180 Degree Farm Blog

The Roles Are Now Reversed.....

2012-01-17T06:10:00.000-08:00

Just yesterday, Nicole and I had a new friend, Sonam, visit our farm from Ladakh, India. Ladakh is at the foothills of the Himalayas, with mineral rich soil that’d been covered with a glacier 1000's of years before the first people settled there. It is also home to one of the coldest deserts in the world.

Sonam is a missionary and he and his family grow food and raise animals such as Yak and sheep as part of their everyday life. That is part of what they "do" for a living. The word organic was somewhat new to his vocabulary. In Ladakh, everything is grown organic. No need for a government trademarked name or some sort of certification saying it’s organic, it just is.

As we walked around the farm, Sonam shared with me a story about one of his visits to America. He said he had come to the states on some business and had dinner with some friends while he was here. As the meal was served, Sonam’s wife had smelled the food and whispered in his ear “Don’t eat it.” Not to be embarrassed, he ate the food anyway, thinking “How bad could it be?” For 15 days after that meal, Sonam was so sick he passed blood.

Could it have been a bacteria strain in undercooked food? Perhaps, but it made me think about how American food is now perceived by people outside of this country. Do foreigner’s wince at the thought of finding “good food” when they come here? Maybe, but here is what I do know; GMO's (no labeling required in America), hormones, antibiotics, arsenic, herbicides, and pesticides all can be found in our food at any given time….Did I miss anything? Probably did. Doesn’t that make you want to scream? Our kids, our spouses, our parents and friends all eat this and what do they get out of this wonderful food system - sick. Of the four pillars Thomas Jefferson said would be the foundation of American prosperity (Agriculture, Navigation, Manufacturing and Commerce), looks like we’re down to two.

I remember when we traveled out of the country and the saying was "be careful what you eat and drink, you could get very sick." I wonder if foreigners are thinking that way about us.

What can you do? Start at home. Read labels, cook at home, eat more raw organic veggies and grass fed meats, buy a juicer and use it, check out important resources like Weston Price, Eat Wild, and The Organic Center. Don’t just be aware, be informed.

"Clean" Food For All....

2011-12-09T06:16:00.000-08:00

GROW -GIVE-TEACH....That pretty much sums it up. Three words, three very powerful words that describe the 180 foundation. I believe those three words are more important to us now than ever before as we see so many more people out of work and going hungry. God has led us down a path that has certainly stretched us emotionally, finacially, and physically, all while opening our eyes to what is reality in America. It has taken five plus years to get us there and He's not finished. To this point, I believe it's just the tip of the iceberg.

As we've gotten more involved with food ministries, I've listened to some of them speak about seeing more people needing food than ever before. They’re seeing people who've never stepped foot into a food bank/pantry before, once with good jobs, now struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their family's head. As a father, not knowing how I'd put food on the table, provide a safe place to sleep, or how I'd clothe my children would be scary, yet it's a reality for so many families right now. I think one of a father or mothers worst nightmares is telling their hungry child that their's no food because we have no money and/or the food banks are out of food.

Hearing this has made my resolve stronger to reach more struggling families with "clean" foods, that we produce or through highly respectable companies like UNFI, which we have developed a strong relationship with. Just last week, UNFI donated organic/natural foods like flour, sugar, rice and many other staples that we were able to provide to "The Sow Good Center" and "Trinity Fellowship's" food pantry. This is UNFI's second donation, over 1000lbs, and it will feed many people.

I guess my thoughts on organic foods are that everyone should have access to it. Giving the worst, over processed foods we have to offer (from deep in our pantry to those less fortunate) well, it's not what Jesus would do. He has really opened my heart along the way. Ten years ago, I would have given the worst food in the pantry and not thought twice about it. Things change and He has certainly changed us. Proverbs 21:13 says, “Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.” I think I understand that verse more now than I ever have.

Back ten years ago to right now, my belief in the "American way of life" has changed. It's more than consumerism, but compassion for others. It's not every man for himself, but loving thy neighbor(still working on that). It's not using one finger to describe your angry feelings to a passing motorist, but a friendly wave with the whole hand. Lastly, it's not giving someone the worst you have to offer, but giving the best you have to give.

Nicole summed it up best many years ago to me, but it took a while to sink in. She said, and I'm paraphrasing, "Don't just give the fresh pot of coffee to your work life and leave the used grinds for when you get home." I believe that can be a phrase used for every part of life and how we interact with others. I know, it's kind of deep right before Christmas, but I think there is no better time than now to start giving the best of yourself to your family and to those in need. It will make everyone a lot happier!

Coming up next....I've had some requests from a while back and here recently for recipes, from sides to Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, and using local or straight off the farm ingredients. I'll be requiring some help from my beautiful wife for that!

Understanding Obesity...

2011-10-17T05:51:00.000-07:00

Obesity is a growing problem facing America today. According to the CDC, 33% of all adults and 17% of all children are obese. In Georgia, that rate is 29% for both groups together. The statistic that stands out the most, 1 in 3 lower income pre-schoolers are obese under 5. These children could have problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and the social disorders of being obese as a child.

Why? Why is there such a big problem? It starts with our food sources. Today in America, our top soils are depleted; large factory farms only feed plants three minerals (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are petroleum based) and a cocktail of pesticide chemicals to grow our fruits and vegetables. Our animals eat grain, which is Genetically Modified, and grown with the aforementioned chemicals as well. Where is the nutrition in this picture? Nowhere. Then what’s the purpose of growing all of this food? Strictly volume to feed the masses.

So now we understand that most of the conventionally grown fruits and veggies we eat are nutritionally depleted, what else is the problem? Over eating. Yeah, that’s too simple an answer. How about over eating foods that have no or very little nutrition. Ok, that is the other part of the problem. When we eat....let’s say a chicken tender salad, what can the body use from that?

Iceberg lettuce - Not much nutrition, mostly water and sprayed with pesticide to prevent insect infestation.

Shredded Carrots - better, but again, grown in poor soil with three minerals. Usually shredded in a processing plant and washed with chlorine based water solution to prevent bacteria and mold. Yum...

Pre-cut Bell Peppers - see carrots...

Chicken Tenders or Nuggets - Chicken parts formed to make a tender or nugget, or let’s give it the benefit of the doubt, real chicken breast strips, breaded and fried with partially hydrogenated oils (more than likely). Where does the chicken come from? A confinement factory with between 30,000-100,000 other chickens. They breathe in ammonia, fecal particles and bedding dust. The fecal particles perforate the mucus membrane opening the door wide open for infection. But wait, antibiotics to the rescue. Of course, just for safe measure. The skin and fat of the chicken absorb and store these contaminates and antibiotics which in turn get passed on to you. So, that chicken is getting a little tougher to swallow.

Salad Dressing - You choose, I'll guess the basic ingredients - High Fructose Corn Syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate and other words I can't pronounce. I might be off on one or two, but I'll bet most of these are in a bottle that isn't natural or organic.

This healthy salad is not so much anymore. What is the body using to strengthen its immune system and fight disease, build muscle, keep the mind sharp and fight aging? Very little.

When we eat foods like the salad above, we tend to over eat or stay hungry. The reason is the body hasn't received adequate nutrition, thus the desire to eat more which causes excess storage of fat around the stomach, hips and arms.

Lastly, exercise, though I can't see anyone being motivated after eating a meal like that. In the age of adults and kids alike fighting for control of the all-powerful video game controller, the only thing being exercised is the thumb. Just being active outside is a step in the right direction. These are certainly not every possible reason for obesity, but I would guess the biggest contributor.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What can you do to change?

• Source locally grown meats, fruits and veggies, organic or naturally grown if you can find it. Why local? Keeps money in the local economy, shipping food across country uses fuel, as we've all heard, but more important to your health is the nutrition these foods lose because of time spent on a truck or sitting on a shelf. The average is somewhere around 20-30% per day. If it takes 3 days to get here from California, sits on a self for another 2-3 days and then in your refrigerator for another day or two - it has very little left to give.

• Eating “just harvested” veggies can do a world of good for your body, especially if grown in good soil without the use of pesticides. A healthier plant produces a healthier fruit which makes a healthy body.

• Teach your kids when they’re young the importance of eating good food and it will stick (sometimes with constant encouragement).

• Grow a garden. You’ll get exercise and healthy food to boot!

As for us, we face many tough food decisions just like many of you. There are days where a Mexican restaurant or grocery store's baked/fried chicken will have to do because we have nothing left. It happens. Just too tired to prepare a wholesome meal from all of the wonderful veggies we grow. But I will tell you, the guilt weighs on us because we know better. My advice is to make a conscience effort to do the best you can. Knowing is half the battle, implementation and follow through are the toughest.

Why I Love Peppers and How To Make Your Own Red Pepper Flakes...

2011-09-13T05:43:00.001-07:00

This comes to no surprise to people who know me that of the many vegetables we grow, peppers are one of my favorites. We experiment with between 15-20 varieties, from sweet to spicy. My grandfather, Pop, gave me a love for peppers. As a young boy, I used to watch him eat cayenne peppers with his cornbread when I slept over with him and my grandmother. At that time, either his friends or a trip to the grocery store would have him a mountain of these very hot peppers lying on the table to be cut up and jarred. It wouldn't take long for that mountain to disappear into red and green colored chunks of pepper jarred up in vinegar. Those jars typically lasted him through the winter and boy was he ready for more when spring would come back around. I've never seen anyone enjoy eating peppers so hot they burn the first layer of taste buds away, but he does. I still look back on those memories fondly. Every year I still grow cayenne peppers for him to make his pepper & vinegar jars. Even though he's in his 80's, he still loves receiving a big bag full of fresh cayenne peppers and he always makes it a point to make a jar for me before he's finished.

As for us, growing peppers is like having rows of healthy snack food waiting to be picked. We grow more sweet varieties than we do hot and the difference in sweet flavors is incredible.  Just to share with you the nutritional info on sweet red peppers (not organic, so I would assume much higher numbers from 180 grown peppers due to the great soil and ocean mineral feedings) from the "Nutritional Fact and Analysis website"   (http://nutritiondata.self.com/)

Vitamins

                           Amounts Per Selected Serving                    %DV
Vitamin A                  4666 IU                                                93%
Beta Carotene           2420 mcg
Vitamin C                   190 mg                                                317%
Vitamin D                       ~                                                        ~
Vitamin E                       2.4 mg                                                 12%
Vitamin K                      7.3 mcg                                                  9%
Thiamin                          0.1 mg                                                   5%
Riboflavin                       0.1 mg                                                  7%
Niacin                             1.5 mg                                                   7%
Vitamin B6                    0.4 mg                                                 22%
Folate                          68.5 mcg                                                17%
Vitamin B12                 0.0 mcg                                                 0%
Pantothenic Acid          0.5 mg                                                  5%
Choline                           8.3 mg
Betaine                           0.1 mg

Minerals

                         Amounts Per Selected Serving                       %DV

Calcium                     10.4 mg                                                 1%
Iron                             0.6 mg                                                 4%
Magnesium                17.9 mg                                                 4%
Phosphorus               38.7 mg                                                  4%
Potassium                314   mg                                                  9%
Sodium                       6.0 mg                                                   0%
Zinc                            0.4 mg                                                    2%
Copper                       0.0 mg                                                   1%
Manganese                0.2 mg                                                   8%
Selenium                    0.1 mcg                                                0%

Making Red Pepper Flakes

Okay, like I said, we still have an abundance of cayenne’s (even after the CSA and Pop). What to do? Dry them into red pepper flakes!

Pick the cayenne’s when they are red. Rinse them off and pat dry. (If buying at the store, buy organic so there is no pesticide residue to worry about.) Place whole peppers in a 170 degree oven for about 6-8 hours until they are dry and wrinkled. (Some folks cut the peppers up and lay them skin side up, we don't do that because cayenne's are thin walled and they come out fine.)
Let them rest on the counter top to cool and harden, which could take an hour or two. In our case, we let them sit on the counter top for about two-three days, since they are dried and not cut or opened, there is no real worries of oxidation or mold. You can use a coffee grinder or a food processor to grind up the peppers. (Remember while handling hot peppers, wear gloves to prevent the peppers from getting on your hands and never rub your eyes!) The less you grind the more of a flake you will get and the more you grind, it becomes a powder. Once you have grinded, let the pepper flakes rest in the grinder for 10-15 minutes before you open it up to prevent breathing the pepper dust. Then, place in a jar or bag for later use. It should last you 6 months or longer. If the flakes become discolored, discard them as they have oxidized and the flavor is gone. Enjoy the happiness of making a much better tasting spice at home!

First Time Involvement In The Killer Tomato Festival...

2011-07-21T05:30:00.000-07:00

What a great experience this year! Typically, this is just a great time for Nicole and I, just to go and eat the wonderful foods created by these great chefs. This year was different. We had skin in the game - our tomatoes.

Donna, from Georgia Organics, connected us with Chris Hastings, a chef out of Birmingham, AL. Chris owns Hot and Hot Fish Club and has been a two time James Beard "Best Chef in the South" finalist, among the many other awards he has received. We were extremely honored to be involved with him and his team for this event.

As far as our tomatoes this year, they've never looked better. We grew several varieties of heirlooms as well as hybrids; since the heirlooms typically die in mid-season after they have produced an allotted amount, the hybrids carry us through the rest of the summer. I've also never seen as many 1 lb plus tomatoes in one season. We incorporated mycorrhizal fungi into the soil with Ocean Trace (sea minerals), as well as foliar spraying to increase the plant health. The result was the best tasting tomatoes I have ever had. The sugar level was through the roof. You could imagine our excitement to share these treasures with such a highly talented chef. He didn't disappoint!

Chef Hastings made Florida Hoppers (sautéed shrimp with the heads on) on heirloom tomatoes, with grilled Vidalia onions, avocadoes and basil lime vinaigrette. It was amazing. We also got to check out the other creative dishes at the event and were very full at the end. We probably eat more tomatoes at this event than we do the rest of the year. If you didn't go this year, make it a priority for next. It won't disappoint!

180 Board Member Brent Anderson: Are We Still The Land Of The Free, Home Of The Brave?

2011-06-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, I've been compelled by the life of Daniel, recounted in the Old Testament of the Bible. It is one of the clearest personifications of the New Testament challenge in Romans 12:2, to "not be conformed to this world." You may know the story of Daniel's resilience as he worships the God of Israel instead of the self-righteous king Nebuchadnezzar, even if it means being thrown to the lions to be eaten. A little less "popular" story in the book of Daniel is when He is called on to interpret a dream for the extremely wicked king of Babylon, and he, not only interprets the dream but, says to him, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies!" This seems to be so different from what we experience today as many "Christians" spew hate-filled remarks toward some of our current political leaders. What we clearly see in the life of Daniel is a man who is held in captivity of the Babylonian empire, against his will, all while walking in obedience to God, serving his captors faithfully, and experiencing God's favor during this captivity.

I recently previewed some information about a new food justice film called "Farmageddon," and was reminded of another story in the life of Daniel. You see, at the onset of Daniel's time in Babylonian captivity, king Nebuchadnezzar ordered all the best young Israelite boys to be forcibly assimilated into the king's culture, taught the king's ways, and fed the king's foods. Verse eight of chapter one in Daniel says that he "resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself." I realize that we live in the "land of the free, and the home of the brave," but we seem to be facing a parallel challenge, with the rise of the industrial food system in America.

To a certain extent, we are being held captive in a food system that is "defiling" us in so many ways. Whether it be the government's blatant disregard for the health ramifications of GMO seeds, the bacteria-rich feed lots that the majority of the beef cattle are raised in, or the "SWAT" style raids taking place on small farmers for selling raw milk; the reality is we are in captivity in a broken-down, unsustainable system. Although the outlook seems bleak, there are some practical ways we can "resolve" to not "defile" ourselves. As a believer in Jesus, the first place I go is to ask Him for favor within our current system. Daniel is a great example of how this works; no matter what was going on during his captivity, it seemed really clear that God was with him. For instance, we see in verse 9 of my example it says, "and God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs." Let's remember that these weren't compliant captors; they were on a hostile take-over mission! But, the favor of God trumps man's agenda. If we follow God, in Jesus Christ, we will have His favor. From this favor foundation, we quite simply, need to just take practical steps to do what we know is right!

Let's look for opportunities to connect with local farms to provide support, let's learn to cultivate the land the way it was intended from the beginning, and let's be proactive with our passion to see things change for the good of our society. Personally, I would like to experience what Daniel did; when God's favor, and his faithfulness to God shone brightly to one of the most wicked kings in history and the result was revealed in Nebuchadnezzar's words, "Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries." (Daniel 2:47)

Pastor Brent Anderson

What Does Sustainability Look Like?

2011-06-06T05:06:00.000-07:00

A few months back, we had had problems getting "clean" feed for our animals and I drove all over grabbing what organic feed I could from various retail locations. It was an expensive process and wasn't any cheaper when I added gas to the mix. During all of this running around, it made me think about the buzz word "sustainability". What does that really look like? If anything, what I had done was anti-sustainable; using fuel, oil, and buying feed not grown anywhere near the state of Georgia.

Picture of 180 Degree Farm taken by Aleeya Hargrove.

In a perfect world, we would have farmers growing vegetables, grains, fruits, eggs, dairy, and meats locally to provide for the needs of the community. Local farmers would also grow plants for the seed we'd grow our vegetable from, and grain to feed our chickens and turkeys. That's a perfect world.

A prime example of being anti-sustainable is some of our Saturdays on the farm. We get so busy; lunch can end up being take-out. All the food that is produced on the farm and we have to resort to take-out because it is faster and we are too tired to prepare it. I would imagine that's what life looks like for many. Doesn't make me feel any better about it, though.

As gas continues to rise, I'm even more motivated to find "local" where ever I can. Higher fuel costs equal higher food costs, which means people will have to make some hard choices coming up. Hard choices that could be diverted if we had more local options.

Victory Garden - Picture source: http://lejardinpotager.wordpress.com/2009/07/28/our-wartime-victory-garden/

What's happening now is a good history lesson. Our country is in turmoil much like the 1930's. People are out of work, the housing market is as bad as it has ever been and there are no signs of a let up. Yet history tells us that in these times, Americans became more self-reliant. The American people realized the government wasn't going to bail them out, because they couldn't. As a result, Americans started growing Victory Gardens. These Victory Gardens were so successful; in 1943, 20 million gardens produced 8 million tons of food! Talk about getting your food locally grown, how about the back yard. Now they probably weren't completely sustainable, but I would imagine they were much closer than we are today.
Just imagine if you took one step closer to becoming self-reliant and grew a back yard garden. This is something we “can” do, in fact, God’s first job to man was to work the ground from which he had been taken. We are built to work.

I hear many people tell me, “I can’t grow anything!” or “I definitely don’t have a green thumb, every plant I touch dies!” As my wife tells me from time to time, it’s all about priorities. If it’s important enough to you, you’ll learn how to do it and the first step is always the toughest. So go grow some good food, and we will be here to help when you need us.

Hosea 4:6 says "My people perish for lack of knowledge."

Growing Potatoes The Easy Way....

2011-04-18T05:11:00.000-07:00

As some of you have seen over the past few months, we have set up potato crates and sweet potato crates at the farm. From our experience last year with potatoes, our white clay presented many challenges at harvest time which made us come up with better growing options for the next planting season.

Method #1

Potatoes to the right and left of the trellis.

