A Possible Option for Cheaper Milk 7/1/16
posted on
August 20, 2016
Hello SMALL Farm Enthusiasts!
Please help if you can, his fight is for all of us.
http://nourishingliberty.com/government-harassment-threatens-cripple-michael-schmidt/
I have a question. Is there a market out there for certified organic 100% grass fed milk? There are several farmers we know who are searching for a new milk market. The deal is this: The processor is not paying enough per gallon right now and some are not even breaking even, so they are losing money fast. They enjoy farming and believe in practicing sustainability more so than the conventional dairyman. Some are learning fast and changing all the time because they want to get more for their milk. They deserve it too, but even though they are doing exceptional work they are lumped in with the big commercial dairies. These guys are not doing what we are doing here and there soil is not like ours but they are doing a lot right and heading in the right direction. They are not marketers nor do they want to be, they want to farm. We are willing to get involved and bring this milk to the market but we are busy too. So I decided to put it out there and see what happens, any interest? This milk would cost you $7 or $8 per gallon depending how it is done. To be able to offer this milk on our website we just need enough interested folks to make it worth the trip or to add it to our existing route.
Another bit o feedback we would like is from those of you who have tried the new sourdough bread we are offering. Please let us know how you like it compared to other sourdough breads you have had and what changes you would like the bakers to make, if any.
From Eden Farm: It has been brought to our attention in the past few weeks that our egg yolks are not as yellow as desired. This is what we have done to correct the problem. We have decreased our flock of layers down to a trial group. As of June 8th, we have changed our feed to Hilland Naturals Soy-free feed, added a coarse grit to their diet, and continue to free range our flock. We have noticed that as of June 22nd the yolks have more color to them.
We have learned that the gizzards (aka stomach) of our layers were full of grass but there was not enough grit to digest the grass. The previous feed was local organic feed. We believe that the mixture was not right and probably did not have enough grit in it. If this trial is not satisfactory, we will drop the soy-free program and go back to NGMO feed with soy.
As always our goal is to provide the best nutrient dense food as possible.
Ed and Karen
Dennis and Alicia and the FCF team,
Do you need one of these? http://thegrownetwork.com/homesteading-basics-eggcartn-chicken-tractor/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLKj1puoWCg