Happy New Year 2014-My brood - Strong Roots at home!

Dec 29th 2013 - Almost the new year.  Reflecting back on this year's adventures in fodder farming and raising piggers, steers and horses.  Still working on building the fence in the middle pasture, will need irrigation pipes.  Having concerns about water shortage as our weather has not produced much rain so far, we're hoping for a good drenching next week.
Exciting things are happening as Cliff may have a chance at a ship adventure and I may be doing some marketing and PR work for a few organizations.  Our Hawaii kids were able to buy a small house close by for when they "retire".  And Chelsea and Mack will be visiting in February.  I can't wait, we'll have a house full of cousins playing and having fun.  The good news is that Mom's new knee is working well, the therapy has really paid off and she's getting around really well.
It's been a great year and here's wishing 2014 will be another great one.

Christmas Baking at the Double b

I love this time of year, football, family, music, lights, singing the season and snow!  The kind of snow that stays for days and glistens in the sunlight, reminding you of the spirit of thanks and a season that moves you to be kinder!  Oh sure we still have the chores but we feel a little more thankful to be blessed with a life that allows us the choice to have them and greatful that we have the health to perform them.  

Then there is my all time favorite element - the pumpkin bread, the fresh cranberry jam, Cliff's Christmas fudge and the guiltless, pure pleasure of indulging.  A little shopping for special items, a bit of crafty creativity and the surprise of giving something that has been on the list for all year.  

We are waiting for the snow to melt for the first dormant spraying of the orchard, waiting for the temperature to climb in order to fix the stalls that the horses tried to chew, and waiting for our wild ducks to return to the pond.  Planning to plant six more fruit trees but need to extend the orchard fence which will block the deer from accessing the backyard grass, sorry.  And still trying to obtain the motivation to drive some fence metal stakes to make the borders of a front pasture fence for the horses or cows.  Or we could just sing our way into the New Year!

Merry Christmas to all!

Harvesting

I attended the Rough and Ready Grange Small Farm and Garden Forum the other nite and they had some great presenters on growing and "harvesting" meat and veggies.  Harvesting - I suspect that is the kinder, softer version of the word slaughtering, a little less offensive when we speak to other humans.  The end result is the same and on a small farm, it gets a little bit personal. 
I was encouraged, however, being told there are folks up here raising meat chickens, turkeys and ducks. We aren't ready yet, no chicken house and tractor.  Building a chicken house and tractor is a perfect winter project but not yet as the weather has been beautifully warm and sunny and we still have much more to do before the rains gets here.
Almost Halloween and 75degrees - no rain so no burn permits, pond level down and drying, good time to work clearing weeds and debris for the fresh rain catch.  Limbing, so many low hanging branches and mistletoe to cut and a fence line to build in our front pasture.  I'd say there's at least two weeks work yet before we put the outdoor season away.
I'm excited that our first year pasture has done well and look forward to getting production from "middle earth", when the rains come, the rye and dry pasture grass should jump up and we'll be rotating the cows and horses.  We'll try that bunch grazing for the steers, not sure whether the horses will comply with the electric fence application when green grass is long and tall in another section so close.
Fodder House still not back in production, but I think next week my be a great re-start.  Although, November has family visiting from Hawaii, a two day visit to the Bay Area, a 49er game and a Boston Tea Party, Thanksgiving and family weekend and football.  Might re-think re-opening until after November.
Wonder where John Denver got the idea that "life on the farm is kind laid back". 

Fodder Grow Big

 And the new chicken house, those four hens don't know how lucky they are.


I love my fodder grow trailer.  I love the healthy product, I love that the pigs, cows and horses all love it and I am in love with the work required to produce it.
But - there's always a but!  This summer's hot outside temp, the cool air conditioned trailer created humidity.  The fodder production suffered horribly.  Finding the temp and humidity levels are imperative for growing healthy fodder.

We had such instant success March, April May, June we shut down for family reasons, starting back in July, having to add the air conditioner and in August, the de-humidifier.  But again had to shut down in September to accomodate non-farm activities and committments.
Now that the weather has turned cooler - going to sanitize everything including all pvc and drains.  Test regulators and drip system and fire back up.  I hope the cooler weather promotes good, healthy crop productions - maybe this will be a fall, winter, spring grow trailer.  And that's all good - I'll keep posting up!

