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Some days I blog w/o checking for errors . If typos bother you, please e-mail. I'll correct them.

Feb 28, 2010 23ºF
- another nice day

Since we're running low on hay around the place to feed the cattle, goats & sheep, I thought I'd start up the Oliver tractor (w/snow blower) to blaze a trail north of the creek to get access to more round bales.  Yeah... OK.  The snow was pretty deep in some areas and just a few inches in others.  As I was blowing the snow away from a row of bales, the blower quit.  When I looked at the PTO shaft, I saw that it was on the ground.  I got out of the cab to take a closer look.  The piece of the blower shaft that attached to the PTO of the tractor broke.  Crap, crap, crap!  Oh well, back to the place, it doesn't look as though I was meant to blow.  I'll have to get Farmer Mike to order the part I need, then have him fix it at his shop.

- a new blog

For the last few days, I have been working on a new blog www.CoyoteRidgeFarms.com/blog Tomorrow I will start using it.  I need to apologize in advance... the blog page(s) does not match this site.  I have contacted a programmer to help me correct this problem.  It's a Wordpress™ blog and I know very little about Wordpress templates.  So until I get the blog to match this site, we're stuck with green barn board.  Had I know how advanced Wordpress is, I would have started out with one of their blogs and I wouldn't need to post about it.  lol.  Lesson learned, I guess

Feb 27, 2010 27ºF
- it's getting warmer

After feeding the goats and cattle their hay, I wondered how I could further enjoy our 'warm' weather.   Although not exactly being outside, I decided to do a little electrical wiring in the barn.  In the winter we have a few too many extension cords hanging from the rafter... today I would eliminate some of them.  I wired 2 surface mount outlets between 3 of our small pens.  It will so much safer now and look better.

After my little wiring job, I decided to run our new phone line into the house.  A few days ago, the phone company installed a temporary line to the house.  Once the ground thaws in April or May, they will bury it, but until then, it will remain above-ground/snow.  Anyway, the phone dude brought the wire to the house and it was my responsibility to go from there.  Well, I am happy to say, "We now have a land-line."  Right now, we are using a borrowed phone from Carol's friend Kristine.  When using the phone it 'ticks'.  I'm not sure if it's the phone or the lines.... but it's better than using 2 tin cans and a string.

As I write this, I can smell Carol's oven-fried chicken cooking away.  I can hardly wait to eat.  I'm hungry.

Feb 25, 2010 -15ºF
- it's getting warmer

Working out doors was quite pleasant today, with only a slight breeze.  After chores, I decided to check the automatic waterer, as I haven't done so in some time.  When I got to the location of the waterer I was surprised to see only a few inches of it showing above the snow.  I sure hope we don't get any more of the white stuff.

After lunch I decided to work on a real blog for the site.  With so many folks using rss & xml news readers, I figured I needed to improve the site's blog format.  I have been working on a wordpress™ blog.  I'm not sure if I have enough time to learn how to write a wordpress template to match our site layout, so please don't expect the new blog to look like the one you're reading now.  I have been playing with a behind-the-scenes settings of the new blog.  If I get thing to where I want it, I will start publishing on the new blog on the 1st of March.  If you want a sneak peek go here.

Feb 24, 2010 -15ºF
- why is it s-s-so c-c-c-cold

For most of the day we were 30º colder than we should be for this time of the year.  With the ice-box temps. came ice-box ice.  The water in the house was frozen harder than usual.  We finally got all of the water [in the house] thawed by noon.  Usually it just takes a few minutes to thaw the pipes in the morning - today it took hours.

Carol reminded me to post that we received a phone call yesterday about the high tunnel grant. Our paperwork is in order and hopefully we will be hearing soon whether we will receive the grant. The waiting game isn't always fun.

Feb 23, 2010 12ºF
- what a difference a day makes

OK, that was a mistake.  I should have brought gas out to the tractor yesterday when it was "warm".  Today, we had brisk temps with horrible winds.  I believe the winds reached 25-30 MPH with gusts nearing 35 MPH.  It was freaking cold folks, Believe you me.  With that said, I did walk the half mile out to the pasture with a gas can in hand, got the 560 tractor started and drove it back... so... I could get some hay, drive it back out to the pasture and give it to the cattle.  Then drive the tractor back home again.  Gosh I was cold. 

