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More on that raw milk trial….
….a few weeks back we reported on a trial in Wisconsin of an Amish farmer who was charged with selling raw milk off his farm to about 200 customers. He’d been subjected to middle-of-the-night raids and the whole swat team tactic. In a stunning setback to Big Ag and The State, the jury found him innocent of all but a technical charge. That one conviction, however, could have been enough to send him to jail for a year and we felt was, in light of all the facts, a horrible miscarriage of justice. Well, turns out some of the jurors read press coverage of the case following the trial and discovered…
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Tummy-aches….
….I’ve been feeling for some time that the recent group of pigs that we’ve been fattening were better-behaved than some in the past. Truthfully, when pigs get about this size, I am on guard. They’re powerful enough to knock you down. And they’ve staggered me several times. Certainly, the pigs have been rough on each other as well. But our newer animals have not been as rambunctious. In fact, I commented to Wooz the other day that I thought the pigs actually seemed happier. I credited it to our new suppliers, Deb and Curry Parker; and their daily contact with new piglets is probably part of the reason. But now…
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Why we do what we do….
….because we love it, of course. But also because we’re appalled by the quality of food Americans consume and want to do a little bit to resist the tide. The people we know raising everything from organic lettuce to grass fed beef have pretty much the same quixotic attitude. We know we’re a “drop in the bucket”….we know there are easier, more profitable ways to do what we’re doing….but taking a stand is worth it. Sometimes we become bores on the subject. I manage to contain myself on that score better than Wooz. There she was at a party the other night showing pictures of our cows and lecturing on the…
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Bacon on the way…
….well, not yet. First these piglets have a vacation in store for them at Thistle Hill farm. And a new feeding ground, too. This picture was taken at Deb and Curry Parker’s farm near Culpeper, Virginia. We are Tamworth fans and we think they raise the best! We have been fattening our pigs on pasture….with plenty of trees…but now we’re fencing sections of our woods so that they’ll have an unlimited supply of acorns. Right now they’re in a big pen with electric wire around the fence….learning that that tiny wire means business. Incidentally, their predecessors are at the abattoir and we should have sausages, chops and bacon available very soon.
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Arkansas flood update….
We reported earlier on the adventures of North American Devon president Greg Hickl whose Arkansas farm was ravaged by the flooding Fourche river in those recent storms. Greg and neighbors have been working day and night to recover hundreds of cows (including Greg’s herd of purebred Devon). Now Greg emails that the loss at his farm is not as great as he feared, but still the flood has inflicted great suffering on the area. Friends- We have certainly been the beneficiaries of a miracle here, and we’re convinced that it is due to your diligent prayers. The support has been unbelievable, as we’ve received dozens of inquiries from as far…
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Beating “The Man”….
….we’ve written here before of the police-state tactics your government uses to go after small farmers….everything from court actions intended to bankrupt anyone who defies a regulator to swat team invasions in the middle of the night. This business of selling healthy food direct off the farm has got to be stopped! The other day there was an important victory (see “Victory for a farmer…” below) against these strong-arm tactics though we wondered if winning on three of four charges would be enough for Wisconsin farmer Vernon Hershberger. They did get him on a minor charge but still it could mean a year in jail. This article discusses what a charade that…
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Some English winners….
…in the most recent show, the Bath and West. The judge took his time deciding between these two senior bulls…paraded them around the ring a few extra times. Unfortunately, you can’t have a tie. Thanks to Juliet Cleave for the coverage. She also got video as Stonegrove Norie 9th got the judge’s slap…the mark for first place! Bath and West might be considered a regional show, one of four in England every year. A multi-breed event, Devon always seem to be at the top of the shows. The video captures the camaraderie among the competition British breeders. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kew-Herd-of-pedigree-Red-Ruby-Devon-cattle/231333727013128#!/photo.php?v=390608087727545&set=vb.367583890029965&type=2&theater
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A flooding update…
….as we reported earlier, a large Devon herd was threatened by flooding associated with all the storms in the Midwest. Most of the cattle of the Fourche River farm were isolated when the stream went over it’s banks. A sheriff who went on a rescue mission drowned in the flood and a wildlife officer and the two women they were trying to help are all missing and feared dead. The Devon breeder, Greg Hickl, president of the North American Devon Association, wrote the following for members of his American Herbataurus Association. It’s quite an adventure: “When we went to bed on Thursday night, we were forecasted to get about 1.3 inches out of the…
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Move along…nothing to see here, folks….
….it’s just those fun folks at Monsanto messing with our food, again. The USDA reports Genetically Modified wheat has been found on an Oregon pasture. That’s against the law, but the USDA and the FDA tell us not to worry….GM produce is perfectly safe. However, the Japanese apparently are not buying it….literally. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/protests-grow-amid-discovery-genetically-modified-us-wheat
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Arkansas storms threaten large Devon operation….
….the heavy rains associated with the Midwest tornadoes is playing havoc with one of the largest Devon operations in the country. NADA president Greg Hickl’s farm, which is bi-sected by the Fourche river, has been seriously flooded and half the herd is isolated and threatened…particularly with more rain forecast for today. A local sheriff, going to the aid of others, drowned in the rescue attempt and there are unconfirmed reports that perhaps four people in all lost their lives. The farm is home not only to a large Devon herd but to Artisan Beef which sells genetics to other breeders.