tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11268014727888083682024-03-14T02:19:40.644-05:00Across the Creek FarmAcross The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-22992425249055378272013-09-30T20:57:00.000-05:002013-09-30T20:57:07.523-05:00Importance of Automatic Waterers in Pastured PoultryWatering birds will literally wear you out. Water is dense, it's heavy, and chickens need a lot of it. In hot weather, chickens need EVEN MORE. At best, running out of water is just an inconvenience for the birds. At worst it is down right deadly. Usually, it's somewhere in between, and just costs you money.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlynheN5AQBzaQMeUl7py5RTXYZq6Nq75IQlhAMl-DAmw_B-C0xUBMfC45IbVlXUAwIT2idGISa_-duqiGXv4y5Lve-iTqcZe5WKtzp8FfzC38_kcsJTEHAgVaJmHlfxGF_pWfbdmOuH0/s1600/watering+system+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlynheN5AQBzaQMeUl7py5RTXYZq6Nq75IQlhAMl-DAmw_B-C0xUBMfC45IbVlXUAwIT2idGISa_-duqiGXv4y5Lve-iTqcZe5WKtzp8FfzC38_kcsJTEHAgVaJmHlfxGF_pWfbdmOuH0/s200/watering+system+.JPG" width="200" /></a>How? you might ask... Well, it's because they don't eat if they're thirsty, and if chickens don't eat, they don't put on meat. This is just as true for laying hens as broilers. Think about the water content of that egg that you crack open for baking or frying up in the skillet...there's a lot of water there. Dehydrated hens either won't lay or lay smaller eggs. Either way, I loose money.<br />
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When we scaled up last year into doing thousands of broilers, an automatic watering system was one of the top things on our list to figure out. I can't imagine life without it. I spend only a few seconds each day on watering birds, and right now I have around 3500 birds on grass or in the brooder. I'd been out of business before I even got started if I had to hand water all these birds.<br />
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The system is pretty simple. Pressurized line with feeder lines that connect to sets of pens. The pens are daisy-chained together and each pen has a Plasson bell waterer like the one to the right. I prefer the breeder waterers over the broiler models. With only a few parts, they're really reliable. When a part fails it's usually only around a buck to repair it and by extra parts for the next waterer malfunction to have on hand. Living in poultry country, only miles from the Corporate HQ of integrators like Tyson, Simmons, Peterson, and more, I can literally just run to the store and by parts for the waterers.<br />
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The labor involved in watering is one of the main reasons that poultry production moved to confinement systems in the mid 20th Century.<br />
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As I type this...I realize that I too need a drink of water too...haven't figured out a way to automize that. Guys, if you think it's getting a wife, you've got another thing coming. If anything, it's the other way...but that's a whole other topic <br />
<br />Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-68036110853879117152013-09-09T14:21:00.001-05:002013-09-09T14:21:38.855-05:00Pasture ImprovementsWe've been running birds on our leaseland for our second year now, and the results are starting to show up. What you're about to see is ground that hasn't had much in the way of rain lately. We had a pop up storm about a week and a half or so ago, but other than that, it's been dry and hot for around a month now (I think that we call that summer).<br />
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Here's ground that had 3 or four cylces of birds on it since we've been out. Notice that it's green, looks a little dry, but overall, looks like grass. This time of year mostly foxtails and some red top, or "greasy grass" here in the Ozarks.<br />
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Walk 40 or 50 ft to a spot that hasn't had any chickens, but is the same soil type with roughly the same aspect. Boom - dead, desiccated grass galore. You can see the forage composition is mostly the same, just looks like it's been under a blow drier...You'll also notice (or if you were standing out there you would if I pointed it out), that the grass cover is much thinner here. <br />
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So how does raising the chickens on pasture help the pasture out? Well, the manure (yes chickens poop, quite a lot actually) is very high in nitrogen and phosphorous. In fact, the poultry industry (yes, Tyson, Simmons and the like) actually made cattle farming possible in the Ozarks. Our soils were so poor that before litter from the chicken houses, it used to be around 10 acres to support a cow in a lot of places.</div>
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The manure directly adds organic matter to the field, which in turn attracts good critters like worms and dung beetles (which I've seen in poultry manure!) which take the fertility into the soil profile. It also stimulates the growth of grass, which as it grows, builds up massive root systems. When the grass is grazed by the birds or deer, trampled by the birds, or otherwise dies, a good portion of that chunk of roots dies adding more organic matter to the soil. Why's organic matter so important? Well, it acts as a long-term source of fertility, slowly breaking down over time and feeding plants, and more importantly these days, by acting as a moisture sponge that keeps the soil more moist for longer. </div>
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One thing two with the birds is that they tend to lay a pretty good "sheet" of manure on the grass, which forms a really good mulch. Over time/when it rains, this breaks down as well and creates a perfect seedbed for new little grasses and other plants to explode through the temporary chicken-induced mulch, fueled by the nitrogen and other nutrients ready available once we get a good rain. The trampling the birds do is also important because it gives new plants a niche to pop up and get established since the existing sward is broken up. </div>
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<br />Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-32215047766089707292013-08-26T22:22:00.002-05:002013-08-26T22:24:20.494-05:00Reefer Trailer I picked up a reefer trailer this year from my friends Andrea & Cody at Falling Sky Farm over in North Central Arkansas near Marshal. They'd picked it up cheap in the area - apparently it used to transport meat through the mountains from Jasper to Marshal back in the 70s-80s. Cody paid a guy to build a custom trailer to hold the box. Here's Cody and Andrea posing by the trailer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cody is total poser...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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It's a cold plate technology, meaning that there's a huge steel plate that freezes in the front of the trailer.I don't have a picture handy, but just imagine a huge metal plate that gets covered with ice, and you get the idea. One of the things that I have to do is mount a fan in there to help push the cool air around.<br />
