there is a change in weather patterns.
We have been getting new calves, new pigs, and soon will be ordering new chicks for the spring. At present, there is still no independent chicken processer in the State. But one is nearing completion and hopefully will be in operation by the time we need them.
And we have been looking through seed catalogs trying to decide what seeds to order for the coming season.
As you may know, we are in a severe hay shortage because of the drought. We were fortunate enough to purchase enough hay to last through the winter. But others were not so lucky. The State has allocated $3.5M to ship in hay to sell to farmers. The Triad market is one of the drop-off points. What they didn’t tell is no one can buy the hay unless they register for a premises ID number. (see the Nov. 21 post on this blog) One lady was so frustrated she sent a letter to the News and Record which was published Jan. 12.
We share her feelings. It is unconscionable to us that the State would use a crisis to coerce people to register for a supposedly voluntary program.
We are making plans to return to the Triad market soon. I took a steer to the processor today but it will be two weeks before the beef is ready. So it will be about the middle of Feb. before our products will be ready for market. Tentatively, that should be Feb. 16. We will give you a further note to verify the exact date as it approaches.
When we do return to the market, we will have all cuts of pasture finished Jersey beef and homegrown pork. We will also have dry field peas and, if the weather cooperates, some early greens like kale and upland cress.
Although it is nice to have a break from the weekly market, I think we need to return to get a rest!
And we miss seeing all of you!
Blessings,
Joe Peterson
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