The first option was creating raised rows and elevating the potatoes out of the clay with a high row of compost. This was done by painstakingly filling wheel barrows full of compost and dropping them down each aisle to get the hill about 16” high. We then open up the top of the hill with the handle of a hoe going about 6” deep and drop in our potatoes about 12” apart. We pat down the rows into a uniform shape and add our drip irrigation. In about two weeks after the potatoes plants have grow out of the ground, we will hill up the potatoes again to encourage more root growth around the stem. We do this about every two weeks thereafter. Root growth = more potatoes!

These sweet potato slips were planted this morning. Even though they look wilted, sweet potatoes are vigorous and will bounce back after a few days.

We used this same option for sweet potatoes, although we raised the rows to about 18” and 6” wider than the potato rows. Again, after mounding up the hills, we dropped in the sweet potato slips at about 30” apart. Drip irrigation was already there on these rows so we simply watered the slips with a modified version of the 180 plant dip (added Humic Acid since it was just a ground watering) and covered them up. Sweet potatoes thrive in compost and we are expecting a wonderful harvest in the fall.

Camron holding a white yam and a Beauregard sweet potato after harvest.

Method #2

Potato crates after a few weeks of growth.

The second option was re-using crates that were to be thrown away and making them of some value. (If you go this route, make sure the crate has no pressure treated wood on it.) We prepped the area with mulch and set the crates in place. We then filled the crates about half way with compost and dropped in our potatoes at 6” deep and 12” apart. Unfortunately, these will need to be hand watered, which would be the only down side of using the crates.

Potatoes prior to hilling.

The potatoes seemed to like the crates because their performance was 2 fold over the potatoes in the raised rows. That’s pretty remarkable!

The "hilling" process.

As I had mentioned before, we filled the crates only half way to start. This will allow the potatoes to grow long enough stems to be topped off at about 8”-12” with more compost. “Hilling up” is the term used when talking about adding more dirt around potatoes. This “hilling up” encourages the plant to grow more roots around the stem, thus growing more potatoes. We have high expectations for these potato crates after seeing how well they have done thus far.

Other options for great results are:

Creating a palleted box about two feet high and four foot squared. Add about a foot of compost and "hill up" when you start seeing potatoes peeking out of the top. (This may require cutting the pallets in half to get desired height.) If planting sweet potatoes, fill all the way up with compost and plant you slips. Remember that sweet potatoes grow very well in compost, so keep your slips spaced around 30". It will not look like much, but when harvest time rolls around you will be surprised at the results!

Wheat straw bales make a great organic solution to growing potatoes. At our farm, we typically have left over straw bales to start the spring. It is a great way to re-use something that would otherwise only be fit for the compost pile. So using six bales (or more), make a rectangle using two bales on each side and one bale on each end. Fill with compost about a foot high and plant your potatoes. After about two-three weeks of growth, hill them up. When your ready to harvest, simply remove one side and dig out your potatoes. If planting sweet potatoes, fill all the way up with compost and plant your slips about 30" apart. (You may want to expand your area if you have a big family to feed.)

Side note:

Compost is very nutritious and typically has the right balance plants need. I typically add a light fertilizer like MicroStart, which is 3-2-3, but has many trace minerals. We also use the 180 plant dip as a foliar spray as they are growing.

Get Plants Off To A Great Start....

2011-03-14T05:53:00.000-07:00

One of the things that we have been experimenting with over the past year is how we treat transplants at the time of planting. On the onset of this, our goal was to figure out how to give the plants an edge and get them off to a fast start. With all of our commitments to feed many families on a weekly basis, we pulled together several natural resources to help us do the job. We call this the 180 plant dip.

We start with a five gallon bucket ¾ full of well water (If tap water let it sit over night to allow the chlorine to dissipate)

We then add:

• Fish Emulsion. We add about 7 cups of pure, stinky, fish emulsion to the 5 gallon bucket. This is a quick boost of kick-a-poo-joy-juice for the plant. It’s like having a double shot of espresso before work! (Fish Emulsion can vary a little in nutrient content, but most are close to the N5-P1-K1 number we use.)

• Ocean Trace. We add 3 tablespoons. This adds all of the trace minerals (straight from the ocean) needed by the plant to give it a great start. Mineral balance is crucial and these minerals are perfectly balanced allowing the plant to use everything that is nutritionally available to it. Very important! Plants that have certain mineral deficiencies early on are not nearly as productive as the ones that don’t. Essential for early development. (**We like using Ocean Trace because the sodium chloride has been removed)

• Rhizofuel (3 tablespoons). A mycorrhizal fungi that we mix in and use as a root dip for our transplants. Mycorrhizal fungi is an extension of the plant roots and together are more effective in gathering nutrients and water thereby increasing the health of the plant. "The resultant increase in uptake capacity ultimately results in increased plant health and vigor as well as a 30% decrease in need for nutrients, fertilizers, and water, which is great for the environment, soil, and water tables." Rhizofuel website

Looks yummy, doesn't it?

After adding all of these ingredients, mix well. We take each transplant and dip the roots into this mixture and hold it for about ten seconds. This allows the dirt and root ball to absorb to saturation. Then we plant it and move on to the next one. You will need to stir the mix several times as it settles quite frequently. (We do this for just about everything we plant, not just vegetables.)

After we are done, we pour any remaining mix onto the planting area. We have seen remarkable differences in plant growth since implementing this.

If you plan on saving this mix for a day or two, you will see a white mold growing on the top of the mixture. It is ok, after all, you did add fungus to the mix. **To keep you wife or husband from killing you, put a lid on the mixture if you store it in the garage overnight!! It will be stinky...

Little Katahbados Lambs...

2011-02-11T06:05:00.000-08:00

Back in April of 2010, we brought in a new herd of Kathdin sheep and a Barbado Black Belly ram. The plan was, and still is, to breed the two and develop a hybrid sheep, which we named Katahbados, that will be very adaptable to the Georgia heat, have improved parasite resistance, and also improving upon the already high quality meat that each produce. This is called hybrid vigor.

We decided to leave our ram in the pen with the ewes and let nature take its course rather than separating the rams and ewes until breeding time. After all, we have two experienced moms and a few young ewes that hadn't given birth yet, so it seemed a good mix - along with a lot of prayer.

We raise our sheep in a very natural way. We never give any medications for parasites, instead we believe preventive care is the best method. We do weekly paddock moves, add DE (diatomaceous earth) to their sugar beets and mineral block, and give them organic apple cider vinegar and ocean minerals with their water. We keep guineas and turkeys with the sheep in the summer which helps control any tick problems and we run the chickens behind the sheep to help eliminate any parasites that may still be in larvae stage on their manure. This is symbiosis at its best.

Preparing for lambs....

Preparing for the birth of new lambs really starts before mating. Making sure the sheep have a good forage and occasional snack of left over spinach, beets, pac choi and swiss chard to round out their diets. When lambing season comes around, we are constantly watching the ewe, making sure she is moving around nicely and growing proportionately. During winter pregnancy, having high quality hay is vital as well as organic apple cider vinegar. The vinegar contains high amounts of potassium, which allows the blood vessels in the uterus to expand and increase blood flow, helping the fetus move into the right position prior to birth.

Delivery Day...

When the ewe is ready for birth, we are on constant watch, especially if it is a new mother. Things can go wrong quick. When Momma, our oldest ewe, gave birth we had some confidence that she was going to have success. After all, she has delivered many times and never had a problem. Still, a successful birth in the dead of winter can be very hard on new born lambs born on pasture. Nicole built a hay structure inside the sheep mobile to help keep the wind and rain off and we put there paddock in the woods for added shelter. Sunday, January 23rd at 11:00am, we had our first Katahbados lambs born. Of course, Momma delivered in the woods, away from the shelter that was built for her.

Superbowl Sunday, we had a big surprise. Hurrying to get to the farm before our Superbowl party, we walked up to check on the sheep before leaving and discovered hooves peaking out of the back side of a year old sheep. I guess there were two surprises that day, one that she was delivering and two, we didn't know she was pregnant. After some labor struggles she finally had a healthy boy lamb in the woods. Nicole and I were able to see this miracle happen. God is good. Just one lamb was born, hence the reason for her disguised pregnancy. We were pleasantly surprised to see her bond right away with the new born lamb, licking it clean and urging him to stand and feed. These are definitely great traits for a first time mother. Abe, our Barbados Black Belly ram, did his job and now three (with more to come) healthy lambs will start a new hybrid Katahbados breed at 180.

Nicole has given them names, which normally we try to stay away from when we are processing animals for meat, but exceptions have been made. At least the female, named Toupee (because of the white patch on her head that looks like a bad toupee), will become part of the breeding flock and will be around for a long time. We can't wait to have more little Katahbados lambs born on the farm. Spring is in the air.

CCM or More Like Crop Stock 2011....

2011-02-01T06:16:00.000-08:00

Wow. What a day. Who would have thought a day in January would have been so beautiful and warm? God is good! The turnout was much better than expected. With nearly 140 people showing up, we were able to move mountains.

Leading up to this momentous occasion, there were so many details to plan. We had to get compost delivered, pray for wood chips to be delivered (called every tree company in the book for the longest time and couldn’t get a delivery), get all of the wood and supplies for herb boxes and chicken tractors, ask Phil Aud & band to play some live music, and recruit volunteers to prepare enough food to feed everyone. Most of the details finally wrapped up around 10 pm the night before.

The day of the event was just a blur trying to move tables around and tidy up any details that could have been missed from the night before. At 9 am, a few cars started to trickle in and then at ten after, the flood gates opened. Folks were unloading tools, putting on their gloves and shoes, and ready to participate. The smiles on people’s faces said it all.

After we divided up the teams it was much like an ant march. Everyone was doing something to contribute and it was just a beautiful site. So many people took their Saturday and gave it to this event. It was emotionally overwhelming. So much love and excitement, it was such a blessing to this ministry.

Accomplishments:

• 3 Chicken Tractors got built, custom jobs to say the least. (Thanks to Gene Larson and his team of skilled craftsmen! What a wonderful job, and it puts the one I built to shame.)

• Our vineyard was completed. The trellises were put up and vines were strung and pruned. (Thanks to my good friend and board member Brent Anderson and his team for a brilliant job. Also, thanks to my good friend Mick Wilson for doing the pruning of the grapes/roots and stringing them up. They look beautiful.)

• Our herb garden was completed, thanks to Ian Giusto and his team for an extraordinary job. This will be the first thing people see coming into the farm and it looks great!

• The lunch team cooked some amazing dishes and then left to cook up more after seeing such a large turnout. A special thanks to Linda Perryman, Michelle Simpson, Martha Donnelly, Brooke Sorenson, Kevin Mitchell, Mark Anthony, my beautiful wife Nicole, and many more that brought food for the event.

• Our fields were either refreshed or ground up jobs to varying degrees.

o Field 1 was refreshed and cleaned up. Lead by Ron Hess, the field one team did an amazing job making it look beautiful!

o Field 2 was re-tilled, refreshed with compost and mulched lead by my good friend and board member Mark Hess and team. What an outstanding job!

o Field 3 was topped with compost and mulched. The field three team, lead by Tim and Nicole Coleman, did an excellent job. It was amazing looking over and seeing how fast it took shape.

o Field 4 started from the ground up and took the longest. I want to thank my team for all of the pain staking wheel barrow loads of compost and mulch, the bending over, and working on your knees to shape the rows. This was a tough job and we did it. They don’t call farming back breaking for nothing.

o The potato crates got filed up. This was in large part to the children. We tapped into their extra energy and they did a fine job. They really worked hard.

• Last but not least, pictures and videos were taken. We had four wonderful people either taking video or pictures of the event and they all rocked. Thanks to Roger and Jean Shealy, Sara Anthony, April Anderson and Jeff Heard for capturing the CCM event in very special ways.

With all of that and a couple of days to recover, we can get to planting! Thanks again to the many that made this happen.

Vitamins....

2011-01-19T05:42:00.000-08:00

Over the past few years we have changed our lifestyle quite drastically, in large part due to Mason's cancer diagnosis, which was a huge wake up call. Never before then had we ever worried about the food that went into our bodies, much less taking vitamins. I grew healthy food, but the problem was the need for convenience. If we were out, we would stop anywhere that sounded good for a meal or if we didn't feel like cooking we would order take out. We are probably not much different than the typical American family.

Now days, we watch what we consume and actually have a guilty conscience if we eat something we know is "bad". One of the things that have been a huge concern for us is picking out the right vitamins. Unfortunately, all vitamins are not the same. In fact, most vitamins bought at the store are neither complete (whole) vitamins nor real (most are synthetic or man made in a lab). It gets more confusing from there.

Certain websites will tell you it is ok to take synthetically (man made) produced vitamins and that the body can't tell them apart. The thought that "a vitamin created in a lab to simulate the real thing is perfectly fine and the body will be able to use it effectively", seems a little off base in my opinion. I assume that most of these synthetic vitamins get flushed through the body and end up in the toilet through the display of bright yellow colored urine. I know that was the case with me in the past.

We discovered, through research, that the whole food vitamin is the best thing to give our bodies. Vitamins derived from plants, fruits, and vegetables in whole form give your body the nutrients they need in a complete package, without missing components. God created it this way for a reason, right?

The majority of commercially grown foods are grown in depleted soils using basic 10-10-10 synthetic fertilizers for quick growth. The fruits of those plants have only three basic elements to pull from, leaving a wealth of nutrition out of the fruits they produce. This in turn leaves our bodies lacking vital trace minerals and vitamins that are essential for proper growth and immune health.

Organically grown foods are typically produced from healthy, living soils. These soils have a bounty of trace minerals that develop healthy, nutrient rich plants and fruits. If eaten right after harvest, you are getting the most nutrition out of that fruit or vegetable. That is another reason to buy local.

Why Do So Many People Get Sick In the Winter?...

In the summer we typically get a good balance of nutrition which keeps our bodies healthy and running properly, but in the winter, all of those important nutrients are not being produced. So what do you do? Most of these vegetables, if locally bought, are out of season. The produce that is sold at the grocery store has been sitting, (even organic) for several days, if not more than a week. The nutrient loss is substantial. This leads to deficiencies in the body which affect the immune system, hence the reason for colds and all of the other winter aliments that are usually around in the summer. This is where whole food vitamins come in, especially vitamin C.

The best vitamin source I've found is a company called Innate. They produce whole food vitamins through organically grown fruits and vegetables. I highly recommend looking them up and reading more about their products. That's what our family takes and it works very well. We have bought ours through Organic Pharmacy, but there are many places online that sell it. Innate also offers a chidren's vitamin that is wonderful. Definitely worth checking out!

Are You Ready?.....

2011-01-13T05:22:00.000-08:00

It's been a month since I've had time to blog. During that time we have scheduled a CCM (Christian Crop Mob) and a Gardening 101 Ministry Class for Senoia Vineyard Community Church. The weather has been flat out awful, probably the worst early winter I've experienced in my home town, nearly killing our citrus trees in the greenhouse and creating havoc on our winter veggies.

As we move into 2011, one of the things that have been hot on our mind is community and its link to local food. How do we create a sense of ownership with our community when it comes to eating and buying food locally grown, and for that matter anything locally produced; whether it be soaps, baked goods, clothes, beverages (like organic teas or wines), canned goods and so on? How do we get our community to support local restaurants that buy locally grown foods and meats or businesses that buy from local producers? It starts with awareness and making it a priority to start somewhere.

It wasn't so long ago that these things we are trying to get back to were part of everyday life. Going into town to buy what you couldn't grow or make; knowing your neighbors and actually having conversations with them; helping a friend in need; waving to someone as you pass by. I believe it will only become more important as the times continue to change. The economy, which we've been told by the press and politicians is getting better, is not and seems to be getting worse. Gas is creeping back up and food costs are rising. How do you fix something so broken? You can't. So we shift our paradigm. We go local. We challenge our community to “rise up” and support locally owned businesses. We also need to lead by example. Connect with neighbors; getting more involved in church; getting to know God (not just know of Him); develop skills to grow and/or produce food on our own. Maybe its $10 dollars a week set aside for something locally produced or maybe volunteering your time. Start somewhere!

This leads me to a community event happening at our farm on January 29th, 2011. Our first annual Christian Crop Mob. Crop Mobs have been around for a long time. The thought is many hands equals’ quick work and great accomplishment. I believe this is a great time for the community to get together and see what farming is all about. We will also have a great time of fellowship and get to know one another. Phil Aud, who is our Music Minister at Trinity Fellowship, will be playing live music to help keep us moving. If you have never heard Phil, you’re in for a treat, because he can flat out play!

*If you can join us, don't forget to bring your gloves and shoes that you don't care get dirty. We will also need shovels and wheelbarrows for use during the event, if you have them.

The Ministry of Gardening....

On January 21st and 22nd, we will be teaching a two day class on "Gardening from the Ground Up" as a ministry at Senoia Vineyard Community Church. Pastor Brent Anderson, a dear friend, started the "Sow Good Garden" last year as a way to provide organically grown food for people in need. This season, a new ministry will be created to have those who feel lead, run the garden from start to finish. After all, this is what we are called to do. I can think of a few passages in the bible that deem it important for this ministry:

Proverbs 21:13 “Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.”

Proverbs 28:27 “Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.”

Psalms 41:1 “Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him”

Proverbs 19:17 “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed”

This is a ministry that, over time, will hopefully encourage other churches that have land to adopt. What a great use of resources. Instead of paying someone to cut the church grass, be shepherds, and grow food for the sheep.

Understanding The Plant/Soil Relationship, Simply Put.....

2010-12-09T04:52:00.001-08:00

Hard to see, but ice has formed on the lake. Way too cold unless you have wool or feathers!

During the winter time, we always "try" to get more rest and more reading done. It is way too cold to move outside, let alone do many projects requiring hand movement. We have subscriptions to various magazines, watch a few documentaries and tend to add more books to our collection during this time. One magazine in particular, "Acres", has been a wealth of information for me. I probably look forward to that one more than any other.

In one of the previous issues, I came across an article that sums up the biochemical sequence of a plants uptake of nutrition. This is where I will probably lose over half of the readers of this particular blog. I know, I'm getting my geek on, but those serious about understanding plant nutrition will probably want to read on. Simplicity is the key to understanding these things, at least for me, and understanding the utilization sequence.

In the plant world, roots "should" have a relationship with fungi. This relationship, called "Mycorrhizae, is a symbiotic relationship that forms between fungi and plants. The fungi colonize the root system of a host plant, providing increased water and nutrient absorption capabilities while the plant provides the fungus with carbohydrates formed from photosynthesis. Mycorrhizae also offer the host plant increased protection against certain pathogens."

"Fungi also have the ability to easily absorb elements such a phosphorus and nitrogen which are essential for life. Plants are autotrophic, producing their food in the form of carbohydrates through the process of photosynthesis. However, plants often have difficulty obtaining and absorbing many of the essential nutrients needed for life, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus." The New York Botanical Garden

So understanding how this works, the next phase is understanding how the roots absorb nutrients. It starts with boron, which is an essential micronutrient required for normal growth of plants. This micronutrient is used in very small amounts. Too much can be toxic to plants. With that said, boron helps in the use of nutrients and regulates other nutrients.

Boron also activates silicon. Silicon is a carrier for all other nutrients and stimulates a plant’s defensive mechanism against abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) stresses. In addition, silicon fertilization, if you can find it, has a more positive effect than liming on the chemical and physical properties of the soil.

Among other nutrients silicon carries, it starts with calcium. Plants need calcium for cell wall development and growth. Plants also need calcium for enzyme activity, metabolism, and for nitrogen uptake.

Calcium binds with Nitrogen to form amino acids, DNA and cell division. Amino Acids form proteins such as chlorophyll and tag trace elements like Magnesium.