But, instead of going straight into the house to warm up, I decided to give the goats and sheep a new bale of hail.  Usually, feeding the goats hay is a 2 person job, but our dog Candle is maturing and is taking a more active role with the animals.  With the gate open, Candle kept the goats and sheep from exiting the winter pen.  She did a great job.

Feb 22, 2010 17ºF
- a symbol of America

While I was out in the pasture, feeding the cattle their hay, I saw a solo Bald Eagle.  I could do little more than watch this magnificent creature slowly glide above and along the valley, where the Shakopee Creek flowed 3 months prior.

On my way back from feeding the Highlanders, the tractor ran out of fuel.  It chugged, spit and sputtered... then went quiet... allowing me to get a little exercise.  By the time I got back to the farm place I was a wee bit chilly.  I'll get the tractor tomorrow.

Feb 21, 2010 18ºF
- summer sausage... good

We tried our homemade lamb summer sausage... it tasted pretty good.  I was hoping for something a little spicier, but for this being the very first time we made this type of food, it was hailed as a complete success - 2 thumbs up.  I would have recommend that this sausage is more of a cheese & crackers style of meat and not so much for sandwiches.  Carol did fry some sausage medallions for breakfast.  They were tasty.

I forgot to mention that, yesterday, Carol and I tasted the Feta cheese she made (I tried it a few hours after she did... incase it was poison... lol).  Unless you really enjoy your cheeses, we feel this cheese is for salads and not snacking on... it's a bit tangy from the buttermilk and lightly seasoned from the olive oil & herbs.  I would best describe the taste of this cheese as lightly complex.

homemade feta cheese marinating in olive oil & herbs

And.... our chickens are starting to lay again.  We first started finding a frozen egg or 2, then a single non-frozen and yesterday Carol and the kids found several good eggs.  Although our temperatures are well below normal (averages are in the low 20's yet) we're hopefully thinking that spring is nearly here.

Feb 20, 2010 28ºF
- if I only had a camera

When I went out to pasture feed the cattle, I noticed on of my red females taller than the the others.  As I approached the group, I saw why.  The red heifer that looked so tall was, in fact, standing on a hay rack eating hay.  Some time ago I brought a rack with some hay bales frozen to the deck.  I thought I would let the cattle work at getting the hay eaten... let them d the work instead of me.  It sure was a sight though, to see one of them on that rack.

In the barn, Carol & Madison helped a doe (Large Marge) deliver her offspring.  Unfortunately, one of the kids was a 2 headed, partial mummified blob of grayish-purplish-brown gooey stuff (if you want to see it... click here).  The other was a still-born buckling.  Even though the buckling was dead, mama insisted she care for it.  That's when Carol gave her a different does buckling.  We switched the dead baby for a live one.  Marge didn't miss a beat.  Instantly, she nudged the new buckling to suckle and the rest is history.  She's a very proud mama.  The question may be, "Why the heck did we take a baby from one goat and give it to another?"  The buckling was a twin and the mother only has milk on one side of her udder and 2 babies were nursing her dry... she now only has one to care for.  It's a win-win situation.

Back at the house, we took the summer sausage out of the fridge (where it had spent the night) at stuck it into the oven to dry in 170º heat.  The summer sausage is approx. 30% pork & 70% lamb (both grass fed).  We're excited to see how it turns out.  Once the meat hit 165ºF, I took it out of the oven.

homemade pork/lamb summer sausage

Feb 19, 2010 16ºF
- another busy day

Carol and I went to the USDA-NRCS office to sign papers for federal High Tunnel Project.  It's a grant program.  We thought the cost-share of the project was $1.89/sq ft (up to $4117), but sense we're beginning farmers we qualify for $4923 towards a 2,178 sq ft hoop-house.

Carol canned chicken a few quarts of chicken and we also started making summer sausage.  We spooned a cured meat mixture of 30% pork and 70% lamb into some summer sausage casings.  There is approx. 11.5 oz in each stick.  Before we cure the summer sausage, we need to age it overnight in the fridge.  Tomorrow, it'll go into the oven on a low heat setting for a few hours.  Of the 7 sticks, 2 of them are smoked flavored.

Yesterday's baby goats all seem to be doing well.  Since it was so cold during the night-time hours, we have set-up a few home made warming barrels for the babies to sleep in.  They are life-savers.

