[FIG-ALL] December farm update

[Kristy Boggs]

It is a very exciting time at the farm right now, we are in the process of
receiving several new additions.  On November 14 we brought home our first
cow – a 3 year old Dutch Belted named Brandi.  Brandi has been giving us
milk over the last month, which some of you have already tasted!  I have
been working on perfecting my yogurt recipe and trying out some homemade
cheese and butter.  She recently dried up for her 2 month break that allows
her to rejuvenate and stay healthy, then she will have a calf in
February.  Once
her calf is born she will give about 6 to 8 gallons of milk a day all spring
and summer.  I would like to purchase another cow next year that is pregnant
and due in late summer or early fall – this cow would then start giving
large quantities of milk just as Brandi is starting to taper off for her
break.  I am interested in either another Dutch Belted or a Dexter, both of
which are renowned for giving high quality milk and producing tender
delicious meat.



In addition to the cows; pigs, goats, and turkeys will soon find a home at
our farm.  I will be picking up a breeding pair of Gloucestershire Old Spots
pigs in April, they will breed in the fall and begin producing hogs for
butchering in early 2011.   Bourbon Red turkeys will grace the Thanksgiving
table next year, and my flock of Buff Orpington chickens will grow larger
this year – providing both eggs and meat.  My kids are getting involved by
each having their own project on the farm.  My middle son Trent is going to
get some Dwarf Nigerian goats for this birthday in April.  These goats make
high quality milk that is great for drinking or making goat milk cheese, as
well as goat milk soap and hand lotion.  My oldest son John wants to start a
beehive and produce honey.  We plan to add an orchard to the farm, and the
bees will be housed in the orchard.  The garden will double in size next
year, so produce will abound all summer and I would like to add a u-pick
option.



All of the animals at our farm are pasture raised, I use compost as
fertilizer and cultural control methods rather than chemical controls to
deal with pests in the garden.  There are many benefits of pastured raised
meat, eggs, and dairy.  They are higher in omega 3 fatty acids and
conjugated linoleic acids while being lower in saturated fat.  Omega 3 and
CLA are healthy fats – omega 3 promotes heart and brain health and studies
have shown that CLA reduces cancer risk.   Pastured foods are also much
higher in vitamins such as vitamin E, the B vitamins thiamin and riboflavin,
and beta-carotene; and minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium.  Please
see http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm for more information about the
health benefits of pasture raised meat, eggs, and dairy.



Please think of me when you are ready to dispose of your Christmas tree.  I
would like to make pine mulch for blueberry bushes.  If you have a real tree
that does not have tinsel on it I would love to pick it up after Christmas
and make it into mulch.  Just send me an email or give me a call when you
are ready and I’ll pick it up.



I am now accepting reservations for Thanksgiving turkeys for fall 2010.

You can see pictures of the farm by Joining the group “Boggs Family Farm” on
face book.



Thanks,

Kristy



309-333-7608

boggsfarm at gmail.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.wrecking.org/pipermail/fig-wrecking.org/attachments/20091226/1ab8b429/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: December update.docx
Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Size: 27445 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.wrecking.org/pipermail/fig-wrecking.org/attachments/20091226/1ab8b429/attachment-0001.bin>