Magnesium is needed by plants for photosynthesis and function with enzyme systems involved in breakdown of carbohydrates, and nitrogen metabolism. It also transfers energy via phosphorus.

Phosphorus, involved in photosynthesis and seed formation, also encourages blooming and root growth. Phosphorus takes energy from Magnesium and transfers to Carbon to form sugars.

These sugars are carried by potassium. Potassium helps with the building of protein, photosynthesis, fruit quality and reduction of diseases. It is the second most absorbed mineral, behind nitrogen.

Of course, there are many other trace minerals associated with plant function that are essential, but not covered here. This should give you a clearer understanding of how the plant roots uptake nutrition.

Incorporating fungi inoculation (soil inoculant) into a pastured base growing system for animal rotation or a crop production system should be an important part of creating a healthy plant for forage or human consumption. Studies show an increased uptake capacity for nutrients in the soil, disease and drought resistance which in turn will increased plant health and vigor. This will increased crop or grass production. This works particularly well in a no-till system. Either way, it is a win-win letting natural do its thing.

Interesting fact: The bible presents over 1700 verses that mention or speak of the land. Land, therefore, must be important to God and He has given us stewardship over it and all of the animals. Not a job we should take lightly!

Unexpected Blessings.....

2010-12-07T05:47:00.000-08:00

Last weekend has been one of the most memorable in a long time. With all of the planning coming up, things seem to be at times, overwhelming, to say the least. We are expanding our CSA's, adding two more fields into production, adding more broilers (meat chickens) to the mix next year, adding more turkeys, starting up an aquaponics system and lamb season(Feb.) is right around the corner. Just when we get a little down or overwhelmed by the tasks ahead, God seems to remind us why we are here.

Saturday, after having spent a wonderful time with the volunteers who helped out with paddock moves and moving the brooder beast, we attended a dinner put on by a wonderful organization called Bridging the Gap. A friend of ours, Pastor Tim Coleman, invited us to this dinner which was a celebration/thank you for the impact made feeding people in poverished communities near downtown Newnan. This is what Pastor Tim Coleman and his wife Nicole's street ministry is a part of and where we contribute our vegetables and eggs.

The event was amazing. Alison Wallace, who runs Bridging the Gap, put on a beautiful event with a live band, lead by her husband, and a delicious meal. After talking with friends for a while, Tim showed us the table we were going to sit at and as another couple arrived, he asked if we could move down two seats. This allowed us to talk to a couple we'd know but never got to spend much time with before tonight. We talked about the mission of 180 and some of the trials coming up. God apparently seeded in their heart to donate to one of our bigger expenses coming up. Nicole and I were shocked and humbled to say the least. So looking back, moving down was a tremendous blessing.

The next morning at church, Nicole was heading out the door when she was handed a thank you card. It was from our Nutrition and Food Awareness class. The "students" had given us a gift certificate to a seed company we use for almost all of our seed purchases. What a blessing! Nicole and I felt extremely overwhelmed - but this time in a good way. I don't know if a "Thank You" is enough to cover it in either case.

Need Prayer For Tonight....

Again, we are back for another hearing with the zoning board. Originally, we thought our buildings were approved because they made us submit several revisions to our conceptual plan to include various setbacks. Now, we have to ask for a variance from our lake, which we now know is a protected Georgia water way, even though it is manmade. The setback from the lake is set at 150 ft. The other variance is to encroach on to the setback of our neighbor’s property that is at 100ft. Together they make a superpower setback that, as it stands right now, will not allow us to place our building on our property. Hence the reason for going through all of this.....again! Please ask for God's favor tonight as we start this process.

Matthew 6:7-8 7"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

Turkey Season and a Lesson on Omega3's....

2010-11-10T04:57:00.000-08:00

Turkey season is here finally! It seems like yesterday when we had our turkey poults (baby turkeys) in the brooder waiting for them to go on pasture. This Saturday, we will select breeding stock and we will process the rest. So those of you on the turkey list....it won't be long.

Our philosophy on raising turkeys, as with all of our animals, is raising them in as natural environment as possible. We never give antibiotics or growth hormones. Our feed is grown naturally; no chemicals have been used to produce the feed we give them - no pesticides or herbicides. Yadda, Yadda, yadda,....if you've read our blogs before, this is redundant, I know. So I thought I would elaborate further. There is a better story...

As Nicole and I were looking at our model in the spring, one of the top things we had to figure out was where to put the turkeys. We had to keep them ahead of the chickens, because of blackhead (a disease chickens can carry with no ill effects but will potentially kill turkeys), and the sheep were also ahead of the chickens. (What I mean is, as we move our paddocks, the sheep always get new ground and the chickens get the old sheep paddock.) What to do? We decided to keep the turkeys and sheep in the same paddock. After all, they eat different forages and the sheep could certainly benefit from the turkeys and guineas eating ticks and other pests. So that's what we did.

One thing that we felt was important in raising turkeys is encouraging them to forage for their food. When we think of a heritage pasture raised turkey, we think of a smaller yet better tasting, healthier turkey. But how do you get them to be healthier? Grass. Plain and simple. Yes, these birds do require some grain in their diet, but we have limited how they eat it. We started feeding them in the afternoon. As we get ready to shutdown the farm, we give them feed in there turkey mobile and allow them to eat and roost for the night. When morning comes, they are out all day, eating grass and bugs.

Why is grass better than grain? Grass produces Omega3 fatty acids, which benefit the body by reducing disease like cancer, heart attacks, stroke, auto-immune disorders and so on. Grain on the other hand produces Omega6 fatty acids. When we consume a store bought, factory raised turkey; we get a turkey that has very little, if any Omega3 fatty acids, but plenty of Omega6 fatty acids.

When our bodies have an even ratio of Omega3 fatty acids to Omega6 fatty acids (or heavier in Omega3's), our bodies are good. The problem is, almost all of the turkeys, chickens and even beef for that matter, have all been feed a grain only diet (beef is finished on grain, but starts out on grass). What does that mean for you? High consumption of Omega6 fatty acids. In fact, most Americans have 30 times more Omega6 to Omega3's in their bodies. It is all about diet.

Would you be willing to change? Most people like the idea of change, but reality sets in and it is too much work. Then we get sick and are stuck taking meds.....if only we troubled ourselves to change.

BTW, if you have a heritage pastured turkey coming your way this holiday season, check this link out for cooking instructions (heritage turkeys cook a little different than a traditional bird): http://www.grassfedcooking.com/articles/PasturedTurkeyCookingTips.html

Guest blog: Pastor Tim Coleman Writes About Something All Christians Are Called To Do....

2010-10-27T06:43:00.000-07:00

When you think about words that are exciting and adventurous (two really cool words, at least to me), you don’t think about words like faithful and steady, right? Those words don’t seem to go together.

However, it’s the steady journey that has connected us to one of the most significant relationships we have...the one we have with the Tyson family and 180 Degree Farm. Here’s how it all started. A handful of people looked around Newnan, realized that there were people in need, and decided to do something about it. While volunteering at a local foster home, the Director of the home pulled me aside and asked if we could do something with the very large bags of leftover bread they received each week from a local bakey/coffee shop. So, we looked around again and noticed large groups of people who did not have money to buy food. We saw the elderly, the disabled, and the poor. So, we said yes. In those days, it was just 3-4 guys with a bunch of donated, day-old bread in the back of a pickup truck. We would get the bags of bread every Tuesday and randomly drive around the sections of Newnan where we knew the need was great. We tossed bread out of the back of the truck like we were throwing candy out of the back of a parade float. We did that every Tuesday...rain or shine...for months...steady and faithful.

Then, one day Alison Wallace from Bridging the Gap called to say that they had access to food that was still very good but not able to be sold in the store. They had meats, eggs, fruit, vegetables, and other things. They said it would be available on Tuesdays and it was a truckload of food. So, we just added it to the donated bread. The more food we received, the more volunteers showed up to help. Other places started donating food and we just kept getting it out to those in need...every Tuesday...steady and faithful.

Throughout all of this we developed a strong desire to lessen the amount of cheap, processed food we give to people and increase the amount of local, healthy food. That’s when we had a farmer friend connect us to the Tysons and 180 Degree Farm. Part of the Tyson’s vision is to take a portion of what is harvested and invest it back into the community to help feed those who need it the most. Each week we receive some type of fresh food from 180 Degree Farm and we give it away. In fact, as we take out truckloads of food each week that gets donated from many places, the freshest, healthiest, life-giving food those people will eat each week comes from 180 Degree Farm. If I really want to bless someone when we deliver the food each week, I reach first for something from 180 Degree Farm.

Today, we gather at 15 Perry Street in downtown Newnan every Tuesday at 10:30 AM. Many volunteers show up and we sort the food. Then together, we take the food directly to over 100 families in need. In fact, we now have people in need helping us get the food to other people in need. It’s all about everyone doing their part...steady and faithful.

It was the faithful, steady journey that brought us to 180 Degree Farm...and then, in turn, what brings 180’s life-giving food to the neediest in our community. You know what’s awesome though? The steady and faithful journey has given us some of the most exciting and adventurous experiences we’ve ever had. All four words can co-exist!

So, I can’t help but think about you...and me. Where is it in our lives where we need to stay faithful and steady? Today's and tomorrow’s blessings and breakthroughs come only from yesterday’s steadiness and faithfulness.

Tim, Nicole and family serve at Browns Mill Church in Newnan. Tim is the Lead pastor and is commited, with his family and volunteers, to serve the poor and those in need the way Jesus calls us to do.

Matthew 25:37-40

37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Moving Along...

2010-09-29T05:29:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to find time to blog yet there is so much to write about. We just had our screening of "Fresh" two Saturday's ago and we are in the beginning of teaching a food awareness/nutrition class at Trinity Fellowship on Wednesday nights. Rachel, who WWOOFed on our farm for a month, just left for a farm on the island of Corsica in France. Just when we thought it would slow down we end up with more on our plate.

Two weeks into teaching our Wednesday night class, we've discovered how much people want to know about their food. It has been an eye-opening experience to say the least. I never would have dreamed in a million years that we would have so many folks attend. Wednesday nights are not known for huge turn-outs at church, yet folks are coming in eager to learn. God has got something in mind, that’s for sure.

Chicken Time....

Last weekend we processed our first batch of chickens. This was quite a learning experience for our kids. I think the typical response is - "Yuck!" or "Eewww" or "Why can't we just go to the store and buy a chicken instead of processing it ourselves." The answer is we want to know how these birds were raised and that they were processed in a humane way. I know that we love and care for all of the birds on our farm and that we honor Gods creations. I know these birds were happy and free to move about, not restrained by a cage.

Speaking of knowing where your food comes from, we had a CSA member that came to help process and another who watched. This may not seem significant, but the fact that we allow and encourage participation (as long as you can handle it) is important. If you are a local farm, why wouldn't you want customers to see the process, look around the farm and feel welcome doing so. We probably do 3-4 tours a week and it never gets old. The big chicken companies would forbid this sort of thing, but I think it adds to the whole idea that we are transparent and you’re always welcome. It also bridges the community gap or disconnect people have with their food.

While on the subject of chickens, I can't forget about the eggs. As fall creeps in, egg production slows down. We are noticing a two dozen drop a day and it will continue to drop. Chickens need 14 hours of daylight to produce on the 25 hour schedule. When fall and winter sneak in, daylight shortens and allows for a chicken's body to rest. This is the natural cycle God intended. These girls did a great job all summer producing the best eggs known to man, so they deserve a rest.

Fall Crops Are Coming In...

Last but not least, our fall crops are slowly coming in. Lettuce, pak choi, and arugula are starting to or will be harvested for our CSA's with broccoli, cabbage, spinach, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts to follow in the coming weeks. Yum!

Pastor and Farmer Brent Anderson's Guest Blog: Vine Borers Eating Away At Your Relationship With Jesus?....

2010-09-07T05:59:00.000-07:00

Jesus said in John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." Well, this season I was able to experience a unique perspective on the truth of these words. One early morning, as I walked through the Sow Good Garden, I happened to notice our zucchini plants looking a little droopy and withered. With limited understanding about the many variables that could lead to this apparent deterioration, I proceeded to check what I knew to check. As I suspected, the drip irrigation was working properly, the soil moisture seemed ok and, after re-figuring my mixture calculations for the foliar application I had used a few days before, everything looked in order. What could be the culprit? There certainly weren't any signs of bugs or pests that I could see. So, I did what anyone would do when they had exhausted their cognitive resources; I phoned a friend. "Surely," I thought, "Scott at 180 Degree Farm will know what's going on with these plants." Within just a few minutes, I was educated about about a sneaky, elusive creature affectionately know as the "vine borer."

The cool thing about this story was the remedy to this "vine infiltrator." Scott proceeded to instruct me to take a sharp blade and, ever-so-gently, cut along the base of the plant, open it up and extract the little pest. So with this surgery complete on more than 20 zucchini plants, I began to look with anticipation for signs of life. That afternoon the plants had perked up and it appeared to be a successful operation. Maybe, for some of you who have farmed for years, this wouldn't be very exciting; but I was stoked! For the next week I enjoyed watching the zucchini plant produce healthy fruit, but, before I knew it, these vine munchers were back. From what I can tell, these perpetrators are a common problem, difficult to combat, and repeat offenders. So until there is an effective organic solution to eradicate these pests (and I'm open to your comments and insight) we will just have to be diligent to destroy them as we see them at work.

Remaining in the Vine, Jesus Christ, produces an overwhelming experience of fruitful life. That being said, there are so many "vine borers" that come to eat away at the connection you can share with the Lord. Galatians 5 gives us some understanding of a few things that are antagonistic to the "fruit of the Spirit." These include enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, and divisions. I want to encourage you to be diligent to combat these infiltrators when you see signs of "withering" in your life, because Jesus wants you to "bear much fruit."

A whole new world…

2010-08-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

I’ve learned so much over the last several months, not only about what is important in life, but what’s not important. As my family has been in transition with our new endeavor, I haven’t thought for one moment (as crazy as it’s been) that it’s not for the best. My kids took a giant leap in maturity over the summer and are heading back to school with mental and physical strength. They learned so much on the farm, including responsibility, ownership, work ethic and sweat equity. My 11 year old son can give a full farm tour to an adult, any time, any day. He has amazing customer service skills, because he loves and believes in what we do. Our kids see how hard Scott and I work every day, and in return they respond with a willingness to help and have a hand in it themselves.

Off the farm, we are making changes too. Not important – Cable TV. We have the internet (for the farm and news/weather) and a closet full of movies, which actually get viewed now. We could never find enough time to catch up on our reading, TV is just garbage in/garbage out anyway, and we needed to cut back on our expenses - so bye-bye Cable TV. We also cancelled our home phone since we saw no need to have both cell and home phones.

Important – independence. I’m trying to obtain more homesteading skills, to not only save money, but to gain control over the ingredients (or rather chemicals) we are exposed to. I make my own shampoo and conditioner now. I’ve made Maddux natural flea/tick spray, which I plan to modify and use for us humans. I’m working on locating ingredients for soap, so we can have a nice stock to last ½ a year or longer. And making my own yogurt (which is a huge expense for us) is in the near future. I’ve made quick jam before, but managed to cook up and can 10 jars of muscadine jam while my kids were home sick the other day. Not to mention, someone just donated a pressure canner, so I’ll be able to can my own chicken stock this year.

It all makes a difference collectively. My family is much happier with less static in our lives and more focus on what really matters. Think about what in your life you could live without. I know this is a stretch for some (and at one time me included), but what if Starbucks never existed, or any coffee house for that matter? No one would die. It’s even possible that there would be less irritation and road rage.

There’s something to that simpler life lived by our elders. Less technological distractions, real community, real farming…

We really can change for the best… first step is awareness.

-Nicole

Seeding, Weeding, Meat Chickens and a Helping Hand....

2010-08-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

Getting the fields planted for fall has been a "challenging" task, to say the least. We are still pulling out summer crops that are at the end of their production cycle and tilling new fields that are grass and weed heavy and it seems nothing is easy. But that is life on a newly established farm. You can never have enough help prepping the fields, tilling, and planting during these times.

Growing on this new land has presented its own challenges, many of which we have not been prepared for. I've written about our sorry soil (if it could be called that) many times through frustration and aggravation and I think I have now moved past that. We are starting to see changes in the soil now and a glimpse of hope in our fields. We continue inoculating our fields with mycorrhizal fungus and humic acid, which has really helped the plants during the soil difficulties we’ve experienced and will continue to help build a better soil.

Mycorrhizal fungi develop a relationship with the root systems of living plants. Networks of mycorrhizal filaments envelop the seedling's root structure, greatly extending and enhancing (by a factor of several hundred to several thousand times) the growing plant's water- and nutrient-gathering abilities and protecting the plant from disease. Humic acid provides natural carrier compounds that transport nutrients and vitamins into your plants more efficiently enhancing their growth. Together, they enhance the growing conditions for each plant.

Another thing we have incorporated is a raised bed system down our fields. We till in the soil adding fresh compost and add another layer of compost on top, about a foot high. We cover the raised bed with newspaper, wet it down and apply wheat straw. Then we inoculate the row with mycorrhizal and humic acid. This in effect should give us a no-till system, make the plants and soil healthier and make weeding more manageable.

Meet the Meat Chickens….

I love the play on words, but really, we will be processing our first broilers (meat chickens) in three weeks. This is exciting for us as we know that these birds are healthy and are fed a certified natural feed. They get fresh air and are out on pasture eating fresh grass and bugs along with the feed we give. This is an exciting time for 180.

The Blessing of Extra Hands…..

Our WWoofer’s (interns) have been a tremendous helping hand. Nicole and I have felt that if we were to bring in WWoofers, that they come in as part of the family and that we make this a true learning and working experience. Not everyone fits that model. We are blessed to have two really wonderful folks now.

• Caleb has a passion for growing and has really immersed himself in the farm. He has learned what the priorities are on the farm and has really begun to hone his skill set. He is also growing out our Shiitake/Oyster mushrooms for CSA’s and market. I’m very proud of the progress he has made. With more experience under his belt, I’m sure that Caleb will be running his own farm in the near future.

Nicole, Caleb, Rachel and Mason gathering eggs.

• Rachel comes here with no farming or gardening experience. She has really got a taste of life on the farm and has had learned a lot in her first 12 days here. She has developed a love for harvesting and packing vegetables for the CSA. She has never chickened out of a chore or learning experience, though weeding is on the bottom of her “like to do” list on the farm. We are excited about her future – maybe as a farmer.

We are blessed to have several volunteers come out on a weekly basis and that has provided us with a much needed helping hand.

• Mel, one of our CSA customers, comes out once or twice a week. She doesn't mind helping my wife with whatever task is needed. We are very thankful for her hard work and a much needed donation of a water purifier.

• Nicole Coleman, a friend of ours that shares our passion for healthy food, comes out Monday afternoons, with her husband Tim, and works till dark. She also doesn’t mind working on whatever is on the “to do” list.

• Nicole's parents have helped us this past summer and we certainly couldn't have been as productive without them.

Hosea 4:6 - "My people will perish for lack of knowledge"

WWOOFing Begins and Fall Is In The Air, Can You Feel It?....

2010-08-17T05:40:00.000-07:00

I doubt you can feel fall yet, but the signs are evident. Days are getting shorter, tomatoes are dying out, sweet potato vines are branching out to other fields, and school has started for the boys. This also means we have a busy month ahead, getting the fields tilled, finish fall seed plantings, getting the hoophouse prepared for fall/winter growth and finish developing our venture into aquaponics.

