Plaid Piper Farm LLC
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A letter from the Farmer April 2009 We have much to be thankful for last year! Dad turned 80 in June. We had a grand party to celebrate. He rolled the tractor in August and by the grace of God, was able to get up, brush himself off and walk away without a scratch. We met many nice people as our customer base keeps growing.
We finished our first beeves on only grass. I stress this because many people advertise grass-fed beef. All cattle eat grass, at least some. It is important to learn if the beef you are purchasing has been totally grass-fed AND grass finished (the last 90 to 120 days). Our beef is grass FINISHED. We rotationally graze our cattle. They do not get any grain, just pasture and our hay in the winter along with mineral supplements and water. If you haven’t already surmised, my farm is my passion. Therefore the food I produce and sell must be the highest quality. You come to my farm. You know me and you see what we do. SELECTING THE BEST For the past 60 years, beef breeders have been selecting animals that will maximize the profits for Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO). These animals are tall and long. These genetics don’t work well for producing good grass finished beef. I have spent considerable time and money selecting cattle for our breeding herd. We have a pure OUR PIGS We raised 8 pigs in ‘Hog
Heaven’ last year. Wolfie and his
friends were happy to run about in their pastures and wallow in their mud pool
(compliments of Eileen who loved to play with them!).
This year we have a new source for our piglets. We have purchased We were overwhelmed with the kudos we received from our customers. Thank you all for taking the time to let us know how much you, your families and guests enjoyed our turkey. Your compliments made our hard work worthwhile. BROILER CHICKENS These were a challenge for us last year. Feed prices kept going up and the weather wasn’t quite warm enough at the beginning and end of our season. We struggled to keep our price the same. As a result, we have reduced our chicken production by eliminating our June & November groups. Eileen is disappointed, though she admits she won’t miss the work! OUR PASTURES After too many years of tenant
farmers practicing conventional, non-rotational mono crop raising, we have taken
the fields back. The previous
practice has squandered immeasurable tons of precious topsoil.
To celebrate, Dad, Eileen, Paige and sometimes Kyle enjoyed the age old ‘Google’™ carbon sequestration; current science is fascinating! Some believe that grass farming can help mitigate global climate change. We will be seeding the remaining acres this year. There are still openings for pickin’ rocks! At this writing, I am still researching grass farming methods. I have attended many seminars this past winter, read many books and spoken with numerous experts on grazing. Farming, whether pasture-based, organic or conventional is a time consuming, demanding, year round business. This is why we chose the methodology that we have. If we are going to work this hard, then we want to produce the healthiest, most delicious food you can buy. All good things start with a good, strong foundation. So producing healthy, delicious food must start with the healing of the land. American farmers have forgotten that they are ‘stewards of the land’ as well as the meaning of ‘animal husbandry’. This means looking at production methods that benefit the animals, the land and us for the long term. Abusing resources to maximize profits in the short term carries a large cost. I am pleased to return to the production methods of my forefathers and mothers. I believe it is better for the animals, the environment and all of us. 2009 This year we have asked our customers (you) to place their orders early, in advance of the start of our production season. This will help us plan and better meet your needs. We are pleased to report that we have received many already. Thank you! We need more though to remain viable and keep this farm alive. Please help by telling friends and family about what we have to offer. This year is already very
exciting at Plaid Piper Farm. Our
first member of our 2011 grass finished herd was born on April 7. His name is
Ansel and he is a good looking bull calf.
He will contribute to our Grass Finished Estate beef.
(see our FAQs for more information on our Estate beef).
The Please visit. Bring the kids, a picnic lunch, collect your own eggs if you like! A very BIG thank you to all who have helped us out. We could not do this without you. See you soon! Grass farmer Plaid Piper Farm
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