Farming in Spring

I love spring!  It's my favorite time of year because the trees, grass, and flowers are all in full bloom along with warm weather and sunshine!  Fresh vegtables are starting to become available again - we are just loving our CSA produce box. Anyone else?

As the cold months wrap up, we start transitioning over to many moving pieces all around our farm - chickens, turkeys, cows, and pigs...and lots of them!  They're grazing, eating, moving, and lovin' life.  We'll talk more below about what our poultry season looks like this time of year (scroll half way down).

Recently, we have brought the Traeger Smoker & Grill back out to start enjoying smoked hams, butts, briskets, and chicken again!  These are favorites and it's a side hobby that is enjoyed (and helpful) as our 3 kids grow and have hungry bellies after working hard "sometimes" alongside us (let's keep it real - other times they are off playing). lol  

Our Farm Friends (customers) are my top priority.  Every week we load orders, make deliveries to local VA drop sites, ship, manage curbside pick-up, store hours, and communicate with our customers by phone, email, social media, and website!  We don't sell our products through major grocery store chains, but instead directly to families who value relationships and sustainably-raised meats. 

It's always on our mind that it's through the support of our Farm Friends that sustainable farms like ours will restore lost farmland, build topsoil, and feed us well into the future.

Spring Chicks!

We currently have 3 brooders full of chickens or turkeys, along with a set of chickens out on pasture.  Each brooder holds up to 750-800 chicks that get checked on all throughout the day to keep a close eye and make sure that everyone stays comfy and cozy.  

During the first couple weeks that chicks and poults (baby turkeys) are alive, it's critical that their conditions stay just perfect!

As soon as they are old enough and larger in size, they get to move to the great outdoors where they love the sunshine, bugs, grass, and fresh air.  We house them in shelters that are moved daily to fresh grass. It's lots of work to do this, but totally worth it!  You can see the impact on the vegatation that rapidly grows back.  

As we've said before, this type of sustainable farming is about healthy land and healthy food - the two go hand in hand. Be sure to join us for a tour this summer and SEE this firsthand.

Until we talk again, have a wonderful spring!

Sincerely,
Laura