Within the next week or so, the tomatoes that are finished will be pulled up and the trellises will be stored for next spring. We will begin to till up the tomato fields and get our lettuce in the ground. As with most of our fall crops, we will be using row covers to help boost production through the fall and winter. It's a very exciting time.

WWOOFer's....

Going into the fall season, we have been blessed to get a WWOOFer named Caleb this past Saturday and Rachel coming in September to be a part of the 180 Degree Farm Family. Caleb, who has committed 6 months to learn about all things 180, is in the "getting familiar" stage and will steadily increase his farm education and responsibility as the weeks go by. Rachel, who will be staying the month of September, will be splitting duty with us and Pastor Brent Anderson at the "Sow Good" community garden.

As we continue to grow, we are getting more and more emails from WWOOFers who want to stay and learn on the farm. While we are extremely honored, it's also important for us to choose the right person that will "fit" in with what we are doing. We are serious about educating young men and women who are serious about learning. The selection process isn't easy, so having someone make it through is a big deal to us. We want to encourage these young farmers that come, stay and work with us, that we believe in them.

God gives our lives purpose and when it's realized we should pursue it with all that we have. Satan will work through anyone to plant the seed of discouragement. Yes, discouragement is a seed. It grows faster and more vigorous than encouragement does in your soul. Encouragement, on the other hand, leads to confidence which leads to action. Discouragement has no place in this chain.

The important thing, as I see it, for anyone coming to learn on the farm is knowing everything is not a walk in the park here. Animals will never take a day off from eating and drinking, vegetables don't wait for a convenient time to ripen for harvest, weeds will always grow in the wrong place and customers are always priority. Hopefully, with good coaching and encouragement, people who stay on the farm are going to get an idea of what it takes to run a highly diverse farming operation. It just takes time, a love for farming and patience.

Our First Field Trip and Making The Connection With Those In Need....

2010-08-04T05:17:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it. We had our first field trip at 180. What a great day! Trinity Fellowship's Summer Camp had there field trip at the farm last week amidst clear skies and the early morning heat. The kids arrived and there seemed to be an excitement as they got off the bus. Most were looking for the animals and just overall curious of this thing called a farm.

Walking toward the chicken paddock, the children were amazed at the greeting they received by the chickens. They were all circled around the front part of the fence, hoping the kids had something good to eat. We let the kids get into the paddock and throw scratch on the ground, check for eggs and watch the chickens forage for left over scratch, bugs, and grass. I think the kids were intriged that our eggs came in so many different shades of brown. The kids got to see Maddux and the important role he plays in protecting our flock.

The children headed over to the turkey and sheep paddock. They were able to feed the sheep some fresh cut kudzu and learn about what the purpose is for both animals. We also talked about the role the guineas play in tick extermination and how that helps keep the ticks off of us, Maddux and the sheep.

The kids headed to the garden for some tomato tastings. We talk to them about the variety of vegetables and fruits that we grow and that we don't use any pesticides on our crops. Nicole picked some fresh Cuban Yellow grape tomatoes for them to try. What is so cool is watching someone take that first bite and have that look of surprise on there face. Yes, that is what a tomato should taste like. Of course, they kept coming back for more and more.

The idea of reaching young minds at an early age and sharing the importance of the food we put in our bodies was priceless. I believe the key to stopping bad food habits begins at an early age. If children understand that eating corn syrup made candies, salty snacks, and processed foods will eventually make you sick, they may make better decisions about what they eat. What's better for your body than foods grown naturally, without the baggage as God intended.

Connecting With Those In Need....

Recently, Nicole and I meet Pastor Tim Coleman and his wife Nicole. Tim is the pastor of Browns Mill Church in downtown Newnan. Tim and his wife, along with many volunteers, go out every Tuesday morning in areas of Newnan that have been hit hard by the economy. Many of these folks live in poverished conditions. Tim and crew go door to door with donated food, sharing the love of Jesus, and praying with folks that many would overlook.

We have been blessed that we are able to contribute to the food they hand out. This is food that doesn't sit around on a shelf or in a refrigerator waiting to be handed out before it rots or goes bad. The highest of quality food that we believe everyone should have access to, though most don't. Many of these folks don't even have transportation to get to a food bank to get food, much less a decent grocery store close by. What they do have are convenience stores that sell processed and over processed foods that just contribute to health problems to boot.

What Pastor Tim and his volunteers are doing is exactly what Jesus would want us to do. This is a grass roots effort, a road nearly no one travels, that should define us as who we are. Or maybe, who we aren't. Many of us are convenient Christians. Christians that take the easy road, the road that requires as little as possible from us. After all, we are busy people. I've been in that boat, sometimes still am.

God calls us to love our neighbor. That maybe the hardest thing to do. I know that has been my biggest struggle. Yet, Pastor Tim and his volunteers head out every Tuesday morning to love thy neighbor in what some may consider rough areas of town. They aren't just saying it, they are acting upon it.

Pastor Brent Anderson - he didn't just talk about how nice it would be to have a community garden like "Sow Good", he did it. This man did it with faith, prayer and no experience. Yet he still had something to give that grew in the "Sow Good" field because he had faith and loved thy neighbor.

Being A Non-Profit Farm and Aquaponics Talk....

2010-07-26T05:25:00.000-07:00

Part of being a non-profit farm, for us at least, is the sharing of ideas and experiences. We may not always do things the best, fastest or easiest way possible, but it is the road less traveled that we are interested in following as we learn our way.

As part of traveling that narrow road, one of our biggest challenges is balancing how much food we donate vs. how much we sell to stay sustainable. As a start up business, you are looking to capture every penny to become established and keep your head above water. Our case is similar as a start-up nonprofit, though we also rely on donations - at least for now, to help bridge the gap.

Another challenge we have is educating our community. The food industry and false advertising has nearly ruined the relationship the customer has with the farmer. I would think a high percentage of Americans don't even know a farmer. Many folks today are more worried about the quality of gas they put in their car than they are the quality of food they put in their bodies. Cheap, when it comes to food, equals problems. We've experienced this first hand.

This boiled egg is ready for dinner. Notice the dark orange yolk. You can't buy this at the grocery store.

As farmers, we know that we will never be able to sell a dozen eggs for .99 or a pound of tomatoes for $1.50. Quality in equals quality out. We pay close attention to what we feed our livestock (Certified non GMO feed without pesticides or herbicides), what we feed our vegetables (organic fertilizers and foliar spray) and more importantly - what we don't. We, as all farmers, hate weeds in the garden - but we don't spray them with poison, we pull them.

One of our focuses is producing large amounts of high quality food on small footprints. This could then be replicated in other communities by developing modular based systems that can be dropped in depending on the size of the property. How do you do it?

Having a soil building plan, via making compost in large quantities or sourcing it out. Using compost in the soil at higher rates will give the soil a higher capacity to support more plants.
Running livestock in mob style paddocks (at rates that don't exceed the soils capacity), will fertilize the land with heavy doses of manure and add much needed organic matter as it breaks down. This will allow for more animals on less land if managed correctly.
Developing systems like aquaponics that allow for the growth of high quality fish and plants in a one input system. This will allow, depending on the size of the tanks, the production of large quantities of fish in smaller areas.
Maximizing greenhouse space by going vertical. A "Growing Power" type approach.

What Is Aquaponics Anyway?...

Growing Power's aquaponics system on the left and Sweetwater's system on the right. Both are capable of producing several tons of fish a year.

Aquaponics is actually a system that allows for the growth of plants and fish in one integrated, soilless system. In an aquaponics system, you typically have one input, which is fish food. The fish eat the food, process it, and turn it into fish waste. As the plants consume the nutrients and filter the waste, they purify the water that returns to the fish. A natural microbial process keeps both the fish and plants healthy. This creates a sustainable ecosystem for the fish and plants.

To create a successful system, dividing the tank into three or four "paddocks" will allow for a continued harvest of fish throughout the year. This produces a high protein food and helps to sustain a year round income stream.

Another system related to this is pondaponics. This is the same as aquaponics, but instead uses an existing lake or pond to pump into a hydroponics type set-up. The fertilizer (sludge) pumped from the bottom of the pond would act in the same manner to provide plants with a sustainable source of nutrition.

All this and more is part of our growing plan to become sustainable and support a non-profit, community based farm. As we continue to grow, the priority will always be the same - educating, becoming and staying sustainable and giving to those in need. Simple, right?

Blog Series: The "Sow Good" Experience with Pastor Brent Anderson.....

2010-07-22T05:32:00.000-07:00

I heard recently that a football coach once said, "Football is just life marked off at a hundred yards;" which very well may be true. However, considering my recent experience with organic gardening at the Sow Good Garden, I would venture to say that the lessons of life are far more prevalent in cultivating the soil and growing food.

As a follower of Jesus, I see in his teaching that he had come to the same realization. We observe Jesus teaching the crowds in Matthew 13 about the kingdom of heaven, using the story of a farmer sowing seeds into different types of soil and the various outcomes from the sowing. The story chronicles the different challenges the sower faced, which included the untilled path, the rocky ground, and those evil thorny weeds. In each of these instances the seed did not produce a harvest but the story culminates with a simple gardening lesson and a profound life lesson. Jesus tells us in verse 8 that, "Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." As a young inexperienced gardener this "good soil" stuff has hit pretty close to home, since Sow Good, unfortunately, started with some of the worst soil around.

Deciphering the soil analysis and understanding the necessary amendments had me scratching my head and checking the balance in the bank account. We didn't have enough time or money to do everything that was recommended for conditioning the soil and our first harvest (or lack thereof) is an indicator of the deficiencies in its health. Although we have had some success in our first season, which includes being able to bless an elderly woman in Senoia and a few families in Newnan with some clean veggies, we are looking forward to the future harvests that will come as our soil grows to be "good."

Jesus, in this parable, is clearly teaching the crowds and, in greater detail, his disciples the fact that the one who receives the message about Christ with a tilled up receptive heart will certainly produce a "harvest" that is well beyond expectation. In addition, I believe, we farmers and gardeners can be reminded of the vital importance of literal seeds being sown into "good soil." In the meantime, I'll be open to learning more life lessons and, for that matter, filing away countless sermon illustrations all while workin' the ground and "sowin' good!"

Pastor Brent Anderson

Another Busy Week Is Here....

2010-07-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

No one ever said farming was easy, but one would think that we should be able to get some down hours here and there. Nope! Not yet. Good thing Nicole and I love doing it. Can't help but look forward to fall and winter, though. This week we have two new arrivals coming to the farm. We have our layer ducks that should arrive on Wednesday morning and our new LGD (livestock guardian dog) coming Wednesday afternoon.

Realizing the ducklings would be here soon, we went ahead and created a new paddock. We wanted to keep the ducks we have now separate and integrate our new duck layer flock down the road. This will make it easier having all of the ducks together and finding the eggs for sale or incubation. Also, there has been a little confusion with one of our drakes who thinks he can breed with the chickens. Perhaps one of the strangest sights I’ve seen on the farm.

Since we have tasted the duck eggs and found out how healthy they are, we decided to expand the production. (Nicole and I recently learned they have an alkaline base. They are sought after by cancer patients who are looking to eat alkaline based foods to help the body be an inhospitable host to cancer cells. Mason now eats his share of duck eggs!)

LGD Number Two....

We are picking up a little (not for long) Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Sheppard female to complete our LGD security system. Still, we are searching for the right name for her. We will probably have to see her first. See how she behaves and come up with something then. I think that when both she and Maddux are older, they will make quite a duo.

For the most part, Maddux has done quite well in his job. He has had some challenges with eating a few chickens once in a while and sneaking in the hen box to steal a few eggs. But I have to have faith that he will grow out of these bad habits with the right approach to consistent discipline and age (Rolling him on his back, grabbing the loose skin around his neck and tell him no in a stern voice while showing him the egg or dead chicken. Similar to pack behavior with dogs - the alpha male will get the subordinate male on his back and grab his neck with his teeth when there are behavior problems within the pack. This creates an alpha/subordinate type role so he knows I'm the leader and there are things he can and can't do.).

I really found out how intimidating Maddux can be a couple of nights ago. I was filling up the waterers and had my back to him, when I turned around he was running straight toward the fence in my direction. Teeth out, hair puffed, muscles ripped (Can a dog have ripped muscles?). It scared me. Then I realized he was in protection mode. There was a wild dog standing ten feet behind me and I didn't even hear him. It was near dusk and I could barely see him. Thank God for Maddux - barking, growling, and sometimes looking to see where the chickens were behind him. I thought he would jump the fence. He didn't, but I jumped in with him and the wild dog tucked his tail between his legs and bolted around to the other side of the paddock looking for a free meal. Not tonight! Maddux shadowed him from the fence until he was discouraged and left. That dog should be glad Maddux was in the fence or he may have never run again. Just - WOW!

Egg Production Nearing Peak...

Now that egg production is in full swing, we are pumping out nearly five dozen eggs a day. That means we are washing, candling and grading nearly five dozen eggs a day! Sales started out slow, but now we are selling everything we can produce and donating five to ten dozen a week. It takes about an hour and a half to wash, dry, candle and grade the eggs, but I have to say seeing the fridge full of eggs with the 180 Degree Farm label is pretty cool.

Last But Not Least....

We've had roma tomatoes coming out of our ears. So we've made, what I would consider, the best pasta sauce yet! Tomatoes, peppers (mild and spicy), fresh garlic, thyme, oregano, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper - that equals yum. We've vacuum sealed and frozen most of it. Love that vacuum sealer! Makes it so easy to save foods and real easy to store after the bag has been vacuumed.

The Real Price Of A .99 Cent Dozen Of Eggs...

2010-07-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

When Nicole and I first started researching various elements of the livestock part of our operation, it was important for us to know the real truth about what we were getting into. Do chickens moved from paddock to paddock, allowed access to fresh air, grass, bugs, and sunlight actually produce better eggs? It was clear that the answer was yes, but is it worth the cost?

"Factory" or "Industrial" chicken farms produce large quantities of eggs. The birds they use are a hybrid chicken, developed to lay massive amounts of eggs and handle living in a wire caged that is so small there is no room to turn around. Chickens have their beaks trimmed so that they do not peck at one another due to stressful conditions. To add to the awful conditions, these poor hens have lights on them 16 to 17 hours a day, artificially stimulating the hens' biological rhythms of reproduction. After a certain period they are forced to molt, which deprive birds of food and water for up to three weeks as a way to stimulate egg-laying in hens whose bodies are already exhausted and completely depleted. It is a literal assembly line for egg production. The result - cheap eggs.

Our way of raising chickens is quite different. Every morning 140 of our girls wake up with the sun, leisurely step out of their custom refurbished "Eggstream" into huge paddocks to see what is on the menu. We provide them with free range feed stations that hold fresh feed and oyster shell. They have access to fresh well water that is free of chlorine and fluoride. They are given Ocean Trace, which is OMRI approved, in their water to provide all of the necessary trace minerals not found in the food they eat. Our chickens are healthy and able to fight off disease because of the diet they consume. We never give antibiotics or hormones.

Our flock is diverse. We have 6 different breeds of laying hens. Some are heritage breeds and some are cross breeds. Each has certain attributes that help complement our egg production on the farm. It gives us a wonderful spectrum of egg colors which look beautiful in a carton. (Actually, seeing the dark orange yolks is even better.) We have some that are better all around layers, some that lay better in the summer and some better in the winter. Our hens are allowed to rest in the winter and production of eggs will certainly slow down because of it. That's OK. It's the way God intended.

For any small farmer, eggs are not the greatest profit maker. What some folks don't understand is the 4-6 month investment into a hen before the first egg even comes. Feed and labor are the biggest expense along with bedding for the brooder when they are chicks. We move our hens to fresh paddocks weekly. This requires a huge time investment. The electric fences have to be moved, the grass has to be cut underneath the fence, and then the Eggstream is pulled in along with a trail of happy hens. There is nothing cheap about the eggs they produce.

We still get, from time to time, the "$5.00 a dozen?. I can buy them in the grocery store for .99 cents." That's true. You can buy them for around a dollar per dozen at the grocery store. The saying "you get what you pay for" definitely holds true here. I will put the taste and more importantly the nutritional quality of our eggs up to a grocery store egg every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

I know I have posted this before, but I'm going to add it again. This is a study performed by Mother Earth News. According to Mother Earth News (motherearthnews.com), tests were conducted on 14 flocks around the country that free ranged on pasture and were rotated frequently to maximize access to fresh plants and bugs. They found that, compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial, "conventional" (i.e., from confined hens) eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture contained on average:

• 1/3 less cholesterol

• 1/4 less saturated fat

• 2/3 more vitamin A

• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids

• 3 times more vitamin E

• 7 times more beta carotene.

This data speaks for itself.

Why do we do it? Because we know the health benefits of nutritionally dense foods and how it helps the body fight off illness and disease. Eggs, even at $5.00 a dozen, are one of the least expensive ways to get good quality protein. "Eggs can also help protect eyes from disease and degeneration, improve cell function, help prevent breast cancer and promote healthy hair and nails." According to associatedcontent.com.

We certainly understand folks that are on a tight budget are least likely to spend money on a more expensive food when a cheaper alternative is available. It's a choice. A choice to eat healthier, feed our children a better diet, and possibly prevent disease. Are you, or more importantly your children worth better food? I think so.

Where Is The Rain?.....

2010-07-01T05:21:00.000-07:00

Seems like a question we will be asking every year. The clouds roll in and split up before getting to the farm. Over the last two months we have had less than an inch of rain. Two nights ago, we were tilling in the corn and notices the clouds rolling in. All around us, dark clouds, lightning and thunder. Directly above - clear skies, just a little circle. I really couldn't believe it.

No rain means our pasture dries up and forces us to bring in forage for the sheep. Our prayer is for a slow steady rain. I'll take an half an inch, I'll take an inch. We just need rain. Pray for rain.

Pastor and Farmer Brent Anderson Talks About What Led To Sow Good....

2010-06-24T05:42:00.000-07:00

A little over a year ago I was spending an early summer day on my lawn mower at Vineyard Community Church in Senoia, Georgia. Looking out over the 15 acre piece of land, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the amount grass I needed to cut; I said to myself "there has to be more that we can accomplish with what God has given us than merely honing our mowing skills." Instantly, I recalled a conversation that I had with a friend about the potential of planting a garden on the church property. I must confess, considering my very limited understanding of gardening and knowing the challenges of volunteer supported endeavors, I hadn't given the idea much thought. But, in a short period of time, I began to get the sense that God was directing us to this opportunity of stewardship for the sake of our community.

Well, as most people do when they know very little about a subject, I began to research and read about organic gardening. What I found was a plethora of information and a passion to learn all about it! Over the next few months, as I began to speak to different people about this ministry idea, it became more and more clear that we were heading in the right direction. As I researched, I came across another Vineyard church in Idaho that was growing fruits and veggies for their food pantry and had successfully grown around 25,000 pounds of food in a year from one third of an acre. Subsequently, I called the master gardener for the "Garden-O-Feedin" in Boise, Idaho and it was a conversation that turned passion into action. This gentleman gave me several practical gardening tips and then made a statement that was the catalyst to move me forward. He said "start small to keep it manageable, but just DO SOMETHING!" So I did and with a few donations and great volunteer support we started the Sow Good Garden. With little to no effort, I have connected with people who share my passion for growing clean food for the community, like Scott and Nicole Tyson, which have encouraged me tremendously on this journey and have become great friends. God is "Sow Good."

So here we are; the first growing season and loving every minute of it. The area we have set aside for planting used to be a practice softball field, and has its share of soil challenges. But, as I continue to learn about the soil conditioning process and spend a lot of time in prayer, I'm confident we will be able to grow a fruitful garden and bless our community with good clean nutrition. Galatians 6 says, "You will always harvest what you plant...So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. We truly want to Sow Good to our community!