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The first thing that we noticed is that this trailer pulled like a ton of bricks. That big huge fluid filled steel plate was at the very front of the trailer, which put all the weight on the hitch of my truck, instead of on the wheels and axles of the trailer. It also meant that it backed up squirrly.<br />
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So a friend of mine suggested some guys in the River Valley down by Ft. Smith that could rebalance the trailer. They got a big winch and winched the box off the trailer, and with a little welding here and there did a great job - here's the finished product.<br />
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Notice how far it is back on the trailer. That big heavy cold plate is right in front of the front wheel, right about where we'd want it to go. You can see here how it almost leans back towards the back of the trailer - a great improvement from the days when I had to use a floor jack to get it off the truck!<br />
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So now we've been working on getting the darn thing to run consistently. I take a lot of swings and misses here on the farm, and my capacity for patience is almost as great as those who deal with me on a regular basis. As you can see below, there's always plenty of opportunities to practice: <br />
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I've had a quick crash course in refrigeration, although I leave it in the hands of professionals. Turns out one of the things that I remember from my Chemistry is the Ideal Gas Law - PV=nRT. Who knew I would use it in the real world!?! There ought to be a reward for farmers who apply chemical laws throughout their day...<br />
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The latest hitch with the reefer unit turned out to be a bad start capacitor (I think), causing short cycling, where the unit would kick on and off after a couple of seconds - so basically making it useless. Now, I can plug it in (oh yeah, it runs off of 110v), and 24 hours later, it'll be around 30 degrees. Slap a generator on the front of the trailer and we're all set.<br />
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All told, it cost us around $5000 - which isn't bad when you consider it would run around $15,000 for a new trailer reefer unit. One of our friends leased one of these fancy new units and he said it was rickety and pretty flimsy. My experience is that when things were made in the 70s or 80s, flimsy usually never applies - unaerodynamic, ugly, or drug-induced possibly, but flimsy not so much.<br />
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The trailer is meant to haul around a 1000 birds, which we're getting around half that capacity per week. This is a good, necessary infrastructure buy for us. At some point, I'll get it swankied up with our logo painted on the side - but first I have to fix the tail lights...<br />
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<br />Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-2629095705404993912013-08-16T22:10:00.000-05:002013-08-16T22:10:04.756-05:00Out with the Old Genetics - CXSo we started this year off relying on the standard Cornish Cross (CX) for our farm. This was a year of a pretty big scale up for us - moving from 3,000 broilers to somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 by this December when we finish on up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just us and 9930 of our closest friends </td></tr>
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We noticed last year that the chick quality seemed to really be hit or miss. Some batches would be great, some would be not so great - and by not so great I mean lots of runts, leg problems, etc. When it comes to blame, I've come to realize that the first place I need to start is me and my farming/lack of farming skills. But there are advantages to scale, and one of them is almost daily feed back. When you run birds weekly, or bi-weekly as we did last year, and they're all on the same feed, running through the same system, if one batch has triple the rate of problems as the one following and preceding, well, essentially your holding production constant and the only variable to blame has been the flock.<br />
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So this year we switched hatcheries. We went with a Cobb 500 variety of the Cornish Cross. A couple of years back, you could get the Cobb 300s (or Ross 308s), which were tough as nails. These are the birds that you'd seeing driving around in the REALLY OLD chicken houses, before the ice storms wiped them out. Tough as nails, not nearly as sensitive to the environment and food changes, this is the bird of choice in developing countries still. There's some sacrifice of performance, but for us pasture folks, the hardiness of the 300s really made sense. But I couldn't find them, they'd been "phased out" and the 500 was the best thing that I could do (compared to what I assume are the diva like 700s...)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in the day before the automatic water system in the brooder</td></tr>
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Things started off great, then chick quality declined as we got into late spring and early summer - my guess is that the increased demand from the increasing popularity of folks growing their own food means that every egg gets hatched, as well as every chick getting sent...even the runts.<br />
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This year's been interesting, because we've been getting in several hundred broilers EVERY week. Which means if there's a problem in quality, then guess who sees it?! I noticed in mid-May that we started having leg problems...which I tracked down to viral arthritis...then a batch came in with the sniffles...then a batch got left out on a loading dock somewhere, and I had 200 dead chicks in my order...then a box of chicks went through Memphis in a heat wave 9 weeks ago, and nearly 300 were dead. This wasn't working, so we canceled our future orders.<br />
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And we switched to a new meat breed - I'd did a trial for researchers out on pasture earlier this year, and they performed nearly equal to the CX in both FCR and dress out, with the only difference being around a 10% reduction in breast yield (which at our prices is significant, but not a deal breaker). They're local, (advantage to living in heart of CAFO chicken country), and picking them up is less than an hour drive - no more shipping chicks in the mail, no more post office disasters. <br />
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Here's a picture of the boys unloading the first batch of the new breed 8 wks ago, with a little help from one of our Army guys, Baker.<br />
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I'm pretty happy with them (the new birds) overall, but we'll process next week, and the proofs in the dress out. They better work out, because I've got 3600 of them on the farm! <br />
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<br />Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-29634858659393212992013-08-13T18:23:00.000-05:002013-08-13T18:23:11.057-05:00It's been a while, but we're still cluckingHowdy,<br />
