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Our family raises grass-fed cattle, pigs, laying hens, chickens, and turkeys in Washington State's Methow Valley. We care for our animals as nature intended: with an abundance of lush green grass on rotated pastures, with plenty of clean water, sunshine, and fresh air. We use no hormones, steroids, pesticides, genetically-modified feeds, or unhealthy grains. We are proud of the high quality beef, pork, eggs, chicken, and turkey we provide our customers. We practice traditional animal husbandry and pasture management. We farm this way because it's better for the animals, better for the environment, and better for you. |
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Spring is Finally Here – May 13, 2008 Our irrigation systems are up, and the grass is growing! We could really use some rain and warm nights to give the grass an extra boost. Our first run of broilers came last week and are thriving. Our heritage turkey chicks are growing and will soon be big enough to go in our poultry train on the lush pastures. Our piglets are now trained to the electric fence, so they are having great fun running up and down their pasture. Our laying hens started their pasture rotation a couple weeks ago, and their eggs really show the change in forage - yummy! Hope you all can make it to our Farm Tour and Potluck Sunday, May 25. Join us for farm tours at 10:30am and 1:30pm with the potluck at noon. Bring a side dish and join the fun! *** |
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I learned to care for our land and animals from my father, and from generations of ranchers before him  Louis Sukovaty
Managing an Ecosystem Spraying broad-spectrum nerve toxins isn't what I think of as organic agriculture. But when I wanted to buy a virus that attacks coddling moths, the seller suggested that what I really wanted was Entrust, an "organic" insecticide. He was wrong, I don't want to treat my land with a chemical toxic to a broad array of insects - beneficial and pest alike - regardless of whether the origin of the chemical is natural or synthetic. While a species-specific parasite exploits a niche and its use can help to check an out-of-balance proliferation of one pest, a broad-spectrum insecticide creates greater imbalance in an ecosystem. The intent of Entrust isn't to carefully manage an ecosystem, it's to make things easier for the grower. And to make a profit for the chemical company, of course. Our trouble as a society comes from trying to make a buck so we can buy something so the next guy can make a buck and buy something, and so on, especially when the things we buy are supposed to make things easier for us - to make less work. There's nothing wrong with work. Our quality of life depends on it. Think about it: are you happier sitting for hours in front of the tv, or when you have a meaningful task you can take on? Being an artisan is about knowledge and work. I believe proper animal husbandry requires the care of an artisan. |
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