Does Consuming "Clean" Foods Really Make You Feel Better?....

2010-06-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

This may be the easiest question to answer, but I believe there is more to it than just a simple yes. I do think in some cases the placebo, or psychological effect can happen when you think something you take or something you eat is going to benefit your body for the good - when it may not be capable of doing so. However, in the case of "clean" food or organics, the fact that your body is not getting a dose of pesticides with every meal may actually have a quicker turn-around effect in the way the body feels than one would think. The saying, "you are what you eat" actually holds water.

At the farm, one of the more important things we do is foliar spray with trace minerals (derived from the ocean some 70 miles out in unpolluted Pacific waters). This provides our plants with a balance of minerals that are not present in the soil but are vital for plant and human development. These minerals are absorbed through the leaves and used throughout the plant, eventually being stored in the roots, leaves and fruits. As we consume a part of that plant, we are getting those minerals in a form that the body can process and use. This is much better than a vitamin or mineral supplement which has a high percentage of waste due to a low absorption rate.

These same trace minerals are also given to our livestock. This helps us have healthy animals, lessening the chances of disease or damage caused by parasites. These trace minerals will be deposited in the eggs that are being laid. This increases what is already an egg loaded with nutrients. Again, healthy eggs with no hormones, antibiotics or trace levels of pesticides. The way God intended!

Just the other day we received an email from one of our customers. She had just given birth to her third child and was telling us about how much better she feels since eating our vegetables. She said in her email that this was the easiest recovery of the three and believes it has a lot to do with the food. My first thought was WOW. Thank you Lord! How wonderful it is for Nicole and I to grow healthy, untainted, good food for our CSA members and customers. The fact that she could tell a difference in the way her body felt was even better.

On another, yet related, note...

More evidence suggests that ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) is now caused by organophosphate (OP) insecticides. 4.5 million children in the US have ADHD and fruits and vegetables are the primary source of OP exposures among these children. According to The Organic Center, "Pregnant women and American children are exposed to two to four OP insecticides during an average day, increasing the risk of neurological, behavioral, reproductive, and immune system health problems, especially exposures during critical stages of development."

"The damage does not end in childhood. Exposures to OP insecticides can impair a person's immune system, increasing the risk of cancer and other health problems later in life, as stressed in the recent President's Cancer Panel report. Several OP insecticides also trigger changes during fetal development that are consistent with pre-diabetes and the metabolic syndrome, as discussed in detail in our 2009 report 'That First Step: Organic Food and a Healthier Future.' Other studies show that OP exposures during pregnancy reduce birth weights and can lead to changes in the size and architecture of an infant's brain."

Hopefully, the information above inspires you to agree that "clean" food does make the body feel better.

Too Much To Do And Not Enough Time....

2010-06-04T05:31:00.000-07:00

I used to think, in years past, that we were busy way too much. Back then, we had a big garden, Nicole and I worked full time jobs, we spent 3 hrs most days in traffic, Camron had football, Mason had basketball and then there were other weekend activities, birthday parties, church and so on...

Nicole working on the poultry netting for a paddock move.

Welcome to 2010. We have a farm that Nicole works full time and part time (Does that equal a 90 hr work week?), I have my job plus I work part time (or all available time) on the farm, the kids still have their activities and all of the other stuff that happens in a typical week.

We are very thankful. We actually love farming and all of the hard, back breaking work that entails. I love the fact that my boys get to spend every day with their mother, learning about plants and animals, and what it means to help out on the farm. They get to see the struggles and share in the triumphs that we have every day. I think it is wonderful that they can play in the woods and just be out in fresh air, away from the TV and video games. They will have great memories and stories for their children and grand kids one day.

There are days we really look forward to more than others. CSA pickups are one of them. Nicole (and me on the weekends!) loves spending time with our customers. This, to us is the zenith of rewards for a job well done. We love listening to feedback, hearing our customer's likes and dislikes, giving tours (Camron's job now), explaining how we do things, our beliefs and how it affects the way we farm. There are not many highs better than that!

Still, with that said, we never are able to walk away from a day satisfied that we've completed everything that needed to get done. Sometimes we both feel we have way too many projects and not enough time or funds for that matter. That's life! We are blessed though to have Nicole's parents help us out nearly every day. They could easily not be evolved because of the labor intensive work or the heat and we would certainly understand. But I think that if you love farming, the beginning of hard work always seems to have its reward at the end. In this job, you see the fruits from the labor.

We are also being challenged or tested in other ways as well. We have, I think, one neighbor that is not happy we have a farm. This neighbor doesn't even live close to us, just in the same area a mile or more away. Yet, we are constantly picking up trash that has been thrown on our drive way, nearly every day. Nicole recently had to peel a pancake off our mailbox that this person had smashed on the lid. This, to us, is going over the line. What can you do? Set up a motion (wildlife) camera and take his or her picture in the act, call the police and let them deal with it. Maybe, but for now, we will just turn the other cheek. I think that is the hardest thing to do, but I think it will be a valuable lesson for the kids. As Nicole reminded me last night, the kids are always watching to see how you handle these type of things. That they do!

Season Of The Tick....

2010-05-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

When we first brought the chickens to the farm, I was hoping that they would have an impact on the tick population on our pasture. They're everywhere! But it seems they are not as interested in the ticks as they are the crickets, moths and grasshoppers. So very little has changed at the farm with tick control to this point.

Last Saturday we started our corral on the back side of our pasture so we would be able to catch the sheep. I've been wanting to do a natural garlic drench to help de-worm the sheep and they are not just going to let me do it, so we have to build a strong corral that they won't jump over or run through.

My father-in-law and I were using a two man auger that I borrowed from a friend so we could get the post in the ground. Well, even using an auger, I couldn't get the holes more than 12" deep because our soil is so hard. Needless to say that neither the holes nor the corral got completed Saturday.

After we got back home Saturday afternoon, I was getting ready to hop in the shower when I noticed a tick on my stomach. Thank God he hadn't dug in, but still, I had a tick on my stomach! After I had killed and dismember the wretched tick, I looked down and saw another one on my knee. He had already planted himself in and was sucking away. I pulled that horrible creature out and gave him a quick end as well. Ok, so now I'm upset. I don't like ticks. I really, really don't like them.

Prior to dinner, the boys wanted to wrestle so I went ahead and took my beating like a man. Camron had his shirt off and while we were wrestling, Mason noticed a tick on his back. It was dug in to him good. This is getting ridiculous! Three ticks in one afternoon.

Saturday night, Nicole and I looked through the Farmers Bulletin to find someone selling Guineas close by. I didn't want to take on anything else right now, but if we were going to solve the problem naturally, now was the time to get them. The Turkeys were only a couple of weeks old, so introducing Guineas right now would be easy to do. Plus, Guineas eat about 10% feed and 90% forage, so feed really won't be much of a cost increase.

Sunday afternoon, we headed to Griffin to pick up ten less than 1 week old Guineas. They are so cute. They look like little chipmunks with feathers and started to get along great with the Bourbon Red turkeys. So here's to adding one more item to our plate. We are officially done for right now with adding animals - at least until we get our poultry processing facility built!

From Concrete To Something Resembling Soil....

2010-05-19T05:22:00.000-07:00

Soil is at the heart of life. Without soil, plants wouldn't survive, which means animals wouldn't survive, which also means we wouldn't survive. Having great soil means your plants are getting what they need to not only survive, but also to be bountiful and flourish. Also, fruits from these healthy plants are going to provide much more nutrient dense meals for the folks who eat them. Wouldn't that be a better health system?

When we first started breaking ground on our farm, I had a friend of mine grade our fields so we would have a more level area to plant, with just a slight slope. My thinking was that if I was going to use these plots in rotation, year after year, that I wanted to get it to my liking from the start. The land was very hilly (small, tough hills) with a lot of holes and the ground was as hard as a piece of concrete.

After the grading was finished, I could really see how bad my soil looked. I didn't see any life like earthworms, beetles, rolly pollies or centipedes. It just looked dead. It was two different colors of dead, white and red. See, we have a unique soil type on our property, a white clay called alcovy. It is something that when wet is shapeable and much like what you would find in a pottery class. When it is dry, it's as hard as concrete. Then we also have the Georgia red clay. Neither is good planting medium and it certainly presented us with a huge challenge.

The next step for me was to do a soil test in several different places to see what the nutrient content and PH were. I kinda new it wouldn't be a test I would want to frame. When it came back, it showed a very low PH of 5.2 and the need for all of the usual nutrients with the exception of calcium, zinc and magnesium. For some reason, they were better than average.

We placed an order for all of these organic amendments we needed from a place out of Virginia. Nicole and I spread them out all over both fields and tilled them in. Still, it didn't seem like enough. Planting season was already here and we're having a soil crisis. What to do? I called a company that makes compost in Barnesville and had them bring us out 30 yards of compost. We spread it over the rows we were going to till and it added much more organic matter and more nutrients. Planted our seed and prayed.

As things like corn and peppers were growing they started to get discolored. The corn started to turn a pale green with yellowing on the tips. The peppers were dropping some leaves and others were curling on the stem. This wasn't good. I thought I was going to go crazy. This is what I do, I'm a farmer. Why can't I figure this out!!

Along the same time all of this was happening, God was showing me things and giving me a good lesson in soil biology that I would have probably ignored otherwise. I was throwing everything I had at these plants to no avail. Then, reading one of my Acres magazines, I started to understand the importance of a healthy soil ecosystem. Not just a fertilized lump of clay, but the kind of soil that has billions of little creatures roaming around in a symbiotic relationship with plant roots. The kind of soil that adjusts its own PH naturally when there is enough bacteria and other such stuff in the soil to do so. That kind of soil!

Then I met a guy Paul Schneider, who I was introduced to by Homer Allen, one of the gentlemen formally on our board of directors. Paul introduced me to foliar spraying with Ocean Trace (sea minerals). How also explained that feeding the soil with these sea minerals would balance out my PH and increase the brix (sugar content) of my plants. It would also make the fertilizers I put down more available for the plant to uptake and use.

I tried it. I bought a 1/2 gallon of C4 and a 1/2 gallon of Ocean Trace sea minerals. Mixed them in my sprayer and off I went. I was cautiously optimistic. I remember thinking, "You mean to tell me all of the organic fertilizer I have purchased and put down, that now I 'spray' these plants' leaves with this stuff, it will make it better? O...K." If you haven't realized by now, I'm a very skeptical person. I'm a "need to see it to believe it" kinda guy.

Well a few days went by and the peppers started to green up. The leaves had un-curled and I was getting new signs of growth on top. The corn slowly started to turn back to a greener color. This was a complete paradigm shift for me. Not that the foliar spray was new, because I have been using the fish emulsion for years, but the fact that adding these sea minerals and the C4 (organic acids, colloidal minerals and complex carbohydrates) to my plants' leaves and to the plant base would make such a quick difference. It does and it blew me away. This more than likely saved our harvest from complete failure. I love this stuff!!

Now for the tomatoes...

We are in a fight now to save our tomato plants. All of the focus on the corn and peppers distracted me from our biggest cash crop - tomatoes. Aphids have been a big problem. We have a nice population of lady bugs but it isn't nearly enough. (It’s kinda of like bringing a skinny man to a pie eating contest, he's not gonna eat that much.) This will be my next big focus in the fight to re-gain healthy tomato plants and healthy soil for it to grow in. What is interesting is the tomatoes that are struggling are old, heirloom varieties. They are much more prone to disease and attack that the hybrid varieties. Maybe, just maybe, this will be a great research project. How good is this stuff, really? We will see.

Stay Tuned, We Have a Guest Blogger Coming Up....

Great news! I spoke to Pastor/Farmer Brent Anderson of Senoia Vineyard Community Church and asked of he would consider doing a guest blog about Sow Good Community Garden. He said yes, so look for it in the coming weeks....

Finally, The Turkeys Have Arrived....

2010-05-17T04:58:00.000-07:00

After what seemed like several months, we now have turkeys. We drove up to Nature's Harmony farm in Elberton and picked up 21 Bourbon Red Heritage turkeys. We decided, after hearing that Tim from Nature's Harmony farm would have some poults for us, to cancel our order from the hatchery and purchase the poults he had.

Tim and his wife Liz have been growing the heritage breed turkeys for a few years now and built up a healthy breed stock that is disease resistant. That is important to us, being a relatively new farm, to have a healthy breed stock to move forward with. These little guys are so much more personable than chickens and just seemed so vigorous once we let them out into their brooder box.

At one point yesterday afternoon, Nicole and I sat down (yes, actually with a chair in a resting position) and watched these little guys playing around in the brooder box. I pulled a few clover flowers out of the backyard and dangled them, one at a time, in front of the poults. (Video is on our 180 Degree Farm Facebook page) They went nuts over the flowers and were fighting me for clover flower supremacy. That, to me is a great time. I know, really! But that is fun for us. It is peaceful and all of the drama plays out below with a happy ending.

Busy, Busy, Busy....

This weekend seemed like a whirlwind of intense labor and long hours. Saturday, we got up early and headed to the farm to move the sheep and chickens, till, weed and plant in the scorching heat. I kept looking for rain or at least cloud cover and it seemed to be everywhere but where we were working. My mother and father in-law came to help with the morning chores and it ended up being an all day affair. We were pretty much all dead tired by the time we left. We are very fortunate to have such great support from them.

Over the next few weeks we will be building a free range turkey tractor to get our new residents ready for the pasture. Again, this seems like a repeat of last week, and the week before that and so on... On top of all of that, our first CSA pick up is tomorrow, we still need to finish the tomato trellis and we have to figure out a solution for separating the rams from the herd.

As far as the CSA goes, we can't wait to meet our new customers. This has been a long time coming and we are very excited about making strong relationships moving forward. Our hearts are really into making this a great experience all the way around, for our customers and for us. Here's to tomorrow!

Join Us On Facebook...

For more realtime updates on the farm, check out our 180 Degree Farm Facebook page.

Fruits and Vegetables Most At Risk Of Pesticide Contamination...

2010-05-14T04:09:00.000-07:00

Picture Source: http://www.nature.com

I was reading a chart put out by The Organic Center and thought it would be a great thing to post. Most of us don't really understand how much of our foods are contaminated with pesticides and how dangerous it is to consume, especially for children. This is one more motivating reason to buy organic/natural foods. Know your farmer!

Print this chart (link above) and post it on your fridge.

Fruits and vegetables on the most contaminated list domestically:

Peaches                  Green Beans
Cranberries             Celery
Strawberries            Potatoes
Pears                       Peas
Apples                     Bell Peppers
Cantaloupe               Tomatoes
Cherries                   Lettuce
Nectarines               Cucumbers

Fruits and vegetables on the most contaminated list that are imported:

Peaches               Broccoli

Grapes                Celery
Strawberries       Green Beans
Pears                   Peas
Apples                 Bell Peppers
Cantaloupe         Tomatoes
Cherries              Lettuce
Nectarines          Carrots
                            Cucumbers

Appreciation Of A Great Woman...

2010-05-07T04:22:00.000-07:00

I'll start out by saying that I'm a very blessed man. I have a beautiful wife, great kids and wonderful family and friends. A while back, maybe two years ago, we really started to focus on getting our farm up and running. We would often discuss one of us quitting our paying job so we could get the farm going. (It really takes someone fulltime to have any success since this is not a hobby.)

Well, it worked out that Nicole was going to be the fulltime farmer. I think she had sleepless nights up to the point of her starting on the farm, just out of pure excitement. Well, ever since she has started working on the farm, it has been non-stop, labor intensive work. She comes home from the farm only after she has picked the kids up from school, just to get working on homework with the boys and starting dinner. Shortly after we eat, we're head back to the farm to check waterers, feed Maddux, water the plants inside the hoophouse, spray foliar mix on the plants in the garden or anything else we have left off from the days list.

After all of that, she still looks forward to the next day. The tired look from the night before is gone and she, in a typical Nicole fashion, is inspired again knowing what she is doing is good and righteous.

This year, again, my wife shares her birthday with Mother's Day. She always takes it in stride.

Happy Birthday, baby! You're an amazing woman.

Corporate life to farm life...

2010-05-04T06:09:00.000-07:00

I've officially been a full time farmer for 7 weeks now - prior to that I had a corporate job in advertising. Outside of becoming a mother for the first time, this has been the most drastic transition of my life. Similar to motherhood, it's incredibly exciting and challenging but also very unpredictable. I realized early on that there isn't one book written for my specific child and his characteristics - well... there isn't one book written for my specific field or livestock either.

My husband and I have been dreaming about this transition for a long time. I had been praying for years for God to show us His will for our lives and He came through loud and clear. God has an amazing way of letting us know when it's His time.

Although this has been a long-time-coming event in our lives, I'm finding nothing could have possibly prepared us for the last 7 weeks, or the future. In fact, it doesn't feel like it's been 7 weeks at all. The whirlwind of events, from workshops, to preparing fields, to planting, to new livestock, has eliminated any concept of time from my brain. I'm trying to establish a schedule of some sort, but every day or two we add a new element to our farm. My chore list is a mile long between the chickens, dog, sheep, compost, seedlings and crops. Not to mention accounting and marketing if I can manage to squeeze it in while the kids are doing homework. Even though I work 12 - 13 hours a day, I still run out of time and can't get everything done.

I have learned what real "skin in the game" and "sweat equity" means. We definitely have a true sense of ownership and drive, which means now I find myself losing sleep at night because of our crops and commitments. As chaotic as that sounds, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'd rather have my board meetings in the Egg-Stream, consult with Maddux on his favorite snack and present an exciting new variety of vegetable to my CSA members. I'd also rather fight for a cause we believe in and try to make a difference on this earth before our short lives are over.

Besides, the view from my new office is way better than my last office...

-Nicole

Why It's Worth The Money....

2010-04-30T05:22:00.000-07:00

I was on Facebook the other day and saw a CURE posting on my wall. It said that the leading cause of death in children is now cancer. Cancer. That horrible, nearly forbidden word that rumbles through our house from time to time when we have to take Mason for scans at Scottish Rite. I hate that word. I hate cancer. I hate to see what it does to perfectly healthy children and adults. It destroys families and too many lives.

Picture Source: http://www.alternative-cancer.net/

How does cancer happen? It starts off as a regular cell and somehow goes wrong. It may split or merge with other cells abnormally and eventually creates a tumor. Once the tumor can't sustain itself, the cancer cells release a protein called MMP. This protein breaks through the tumor membrane and then the cancer is free to go throughout the body. It has the potential to attach to anything and create havoc.

Nicole and I were at the table one night having a discussion and she said to me, "It is not if someone gets cancer, it's when." Those words rung loud in my head. I thought about that quite a bit. But why now has it gotten so much worse? Why are so many people getting cancer today than 60 years ago?

Around the mid-1940's, synthetic pesticides were being manufactured in large amounts and their use became widespread. Industrial workers were also being exposed to solvents, greases and other chemicals in larger amounts. According to the Global Healing Center, "Since 1950, the overall cancer incidence has increased by 44 percent; the incidence of breast cancer and male colon cancer by about 60 percent; testis, prostate and kidney by 100 percent; and other cancers, such as malignant melanoma, multiple myeloma and some lymphomas, by over 100 percent."

Cancer or at least the majority of cancers are caused from chemicals. Chemicals that get consumed absorbed through the skin or inhaled. It has to do with inputs into our bodies. Chemicals that we should have been warned more about before being exposed. Chemicals the government should of researched more before allowing industrial workers, farmers and children of such, to be exposed to. Chemicals that we now consume daily without the slightest clue. Chemicals absorbed into the food we feed out kids and our spouses.