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It's been a while hasn't it. Other than a short lived intern blogging idea that never really took off, we haven't blogged in a while. Well, I'm hoping to pick it back up, and given that I'm fighting a bout of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, it's a good time to catch up.<br />
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So what's new on the farm?<br />
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1. Broilers - we'll do around 10,000 this year. Yikes! We're also raising a local breed that is performing well against the ubiquitous Cornish Cross (CX) in terms of Feed Conversion, and excelling in a lot of other areas...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmzRYwLFYnuGmF6urXqtL7wrjelr_3OLM74yv8zrNH3eTvSjksa_tLyhwi8KZVvZwC70EJx4HQdllk_SXS4pcYBnXjuDc8uj_3KTBVyZ-oPI5GAjMC-RkiiMkiuRNgsxAhgmLTCjgNRM/s1600/Spencer+men+&+pens.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmzRYwLFYnuGmF6urXqtL7wrjelr_3OLM74yv8zrNH3eTvSjksa_tLyhwi8KZVvZwC70EJx4HQdllk_SXS4pcYBnXjuDc8uj_3KTBVyZ-oPI5GAjMC-RkiiMkiuRNgsxAhgmLTCjgNRM/s320/Spencer+men+&+pens.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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2. Non-GMO - our farm is totally non-gmo. Boom - that's right - no gmo feed here. We also sell to other farmers in the area, acting as a regional distributor for our feed company.<br />
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3. Hogs - We're getting started on them. We'll see.<br />
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4. Lease land - we've moved our poultry operation onto 20 acres of leaseland. <br />
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5. Veteran work - as you may recall, I got into farming as a way of dealing with the war. Well, it's worked out well. We now have a veteran internship program for other vets wanting to get into agriculture. We do workshops as well, and have two part-time paid internship positions for a couple of grunts. Listen here for a good NPR story on one of the things we've done:<b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.kuaf.com/content/armed-farm-0">http://www.kuaf.com/content/armed-farm-0</a></span></b>Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-67293330681315632942011-10-29T20:27:00.004-05:002011-10-29T21:59:47.594-05:00Okay, so I'm back...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98lpiFtWjufOH62U6yrSFHABggPI4O4A4SSweg_lHEaL1dTBFI1LwrdZ5c2vgy-d74HvVVSVLEqoE1F0idhZ4FMHp6f_QnTVZe_kLxZv54mizGij7cmfQF7d12cj3875aPPTqUj2p2bs/s1600/IMG_2839.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98lpiFtWjufOH62U6yrSFHABggPI4O4A4SSweg_lHEaL1dTBFI1LwrdZ5c2vgy-d74HvVVSVLEqoE1F0idhZ4FMHp6f_QnTVZe_kLxZv54mizGij7cmfQF7d12cj3875aPPTqUj2p2bs/s320/IMG_2839.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669093569003104322" border="0" /></a><br />Wow, it's been a while hasn't it?<br /><br />So keeping up kind of fell by the wayside this spring. Record-breaking/scary flooding (nearly two feet of rain over a couple of days) followed by record drought, plus a military deployment alert, and well, a lot of other stuff...and the blog kind of fell by the wayside.<br /><br />But family, faith, and farm didn't and we've been steadily working on all three this year. Life's balanced and growing, and we're glad for it.<br /><br />Carla (my wife) and several other people have been on me to fire the blog back up. I acquiesced when I met some random person in Kansas City, and they asked what had happened to the blog. I'll catch you up to speed over the next couple of weeks. Lots of cool things going on...I'll tell you about them soon.Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-87152034750312043462011-03-15T21:19:00.003-05:002011-03-15T22:06:15.311-05:00New feed ration<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHIcHrU1V7N8Dkyj8N8wVE9P7RuegiH8JF8s-16X1amNbXjSQPulP6gZnRA9JGlBJJVrlpi9eT2U1JQoSpplQE8No21cXRTHXHDtxso0f42sGVXgrcLIEhzT9iJAv2i6vUbrVp0-FH8c/s1600/IMG_1213.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHIcHrU1V7N8Dkyj8N8wVE9P7RuegiH8JF8s-16X1amNbXjSQPulP6gZnRA9JGlBJJVrlpi9eT2U1JQoSpplQE8No21cXRTHXHDtxso0f42sGVXgrcLIEhzT9iJAv2i6vUbrVp0-FH8c/s320/IMG_1213.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584497881712742210" border="0" /></a>So, we've switched our feed for our meatbirds to a better ration. We're getting our feed from a source a couple of counties over. The ration is ground on spot, in the grinder above. In addition, the most of the ration is (relatively) locally grown, being grown in North Central Arkansas in the Ozarks.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipk3Q6CF12z7FY1GFoSgsI8avY1DNdOpvCnrHLeJBWrO-7OrpyIIkOR9vX-CIo447fXEA1F4iS4QBpv6Yk9uuiBiT-hv0q32pcgnSq59IctvjOqwcPJlUQu55YhmT686-XYyJGuAAu2JE/s1600/IMG_1220.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipk3Q6CF12z7FY1GFoSgsI8avY1DNdOpvCnrHLeJBWrO-7OrpyIIkOR9vX-CIo447fXEA1F4iS4QBpv6Yk9uuiBiT-hv0q32pcgnSq59IctvjOqwcPJlUQu55YhmT686-XYyJGuAAu2JE/s320/IMG_1220.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584497876315848834" border="0" /></a>The best thing about this stuff is that it's 1oo% from nature. GMO free, but beyond that, the protein in it comes from fishmeal. By the way, did you know that Certified Organic Chicken feed typically uses a synthetic, powdered protein manufactured in a lab? Yeah...well, that's true for the stuff you buy from the major organic producers that use defunct conventional chickehouse at least...<br /><br />The feed above smells so great...meaty, almost like a really thick beer. It smells wholesome and really nutritious. I'll have to raise our prices around 15-20 cents/lb, which I would have had to do anyways with the sky-rocketing corn prices. We're very happy with this move.Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-80619565591413655072011-03-13T09:43:00.003-05:002011-03-13T09:59:14.001-05:00Not Getting Crushed by Barrels of FeedWe've switched rations for our meatbirds this year - we're going to a GMO free, locally grown blend of chicken feed that I can get two counties away, from a private mill tucked away in the Ozark Mtns around 70 miles away. That's a whole another story...but I get the feed loaded in 55 gal drums, and they weigh A LOT. Unloading drums out of the back of the truck with a dolly and a ramp, was pretty laborious and turned out to be really dangerous - a 350ish lb drum out or control down a ricketty ramp. I've learned if you do something dangerous enough times, at some point I'll get hurt.<br /><br /><br />At the same time, Carla was helping me, and we were both starting to get on each others' nerves, so we took a break from unloading, and each other. I happened to look over at two square bales, and well, one thing led to another and this is how we now unload heavy barrels of feed!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpb0MfWNxy1uwzf3FfheV2Z_2sEekmBh4HP-42HPpVRHmycus7fsVFWZkASOdJ2n18ZwSdihQPN6wGVTMDgj7xi5LciufVCs1bvL1QskDGRR1DLi3n8Bqo80XsqR2N_UOOfMzt7kTz60/s1600/photo%252876%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpb0MfWNxy1uwzf3FfheV2Z_2sEekmBh4HP-42HPpVRHmycus7fsVFWZkASOdJ2n18ZwSdihQPN6wGVTMDgj7xi5LciufVCs1bvL1QskDGRR1DLi3n8Bqo80XsqR2N_UOOfMzt7kTz60/s320/photo%252876%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583577328249061282" border="0" /></a> Just roll the barrel out of the back of the truck onto the square bales. The hay cushions the barrels, and there's no opportunity to get crushed by anything round and metal. It's also really fast...sounds like a win to me.Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-20736618607402060982011-02-27T22:00:00.002-06:002011-02-27T22:09:55.156-06:00SkunkedThe combination of a ridiculously bright full moon and warmer spring-like temps have brought the polecats (skunks) out in force, at least the males. I've been seeing dead skunks all over the roads as of late.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSQBLVjqvJdU4_kJ5GHzr2AfNl_WkeSCeHSrXK1KSkvUNrYaMJn0OeNlm7cO5O92cIKrxaAHvVx3U4nSbSdYiDf9vU-eFJgcLl3o1NJPsK68tj_GKPknF96BncU-nS92mn2ZsVcqavng/s1600/photo%252874%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSQBLVjqvJdU4_kJ5GHzr2AfNl_WkeSCeHSrXK1KSkvUNrYaMJn0OeNlm7cO5O92cIKrxaAHvVx3U4nSbSdYiDf9vU-eFJgcLl3o1NJPsK68tj_GKPknF96BncU-nS92mn2ZsVcqavng/s320/photo%252874%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578585922523973842" border="0" /></a>This is what happens when a potential chicken-eating critter finds a way around or toughs his way through our electric fence. The Great Pyrenees made short work of this male skunk when he got into the pasture. Needless to say, the dogs got sprayed and are pretty rank, but they seem pretty proud of themselves and I'm definatley pleased.<br /><br />One thing you can see is the special claws adapted for digging on this guy. I'd never seen a skunk up close before, so it was pretty neat to get to take a look at this one.Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-12425451910587643622011-02-23T21:33:00.003-06:002011-02-23T22:27:32.773-06:00Still Spreading HayWe've got severe storms moving in tomorrow, potentially all day long, so of course erosion's on my mind. I've been picking up old round bales of hay too far gone or too weedy for cheap, $5 bucks a pop. I finally picked up a little 12 ft trailer on craigslist for a decent price; the trailer even has a ramp, so loading the hay rounds is a lot easier. We haven't been able to get a tractor yet, so any loading of round bales has meant a strong back and luring a unsuspecting friend over for a little "help".<br /><br />There was a spot in the pasture across the creek that was looking a little bald. So I took a small round bale of hay out there and patched it up.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RHyLNdyH5w61mV2Eg3D1bR3tGDZCmWKEIeXY7B-XfG6mncKZsZyDk2U4WpnWOKW6Ai91pbHQortjvzMPd2ZNy2Z4mA92nmKlB6xwxEzCw8RhFp73pcKQJbV-_lBbzcTJuE3WtzB3B3k/s1600/photo%252873%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RHyLNdyH5w61mV2Eg3D1bR3tGDZCmWKEIeXY7B-XfG6mncKZsZyDk2U4WpnWOKW6Ai91pbHQortjvzMPd2ZNy2Z4mA92nmKlB6xwxEzCw8RhFp73pcKQJbV-_lBbzcTJuE3WtzB3B3k/s320/photo%252873%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577094610543263250" border="0" /></a><br />The Boston Mtns are especially susceptible to soil erosion, and our holler definitely fits the mold when it comes to the good stuff washing down hill. The spot above is a shale out-cropping that I drive up to get to the middle and top bench. The soil's so fragile there because, well there never really was any. So plastering the area with hay not only helps to keep the soil there, but makes a great seed bed for some fescue and some hardy weeds. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm26DiDuv73eRHeWXXhWoei_xDM6qfGG77Qj3jo2r9mICHjm4apTSjgVM-EfmjOyBoLO-btNQYgd4XXvHcAIDp-1sTpfBfGnbymT6XXjPOFDXuY-aAkAov_lMyZ1tMNWlViwK9TbeHcrw/s1600/photo%252872%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm26DiDuv73eRHeWXXhWoei_xDM6qfGG77Qj3jo2r9mICHjm4apTSjgVM-EfmjOyBoLO-btNQYgd4XXvHcAIDp-1sTpfBfGnbymT6XXjPOFDXuY-aAkAov_lMyZ1tMNWlViwK9TbeHcrw/s320/photo%252872%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577094604150509682" border="0" /></a>The best thing about using the round bales is that there's always a downhill to help spread the hay! I've been sowing ryegrass and clover and it's germinating well in the hay. The rain coming up should get the rest of the seeds jump started into germination.<br /><br />By the way, if I ever cut hay off someone else's land, I'm thinking it'll be square bales!Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-5277165902841819392011-02-21T23:04:00.002-06:002011-02-21T23:09:23.031-06:00On FacebookIf you're on facebook, search out Across the Creek Farm. Be glad to know you!Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-53596425217872621382011-02-20T08:17:00.003-06:002011-02-20T08:34:16.620-06:00Crazy Weather SwingsMan, the past week or so has been crazy. The last spate of winter weather dropped over a foot of snow at our place and 20 miles north, over two feet of snow fell, breaking a state record for 24 hr snowfall amounts. The next morning, temps dropped to -20 F, and that's REALLY cold here.<br /><br />Lately though, temps have been pushing into the 70s during the days and 5os into the night. The ground's even starting to dry out a little. Judging by critters, spring is coming. The spring peepers are out and the bees are finding pollen somewhere, as their pollen baskets are laden with the yellow stuff.<br /><br />I think we've still got a cold snap or two in store, and judging by the year so far, I'd be suprised if we didn't have a snow or two on the horizon. It's been a rough winter here, really rough. It's been good to see though how rough things can get as we're eyeballing our surroundings are figuring out what and how we need to build. A record drought followed by record cold back to back helps in the planning.<br /><br />Anyone else having an abnormal weather year?Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-91816294242275985442011-02-04T17:37:00.003-06:002011-02-04T23:30:12.457-06:00It's Getting Ridiculously Wintry in the HollerWe got socked by a winter storm here over the past week here in Northwest Arkansas. A wintry storm early Monday through Tuesday dropped a quarter inch of freezing rain, nearly an inch of sleet and then another 4-5 inches of snow. The temperature plunged into record cold, with night time temps plunging to around -10 F and daytime temps not getting out of the single digits - crazy when you consider that we were near 70 F over the weekend! Temps haven't been above freezing for quite some time now, but everyone's doing pretty well.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhcnojsp-5kJ-FdBhBTIEPhGXNwslcv87oWbLmiX2Xb0qNcUy_ToQd3k6GzgFjReT5BFjRkXpm-DwKKiWUHi7jX9x9JxYHYvHa_BuLXmafvzTMUtDafLCA6oxGUEqz6dLm51n70aTYt-g/s1600/photo%252867%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhcnojsp-5kJ-FdBhBTIEPhGXNwslcv87oWbLmiX2Xb0qNcUy_ToQd3k6GzgFjReT5BFjRkXpm-DwKKiWUHi7jX9x9JxYHYvHa_BuLXmafvzTMUtDafLCA6oxGUEqz6dLm51n70aTYt-g/s320/photo%252867%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569984616509425538" border="0" /></a><br />We're down to just one goat, Billy. The dairy does we were boarding were picked up in mid-Jan before we headed off to SSAWG. Billy's been mourning the loss of his lovely dairy doe ladies, refusing to eat and just generally bumming around. The cold weather snapped him out of it. I was pretty worried the first night of the storm...the freezing rain had coated him really well and so I brought him some crabgrass hay. (Some how in goat reasoning cedars are better shelter than a roof in freezing rain!) A full rumen is a warm rumen, and that seemed to do the trick. He's holed up in the cedar thicket above, and what he didn't eat he made a nest out of to keep him warm. With a full belly, he dried out quickly thanks to the warmth of rumenating. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8o34gvnNG-WLAtiQimiQBuL09J3CqNhye0r6gZ8_YTVDLbwDXeDUMDGbr-OhEPhqJEPXnsAQhVkXeqWKDK_6H6DAyvD9uO9u8w79y1gKzPpxdAgFaNVfPvtKCruhS_BGyijpNdtXem8M/s1600/photo%252865%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8o34gvnNG-WLAtiQimiQBuL09J3CqNhye0r6gZ8_YTVDLbwDXeDUMDGbr-OhEPhqJEPXnsAQhVkXeqWKDK_6H6DAyvD9uO9u8w79y1gKzPpxdAgFaNVfPvtKCruhS_BGyijpNdtXem8M/s320/photo%252865%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569984610069687970" border="0" /></a><br />The Great Pyrenees down in the bottom pasture haven't been phased in the slightest. Their thick coats are still coated in ice from the freezing rain several days back. Fredo and Alfredo's coat is so thick that the dogs' body heat is kept in tight enough to keep the ice from thawing. When it was below 0 F on morning, I caught the big male rolling around in the snow trying to scratch his back, grunting in relief when he hit those hard to reach spots. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctAstcfJ6p8DBf4y7QxpTVMn3cvmM4D3emSHzj0mfWbwPlhyphenhyphenfqvby0EAm6G3b22gXjAr42GajmIBYbCE8CS5Y4Vt9sPlBzTzMPsHZkQmPPaBevK_3oYXbly3jNlnHN4HqBij-A51UAkI/s1600/photo%252868%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctAstcfJ6p8DBf4y7QxpTVMn3cvmM4D3emSHzj0mfWbwPlhyphenhyphenfqvby0EAm6G3b22gXjAr42GajmIBYbCE8CS5Y4Vt9sPlBzTzMPsHZkQmPPaBevK_3oYXbly3jNlnHN4HqBij-A51UAkI/s320/photo%252868%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569984613797006002" border="0" /></a><br />The laying flock in the sacrifice paddock have weathered through the cold rather well. Chickens don't like snow very well, and the bottom of the coop started to get pretty crowded as no one wanted to go outside. The lowest members of the pecking order started to get knocked around a good bit, so we filled the bottom of the coop with lots of seedy hay as well. Scratching through the hay keeps the hens busy looking for seeds and their feet stay dry and off the snow. The biggest problem we've had is that the eggs have been freezing before we can get to them. Until the weather warms up a bit, we're just boiling the eggs and feeding them to the pullet hens we're raising.<br /><br />We got another 3 or so inches today, and another storm is supposed to hit us the beginning of next week...<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-67639268919859987542011-01-25T19:05:00.002-06:002011-01-25T20:11:58.375-06:00So Carla and I went to Southern SAWG (Sustainable Agricultural Working Group). SSAWG is pretty much a gathering of farmers from across the Southern US. It attracts a lot of different farmers - Cajuns, young hippies, Appalachian folks, African-American ranchers, the diversity of folks is pretty amazing, as well as the types of farmers, governmental agencies, and non-profits that are there. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hwntt7xiZitv_kuG_0AMdjRQWkzmSiVOL4rVSwaPFfjUHHg_G6FhVvTBw1oNQn7zTvLtVxHYmxraZ3F9eBQZC8MIb7dvZIrKexHwWruA4pRDgzXGu-niuFGbcA5hfLeES5qecpwdllQ/s1600/038.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hwntt7xiZitv_kuG_0AMdjRQWkzmSiVOL4rVSwaPFfjUHHg_G6FhVvTBw1oNQn7zTvLtVxHYmxraZ3F9eBQZC8MIb7dvZIrKexHwWruA4pRDgzXGu-niuFGbcA5hfLeES5qecpwdllQ/s320/038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566297263832416562" border="0" /></a>The last time Carla and I took a vacation was in 2006. No kids, no farm, just us getting started building a life and me trying to find my bearings after serving in Iraq. Carla was long overdue for some time out away from the youngins, work, and the farm. The picture above is us on top of Lookout Mtn in Chatanooga, TN. You can tell Carla's quite happy and I'm actually getting over a cold...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgYSnes_wOgnuvfBdVLQ25lLhE1CtjW70sm0bNd9vv7Xpydgz71-1ScIO-6gsMWIGoKqHazVBdkySzw1QZV2q0f-n7Z12ieomJpClfdRXZM-nG2ZRzsLwj-feLLgYFMJ9_MXT7XCyPbw/s1600/IMG_1020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgYSnes_wOgnuvfBdVLQ25lLhE1CtjW70sm0bNd9vv7Xpydgz71-1ScIO-6gsMWIGoKqHazVBdkySzw1QZV2q0f-n7Z12ieomJpClfdRXZM-nG2ZRzsLwj-feLLgYFMJ9_MXT7XCyPbw/s320/IMG_1020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566297264264060978" border="0" /></a>It was a work trip for me. I had the privilege of leading quite an eclectic group of pastured poultrymen/women, poultry processors, and potential farmers in a discussion session over challenges in poultry processing and marketing. Some really neat/successful farmers were there, and the discussion was fantastic. The first couple of days are workshops and field trips. Carla went to a local farm that raises pastured/forested pork (note the red wattle hogs below), grass-fed beef, pastured poultry, and has a dairy where they create superb cheese. Then there's two days of 1.5 hour topical sessions, six at a time (choose your favorite/most applicable one) on topics specific to the South.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxsHXO7HmlLQh4qoZClPKnKV7RzQ4iR_dWmH6YR8MmldzHfbyenjTkPNtusieAw_J9WV2kmmIrv_VV5xFw0O0zOHtl3eSQ7HJ3slsUHa2A6BYZO5bK0xp5PUMG26sTQGfaEG9E07uu8M/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxsHXO7HmlLQh4qoZClPKnKV7RzQ4iR_dWmH6YR8MmldzHfbyenjTkPNtusieAw_J9WV2kmmIrv_VV5xFw0O0zOHtl3eSQ7HJ3slsUHa2A6BYZO5bK0xp5PUMG26sTQGfaEG9E07uu8M/s320/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566297254570789826" border="0" /></a>The most interesting to me were ones given by Ann Wells and Greg Brann, on Management Intensive Grazing with small ruminants and cattle, and several on pastured poultry. There was also a neat course over rabbit production from a rabbit farmer who was so Tennessee in his bearing, that he was almost an Appalachian caricature. Carla went to sessions over record-keeping and planning for retirement on the farm. There was a lot to choose from:livestock, fruit, veggies, mushrooms, policy...it was all covered.<br /><br />SSAWG will be in our neck of the woods next year - down in Little Rock, AR. Hopefully, we'll see you there!Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-54832987967588625252011-01-24T22:36:00.002-06:002011-01-24T22:46:10.519-06:00Back from Southern SAWG<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdJsE0933on0AU8E7YsnIm8FbgwBSUuR7mXRdN2HVIk601NBNh__It6CYqN0WBP_KlG1ZD9OZEaPKyBDP8m5hK8N92cJonIBi9WaZMt-GRqfx4VSXRs0TymaH0fxRUz0MiDSIJpByk0s/s1600/IMG_1035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwdJsE0933on0AU8E7YsnIm8FbgwBSUuR7mXRdN2HVIk601NBNh__It6CYqN0WBP_KlG1ZD9OZEaPKyBDP8m5hK8N92cJonIBi9WaZMt-GRqfx4VSXRs0TymaH0fxRUz0MiDSIJpByk0s/s320/IMG_1035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565978432070211826" border="0" /></a>We're back in Arkansas from a week long excursion to Chattanooga, TN for Southern SAWG. It was a work trip for me, but Carla came along as she was in severe need of dropping the kids off at her parents and taking a vacation. What is Southern SAWG? I'll fill you in a day or two, but for right now I'm heading off for bed...Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-43931435282049207132011-01-13T19:24:00.003-06:002011-01-13T19:57:49.610-06:00Bad Night to Give Birth<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCMctnrc3p1a-ehCr8ZvH3r-BU7tkkKxlzw29NG9OsD1ZhZrbH_2oZikSa6I2YklNQxJmrbV91PjKoRyYPBy-ySePt2ILLb_d5om0GiF6Fd-N1KGv0eIVV2kCQh51kCTy0oIxgcGvZWs/s1600/photo%252863%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCMctnrc3p1a-ehCr8ZvH3r-BU7tkkKxlzw29NG9OsD1ZhZrbH_2oZikSa6I2YklNQxJmrbV91PjKoRyYPBy-ySePt2ILLb_d5om0GiF6Fd-N1KGv0eIVV2kCQh51kCTy0oIxgcGvZWs/s320/photo%252863%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561847734492739970" border="0" /></a>I came down this morning and one of our goats, Zanzi, had had her babies during the night. Unfortunately, this was in the artic cold snap of the past few days. Zanzi's looked like she was going to pop for over a week, but of course it had to happen in the predawn hours of the coldest night of the year. She had two twins, this was the firstborn. She did her best, licking the little one clean, but the difference from being inside your mama at a balmy 104 F and then in a few seconds being in the cold a 100 degrees cooler sopping wet must have been too much. Zanzi had this one on some hay, and the second one she had in her shelter, but there was nothing she could have done. The weather's going to warm up soon, and so we'll have the next pregnant goat, Kola, up to bat in better circumstances.<br /><br />The lesson from this the importance of timing the breeding. By the end of spring, I'll have another paddock to keep Billy in once I get the fence up around the logged land and next year will be better.Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-19060239523172575852011-01-12T19:41:00.006-06:002011-01-12T20:57:33.763-06:00Cold and HeatIt's cold outside...really cold. I don't care where you live, 1 degree F is dang cold. REALLLLY cold. Watering animals gets really hard in weather like this. This is way below normal for us in these parts, and this is our second day of single digit weather. Luckily, we got about an inch of snow before the cold weather set in, so at least there's a way for the critters to get some form of water in between me busting the waterers open. Eating snow is by no means ideal, but it's better than nothing. Tomorrow, the bitter cold will move on it's way, and the highs in the lower 40s come Thursday will seem down right balmly!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Ironically, with all this cold, our female Pyrenees, Feta, has gone into heat. I noticed Alfredo, our big male LGD, continuously trying "get his swerve on" with her (I say trying, b/c Feta's mastered the art of the sit-down). I checked her...and yep, she's in heat. Feta's got great instincts, as seen by her aversion of Simmey in one of his summertime romps in the pasture.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlSf7mpMqPN-a8qNpx0mb5DX1tsZK-L4de_XBBaDNQWqnd62SZFAOVeCAadLWsg-XsD8h6CAaJexPD88IHPzPAg6l6fsZh_F-XxfM8LMxk_ckywlexYRHzC84cfnNu2kIbNyXNsmBFWU/s1600/Iphone+28+August+010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlSf7mpMqPN-a8qNpx0mb5DX1tsZK-L4de_XBBaDNQWqnd62SZFAOVeCAadLWsg-XsD8h6CAaJexPD88IHPzPAg6l6fsZh_F-XxfM8LMxk_ckywlexYRHzC84cfnNu2kIbNyXNsmBFWU/s320/Iphone+28+August+010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561497078389913394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Feta, in the back, wants no part of this</span>!<br /></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZj0Ozr5lpLKWdv-lRztnhCtAzS9fZQWyAVUjOrMmi9BCCLWYiwjcwfp0vrFOImT8gNe9hbd3CfpEG7BUx1FnzaXl6Jub7UCva2LA2CSrl0pfU6uHaMMC1cTY1F2yxENEh8YVgwJn-w8/s1600/Iphone+28+August+007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZj0Ozr5lpLKWdv-lRztnhCtAzS9fZQWyAVUjOrMmi9BCCLWYiwjcwfp0vrFOImT8gNe9hbd3CfpEG7BUx1FnzaXl6Jub7UCva2LA2CSrl0pfU6uHaMMC1cTY1F2yxENEh8YVgwJn-w8/s320/Iphone+28+August+007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561497594930958530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">This face strikes fear in the heart of every Pyrenees pup</span><br /><br /></div> We're fencing off several new paddocks next year, so a bunch of new security guard pups will be highly appreciated.Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-46923071755401208292011-01-11T22:21:00.003-06:002011-01-11T23:32:57.900-06:00Ammonia in the BrooderYou know ammonia when you smell it, and if you can smell it you need to get rid of it. Ammonia's a gas that needs moisture, nitrogen, and alkalinity (vs acidity) to form. It's a problem in chicken houses, but also in the brooder for us pastured poultry growers. The nitrogen comes from excess manure that doesn't have enough carbon (from bedding) to suck it up, the moisture is usually from leaky waterers or in the humid summers, from high humidity, and the alkalinity comes from the excess calcium found in the poultry ration, whether chick-starter, grower, or laying rations. The chickens can't digest all the nutrients, and the lions share goes out the back onto the litter.<br /><br />One advantage with ammonia is that every person has a built in set of sensors - the eyes and the nose. Most folks start experiencing irritation around 25-30 ppm. OSHA's getting the working limit to around 25 ppm as well, so if the ammonia's burning your eyes, throat, or lungs, then you need to do something about it. The effects are typically short term, and only do real damage after chronic exposure. If you've ever walked into a chicken house with a fieldman or CAFO farmer, the ammonia can feel like tear gas, but it won't even phase them. The olfactory sensors in their noses have literally been burned out. As you might expect, chickens don't like ammonia either, and there's been studies that show that around 15-20 ppm, chronic exposure starts decreasing the productivity of layers and the gain on meat birds.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LWCfwvK2oTGcMYl5PweFcPWQNxnKqtqTNurnspLwrhg2mcSNzfWwSp2g-ZGd5hpvIYtOUAsmSA7Up_kNaPKhUmoSQdpLI6hQTQqTotcuMTgjCSWGOQ2VR-6N5KvveghCmWHc84mXoXc/s1600/photo%252861%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LWCfwvK2oTGcMYl5PweFcPWQNxnKqtqTNurnspLwrhg2mcSNzfWwSp2g-ZGd5hpvIYtOUAsmSA7Up_kNaPKhUmoSQdpLI6hQTQqTotcuMTgjCSWGOQ2VR-6N5KvveghCmWHc84mXoXc/s320/photo%252861%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561162944319338386" border="0" /></a>Most ammonia spikes are due to leaky waterers, and that's our case. This year, we've pretty much stopped any moisture problems and ammonia problems by just putting a board underneath that catches any spill. A thin layer of shavings on top catches any manure, but allows it to dry out a little before I stir the damp, poopy shavings back into the surrounding dry litter. One of our big problems in the past has been letting the waterers run out as well, which creates a sloppy rush of thirsty chicks that spills water all over the place. Better husbandry leads to better husbandry I guess.<br /><br />Temperature helps drive ammonia formation as well, so there's a positive for winter brooding of chicks - temps too cold to really get ammonia fired up. If you do find yourself with an ammonia problem, add lots of dry bedding and ventilate from the highest spot you can, as ammonia is slightly lighter than air and rises.Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-64013380264451556252011-01-06T20:02:00.005-06:002011-01-06T20:39:51.031-06:00Goats Stripping<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcalaG2bgg8xuueZrh5b53nR6xFCjbQJzC8uz0ip7LXTGB9KuFFPzyVYZ_ELP6PuaULqFIdtQp6YnY46tv3JeyiSTOanDbGhgH6qv7FCOOIfop3lZPgNChw0-kxUx8TmOnSBXQCDgA1uU/s1600/photo%252859%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcalaG2bgg8xuueZrh5b53nR6xFCjbQJzC8uz0ip7LXTGB9KuFFPzyVYZ_ELP6PuaULqFIdtQp6YnY46tv3JeyiSTOanDbGhgH6qv7FCOOIfop3lZPgNChw0-kxUx8TmOnSBXQCDgA1uU/s320/photo%252859%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559262437903139106" border="0" /></a>Up on the middle bench. Our house is on the other side of the valley.