Feb 18, 2010 23ºF
- so many babies

In the last 20-24 hours we've had 3 sets of baby goats born - 5 babies total and 13 baby bunnies.  I can honestly say that all have been in the house at one time today.  The good news is that all goat babies seemed healthy and were able to return to their mothers in the barn.  The reason we brought them in is that it was so cold that by the time mama had them licked clean, the core temp of the baby goats dropped and they couldn't/wouldn't suckle.  We brought them inside to warm-up and dry-off in front of fireplace... then back out they went.

Feb 17, 2010 25ºF
- phone calls

YIKES!  The morning started out brisk.  While Carol and I enjoyed our morning cup of Joe, we saw the temp come up from -2ºF to 1ºF.  So far it has been a cold Feb.  They say that our Dec. average high temp was 3ºF lower than normal.  Well, that ain't nothing.  I found a weather service website for our area... so far Feb. is 5ºF below normal and it looks like it will be even lower as the month finishes.  For those of you who are not from Minnesota, this area's average high temperature for Feb. is 26ºF.  I realize that may not sound very warm, but it is telling us that spring is only 2 months away.

Due to our daughter's heavy medical concerns, we spoke with the health agency that oversees her care.  It looks like we will be getting a land-line here at the farm.  For the last 1½ yrs, we have been emailing all her med. info.  The days when our internet is down... we wait.  A phone/fax line will make things so much easier.  The company we are working with has a program called Lifeline.  It gives us a 50% discount on billing and installation because of our daughter's disabilities.  If I had to guess, I would suspect that most companies have a similar program.

While in the barn doing chores, I got a call from the Ag instructor at our local community college.  He is a farm economy/business expert.  We have an appointment to visit with him on March 2 at 10:30 AM.  He will help us develop an ag./farm business plan and such.  He works with Minnesota Farmer Assistance Network (MFAN), helping new farmers get on track financially.  We look forward to meeting with him.

At the close of the day when we were separating babies out of the main goat pen, Carol found a baby goat.  WHAT?  Who's the mama?  Carol looked and eventually found the doe.  It was Lucy, one of the very first dairy does on the farm.  Lucy is an experienced doe and was pretty comfortable with the situation.  We separated mom and baby from the herd and put them in their own pen so they could bond without too many distractions.  The baby was a Alpine looking doeling and seems quite healthy.

Feb 16, 2010 16ºF
- bring hay home

I finally got the dozen round bales to the place.  These bales were north of the creek and I can only haul one at a time, so it makes for a cold couple of days.  I think the weather man reported that our wind-chills were -0ºF.  The last few days, we had some harsh weather move in, schools were cancelled or late... and it seemed as though I had to start-up the Oliver tractor a blow snow so we could get around.  We would blow snow one day and it seemed when we turned around, the snow would be drifted in again.

This morning, before I brought hay home, Carol and I loaded Dopey (our farm hog) into the horse trailer.  We were waiting for a call from the butcher to tell us we could bring him in.  Around 1:30PM we got the call.  We knew the pig was big but had no idea he was as big as he was.  Hanging on the hook, the scale showed about 320 lbs.  We asked the butcher to cut us some pork belly the length of bacon.  Carol is going to try to cure and smoke our own bacon... it's much more healthy... yeah, yeah... I know that one should not put the words healthy and bacon into the same sentence, but when I say healthy, I mean w/o the nasty nitrates and/or nitrites.  The smoking method we are going to try is an oven smoke method... not the real smoker style.  After 6+ hours in a smoker and the meat will contain more free radicals than a PETA convention.  Don't get me wrong, we would still eat it, but neither Carol nor myself are big fans of a heavy smoke flavor.  We're afraid that since we don't know what we're doing, we'll ruin the meat with too much smoky flavor.

Feb 10, 2010 -18ºF
- facebook for beginning farmers?

What a surprise the temp was this morning... -18ºF.  We did not see that coming.  Do what you need to do outside and then get the heck back inside.  Brrrr!

I want to officially announce our 'Small Farm & Sustainability' Facebook Group is up and running.  Since it's inception, the group has been attracting members and visitors alike.  We invite you to take a look at our group and if you find it helpful, motivating or think some of your FB friends could use the info, please join us and invite you homesteading buddies (urban and rural).
Click here for more info...