Not knowing the source of our food doesn't look that appealing anymore. Going to the grocery store and buying a cart full of food seems like a risky proposition, now more than ever. How important is it today to know who produces your food? Is it worth the additional cost to buy from an organic source? Is your child, your wife or your husband worth it? Is it now worth the effort to grow a garden at home? I know what the answer is for my family.

God has a purpose for every man, woman and child. His intention for our lives doesn't include dying prematurely. God has given us free will, which we have been for the most part as a human race, irresponsible with. I believe God has given us the tools to solve problems naturally; we just have to take the time and re-learn what our great, great grandparents already knew. Maybe then we can lower the occurance of disease and bad health in this nation.

Meet The Sheep...

2010-04-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

Saturday, the family went on a journey to pick up a new livestock trailer and seven sheep. I thought several times whether I really should venture out with the family considering all of the bad weather, but in the end it work out.

Our first stop was in Walnut Grove to get the trailer. When I pulled up and saw it, I was very concerned that it was too small. Mr. Carl, the 89 year old gentlemen that I bought it from, assured me I could get 10 - 12 sheep or goats in it with no problem. I took him at his word and off we went. The only problem we had with the trailer was the light connection. It didn't match up to out track receiver. We made a quick stop at the Tractor Supply Co. to get an adaptor and it worked fine.

So we headed north from Walnut Grove to Hull, Georgia just north of Athens to pick up our sheep. The good Lord kept us safe and it seemed all of the bad weather was either ahead of us or behind us. When we got to the farm I was very impressed with the large herd of sheep this farmer had. They were absolutely beautiful. The rams had magnificent horns and the ewes were large and very healthy. He had two varieties that he raised and exactly what we wanted - Katahdin and Barbados Blackbelly Sheep.

We picked out two ewes with twins and one ram. In total we had five ewes and two rams. (The ram we picked out was a different blood line and will be able to breed with all of the ewes when they mature.) The process of getting them in the trailer was somewhat crazy. Farmer Zach and his dad corralled all of the sheep into a holding pen and carried them one at a time to the trailer. After the mother ewes were in, their motherly instinct kicked in and both tried to ram Farmer Zach by the trailer door. They both wanted their babies and nearly got out. (I guess Mr. Carl was right, we could have gotten three or four more sheep in that trailer, shockingly.)

Heading back home, the weather was getting worse all around us and we were worried we'd be dodging hail and possible tornadoes. Again, God is great. All we had was heavy rain and wind all the way to the farm. When we arrived it actually stopped raining!

When we got into Sharpsburg, I decided that since they were already in the trailer I would tag their ears so we could tell them apart. So we went back over to the Tractor Supply and bought an ear piercer and ear tags. When we pulled into the paddock, I gently opened the door to the trailer and stepped into the back. These sheep didn't want to have anything to do with me. I got four tagged and decided not to stress them anymore and went ahead and let them out. They were extremely happy to get out and so was I. Tagging the rest will be difficult until I can figure out how to corral them in a holding pen.

About the sheep...

Our ram is a full blooded Barbados Blackbelly Sheep and the ewes are full blooded Katahdin. The ewes bred with another ram in his flock that is big Barbados Blackbelly Sheep with huge horns. So the lamb twins of both sets of ewes are now a mix of both we call Katahbados sheep. This should be a great meat sheep and hopefully be more parasite resistant.

Getting The Most Out Of Chicken....

2010-04-21T06:03:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, I had a craving for some good ole, homemade chicken noodle soup. We had made some last fall and it turned out pretty good, but I looked to improve upon last year’s success and make a better soup this time around. I had a whole chicken in the fridge so I felt there was no better time than now.

To start, plan ahead and determine what you will use the cut up chicken for before you start because with chicken noodle soup, you only use the carcass and the meat that is left on it. I decided I would make fried chicken in a day or two with the pieces I cut up. So, the order of this will have you doing to different parts of two recipes. It will work out in the end, though.

First we need to get this bird cut up in pieces. Very easy process:
1. Place the chicken breastbone-side up on a clean, flat cutting surface.
2. Use a standard, sharp kitchen knife to slice off the wing joints. The wings can be set aside and reserved for stock. One breast and leg is removed at a time. Follow steps 3 through 9 to remove the breasts and legs.
3. Make a shallow incision running along one side of the breastplate.
4. Deepen the incision by slicing into the chicken toward the rib cage. Pull the meat away from the rib cage as you slice down. As you progress further into the bird, slide the knife off of the rib cage repeatedly to ensure that you are removing any meat attached to the rib cage.
5. Your knife will come to a point, just underneath the wishbone, where the wing joint meets the rib cage. The wing joint cartilage is soft enough to slice through easily. Slice completely through the joint, stopping only when your knife reaches the cutting surface. At this point, the breast is almost completely off the bird.
6. Slice through the skin that runs from the tail end of the bird to the point where the leg meets the breast.
7. The breast should come off of the bird with little effort. Pull the breast outwards, away from the bird, being careful not to rip or tear the flesh. You might need to slice through some still-attached skin to remove the breast.
8. Cut through the leg joint until you reach the point where the leg bone meets the body. This joint can be difficult to cut through, so stop cutting when you reach bone. Don't try to cut through the leg bone.
9. Grasp the leg and pull it behind the bird, pressing your fingers into the back of the joint until the joint pops loose. You will feel the bone pop out of the socket. Remove the leg by cutting in and around the joint. Keep cutting until you have freed the leg from the body. Now, turn the bird around and remove the other breast and leg the same way as described above.
10. Place chicken pieces in a bowl and place in the fridge. After the brine cools, you will pour it on the chicken and seal with plastic or a lid over night.

So now to make a brine:

With one cut up chicken, you need:
One half a cup of salt
One half a cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of onion powder
1 tablespoon of paprika
2 cups of hot water
Mix together so the salt and brown sugar saturate in the water. Let it cool in the fridge.

Chicken Stock for Soup

Now is time to start making the chicken stock. Using a stock pot that is around 12 quarts, add:
2 gallons of water
2 whole clove of garlic, smashed (put the cloves on a cutting board and smash with a pot or mallet)
1 chicken carcasses, including necks and backs
1 large onion, quartered
10 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh rosemary with stems
4 bay leaves
10-15 peppercorns
1-2 whole dried chill peppers (for a little added spice, I dropped in a whole dried cayenne pepper)

Heat it to a boil and then let it simmer for around 4- 6 hours. Add water as needed to keep the chicken submerged. Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer into another large pot discarding everything except the chicken carcass. (You may have to pick through the strainer for chicken pieces that have fallen off the bone.) Cool immediately in large cooler of ice or a sink full of ice water to below 40 degrees. Remove solidified fat from surface of liquid. Take the cooked chicken carcass and pull all of the remaining chicken from the bone. Refrigerate the chicken pieces until the stock has cooled and the fat has been removed from the stock. If you are not going to make the soup right away, store in container with lid in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in freezer for up to 3 months. (Prior to use, bring to boil for 2 minutes.)

Making your Chicken Noodle Soup:

Add 4 cups of your chicken stock to a large pot and heat to a boil.
Dice 3/4 cup of celery
Dice 3/4 cup of carrots (Large carrot or baby carrots)
Slice 3/4 cup of Shitake Mushrooms (any mushroom will work, we preferred Shitake)
All chicken pieces pulled from the chicken carcass
2 ounces dried egg noodles, cooked to al dente
Dash of fresh (leaves only) or dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring stock to boil for 2 minutes in a large stockpot over high heat. Add celery and carrots. Lower heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Add noodles, chicken and Shitake Mushrooms. Cook 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and add thyme, salt, and pepper to taste.

Now for the Southern Style Fried Chicken:

Take the chicken that has been brining (step 10) out of the fridge the next morning. Pour out the brine and pour buttermilk over the chicken until it is covered. Seal it with plastic wrap or a lid and let it sit for another day.

The next day:

In a large bowl, take -
two cups of flower
one cup of masa (finely ground corn meal flower),
3 teaspoons of cajun seasoning,
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper

Mix thoroughly until completely blended. Heat a large skillet to medium high (about 350 degrees F)with vegetable oil. Take the chicken out of the fridge. Place each piece of chicken in the flower mixture and turn with your fingers until it is completely coated. Using tongs, carefully lower chicken pieces into the oil skin-side down. Start with the edge of the piece close to you, and lay it in the oil, working away from yourself to avoid spatters.

Fry in batches: overcrowding the pan will lower the temperature of the oil, causing more oil to be absorbed and resulting in soggy, greasy chicken.

When the chicken pieces are a deep golden brown, remove them to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet to catch any drips. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the chicken to make sure it is fully cooked before moving on to the next batch. The USDA recommends cooking chicken to a minimum of 165 degrees F.

This is the best fried chicken we have ever eaten!

We Finished Another Productive Week....

2010-04-19T05:07:00.000-07:00

The weekend went by so quick that I still feel like I'm missing something. I started out Saturday helping Pastor Brent with the Sow Good garden that he has started this year at the Senoia Vineyard Community Church. Pastor Brent is on the cusp of something great at his church and God has definitely got big plans for this.

I went back to the farm around lunch and started on the sweet potato rows. We received our transplants on Friday and we were anxious to get them in the ground. This requires taking more compost over to the other side of the farm in a wheelbarrow some 350 ft away. Needless to say, you really don't need to work out after you’re finished. After lining the rows up with compost, I tilled it in and Nicole and I ran the irrigation and dropped in the sweet potatoes.

Next, up to the chickens we went to move the Eggstream. I love moving the Chickens to fresh pasture. You can just see their excitement when they have new plants and insects to devour. Moving the Eggstream is just a small part of the process while we are there. It takes much longer now because they drink more water and eat more food.

While we are in the paddock, Maddux always needs to have a fresh bowl of water and enough food to last until the afternoon. Right now, poor Maddux has his food stolen from him by the ducks. They will wait until he is laying in the shade and gorge as much dog food as they can before he notices. This may not end well for the ducks as Maddux is usually not happy when he sees them in his dog house and will chase them away.

Nicole and her parents finished up the flower bed that has now turned into a garden (mostly) bed with a few flowers. They worked very hard putting it all together and it shows. (Nice and level, which I may not have thought of if I had done it.) We had some extra Swiss chard, tomatillos, beets, nasturtium and cilantro we put in and it looks fantastic.

Duck Tractor....

Over the next few weeks we will be looking for another solution for the ducks. Right now, they are with the chickens, in poultry netting, and sleep under the Eggstream at night. The problem is, when the ducks start laying, we will have one heck of a time collecting the eggs. Plus, I think it will be extremely tempting for Maddux to see eggs on the ground and not want to eat them. That boy loves eggs.

We will build something that allows the ducks to be ducks and still make it easy for us to collect the eggs. I want to build something that is easy to move but secure enough to stop predators. I am certainly open for suggestions if you have any.

Sheep and Goats On The Radar....

2010-04-13T04:59:00.000-07:00

During the last few weeks Nicole and I have had conversations about sheep and goat breeds. In order for us to be sustainable, creating a meat source and a milk source are imperative. We would offer this over time to our CSA program, allowing customers to pick and choose options as needed. This will further expand our offerings and give us much more diversity.

Picture Source:http://www.ansi.okstate.edu

Sheep....

The biggest problem with sheep in a natural, southern environment is parasite management. We are looking at two breeds that have traditionally done well in hot, humid areas - The Katahdin and Barbados Blackbelly sheep. Both are good meat breeds and are haired sheep with coats that require little management.

Picture Source: http://uvalde.tamu.edu

Having been on a few farms in Georgia over the last year that has Katahdin sheep, the one recurring problem seems to be parasites. Nature's Harmony Farm had a blog post about it, maybe a year ago, that they had lost several sheep in the heard due to parasites and that the ones that survived would seemingly be the more resistant therefore leading to a stronger, more resistant overall flock. With us, de-worming and antibiotics are out of the question. If we need to treat a problem, it will be a holistic approach. So enter in the Barbados Blackbelly sheep to the equation. From everything I have read and heard, Barbados Blackbelly sheep are even better at parasite resistance than the Katahdin though not as good at weight gain. Crossing the two and getting a flock that would have the qualities of both would be ideal. The fun will be in the challenge of producing a breed that works for us..

Goats....

The one thing that always comes to mind when thinking about goats is containment, first and foremost. How do you keep the Houdini of the animal world fenced in and still be able to rotate their pasture? That is something we will be thinking about long and hard over the next few weeks.

Picture Source: http://www.dairygoatjournal.com/

We are looking at two different goat breeds for milk production and demeanor - the Nubian and Alpine. We will probably start with two does and one buck. This should give us a good starter flock and soften the learning curve just a bit. Learning the whole milking process from sanitation to milk storage will be another step to sustainability and one less thing we will need to buy from the grocery store.

Producing high quality milk that our customers will enjoy will be one of our top priorities. This will be something that would be included in a CSA down the road and would include some value added milk products such as yogurt, butter and cheese. I love the idea of having goats’ milk butter. Very healthy! So many options, just takes some time to learn.

Volunteer Weekends Start This Saturday...

2010-04-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

Do you like breathing fresh air, making new friends, hearing the chicken's excitement as they head to new pasture, or just plain working up a sweat outside? Well, you’re in luck! Volunteer Farm Opportunities for this Saturday, 9am-12pm or 1pm-4pm. Please call Nicole to sign up if you are interested (678) 481.3367.

Address to the farm:

237 Emory Phillips Rd,

Sharpsburg, GA 30277

Jobs for this Saturday:

- Working in the hoophouse transfering seed to trays

- Measure off and mark remaining rows

- Till remaining rows

- Move compost to tilled areas

- Add coffee and granite dust to tilled areas

- Plant in the field

- Cut and install row covers

- Help move the electric fence to new pasture for the chickens/watering and feeding (One of the best jobs on the farm!)

We will have cold water and snacks available, we just need you!

Hard Work, No Rest But Productive Weekend...

2010-04-05T04:34:00.000-07:00

I heard somewhere that it was spring in Georgia. I don't think the calendar is working right this year. I've shook it, replaced the batteries and it still doesn't work. IT IS SUMMER BY GOSH! Georgia only has three seasons, regardless of what some may tell you, summer, fall and winter with a tease of spring dashed in.

Tilling the first row Friday morning with the new tiller.

This last weekend, we worked under some very hot temperatures and managed to get quite a bit done. (A big thank you to Gene and Linda Marshall for donating a brand new tiller, which we put to use immediately.) So far we have tilled 800 ft, planted 182 tomato plants (around 40 varieties), 400 bi-color sweet corn seeds and around 100 pepper plants (around 20 different varieties).

Planting our first row of tomatoes with plenty of compost and amendments.

This week will be equally as busy as I will be tilling after work and Nicole will be planting squash, melons and cucumbers in those rows the next day. She will also be planting more tomato seedlings in trays later this morning so we can stagger the harvest a bit as well as starting more herb trays.

Chickens...

The chickens are finally getting into a routine. They know every morning the "Eggstream" door will open to fresh grass and bugs and every night they will go back in to roost. We only have one or two chickens a night that, for whatever reason, decide to stay under the Eggstream with the ducks. Maybe they think they're ducks. Who knows! At least we have Maddux there to make sure nothing happens.

One More Thing About Bees....

2010-04-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

Just recieve an email from the Organic Center which had an article about bees and pesticide. A must read!

"Pesticide Stew" in Beehives and Pollen Triggers National Attention

At a March 25, 2010 session during the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, a team of USDA-funded scientists reported finding a veritable "stew" of pesticides in bee hives, pollen, and beeswax.
Three out of five pollen and wax samples from 23 states included at least one residue of a systemic pesticide.
121 different pesticides were found in 887 samples.The average sample of beeswax contained 8 pesticides and/or pesticide metabolites and one sample contained 39 – how's that for a pesticide stew with a long ingredient list?

The finding of so many pesticides in beeswax is no surprise given what the bees were carrying back into the hive. The scientists also measured pesticides in the pollen collected by bees for transport back to the hive.Seven pesticides were found, on average, in each of 350 pollen samples, and one had 31 pesticide contaminants. Out of 887 samples of beeswax, pollen, and bees themselves, only 16 (1.8%) had no detectable pesticide residues.

Sources: Burke, S. and S. Borenstein, "Plight of bees worsens this winter and scientists spot stew of pesticides in pollen, hives," Associated Press, March 24, 2010.

Janet Raloff, "Bees face 'unprecedented' pesticide exposures at home and afield," Science News, March 21, 2010.

Turkeys Delayed, Bee's Coming and A Beautiful Morning on the Farm...

2010-04-01T05:51:00.000-07:00

About this time last week we were gearing up for the heritage turkey chick arrival. We moved over the "brooder beast" to the hoophouse, hung the brooder light and got the bedding ready last weekend. I ordered the chicks several weeks back and thought that the "When would you like your chicks shipped?" button actually meant that they would ship the birds when I requested. (Most hatcheries have these dates blacked out when they are booked up so that there is no confusion, but not this one.)

After numerous attempts to contact the hatchery (tried a new one that was less expensive for the turkey chicks), I finally got a hold of a live person. He informed me that our ship date is May 26th. MAY 26TH!! The unfortunate part is the high demand for turkeys and the extra long, cold winter this year. It has delayed the shipments of turkey chicks because the birds bread later than usual. High demand has also caused most of the hatcheries to be sold out early and/or long waits for people who got there order in late in the game. Live and learn! At least in our case, this years order is for our breeding stock. Very few will be processed this year and most will be on the farm for a long time.

A Buzz With Bees...

Meet with Steve Page yesterday afternoon to discuss the hive placement on the farm. Steve is going to manage the hives for us so that we can get maximum pollination without having to take on bee keeping - at least for now. We will start with two hives and hopefully ramp up to three or four within the next year.

Symbiotic relationships like these are wonderful. Everybody wins.

As most of you know already, bee populations are dropping at a dangerous rate. The colony collapse that is occurring is a direct result of heavy pesticide use. I've heard other reasons for the colony collapse, like cell phone towers are confusing there sense of direction, but I believe it is pesticides. What is amazing is, without bees, we would eventually starve. No pollination, no food! It is that simple, yet the continued use of these harmful chemicals amazes me. I guess these big companies have enough money to make these harmful, deadly chemicals seem like a "Calgon moment" when you spray them on fruits and vegetables. Isn't advertising great!

Morning With the Flock...

Nicole took this picture of the flock's morning forage next to the newly named "EggStream". Mornings are so beautiful on the farm. The chickens and ducks are foraging, the lake is calm and Maddux is Maddux.

Preparing For Heritage Turkey Arrival....

2010-03-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

The Turkeys are coming! The Turkeys are coming! Yes, we will be receiving our Heritage Turkeys next weekend. It seems like a lot of time between now and the first weekend of April, but since we have so much to prepare before their arrival, time will fly.

The "brooder beast" (an old crate that was repurposed as a brooder) was in our garage and needed to be transported to the hoophouse. Yesterday, Chandler brought over his trailer, and with every bit of energy we loaded it up. The crate probably weighs 300 lbs and is an awkward 7' squared - so it was no easy task.

When we arrived at the farm, there was extra mushy silt in front of the hoophouse from the well drilling the day before. (It don't think we could have made it easy on ourselves if we wanted to.) So, with my father-in-laws help, we waded through the muck and got it in the hoophouse.