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmjJJnKOxl2zW2EoNBZxLLOyApVS5uqh0CV2kxNig8q5ZvDmpEVYpbeuJOaZzX_VzdymaEIW54BgiAX6E-7w5ocwjpULLv0fX05Gequm_SqfCDrWqIzl8Kkimre2DC5Rtv0uqbEkcz08/s1600/photo%252860%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmjJJnKOxl2zW2EoNBZxLLOyApVS5uqh0CV2kxNig8q5ZvDmpEVYpbeuJOaZzX_VzdymaEIW54BgiAX6E-7w5ocwjpULLv0fX05Gequm_SqfCDrWqIzl8Kkimre2DC5Rtv0uqbEkcz08/s320/photo%252860%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559262437330640450" border="0" /></a>The dead brown stuff on the slope is the remains of this year's sericea lespedeza. The only drawback to the stuff is that it drops it's leaves, and really isn't grazable during the winter. Well, that's not entirely true. Last week, I noticed that the goats were grazing the tops of the lespedeza - turns out that they were stripping the seeds out of seed stalks. You can see our billy goat in the background, caught stripping....<br /><br />The seeds are pretty small, about the size of a radish seed, and taste pretty good - kind of like a a soup pea - nutty with that legumey taste. The seeds have got to be a great protein boost for the tiny herd.Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-43988658798206317532011-01-02T10:41:00.003-06:002011-01-02T10:53:41.456-06:00Fossil Score!On Friday, Carla and I got out to enjoy the beautiful weather after the storms. I focused my efforts on spreading straw on the raised beds, and in doing so, noticed several patches of Johnsongrass that I needed to dig out. Last year, things got away from us quite a bit, as Simmey (aka the Simster) was old enough to start seriously get into anything and everything with his newfound proficency in footing, and Carla was fully occupied with caring for our new little baby boy, Silas.<br /><br />So the Johnsongrass needed to be dug out. While doing so hit a rock in some thick clay, and pulled out this monster fossil:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYMcW_TYTm0aqM7ASvHpsBicQk_AYuJU8YfO0LLZ1q4asZ-B_1GLqbtVMUIIAIFS79s3DXtx3tqJHqKFTJvfcTn6m7fSSFtG0ODNt0eZ0M0hrcfMcVq9zlJRmDZJ6N895JebzxW9Ik4c/s1600/photo%252858%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYMcW_TYTm0aqM7ASvHpsBicQk_AYuJU8YfO0LLZ1q4asZ-B_1GLqbtVMUIIAIFS79s3DXtx3tqJHqKFTJvfcTn6m7fSSFtG0ODNt0eZ0M0hrcfMcVq9zlJRmDZJ6N895JebzxW9Ik4c/s320/photo%252858%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557631446322751202" border="0" /></a>and the flip side:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5buqU2E1bbOCY763Kf_m6XHSkRBkymlXJWBhn3xPwUVAajMtcgCFqtzHIoCFHQQUvJiX6O4xf26cjTLLoOqFb-FXe9rv0Msu5EyXImnq97CR8TdGRJ5GJzi5g6Y7v8E_QK8hLivBM6Ck/s1600/photo%252857%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5buqU2E1bbOCY763Kf_m6XHSkRBkymlXJWBhn3xPwUVAajMtcgCFqtzHIoCFHQQUvJiX6O4xf26cjTLLoOqFb-FXe9rv0Msu5EyXImnq97CR8TdGRJ5GJzi5g6Y7v8E_QK8hLivBM6Ck/s320/photo%252857%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557631448355268962" border="0" /></a>Pretty awesome. I'm about 99% sure it's the remnant of an ancient branching coral. Eons ago, this whole area was a shallow sea, and this guy was once part of it. I've found a lot of fossils here on our property, but most are only the size of my thumbnail- crinoids, bits of coral, the occasional shark's tooth, but nothing like this. It's huge and about the size of my hand. Awesome.Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-44709260318003660602010-12-31T22:59:00.002-06:002010-12-31T23:35:39.228-06:00TornadosThis morning around 6 am a tornado hit a small town to the west of us in our county, a tiny crossroads village called Cincinnati. The tornado came from a fast moving storm that pummeled the county in the pre-dawn darkness. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.trb.com/media/photo/2010-12/105407920-31190448.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 250px;" src="http://media.trb.com/media/photo/2010-12/105407920-31190448.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>My wife was up town catching a very earlier breakfast with a friend when I was awoken by a text message from her asking where the tornado was. The power was off, there was a lot of lighining, and the wind chimes on the porch were blowning in the breeze. Then there was a steady roar like a jet engine, and I quickly threw on some overalls and grabbed the boys, some pillows and blankets, and we waited in the darkness for 5 minutes or so in the hall. If you've never woken up a 2 yr old and a 9 month old when there's an abscence of power but an abundance of full diapers - well the experience is pretty much how you'd think, except the leg the baby's on gets progressively warmer.<br /><br />The power came on about an hour later, and the local news (channel 5 their pics are in the post) let us know of the destruction over towards Cincinnati. We've got a friend over there that's a pastured poultry farmer and we got started with poultry on pasture at the same time. She'd slept through the storm, only waking up after the power went out as well. She lives around a mile from Cincinnati, and when I told her the fire station had been destroyed, she remarked that was near so and so's dairy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.trb.com/media/photo/2010-12/273050300-31104816.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 174px;" src="http://media.trb.com/media/photo/2010-12/273050300-31104816.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Turns out the old man who farmed the dairy was milking the cows when the storm struck. Sadly, there's one less dairy farmer in Washington County going into 2011.<br /><br />The irony with these crazy winter storms is that the day is always so pretty afterwards. It was a beautiful day, and Carla and I got to get out and work around the house together - me in the garden and Carla brush-eating across the road.<br /><br />Here's to a storm-free 2011Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-82405407521821945752010-12-29T22:46:00.004-06:002010-12-29T23:15:16.416-06:00Overwintering Hens This YearOne of the lessons I learned last year was that, over the winter, the laying hens have to be pulled off of the pasture. The pitter-patter of dozens of chicken feet over biologically dormant soil is a great way to trample a pasture into erosion and loose what little soil we have or have built up. The hens compact the soil, especially when it's wet.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9IPRd-9md3A0pPao6we8QNZj-a16me5mksFbvbRaUPEjDC96bKJOqmY5nZbjwigQLxEi2MTx1-o0fPeB-d9xFhsFEqJbuJut0qLD8JR07Pf7ar1VRvTx0vEFdi41sU2kmBCfntGXICg/s1600/photo%252856%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9IPRd-9md3A0pPao6we8QNZj-a16me5mksFbvbRaUPEjDC96bKJOqmY5nZbjwigQLxEi2MTx1-o0fPeB-d9xFhsFEqJbuJut0qLD8JR07Pf7ar1VRvTx0vEFdi41sU2kmBCfntGXICg/s320/photo%252856%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556333526314738786" border="0" /></a>The other big problem is the hens need their greens in the winter and there's not much green out there. They'll keep nipping at any growth that does occur, and will kill the hardiest grass clumps - even the normally cast iron tough fescue grass. Rest is a necessity whether you're a person, family, chicken, or patch of ground.