There is a Season for Everything

September, we've been prepping the "middle earth", behind the barn, clearing stumps, taking out a few diggers and oak bushes, cleared berries and cut back manzanita growing by the fence.  We have been avoiding the nest of ground bees, until one day and a temporary lack of attention, drug the rippers over the nest.
Within seconds I sensed the attack, a few had intruded into my hair and within moments I was hot, and itchy on my legs and my hands and felt strange. I went to make another pass at the field but couldn't complete the row, I motioned to Cliff on the other tractor that I was "going up".  By the time I got off the tractor and drove the "mater" gator up to the house - something was seriously wrong.  A shower was the ticket, had to reduce the intense itch, so took a benedryl before the dousing.
I'm pretty sure taking the benedryl saved my life.  A five minute shower and I was so dizzy and weak, I could move only two steps holding on, I barely made it to the couch.  No I didn't lose consciousness, but definitely weak, dizzy and still itching.  45 minutes later, in comes Cliff and says "Where'd you go"?  I guess he didn't think anything at all was odd about my towel only clad appearance, on the living room couch, in the middle of the day.
The next three days I treated myself with benedryl, sleeping alot.  The scabs, from the reaction to the stings, went away and the pasture got planted without me.  I feel just aweful about the bees, and hope to attract bees with the clover flowers that will come up.  And it just might be a good birthday present for Cliff, he has been interested in honey bees for awhile.

Where Have All the Flowers Gone

My last post was incredibly optimistic and a bit naive concerning the impending calf birthing.  We had just penned her up in a comfy corral with shade surrounded with fresh straw.  We brought in all her favorite foods, fresh water, and allowed for the steers to hang out, outside the corral.  It was Saturday and we were hopeful.
In the traumatic days that followed, we watched our beautifully huge, content Momma cow go from agressively pregnant and constantly hungry to not hungry and rejecting food and water.  Large animal vets were called, calls not returned.  We self treated, based on reliable best guess advice from our feed store.  We took copious notes on everything going in and coming out and we monitored round the clock, checking for change in condition every two hours.
Monday morning help arrived in the form of an experienced rancher, Susan Hoek who gave me a name and phone of her Vet which I called right away.  Unable to schedule the appointment that day, she had an opening on Tuesday.  On arrival, we got the patient up on her feet, took the vitals, did a pregnancy exam, definitely not calving time.  So what's wrong?  Not sure, could be pregnant toxemia, or something else.  First things first is the need to force feed and water.  So into the squeeze shoot and shot two large bladders of super propylene glycol and administered the first of a series of antibiotic and vitamin K shots.  Cliff, who we in the family lovingly refer to as Doctor Death, is given instructions on drenching and shooting.  No confirmation whether the calf was alive.  No indication that labor was imminent.
Over the next three days we drenched, shot, had an additional Vet visit, confirming that there was no visible improvement and still no sign of labor.  The Vet advised letting her out with the other cows, as this may be adding to her stress.  She was pretty weak and uninterested, but at least we didn't have to chase her all over to pasture to give her a shot.
Saturday - this was it.  Pretty sure this cow was a gonner but had to do something.  Asked for abortion meds, she would leave it on the porch but doesn't recommend this as treatment.  One last time, check in on the Momma Cow-she was on her feet, standing funny, steers trying to mount her.  So we separated her from them, and waited.
She was definitely beginning labor, after an hour and a half a hoof was visible, more than an hour ticked by and she had little sign of progress and was struggling with the contractions.  Cliff tries to help by pulling but the calf was coming breech and he was unable to turn.  Finally with pulling and contracting together they delivered a 70lb calf, a small white faced Hereford, it was very blue, not breathing.  We suspect the calf had died prior to the labor but there was no strong smell of having been dead for a week or at the same time the cow began to show symptons of being sick.  The cow took no interest in the calf, and was too weak to even get up for the rest of the delivery.  This is the down side of being a farmer.  We're just so very sad. 

Bacon Ham and Sausage

Getting ready for the winter, just stored up fresh pork, ham and bacon are in the smoker.  Just got our first feedback - the sausage was amazing.  Thanks so much to the Village Smokehouse in Rough and Ready for the smoking, amazing flavoring, curing and cutting - fabulous job.  Miss talking to the piggers tho, they were fun to watch each day.  The cows and horses are loving their shares of the fodder.

Speaking of fodder, we've had the trailer online since 8Jul, tried 2 bags of different seed, really dirty.  Had 3 bags of seed that got a little wet.  We've fixed our flooding problems by installing a huge filter at the well head.  The trailer floor has dried nicely, and finally we are out of seed that got wet.  It was consistently inconsistent.  The seed purchased from Barn 71 in Marysville was the worst ever, it hasn't produced anything, I will try to plant the second bag in the ground or try to use as feed.  We're putting in trays with good seed now, but won't have results for another 5 days or so.  We'll keep you posted.

Meantime - we're having a baby, our cow is close to delivering, I hope, I hope.  She's been in the pen since Saturday with some of the signs but no birthing yet.  My biggest concern is eating, she's been off her food and has not eaten sufficient in 3 days now. 

Summertime and the living is FRANTIC!