Brooding the turkeys in the hoophouse presents its own challenges. Making the "brooder beast" predator proof will be one of the top priorities. The lid will need to be converted to a secure screen top, hinged in the middle and locked on both sides. We have plenty of creatures that would love to make our turkey chicks a midnight snack so we will try to make invasion as difficult as possible.

In a hoophouse environment, temperature fluctuations will have to be monitored several times throughout the day. During the afternoon, in full sun, the temperature can get very hot very quickly.

Black Gold Pile of Goodness...

Yesterday, we received a 30 yard delivery of organically certified compost. This will certainly sure up our field fertility and make it much easier to grow our plants. Our soil desperately needed the organic matter. After the delivery guy left, Nicole and I scooped up the compost and smelled its sweetness. It was beautiful!

The reality of having a mountain high pile of compost set in - it will need to be spread and worked in to the soil. Uhhhhh.. Like Nicole says, they don't call it back breaking work for nothing!

Seedlings Doing Good...

Since bringing the seedling over to the hoophouse last week we have gotten quite a growth spurt. The tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant love the 80-85 degree temperatures. Since the temperatures were so warm, we planted lemon grass, dill and basil in a raised bed Nicole made from the extra brick.

The worms are doing great. We continue to add buckets of cold lake water to the worm bins to keep them nice and cool. I never thought it would be so much fun digging around the worm bin looking for the worms, but I like it. I'm really looking for the baby worms which let me know they are happy and reproducing. A happy worm produces lots of poop, and that's what we want!

Quote:

"Nothing can resist the human will that will stake even its existence on its stated purpose."

Benjamin Disraeli

Maddux Growing Pains and a Steaming Pile of Compost....

2010-03-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

We have written a lot about Maddux in the past and how wonderful he truly is, but there are some growing pains we are trying to work through. I guess with all LGD puppies, you have that time of goofiness and mischievousness. Sometimes I feel it will never go away, but then you see a sign of brilliance.

The first few days of having Maddux out at the farm were pretty good. No casualties, just the now and again playing spurt and bouncing around that scared the chickens and ducks under the eggmobile. Then last week I walked up to the eggmobile, at dusk, to lock down the chickens and he was lying by a chicken that had its wing pulled off. He looked very sad and was kind of moaning, lying beside the chicken. I took it as a play date that went bad. I rolled him over, grabbed his scruff and sharply said "no" with the dead chicken in my hand. It seemed he got it and I took the chicken to the livestock compost pile and left.

Two nights later, Nicole went to the farm to get the chickens up for the night when it had happened again. This time, he proceeded to try and eat his mistake. Nicole, being half my size, proceeded to roll Maddux over, grab his scruff and sharply said "no". It hurts losing chickens, but this is the price of puppyhood. He'll grow out of it.

It has been four days since these two incidents and no problems yet. He is almost six months old and has started to stay out at the farm day and night. We were told by Liz at Nature's Harmony, where we got him, that these things are bound to happen through the puppy stage. They were right. If I have to worry about a casualty here and there while he is still a puppy - as much as I hate it - I guess not having him would be a lot worse.

He is showing improvement, though. We have seen some very good signs of guardianship that have made us proud over the last few days - barking at strangers, noises coming from the woods, at hawks and cars coming down the drive. He has this deep barrel bark that could stop someone in their tracks. It doesn't hurt that he is nearly the size of a pony and he is still growing.

Compost heating up....

During the Sunday workshop, we built three compost bins and filled them with some stinky goodness. Well, those bad boys are heating up and steam was rolling off this morning. What a beautiful sight! We will need to build one more bin on each side in a few days to turn the compost over and may even expand it a bit.

The Workshop Weekend....

2010-03-22T05:39:00.000-07:00

The official 180 Degree Farm workshop weekend hit the ground running over the weekend. What a great time and experience with so many new friends! It took three months of planning and I never thought it would get here. I can tell you Nicole and I still are tired from all of the work, late nights and early mornings. It will be good to get a small break and then back to farming.

I thought Jay Salinas was wonderful. We are so glad that he could be a part of the inaugural workshop weekend. When we asked Jay to be involved in this, he was excited from the start. I knew from seeing him in previous workshops at Growing Power that he was very good at communicating with participants and that was just as important as his skill set to us. Getting people involved and making them feel a part of a team builds comradery and the total learning experience. Boy did he deliver. I believe, from talking with everyone, that the workshop experience was a great one. (BTW, the networking to me, was just as good.)

Just as important to us is that attendees go away with a new skill set that they hopefully will use. Having a high tunnel/hoophouse is a wonderful way to extend growing seasons and can be done in a small or large footprint.

The composting/vermicomposting workshop went equally well. We had the occassional rain shower and brisk wind but we made it. I was very excited that the attendees could see how simple it really is to make good, healthy soil. Making soil from what would other wise be trash is great for the environment and makes you feel warm and fuzy inside (well maybe just a little bit). Thanks to all the folks involved in making this a success.

Quote:

"The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual."

Vince Lombardi

We Are Now Officially Considered A Farm By Coweta County...

2010-03-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

Picture Source: http://rystarr.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/fireworks1.jpg

The Board of Commissioners approved our application to farm!! This is very exciting even though there is so much left to do. Jay Salinas comes in tomorrow and we will be busy getting ready to host two weekend workshops. My poor wife had gotten the flu a few days ago and now Mason, my youngest, has the flu. This might slow us down a bit, but things will get done, just a little slower.

Even though this is a short blog, I'm posting a video of the chickens and Maddux. Enjoy!

Chickens Are Eggmobiled, Nicole Is Sick And The Workshops Are This Weekend....

2010-03-15T05:23:00.000-07:00

This was a very busy weekend for a lot of reasons. First off, my beautiful wife was sick with the flu and was in bed most of the weekend. We had plans to try and get several things done this weekend, one of which was getting the tiller out to soften up the soil and plant radish, lettuce and beets. The other was to move the chickens to their new home.

Thanks in large part to Gene and Linda (my father-in-law and mother-in-law), we did move the chickens.
We started out by loading the chickens from the brooder box into a large crate on the back of the truck. Once we got to the farm, we put the chickens in the fenced in area after we got the poultry netting up. The problem was that I couldn't get the netting electrified. Apparently the grounding rod wasn't as good as it should be, even though we had rain and it was down about 2 ft in the ground. As we put the chickens in the fence, they all congregated together right by the edge of the fencing, walking right through the netting. In my effort to scare them back, I cranked the truck up, thinking that would scare them closer to the "Eggmobile". Before I pulled the truck out, I saw my father-in-law waving his hands to stop. Well, they all ran through the fence and under the truck. REALLY!!

So, then became the tedious task of catching all of the chickens and taking them to the "Eggmobile" two, three, four at a time. What fun! After nearly an hour, we did it. We shut the door and let them become acquainted with their new home.

Maddux's First Day....

As for Maddux's first day in the fence with the chickens, he did well. He licked what seemed like every one that we had put in the fence and began to paw at a couple. He pawed a few chicks throughout the day and was told very strongly "NO" several times. The pawing was a little concerning, but he is still a pup and he certainly doesn't realize how strong he really is. I didn't feel comfortable leaving him there alone, so with the chickens secured in the "Eggmobile", he came back with us.

Sunday, Mason and I took Maddux over again (not leaving him at night, just during the day until he gets a little older). This time he seemed like a totally different dog. He came over and sniffed the birds then walked over to the hilly side of the fence. He just laid there and watched. I was amazed at the difference of one day. Maybe he just got it? I don't know, but it was remarkable.

So I took Mason back home and left Maddux their on his own. I forgot Maddux's food bowl and the food for that matter, but I figured it would be a good test to leave him for an hour or so alone. Swapped Mason out for Camron and headed back over. We had been gone for a little over an hour and I was hoping that a) he was still in the fence and b) there were no dead chickens that he had decided to cuddle with. I was pleasantly surprised to see him lying in front of the trailer just watching.

Camron and I left again, this time to go make some dinner and left Maddux to the chickens. We were gone for a couple of hours this time and came back to see Maddux lying in front of the ramp watching the chicks. No problems. In fact, Maddux didn't want to come back with us. He moaned a little bit when I told him it was time to go and he was very hard to get back in the truck. Could he have bonded with the chickens that quickly? Only time will tell.

Weekend Workshops...

We have Jay Salinas flying in Wednesday night and we will be preparing for the workshops through out the week. This should be interesting to see everything come together by Saturday. I'm already tired and to think this is only early Monday morning.

Quote:

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all."

Dale Carnegie

Everything Is Coming To A Head....

2010-03-09T04:18:00.000-08:00

Within the next two weeks we will be installing an irrigation well, ordering irrigation supplies, hosting two workshops, planting more vegetables, and getting the chickens into their new home. To say it's busy right now is an understatement.

The other, very important thing on the to-do list will be taking Maddux to the farm this weekend. He will be introduced to his new home with the chickens and will be their protector for years to come. Maddux may struggle just a bit due to staying near the house by us for the last three weeks. He is going through a semi rebellious stage right now, kinda like a teenager, were he will do what you ask only after he whines and complains first. (Actually, it's very funny and we have to video and post it.)

Finished the "Eggmobile"...

Thanks in large part to my father-in-law Gene, we were able to complete the "Eggmobile" last weekend. We put in the roosting area, added screen to the windows for air circulation and added a ramp. Adam, a good friend of ours, is coming over to clean all of the left over trash from the Air Stream gutting this afternoon. This will clear the way for us to move it and get ready for the "new residences" coming this weekend. We will get the electric poultry netting (we bought from Kencove) set up around the "eggmobile" as well, along with the waterers and feeders on Saturday (as long as they come in on time)

50 lb capasity feeders we ordered. Picture from Stromberg's website.

In a week or so, we will be ordering our heritage turkeys. We're very excited about having turkeys without antibiotics or hormones, that can reproduce and have such a better flavor than a store bought, factory produced, big breasted white turkey. Whew! We'll get the chickens out of the brooder box and the turkeys will be right behind them!

. Picture Source: www.culinaryschoolrockies.com

One More Hurdle....

2010-03-03T05:12:00.000-08:00

Last night we passed a huge hurdle in getting approval from the Planning and Zoning Board. We have one last hurdle on March 16th. This will be the final approval we will need from the Board of Commissioners.

It was an eventful evening, though I'm not completely sure the board understood the "eggmobile thing" or how the processing of chickens works on a small farm. I guess that is why it is important to be transparent so people can see firsthand how it works. I know several years back that I didn't understand that either. We are very blessed to have friends from Coweta County step up last night and speak on behalf of our farm. A BIG thank you to Gary Wallace, Pastor Brent Anderson and Homer Allen for their support!

Late Nights Planting Seedlings....

Over the past three nights, we have planted over 720 seedlings. Folks, this has taken over 7 hours. I think it would be much easier to just drop a seed in the ground and hope for the best. But in our process, we germinate the seeds so that we're assured of a good germination rate and less seed waste. After germination comes the tedious task of planting every sprout in starter mix, the longest part of the whole process. After getting the little guys planted, we need heat and good light. We have a metal halide light that gives off a full spectrum of light similar to the sun and gives us the required heat the plants need at the same time.

I need a weekend to recover from my weekend...

2010-02-28T18:33:00.000-08:00

Well they don't call it back breaking work for nothin'. Scott and I (and some very generous helpers) worked our tails off the last two days on the farm. Almost 1000 lbs. of soil amendments went down (by hand), fields were plowed and tilled, and expanded metal flooring was installed into the eggmobile.

Saturday we added several soil amendments into our three plots to increase boron, potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. All by hand using two milk jugs.

We worked on the Airstream a little more to prepare it for the flooring. It needed a final sweep down to remove all of the small particles and fiberglass before the expanded metal flooring could be installed.

Then Pastor Brent stopped by and dropped off a 50 gallon container of spoiled tomatoes - a.k.a. nitrogen for our compost pile.

Sunday my dad and Scott installed the new floor for the eggmobile. It looks great and is incredibly sturdy. We'll install roosting beams next weekend and seal off any holes so the chicks can be in their new home by mid March.

Farmer Mark Hess stopped by mid day to plow and till our fields. We were very happy to see how much black dirt turned up after he plowed through it. Onions and radishes will go in the ground in a couple days.

I have to say, it truly is a blessing to have family and friends that are willing to help out! Especially when it's manual labor.

And I have to mention the dog house that my dad built for Maddux...it's pretty fancy. The kids definitely broke it in for him.

I'm sure Maddux will also love it as much as the kids. But for now, he's claimed a certain pine tree as his napping spot.

Scott chopped down a few sweet gum branches with the boys to inoculate with Shitake and Oyster mushrooms in a couple weeks.

To top it all off, we had a visit from a family of Canadian geese. They tend to fly back and forth from our lake to a neighbors lake. It sounds so cool when they land in the water.

Please keep us in your prayers this week. Our hearing with the zoning department is this Tuesday evening.

-Nicole

GO Conference and an update on the Airstream and Chicks...

2010-02-22T12:03:00.000-08:00

The Georgia Organics Conference...

I was in Athens over the weekend, still very sick, trying to get the most out of the GO conference. The event itself was much larger than I expected, with a fairly extensive workshop list and farm tour experiences. I took Will Harris's Pasture to Processor class on the first day. He didn't disappoint. (If you ever want to have a entertaining and learning experience, sit down in front of Will Harris for a while.)

That afternoon, I hopped on the bus to visit two farms in the area. Both sold market vegetables and some eggs, but I picked the wrong tour. Looking back on it, I should have picked the Woodland Gardens farm tour. I really wanted to see people that had to make a living on the farm, not a hobby or extra income type farm. Don't get me wrong, they were both very interesting, but not the same focus as what we are doing. Live and learn. Should have listened to Nicole, as usual, she was right.

That night I went to see the movie "Dirt". I thought it was interesting, in an environmental activist kind of way. It certainly had more to do with the future of the environment/soil protection and less to do with farming itself.

Saturday we had intensive workshop sessions until dinner. For the most part, the workshops were very informative, though a couple were disappointing due to unforeseen circumstances or too much scientific jargon. (I believe an instructor had car trouble.) That night was the Farmers Feast. Man, what a dinner. If you have ever been in a large conference style dinner setting, you know that the meals usually are barely better than what you would feed your dog. Not this one! Some of the best pork tenderloin I have ever had. No joke. Absolutely wonderful! Plus, the way they have the tables set up, their was plenty of networking time. I hope Nicole and I can come together next year so she can experience it.

Need to start seeds this week...

Man, I need more room. I have over 150 tomato plants to start, 150! Not counting peppers, eggplant, and so on....

My onions came in and I'm having a breakdown. Well, not a total breakdown, but there is a little stress. They need to be planted in the next week or so and I have nowhere to put them yet. Waiting on some tractor help to finish the fields so we can start dropping them in.

Update on the Airstream...

The floor is gone! Yeah!! Now I need to source the grate flooring to put on the bottom. Trying to finish it this coming weekend. Still haven't pumped up the tires to see if they hold air, so I will be praying that they will.

Baby chicks not so little any more...

I was gone for three days and it seemed as though the chicks grew half a foot. The ducks are just huge and are starting to learn the art of quacking. Very cute seeing them get their feathers in and scratching around looking for stuff. Nicole (MacGyver Jr.), came up with a great way to keep the birds from knocking over the waterers. She wrapped rubber band around them and the 2 X 4's they sit on. This has held them in place without incident.

Tested electric poultry netting on older chicks and Maddux...

I set up the electric poultry netting and put Maddux in with our layers. He did great watching the birds and realizing that he was there to protect. I was surprised that he didn't chase them at all. I thought that the puppy in him would give way to some mischief and he may have the urge to play with them but he didn't. Well, Maddux got his first taste of electricity. First the chickens got popped, and then Maddux. He cried for about a minute straight to the horror of Camron. Cam was a little worried seeing his new buddy so upset. He will learn the importance of Maddux's job and over time will understand that we all care and love Maddux, but he has an important job he must do.

Maddux's first day on the job...

2010-02-19T16:03:00.000-08:00

We picked up Maddux a little earlier than planned. Yesterday the boys, my parents and I made the trek up to Elberton to get him in advance of the GO Conference. Even though Nature's Harmony was busy preparing for farm tours the next day, Liz spent as much time as I needed talking about Maddux (and his parents) and even let the boys play with the baby lambs. I caught a priceless picture of Maddux kissing one of them.

Considering Maddux has never been in a car or on a leash, we've had a really easy couple of days with him. He moaned quite a bit on the way home, but with each car ride he gets more comfortable. In fact on the last ride he got out of the truck himself. Which I'm very happy about, because picking up a 53 lb. squirming dog is not very easy for me.

We took him out to the farm today and let him run free while my dad and I worked on the airstream some more. Maddux loved it! As an insurance policy, we hooked a long rope to him and let it drag behind him. This way we could have something to grab in case he went too far. He stayed right in his territory and got a lot of exercise chasing the boys. So much exercise that he's been in the same spot for the last 3 hours...

Regarding the airstream, my dad and I (mostly my dad) were able to get the last bench and water tank out and remove all of the pipes and wire. Sunday we plan to rip out the old floor and hopefully by next weekend we'll put in the new grate floor and seal up the holes on the roof.

Meanwhile...Scott's enjoying the GO conference in Athens and he'll have plenty to share when he get's back.

-Nicole

Meet Maddux...

2010-02-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

It's shocking how fast the chicks have grown. You would think we were feeding them some sort of steroid laced super food! Although we lost a total of 8 chicks and 3 ducks in the first week, we've had zero fatalities this last week, and all appear very healthy. In fact, we're going through 50 lbs. of food a week for 162 chicks and 7 ducks. The ducks grow much faster than the chickens. They are almost 2 times the size of the chicks, however their wings are 1/2 the size - it looks very awkward in comparison.

I really enjoy the Ameracaunas and how their markings have changed. When they first arrived, they had a chipmunk stripe down their back. Now, they remind me of a hawk - very regal and almost predator like.

Well, as the chickens are getting bigger, we must plan for their permanent home and for their guardian. We have coyotes in the area and recently one killed a friend's dog a few miles away. Which brings me to our newest farmer, Maddux, who will arrive next weekend. Scott plans to pick him up after the Georgia Organics Conference in Athens.

A few months ago, we visited Nature's Harmony Farm in Elberton to attend Farm School. While we were there, we spent some time with the farm's livestock dogs. They just had puppies a few weeks before. The dad, Jethro, is a Great Pyrenees and mom is an Anatolian Sheppard. Although mom was busy feeding the pups, but we were able to see how Jethro "worked" the farm. What a phenomenal dog! So when some of their puppies came up for sale, we jumped on it.

Over the next several weeks, we'll introduce Maddux to the chicks and the farm and teach him the ropes. It will definitely be a learning experience for all of us, but I'm sure a lot of fun too!

Yesterday we had a rare dusting of 3" of snow (I say dusting, because I used to live in upstate NY), but it has melted and tomorrow's high should be 49 degrees. Perfect weather for continuing work on the airstream!

-Nicole

Fields Coming Along....

2010-02-10T05:45:00.000-08:00

With all of the rain, I thought this day would never come. The fields have been graded and they're ready for tilling!

Before Picture: Mason taking soil samples.

Field One After Picture: Nice and level. Ready to be tilled.

Field two.

Field three

Hoophouse Area

Eggmobile Progress & More....

2010-02-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

The chicks will outgrow their brooder house soon - in fact some of them are half flying, half jumping on to the top of the feeders. Even though Saturday was just plain nasty (37 degrees, windy and misty), Scott and Chandler (our Cuz!) ventured out and started gutting the Airstream.

All major structures, except for one bench, have been removed from the interior. Next weekend we'll tackle the rest and try to figure out how the old floor will come out and the new floor will go in.

