Check out our neighbors in the Bulletin!!

http://bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100315/ERROR/3150304/1001/NEWS01&nav_category=NEWS01

They do great work…we have cleared acres that haven’t been touched in years.  One of these cleared will be for corn and one for buckwheat this coming year.  We will see how it goes…

1. Disc dry land and plant dry land pasture mix to try and crowd out the weeds
2. Eradicate ground squirrels from potato patchThis will never end
3. Get blueberries from valley
4. Take in two hogs Monday
5. Stucco butcher shop
6. Install carburetor/distributor in van
7. Get USDA approved labels for pork
8. Get Egg handlers license
9. Finish up with County
10. Install Clevises on Super Doops
11. Finish skids for the Australorps
12. Get registered with the markets
13. Install field fence for turkeys
14. Order turks for brooders
15. Install irrigation system for blueberries
16. Mow around raspberries
17. Dig ditches for potato patch
18. Cull Australops
19. Butcher Barred Rock roosters
20. Paint brooder house, butcher shop, and bottom section of the house
21. Fix sodium lamp
22. Build nest boxes for Barred rocks
23. Figure out how to drive the earth anchors on the super doops
24. Fix golf cartFinally!
25. Disc main fields and overseed with new Chicken Hay
26. Make egg washer/candler
27. Change roosts in Super Doops to be more mobile
28. Install clean-out filter on irrigation line

We are down at Drake Park every Sunday from 3-4pm.  We are either in a green Subaru (most of the time) or a black pickup.  We have plenty of eggs most weeks and will only be getting more and more as the days get longer.

Also, we will likely have our first porkers back from the butcher by the March 28th drop.  There is still time to get a special cut if you interested- just let us know.

See you Sunday!!

We tried four different breeds of turkeys this year…Giant Whites, Bourbon Reds, Narragansett, and Broad Breasted Bronze.  The first is the ‘industry standard’ breed which replaced the Bronze as the ‘bigger, fatter, faster’ breed.  The Narrangansett, and the Bourbon Reds a old school heritage breed that were developed more for bueaty, function, hardiness, and flavor.

The Giant White Toms were by far the most spectacular.  These guys are amazing with their coarse black beards growing out of a perfectly white breast.  His headdress presents more colors than a mood ring and far more accurate as well.  But the greatest feature was the strut - this guy has moves- he brings the tips of his primary wing feathers to the ground to draw a perfect proverbial ’line in the sand.’    All the whites were also the most communitive of all the breeds- not only with the gobbel gobbels, but with the shutters, huffs and coos as well.

More later, however, this spring we will likely stick with the Bronze…..

How about 9-10am for eggs at Drake Park?  We will be there!

Eggs this Sunday at the park!  We didn’t realize we were competing with the NFL playoffs the last couple of weekends…the slow turn out has been a windfall for the Prineville food bank….It was like they have never seen so many beautiful eggs before!

Anyway- hope to see you between 3-4pm in the Drake Park/Mirror Pond parking lot.

Ahhh the winter seems to afford me more time to rant…and off I go again.

By now I am sure you have heard about or seen the latest undercover video taken from a factory farm.  This time a dairy in New York is demonstrating how truly horrible man can be to his food.  Our argument has always been- come to the farm before you buy- if you have any reservations about how we raise animals then by all means stick to your convictions and walk away.  This video of this dairy should help you decide if you want milk from that factory.

There are a few indisputable truths in the world- when it comes to pregnancy you either are or you aren’t.  The CEO of this farm was interviewed after the video came out and said that he prides himself on the conditions of his dairy and uses the latest technology to keep his cows healthy- what!  This is the old bad apple logic, the isolated incident, the bad day excuse.  Bottom line - you either let people beat your animals or you don’t…you either have rampant disrespect for other living things or you don’t. You cannot have pride in your farm when things like this go on….you cannot be just a little bit pregnant!

Well the wind stopped, the snow came, and now the sun.  Classic Powell Butte weather pattern.  It is rare that I can walk through the pig area without a ton of pig kisses on the back of my jeans.  Today…..they barely even stirred.

These Tamworth pigs are around 225 on average right now….the biggest, maybe 260 pounds.  A couple will head out to butcher Mid-March, but for now enjoy the sun!!

Tamworths in the Sun

We will be down at the Drake Park parking lot between 3-4pm this Sunday.  Please come on down and get your egg fix!!

As a quick note…..the worst thing about a mobile farm- wind!!  Looks like it has finally died down a bit and this Sunday doesn’t look too bad!!

See you there!

Thanks much for your support during 2009- it has given us confidence and ambition.  We have big plans for 2010 (like not running out of eggs!!) and can’t wait to ditch the muck boots and play in the grass again!

So here is to an economic phoenix, 16 inches of rainfall, Great Horned owls becoming vegetarians, Monsanto joining SeedSavers, NAIS fading away like a mosquito bite, the locusts in Eastern Oregon migrating to our fields, and may your tractor always start!

All the best to you and your family - The Great American Egg