Feb 09, 2010 18ºF
- a letter to Al Juhnke: make raw milk legal

It's been 6 months since the State of Vermont has legalized the open sale of raw milk by small producers.  I thought it was time again to contact my area Representative (and Ag Finance Chair) Al Juhnke to see if we can't get this raw milk thing moving again.  Some of you may remember that back in May, 2009 I sent Mr. Juhnke (and others) an email about the prospect of legalizing the open sale of raw milk.  I also replied to his reply, mentioning what Vermont was trying to pass.  On July 01, 2009, Vermont passed the bill to, essentially, making raw milk available to those who wanted it.  They adopted a 2 tier system for producers... but not allowing the sale of more than 40 gallons of raw, unpasteurized milk per day. more info... Those selling raw milk would need to conform to a few regulations... as they should.

I sent him the link to the webpage that contained the info bout the passage of the bill into law, as it briefly outlines the specifics of the bill.  I'm hoping he will introduce this info in front of some of his colleagues.  I urge all of you to do the same... Whatever state you live in, contact those who can help you make a difference.

Our big overnight snow storm never really seemed to materialize. On the ground overnight, we might have received another inch of snow.  Since we had some light drifting, it did warrant the starting of the tractor so that I could blow the farm yard clear.  Also, I was able to blow a path out to the paddock.  In some places, I was cutting a path though 2 ft of snow.  I will bringing the cattle hay this afternoon... hopefully, I won't get stuck.

here's the old farm tractor sitting so proudly after feeding the cattle in the pasture

As you can see from the photo above I was able to get out to the paddock in order to pasture feed the cattle a half dozen or so hay bales.

Feb 08, 2010 5ºF
- winter storm warning

We woke-up to about a half a foot of new snow on the ground, with a temp of 9ºF (and slowly dropping).  Nearly all of the local schools closed for the day.  This storm had the potential of getting ugly.  We did chores without any surprise babies, but Carol did find baby bunnies this afternoon - 8 healthy little kits.

here is a nest box with 8 kits.  they are less than 2 hr old.  bunnies are born deaf, blind & hairless

I wanted to clear some snow before the storm drops the last few inches of it overnight.  The Oliver tractor started without too much trouble... which surprised me since it wasn't even plugged in.  I soon started blowing the snow near the barn and while I blazed the trail, I noticed brownish liquid on the snow, following the tractor... hmmmm.  I didn't see anything come from the engine and the gauges looked good.  I decided to stop to look at the engine.  I noticed that hydraulic fluid was pouring out from under the cab.  I quick checked the right side of the inside the cab... the floor was now covered with fluid.  I shut-down the engine.  On inspection, one of the power steering hoses blew.  I called Farmer Mike, explained the situation and he gave me his opinion.  I was able to remove the hose and I then made a call to a local parts store in Willmar (10 miles away).  The store I called was CD&T.  They told me that they don't make hydraulic lines like the one I described, but felt if I was able to bring the line in they could come up with something.  They were right... the did come up with something.  When I got home I replaced the line with the new hose... the fix was a quick one.  I was able to finish clearing the snow from the farm site.

The roads to Willmar were nasty.  The visibility was limited and there were plenty of vehicles in the ditch.  I would say that 85% of the roadway was ice covered and 10% was snow covered... it was not a nice drive.  Traffic movement was at 40mph.  It snowed from the time I left and the wind was starting to pick-up upon my return.  The weather report has winds hitting 25-30mph by this evening.  With that kind of wind, we won't be able to tell of it's snowing or not - visibility with be next to nothing.  The schools are already 2 hrs late.  More snow blowing perhaps?

Feb 06, 2010 25ºF
- it's a boy x2

While I was out in the field, blowing snow away from our round hay bales, I got a call from my little sister Amber.  Last night (around midnight) she gave birth to a one week old baby boy.  lol.  I say 1 week old as the little guy was WAY late.  This is her first child.  I hear her, her husband, the baby AND the grandparents are all at their Arkansas home enjoying that new baby smell.  Congrats Sis.  Although the delivery may have been a tough one, she can honestly say that it was the easiest birth she's ever experienced.