Meanwhile, we thought we would share some recent pictures of the chicks and ducks. They are so much fun to have. The whole family enjoys spending time watching them interact with each other. Camron was a real champ Sunday morning and helped me clean out their bedding so we could fill it with fresh pine shavings. We emptied three wheel barrels full of soiled shavings into the compost pile.

Later Sunday, Scott and I worked in the garden to see what didn't make it through the freezing temperatures over the last month. We were pleasantly surprised to see the cabbage, kale, arugula, broccoli, brussel sprouts, mustard greens and even a whole bed of lettuce made it through. Even the Swiss Chard is starting to come back after I had cut it down to a stub a month ago. It's nice to see so much green after the gloomy, rainy, cold weather we've had for so long.

Coming up...Starting seeds for our spring crops, the Georgia Organics Conference in Athens, Livestock Dogs and more....

-Nicole

What If We Had To Walk Away....

2010-02-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

America's young history is peppered with hard work, faith in God, and the promise of hope for the ones coming after us. Things are changing in America and our history will eventually reflect that. Remember when we were the kings of the steel industry, the car industry and food industry. China now owns two of the three and really, we are now known to be the kings of the food manipulation industry. Dropping in genes here and there, altering the DNA of plants and animals, to control every possible scenario. Pests, weeds, disease, shelf life and more....

What if the folks involved with the "clean" food movement just simply stopped producing for the many and only produce for themselves? What if it wasn't by choice? I've had some time to reflect on these things (mainly because it has been to darn cold and rainy to work outside) as I've seen a once proud, independent nation now become an unhappy, dependent nation on other countries for food, fuel, supplies and so on.

Picture Source: http://www.thedailygreen.com/

What are we skilled to do? Could 80% of the population right now produce enough food to support their families if the economy totally collapsed? Or is it less than 10%? I'm guessing less than 10%. The biggest reason for that is we've had the luxury of going to the grocery store and depending on a small amount of farmers to produce the foods we need.

My concern is the folks standing up for a more righteous food system may end up, or already have been, casualties of corporate greed and government lobbying. Forcing "us" to go away I assume would be priority 1a or 1b. Just watch "Food Inc." or "The Future Of Food". We bring too much attention to this destructive, unhealthy, multi-billion dollar food system for them not to be worried. The good news is, the attention is growing. More now than ever before are articles about GMO problems and more real information about the harm pesticides and herbicides are doing to people and the environment.

The bad news is these huge food companies have their own people in high places. Multiple government officials within the FDA and USDA have worked at one time or another for large corporate food companies or vice versa. If these corporate food conglomerates want to impose more restrictions and regulations on small natural/organic farmers and food producers, it doesn't take much to make it happen. For a politician, not being supportive of such restrictions and regulations could be career suicide. I find it sad that "we, the people" hire these politicians to represent "us, the people", but reality is they work for corporate America. So who speaks for us?

Moving forward during troubled times....

Besides learning skills to grow and produce food, do we know how to preserve and store foods properly? Our great grandparents did. Again, the masses would probably say no. Nicole and I, for the first time this last summer, started preserving our excess summer harvest. We had never done it before, only seeing the grandparent’s do a little bit of canning from time to time. It's definitely a learned skill but it's not that hard once you learn the do's and don'ts..

What are we leaving behind for our kids and grandkids? Could we teach them the importance of growing and producing foods themselves or at least getting it from a trusted local source? If we don't respond to the challenges of the present, we will leave future generations a bankrupt nation; monetarily, spiritually and socially.

Baby Chicks Are Fun But...

2010-02-03T05:09:00.000-08:00

We have had our new chicks now for about five days and I have to say they are more fun to watch than TV. You have drama, stand-offs, stare-offs, variety/comedy hour, all rolled into one. The chicks are extremely curious and after a brief scatter when I come into the box, they are pecking at my pants or my wedding ring without a fear in the world.

The ducklings put on quite the show themselves. When I am in the brooder box, they have some kind of crazy attraction to my feet. They will roll their bill all over the top of my shoe, sit on my shoes and stick their bills into the sides of my shoes. It is very hard not to move because I'm laughing so much.

Nicole on "pasty butt duty".

With all of the fun these little guys provide, they are quite a bit of work. Every morning and night we do what we call "pasty butt patrol". A few chicks will get caked up around their vent and if you don't get them cleaned up, it could kill them. Some of these poor little things end up missing some of their down around their backside because of the poop gets dried up and hard. A couple will end up looking like a orangutan, but at least they are clean. Out of the 170 plus chicks, we probably average 3 or 4 "pasty butts" a day. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it!

Monsanto May Be Creating New Problems for "Clean Food" Farmers....

2010-01-28T14:10:00.000-08:00

I happened to stumble across this article from The Huffington Post and thought it was important to post. Especially for those like us who are or are planning to have animals that graze on alfalfa, this could be a problem with cross contamination of non-GMO alfalfa.

Picture Source: www.Noble.org

Obama USDA Poised to Take Away Our Right to GMO-Free Food

Don't believe Monsanto's green-washing. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), aren't meant to feed the world or survive the evermore frequent droughts and floods brought on by global warming - they're designed to sell Monsanto's herbicide Roundup and the patented "Roundup Ready" genes now spliced into millions of acres of corn, cotton, soy, canola, sugar beets and alfalfa. A 2009 study showed that, in 13 years, Roundup Ready crops increased herbicide use by 383 million pounds.

During the Bush administration, the movement to stop GMOs was making progress. Reflecting public concern over GMOs, in 2007, a Federal court ruled that the Bush USDA's approval of Roundup Ready alfalfa violated the law because it failed to analyze risks such as the contamination of conventional and organic alfalfa and the development of "super-weeds." The court banned the planting of GM alfalfa until USDA completed a rigorous analysis of these impacts. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals twice affirmed the national ban on Roundup Ready alfalfa planting, but Monsanto is appealing. They're taking organic alfalfa farmers all the way to the Supreme Court!

Barack Obama, despite promising us "change we can believe in," is unfortunately turning out to be just as pro-GMO as the preceding Bush and Clinton administrations, packing the USDA and other government bureaucracies with Monsanto men and biotech cheerleaders such as former Iowa Governor, Tom Vilsack, named "Biotech Governor of the Year" in 2001, now serving as USDA Secretary. Vilsack, notorious for flying around in a Monsanto company jet during one of his previous election campaigns, is now busy trying to get the court-ordered ban on Roundup Ready alfalfa lifted by issuing a new draft environmental impact statement (EIS) that denies or downplays the obvious environmental and human health hazards of GM alfalfa.

Alfalfa is the fourth most widely grown crop in the U.S. and a key source of dairy forage and hay. The first perennial crop to be genetically engineered, GM alfalfa can regenerate itself from its root-stock. It is open-pollinated by bees, which can cross-pollinate at distances of several miles, spreading Monsanto's patented, foreign DNA to non-GMO and organic crops. Widespread GMO-contamination of organic alfalfa is inevitable if the Obama Administration successfully distorts science and ignores public opinion and allows Monsanto's GM Roundup Ready alfalfa to be planted across the U.S.

Mounting evidence shows damage to animals and humans from unlabeled and untested Frankenfoods. Consumers who ingest GM alfalfa are likely risking their health; since even the USDA's EIS admits that, "acute toxicity in mice was observed."

According to the EIS, consumers who ingest foods with residues of Monsanto's Roundup herbicide may experience "general and non-specific signs of toxicity from subchronic and chronic exposure to glyphosate includ[ing] changes in liver weight, blood chemistry (may suggest mild liver toxicity), liver pathology, and weight of the pituitary gland."

The EIS warns that, "Based on upper estimates of exposure ... infants consuming fruit and all age groups consuming vegetables may be at risk of adverse effects associated with acute exposure to glyphosate [the active ingredient in Roundup] residues."

Consuming milk and meat from animals fed crops that are genetically engineered is also risky. In Europe, where farmer and consumer rejection has kept GMO crop acreage to a bare minimum, massive quantities of GMO-tainted animal feed is imported from the U.S. and a survey of 60 samples of 12 different milk brands sold in stores in Italy demonstrated the presence of GM maize sequences in 15 (25%) and of GM soybean sequences in 7 samples (11.7%).

Most consumers, especially organic consumers, are determined to avoid Roundup Ready alfalfa, and meat and dairy products derived from animals ingesting Roundup Ready alfalfa, but according to the EIS, we don't have that right because, "At the present time, there is no policy regarding the unintended presence of GE (genetically engineered) material in organic products or food, consistent with the fact that the NOP (National Organic Program) is a process-based program for certifying a farm or production system as organic, and not a product-based program that tests or certifies individual products as organic."

We must stop the Obama administration from taking away our right to grow and consume organic and GMO-free food. The "change we believe in" is a healthy and sustainable future based upon organic food and farming and a green economy.

Written By:
Ronnie Cummins
Founder and Director, Organic Consumers Association

Bring on the baby chicks!

2010-01-24T14:44:00.000-08:00

It's finally finished! The brooder house is set up and we are ready for our baby chicks and ducks. We're still monitoring the temperature to make sure it doesn't fluctuate, but it's been steady for the last couple of hours.

Feeders and waterers have been velcro'd to untreated 2x4's, so they will stay steady for the babies. We'll move up to hanging feeders and waterers when they get bigger. Scott hung a four lamp heater from the ceiling which we can raise or lower to adjust the temperature. It has an adjustable thermostat, but we found it to be a little unpredictable, so we disengaged it. We have another heater in the corner that we will probably remove after a few of weeks.

Our new flock is due to arrive on Friday. We've ordered 50 Buff Orpingtons, 50 Isa Browns, 50 Barred Plymouth Rocks, 15 New Hampshire Reds and 5 Ameraucanas day old chicks. We've also orderd 5 Khaki Campbell and 5 Indian Runner ducks so we can experiment with duck eggs.

Next is gutting the 24 foot, 1967 Air Stream. As much as I would love to refurbish this cult classic into a lake side oasis, I'll forgo that selfish/expensive dream for the sake of our new tenants (you owe me Scott!). Oh well, it looks a lot like an egg anyway.

We'll need to not only gut the interior, but patch up some exterior holes and replace the floor with grate, so the droppings will pass through. After that, we'll mount nest boxes to the exterior, build a roosting structure inside and add a ramp for the chicks to enter and exit.

More to come over the next several weeks as we try to prepare for spring. Also, our final hearing with the county is scheduled for early March. Please keep us in your prayers!

-Nicole

Brooder House Coming Along....

2010-01-22T21:17:00.000-08:00

We are getting very close to "ready" with the new brooder house for our new arrivals. We took an old crate that was discarded and have given it a new purpose. The box measures 6.5' x 6.5' inside and will give plenty of room for the girls to move around and stay warm.

We added wooden supports underneath the bottom, added a pass thru and secured it with a couple of bolt locks.

Nicole and I lined the bottom with a pond liner to keep urine from absorbing into the wood. We sealed the bottom corners under the liner with aquarium silicone to keep it from moving and stapled the top all the way around. We added the pine flakes and fluffed them up. It took one bale to get a 3" bed.

Tomorrow we will get the heat lamps adjusted to the right temperature and figure out the locations of the feeders and waterers. More pictures tomorrow. I'm going to bed.

Baby Chicks Coming to Town...

2010-01-19T04:38:00.000-08:00

We placed our first, relatively large order, for day old chicks last week. 170 will be coming our way on Jan. 29th. We ordered a diverse flock to start, with several old heritage breeds that are good foragers and layers along with some high production layers. (A big thank you to Peach at Randell Burkey. She worked with us, knowing we are a start-up non-profit farm, and gave us some crucial discounts to help make the purchase possible.)

With all that said we spent all of yesterday getting ready for and setting up the brooder pen. Probably could have finished the whole thing, but I was in bed nearly all weekend only feeling better on Monday. Thank God for a great wife and long weekend! It also helps to have a great mother and father in-law helping us out. We will still need to work on it this coming weekend, adding a door and putting down a protective liner on the floor, but at least we have the structure.

After completion of the brooder pen, we will then turn our attention to gutting out an old Air Stream that "came" with our property. We debated for several years about refurbishing it but when a cotton trailer slipped through our hands at the last minute, we thought this would be a good fit. Plus, nothing to buy and ship to the property, just some back breaking work ahead of us.

This will come just in time for the chickens to get on the property and start working on the grasshopper population. I figure 170 + chickens and ducks will do a number on them and also help get my ground good and fertile before we plant our spring crop. Plus, it is must see "TV".

If you have ever watched chickens chase bugs, you realize why they call them bird brains. They can't just chase a bug and eat it. They chase the bug, grab it with their beak and let all of the other chickens know it's in its mouth. That starts a chase of chickens across the yard, sometimes resulting in the first chicken, the one with the bug, losing it to another. It is some great family fun watching these chickens do their thing.

Along with the chickens, we ordered some layer ducks (Khaki Campbells/Indian Runners). I don't think that is a technical term, but that is what we ordered them for. The layer ducks peaked my curiosity after reading several articles about the egg quality of duck eggs for eating and baking. Check out the chart below. I don't think this is for pastured duck/chicken eggs so you can imagine the nutrient content would be much higher if it was. I think it's time to create a duck egg market in our community.

Picture Source: www.duckeggs.com

Quote:

"The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore."

–Dale Carnegie

Winter Equals Planning Time, Lots of Planning Time....

2010-01-11T04:58:00.000-08:00

Well, we have been very busy lately, planning two March workshops and our spring crop lay-out and deciding what we will be growing. It has been very hard to get time to blog. So many details it's making us a little crazy:

Getting our topsoil delivered, graded and amended.
Waiting for our soil samples to come back.
Getting the rest of our seeds ordered as well as other growing equipment.
Leveling out the area planned for the first hoophouse.
Getting bulk woodchips(carbon source) delivered and trying to find bulk nitrogen sources.
Getting all of the details right for our first workshops (work in progress).
Adding two gates to the top part of the fence.
Getting volunteer help for the workshops and beyond.
There is more, but I can't think about it right now.

With all of that and a lot of prayer, we will get it done. The scary thing is it is all within the next three months!

Quote:

"Double – no, triple – our troubles and we’d still be better off than any other people on earth."

~ Ronald Reagan

Year Long Growing Season, Almost...

2010-01-04T05:37:00.000-08:00

Last year I was a little skeptical when reading about row covers and how they can help extend the growing season, especially in the south where we have mild winters. But my curiousity got the best of me and I went for it and bought a 200' roll. We started using the row covers in the spring and it enable me to start our potatoes earlier. OK, not bad.

Well, again in the fall, Nicole and I covered most of the beds. We had brocoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale, mustard, collards, lettuce, chard, garlic and oh yeah cilantro from the summer. Very impressed at the outcome, so far. A few days ago, after a 24 degree morning, Nicole went out and pulled cilantro, lettuce, broccoli and mustard out of the garden. WOW! Not bad for late December.

Well, Saturday night/Sunday morning I think we found the limit on the row covers we have. 17 Degrees and the lettuce is all but gone as well as the cilantro. Not sure about the broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts and the rest of the Brassicas family, but we will see in the coming days.

So, the good news is, we have extended our season at least until the new year. Now it's time for planning the 2010 crop and getting the rest of our seeds ordered.

Quote:

"Bear in mind, if you are going to amount to anything, that your success does not depend upon the brilliancy and the impetuosity with which you take hold, but upon the ever lasting and sanctified buldoggedness with which you hang on after you have taken hold."

~ Dr. A. B. Meldrum

65 documented health risks associated with the consumption of GMO's

2010-01-02T12:08:00.000-08:00

Published in the December 2009 - The Organic & Non-GMO Report, "According to the Institute for Responsible Technology, there are now 65 documented health risks associated with the consumption of GMOs in food products." All 65 are quickly summarized online (see link below) and contain a mix of human and animal cases.

http://www.seedsofdeception.com/utility/showArticle/?objectID=1040

The Organic & Non-GMO Report also mentions a new consumer resource available from The Institute's Campaign for Healthier Eating in America called the Non-GMO Shopping Guide.

Highlights of the Non-GMO Shopping Guide are...

Avoid the four major GM oil crops - corn, soy, cotton & canola. Instead use olive, safflower, grape seed or peanut oil.
Avoid dairy products from cows fed with GM corn and soybeans, or injected with bovine growth hormone (rBST or rBGH).
Avoid GM corn based sweeteners (like high fructose corn syrup) and sugar beet sweeteners. Buy items sweetened with cane sugar instead.
Buy certified organic, which prohibits the use of GMO ingredients.

You can access the complete Non-GMO Shopping Guide through the link below:

http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/documentFiles/144.pdf

Is it truly possible to avoid consuming anything harmful?

2009-12-30T06:22:00.000-08:00

I was at a big box grocery store yesterday and had three employees examining my purchases. One was ringing me up, while the other two people were bagging. I occasionally get questions about what is in my cart since I try to buy only organic or natural items from the grocery store. I’ve even had other customers stop me and ask questions about what I’m buying, which just reinforces how confusing labels (aka marketing) can be.

But yesterday, the young man bagging my groceries started a conversation that left me feeling like a hypocrite…

He was eyeing my White Oak Pastures ground beef when he asked…”does grassfed mean organic?”

“No,” I said, “it just means they were fed grass instead of fed corn their entire lives. They shouldn’t eat corn, they can’t digest it properly. It’s better for you.”

The cashier pipes up and says “we shouldn’t eat corn either”. Which is an entirely new subject about GMO’s, corn syrup, diabetes and I could go on forever, so I told her “I could get on a soapbox about that subject” and left it alone.

He asked “does it (the meat) taste better?”

“Yes, I think it does” I said.

Then the moment of disgrace happened…I had my two boys with me and I allowed them to pick out a pre packaged, mix and bake, molten chocolate cake. Most of the time, begrudgingly, they are forced to buy all dry snacks and cereals from the organic isle. They are definitely getting used to it and realize that it’s the same stuff, just made with organic ingredients. However, yesterday I made an exception. When the young man went to bag this particular purchase, he called me out.

“Is this good for you too?” he asked.

“Well, no, but when you have kids you have to allow a little of the bad stuff in…” I stammered.

REALLY?

I felt like a total hypocrite, but then I thought, even if I tried, I couldn’t remove all of the bad stuff from our diet if I shopped only at a grocery store. I’ll never see how or who grew the food I’m consuming. And I’ve tried to buy a grocery cart full of food without high fructose corn syrup – it’s near impossible. The chicken at our store has “no added hormones or antibiotics.” “Added?” Which means it must contain some to begin with - how much? Well, they don’t have to tell us that (among other critical details). Thanks USDA/FDA!

The choices are too confusing for consumers and they’re left to believe that the marketing hype printed on the label is true. I remember when “Corn Fed Beef” was actually marketed as a good thing. Even some recent advertisements claim that high fructose corn syrup must be good for you, because it comes from corn, and what’s more natural than corn! Look at your choice of eggs in the grocery store…Organic, Cage Free, and Free Range… What does that really mean? Well Organic doesn’t mean they were fed grass and bugs - It just means they were fed organic feed. A chicken can be labeled organic, cage free and free range, but still be raised in an ammonia filled chicken house walking around on their own feces all day.

So I ask, can we avoid all of the harmful stuff completely?

It is possible, but not without a lot of education, hard work and serious sacrifice. And in our day of bigger, better, faster, cheaper, not a lot of us are willing to do it. And frankly, I think we've lost a little confidence in how capable and strong we really are.

I wouldn't trade the time I spend with my family tending to the garden and caring for the chickens.

My challenge - make my own organic molten chocolate cake!

- Nicole