<br /><br />So this year, I've got the hens housed in the training pen Carla and I built this past late spring. It's very secure, the flock has plenty of room, and once they ate all the grass that had been stored there, a friend and I covered the area with hay pretty thick to compost the chicken poop and keep the area from becoming a mud hole. The area is solid shale in some places, and so by mid spring, when the hens are put back on pasture, there'll be a real layer of fertility there to scatter clover and grass seed on.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsfRWam0l0ec1l4KQ76uv-H2rhsRqSUnLyumHqkKewMWCdqliIZsy1TdDhveE5Z7l8pX-Ckd9IIWHwMjAIUzPdAwCAIa0XXzFaswWWBgXghjtRGVFDNZnuZPQkOFF3FxZ1m7zDtmyuqg/s1600/photo%252855%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsfRWam0l0ec1l4KQ76uv-H2rhsRqSUnLyumHqkKewMWCdqliIZsy1TdDhveE5Z7l8pX-Ckd9IIWHwMjAIUzPdAwCAIa0XXzFaswWWBgXghjtRGVFDNZnuZPQkOFF3FxZ1m7zDtmyuqg/s320/photo%252855%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556337677664207298" border="0" /></a>The hens are seem to be really happy with things. Shelter, no mud, safety from predators. This set up's good for around 150 hens comfortably. In the future, I'd like to overwinter the hens in a hoop house, but this'll do us for now and probably next year with flock cullings.Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-54240976601524568692010-12-27T22:58:00.002-06:002010-12-27T23:37:59.930-06:00Fence Cost/Ft Estimation & Cost ShareSo I applied for cost share through the NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service) for fencing this upcoming year. The federal government through the NRCS funds a portion of projects that they deem as encouraging sustainable farming. Fencing of the land we logged and are clearing for pasture is on my list of things that have to be done next year, and the feds consider strong fences - which keep livestock out of creeks and prevent lead-provoking encounters with wild predators - as something they'd theoretically like to help me with. I say theoretically, b/c the original sign-up cut off date was Oct 31 - then Nov 31, then Dec 31, and now it's Jan 7...it's frustrating b/c it's a priority thing, and I'm the kind of guy that likes to know well in advance what I'm doing next year so that I can get chew on it for a while....<br /><br />Anyways, so the cost share is somewhere around 50 cts/ft for high tensile (electric) fencing. Carla and I got to talking about the hassle of dealing with the government on stuff like this, and to see if it's even something we'd do, we ran some quick numbers outloud tonight. Here's what we came up with:<br /><ol><li>One roll of 10.5 gauge high tensile wire is around 4,000 ft and cost around $120 (includes tax). The fence will have 5 strands so that means one roll of wire will complete approximately an 800 ft section of fence. That comes to about 15 cts/ft or .<br /></li><li>I'm guessing I'll use a t-post around every 30 ft or so. More posts closer together in the steeper sections running up the hillside and fewer posts further apart running parallel with the benches. This means around 32 t-posts per 800 ft section and, assuming around $4.25 a post new (last time I scrounged up hundreds for around $1.50/post) that comes out to around $136/section in posts. Add a dollar/post for insulators, and that'll come up to $168/section for insulators and posts.<br /></li><li>$120 + $168 = a cost of around $290/section with a cost share of $400. The extra $110 would be used for gates, gas for the truck, Quickcrete to set posts and H-braces (I'll try to find used telephone poles for the posts), etc.<br /></li></ol>So with the cost share doing all the labor myself, I'm thinking I can pretty much get my fences for free and possibly pay for the automatic post driver we'll get. Seems worth the hassle, especially compared to getting the VA to give me medical treatment for getting busted up in Iraq...now that's real frustration!Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-6061556346612213932010-12-26T21:05:00.003-06:002010-12-26T21:36:35.641-06:00Little HensSo we got next year's batch of hen chicks a little over a week ago. This is my first time brooding chicks over the winter, and so far it's going fairly well. It's been particularly cold as of late, so I've got 4 heat lamps in there trying to keep the little girls warm.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuvD4n2cPKkB9Kps30Icdrajx7nZSPIWDtbTldUJaRiW9MGnx6CqtBzOBhcKRxgh2hZEy-N5Tdbf3qIPtnNtzxLlPHz8dRgZR3jBtIOh4RCWY4TnKNBk9fOMyaRGs5hQeBBDnqx2thYU/s1600/photo%252854%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuvD4n2cPKkB9Kps30Icdrajx7nZSPIWDtbTldUJaRiW9MGnx6CqtBzOBhcKRxgh2hZEy-N5Tdbf3qIPtnNtzxLlPHz8dRgZR3jBtIOh4RCWY4TnKNBk9fOMyaRGs5hQeBBDnqx2thYU/s320/photo%252854%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555194801262629234" border="0" /></a>This is how the girls look when everything's going well. You can see the heat lamps, and the hens are spaced out pretty evenly underneath them. If you watch the chicks, they'll fall asleep under the lamps, some completely conked out, other dozing, until they get too hot, then they'll get up and move to the outside. The danger can come when there's not enough heat, and the chicks pile tighter and tighter in an ever smaller pile to stay warm. The result is dead chicks.<br /><br />None of that so far, though temps are dipping near the single digits the next couple of nights. In a couple of weeks, the chicks'll loose their poofy down and feather out. Then they'll be tough as nails.Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1126801472788808368.post-88683716983792686062010-12-21T20:38:00.003-06:002010-12-21T20:49:30.854-06:00Wren's Thicket's Green ThumbThis is our friend Deb who's running the winter market. She and her husband are pretty amazing folks. We've had single digit nighst, and multiple days in the low 20s already this year. Their high tunnel is unheated, and they produce a lot of food in the cold of winter on a less than ideal Ozark hillside. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlh4dvV2xI2nZpBx38m5OCsrjCV06Frab-_72q4bon9wTkQnVayopX1nFR92RZ9I3Odp-_Wm2I19E4YfhnP857MHFfFVELR0NSDIPL0juj08qLOJFvCwB31liO2rqEZ1Wse_M07bpJzrM/s1600/photo%252853%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlh4dvV2xI2nZpBx38m5OCsrjCV06Frab-_72q4bon9wTkQnVayopX1nFR92RZ9I3Odp-_Wm2I19E4YfhnP857MHFfFVELR0NSDIPL0juj08qLOJFvCwB31liO2rqEZ1Wse_M07bpJzrM/s320/photo%252853%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553331360415880658" border="0" /></a><br />Carla and I walked in and it was....well, like stepping into the Garden of Eden. It's pretty shocking to see that much lush, luxurious, green growth when there's so much brown and grey outside in the barren hill and mountainsides. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxK7EYWamVWHpbNqYQs1PgPAiT51ItRsbNCLQFMUv9lrOMEbi2hdlsVH5LOt7-x6tliaH5uTlzILHGe4Fla4qzTTt5hN-zxRArPuacuhVSaoHBKLuPuNxnbtU4NwdxMPhkhdGQ9ndPMYo/s1600/photo%252852%2529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxK7EYWamVWHpbNqYQs1PgPAiT51ItRsbNCLQFMUv9lrOMEbi2hdlsVH5LOt7-x6tliaH5uTlzILHGe4Fla4qzTTt5hN-zxRArPuacuhVSaoHBKLuPuNxnbtU4NwdxMPhkhdGQ9ndPMYo/s320/photo%252852%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553331365650886850" border="0" /></a>Absolutely stunning isn't it?Across The Creek Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00286366285047303252noreply@blogger.com0