Carol, on the other hand, went out this morning to check on one of the farm's pregnant Oberhasli does.  Instead of finding goat babies, she found a little lamb, sleeping outside...next to it's mother.

here's the newest lamb that Carol found this morning - 50% Katahdin

Later in the afternoon, the Oberhasli doe that Carol has been watching finally gave birth.  The fruits of her labor produced a set of twin doelings.  Unlike our sheep, these little girls are purebred Obers.

Feb 05, 2010 32ºF
- NAIS is dead

Faced with stiff resistance from ranchers and farmers, the Obama administration has decided to scrap a National Animal Identification System program intended to help authorities quickly identify and track livestock in the event of an animal disease outbreak.  For more info click here.

- Deadline is March 12

Just a reminder. The sign-up for this year's EQIP's conservation Organic Initiative is March 12, 2010. $50 million has been allocated. The Organic Initiative is administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and is available in all states and all counties through local field offices.  For more info click here.

Feb 04, 2010 16ºF
- a free service from the MN Dept. of Ag.

Two weeks ago, I emailed Kevin Plante, Coordinator of Minnesota Farmer Assistance Network (MFAN).  The MFAN, a free service of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, was developed in response to the struggling economy (Nov 2009) and to address the needs of beginning farmers and farmers facing financial challenges. The MFAN network draws upon the expertise of experienced financial analysts from several organizations working together to help farmers.

These experts provide business and financial guidance to farm families on a variety of topics including financial statement preparation, debt restructuring, business reorganization and farm transition.  Several states, including Texas, have programs like this one.  To download the MFAN Resource Guide click here.

Today, Mr. Plante emailed me back, mentioning that I should expect a call from a local agriculture expert.    At the end of the day I received my call.  On Wed. a gentleman will be coming out to the farm to meet with Carol and I to help us develop a formal farm business plan.  I'm pretty excited.  I already have our farm's mission statement, "To produce quality, grass-based livestock with a focus on low-cost feeding and wealth accumulation."

Feb 02, 2010 8ºF
- baby Ober

Carol came running to the house when she should have been milking this morning... I was thinking the worst.  In a somewhat frantic voice, she told me she needed help in the barn, a doe was in labor and the baby was coming out backwards.  OH CRAP!  In our experience, backwards ain't good.  We grabbed the the goat medic box and headed to the barn.  Sure enough, out the back of the doe was an upside-down hoof.  Carol found the 2nd hoof and gently pulled it forward.  Then, with the assisted push of the doe, we had a good sized, healthy Oberhasli buckling.  Mother and baby are doing well.

*** Correction:  We have two new bucklings -  the Oberhasli and a crossbred buckling.  Last year, we sold a black dairy buck (Star) to an area farm.  A few months ago, Carol purchased a set of bred does from the same farm.  Today, one of those does had her baby... and the newest buckling looks just like the buck we sold last year.  Sorry Maury Povich, we think we know who the daddy is.

Feb 01, 2010 12ºF
- more snow

We got more snow today than we wanted for the month - approx 2" when the monthly average is only .69"... hmmm.

This morning, after chores, I headed to the neighbor's place to help sort cattle.  It seems it was time to cull some of the old girls out of their milking herd, a couple large steers and a bull.  The livestock hauler wasn't in too much of a hurry, so our neighbor asked his opinion on some feeder calves.  The question asked was this, "what do we need to do to get the most cash for the 225-300 lbs calves?"  The question was simple enough... the answer disgusted and disappointed me.  The guy looked the calves over... noticing that the calves were castrated and de-horned.  Then he asked my neighbor if the calves had one round of shots or two.  The reply was that they hadn't had any yet.  The trucker said if one wants top dollar for their calves, the calves must have all their shots.  HUH!?  Is this how everyone wants their beef... shot up with antibiotics!?... then given sub-therapeutic antibiotics until they hit the supermarket meat case? 

Even though our farm is in transition for becoming certified organic, I believe that one can raise animals perfectly fine without being organic, but to 'dope' calves and to continue to contaminate the animal with unnecessary medications is irresponsible.  It's disgusting.  How ignorant does one need to be to not figure out that if his/her animals need to be given antibiotics all it's life, maybe s/he should care and feed them differently. 

We as farmers and ranchers are given the responsibly to care for our animals the best we can.  Can anyone honestly say that keeping a healthy critter on medications is best for them?  I doubt it.