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Grass-fed Beef

Grass-fed beef is finally on the way! We took two of our Angus-cross cows to the butcher on Sunday. Grass-fed beef will be available at our Little Rock Farmer's Market stand on June 3rd. We hope you will come to get a taste of this pasture raised, Omega-3 rich meat.

Chicks!

On Monday I picked up three boxes of new chicks from the post office. We received one hundred black sex-link pullets (female chicks) and fifty Auracauna pullets to expand our laying hen operation. We also received one hundred cornish x rock chicks for meat. In a few months you will be able to enjoy fresh eggs and meat from these new chicks.

Tadpoles

Yesterday, I walked with a bucket in hand to feed the pigs. The fresh rain made the air clean and in the morning light everything had the new sort of look that comes with a dawn bathed in water. The creek that runs through our farm was a little higher than normal and as I crossed it I looked to check on the eggs I had seen a pair of toads laying on a rainy day the week before. In the clear water I could see hundreds of small black tadpoles swiming about.

Having a healthy amphibian population is one of my primary goals for the farm. Amphibians are very sensitive to their environment, especially synthetic chemicals. If frogs didn't have clean water to lay their eggs in or chemical free pastures and creek banks to feed from then I would have to carefully evaluate my farming practices. Seeing these tadpoles was heartening, but also a reminder of why I am farming as I am--trying to stay with nature's pace.

Returning Migrants

In the past couple of weeks several of our resident summer birds have returned to the farm. When I was feeding the pigs yesterday I saw an indigo bunting and near the sheep I saw a pair of blue grossbeaks. The highlight was a painted bunting that sung from a persimon tree as I moved our sheep fences. In our farming we always try to balance the needs to control the environment with the wildness needed by our wild animals, especially nesting birds. On our farm this means brushy fence rows, fallow pastures, and errosion buffers near our streams and ponds. We seek to be farm that creates a good home for more than pigs, sheep, cows, and chickens--we want to create a good home for indigo buntings, road-runners, green tree frogs, spotted salamanders, garder snakes, and the thousands of other creatures that make their home at Adama Farm.

Newborn Pigs

Spring means baby animals for most farmers and we have had plenty of baby animals on our farm. More than fifty lambs have been born so far and a number of pigs. Animals seem to pick the worst weather possible to have their young in and with rain coming today our pigs were no exception. One of our sows that has been expecting had seven healthy pigs this morning. We allow our sows to farrow (give birth) in the open in a forested area that is very near to the ideal pig habitat. The sows create nests for their young out of grass, twigs, and dirt. When we see a nest being built we know that we will have baby pigs soon after. So far four of our sows have farrowed and we still have four to go.