Much overdue farm update

Happy Friday!

It feels like forever since I’ve made time to be at the computer to write a farm update.  The last few days have really felt like fall, with cooler temperatures, leaves changing colors, and finally some moisture.  It is all so welcome after the unprecedented hot and dry summer we had.  This summer was one for the record books, not just in the high temperatures and drought we haven't seen, but in so many farming challenges as well.  I think I found it hard to sit down and write this summer because, at times, it was hard to find a positive message, which I try to keep.  I’ll give a brief recap of the summer here and, over the next little bit, share more stories from the summer and our plans as we continue.   

In June, when we realized Spring and summer moisture were not coming to help the lands, forage, and water recover from the very dry winter we had, we made the heartbreaking decision to sell most of our mama cows.  At that point, it was clear the hay harvest would be greatly reduced, and we wouldn't be able to feed them through the winter without purchasing large quantities of hay at a premium price.  It was a decision we had to make with our heads and not our hearts.  

So in early July, most of our mamas and all but 1 calf loaded up for a new adventure in Illinois at another Highland farm.July brought some of the hottest temperatures I’ve seen up here, and it was extra hard on chickens.  The lay rate for the egg birds tanked in the heat and we had big losses in the meat bird flock.  Additionally, due to the dry conditions, we ended up having to haul a lot more water for the meat birds and wetting down thier pasture pens in the hottest parts of the day to help them.  We shifted the breed of our last flock to one that was more heat-tolerant, not a trait we’ve looked for before.  We also canceled our late July and August flocks due to the conditions.

August brought a lackluster, as expected, hay harvest.  It confirmed that the hard decision we made over the summer were the right ones.  We still have some steers in the pasture so more beef to come this fall and next summer.  We are going to focus on eggs and pork at this time and see what this winter brings for moisture to make some decisions on poultry and beef going forward.  We are looking at ways to partner with our producers to offer more options while keeping a better balance in our workload.Right now, we have a bit of everything in the freezers ready for you.  

The turkeys had a great summer, and most have already been harvested and are ready for Thanksgiving.  If you have not ordered one yet, now is the time!  We can deliver anytime between now and Thanksgiving.  One of the biggest things I missed this summer was taking the time to write and share our adventures.  

I also have many thoughts around some of the biggest food issues in the news lately: imported beef, processing laws, meat recalls, and more that I will be writing about soon.  Thanks for waiting for me to get back to the computer.  I’d love to hear how your summer was, so drop me a note.  I’m off to watch Farmhand 1 in a cross-county meet.  

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Aila