Wow!  Can't believe it's been a month since a posting!  Summertime has been slamming with family visiting, graduations, rehearsals for Secession Day, Highway 49 band at Malakoff, graduation, the play and finally the 4th of July parade.

Finally had a chance to have coffee at the pond and watch the sun come up.  Watching the ducks wake up and stroll into the water and up the other side of the pond is a moment where you sum up the world and know it's a good day.

Cliff has managed admirably to keep the pasture irrigated, so it's still growing.  Good thing cause the cows are real tired of the dry stuff.  Bella and Aidan, the new horse arrivals have been moved over to the 10 acres on my Dad's place and are eating it down.  Great fire proofing, ya know.  And the pigs are in their last month, growing and getting more aggressive each day, which makes it a little easier.

The fodder trailer - encountered some drainage problems during the month when there was no time to stop and re-configure, so it has been off line since mid June.  I'm looking forward to creating a solution to the drainage problem and beginning again.  The cows have missed the sweet, fresh barley so they will appreciate my efforts to begin again, right away.

The orchard, did I tell you I had the best crop of sour pie cherries for the first year bloom?  Everyday we'd test the fruit to see if it was ready and at last, were within one day of picking.  Next morning, armed with colander we anxiously approached our first cherry crop, only to find our tree with broken branches and nary a cherry.  Apparently, the birds had them on the radar screen and there was a preemptive strike, leaving total decimation. To avoid future disasters, Cliff has built a PVC frame to hold a protective netting for the nectarine tree that is ripening now.

Having caught you up on the news, I'd better tell you of future plans for horse hostels.  We've had the round pen, purchased from a friend, Tony Argento.  He kept his mules here for a couple of years and put this up to work them.  When he finally got his ranch and moved the mules I bought the round pen, thinking wouldn't it be great for the grandkids to learn how to ride, right here on the ole' Double B.  So we've moved it and put it up in the middle ground, by the tractor barn, the cows had been eating the grass around it but not so much within.  So we got out ole blue, the Ford tractor, and went round and round with the box scraper to smooth out the riding arena.  The horses came with their own portable horse stalls and they have been laying around in the pasture waiting for us to find a little time. 

This morning with the cooler, fresh morning was perfect for working on the stalls.  Four hours later, we, especially ME, were worn out.  The two units were loaded, moved, unloaded, stood up and hooked together, three times, since we did one completely wrong.  We did in a last exhausted effort manage to put up the frame for the roof panels, but that was it.  I cried Uncle whatever, cain't do no mo today!  Took the rest of the day off, drove up to Paradise to look at a truck, ate cajun shrimp at Popeye's and on the return had dinner at the Vineyard, not mine but from my outdoor table, it is right in my back yard.  What a great day.  Tomorrow we'll go back to being builders.

Fence Weaning - Sounds like a good choice to me

Weaning Cow and Calf!  After reading the cyberscoop, we decided the best weaning method for us was "fence".  They are assured of each other because they are fence neighbors, but the calf is prevented from nursing.
This has worked out well, not too much trauma in the first two days, calves lying down next to the fence.  We began feeding them small portions of alfalfa.  The third day they became absent and now as we head to the fourth day of weaning, they are somewhere in the back 40.  She (the cow) is bawling a bit, but settles down after feeding.
Tonight we'll try a round up so they can be reunited and tomorrow morning when they are confident together and hungry, we'll try another Double B Ranch, oh my gosh, "cattledrive".  We'll keep you posted on that........

Things are poppin' now here at Double B Ranch

 


We have the Jackson and Peighton Orchard coming into fruit bearing season.  The apricots are a blush red tone, still hard, but any day.  The sour pie cherries are soooooo close.  A few apples are growing, peaches are showing and we have two tiny pommegranites.  So excited to see the "fruits" of our labor.

The piggers are growing, fat and waddley, still happy tho.  They run and follow me whenever I walk by their pen, knowing that I'm usually carrying food.  The Grandkids were here this weekend and surprised at how much they've grown.

Our newest additions, horses Bella and Aiden, a great riding Mustang and green broke Paint have joined the entourage.  They are helping us out with our irrigated pasture that needs to be eaten down.
The cows (the before the cattle photo) are still on dryland for awhile.  Actually we had a first Double B cattledrive, cows scattered from hell to breakfast.  Gotta improve that technique.  More to come......

"We Got Cows"

We are very fortunate to have been able to buy a good selection from Susan and Bob Hoeck.  They were able to start us out with a heifer that will "drop" in Sep-Nov.  She has a steer calf almost ready to wean and another just weaned little steer.  These are red and black angus with the prettiest white faces.  They've been roaming on 600 acres of Robinson land, so we've had to get them used to us,  with quads, (not horses), fodder, (not alfalfa) and a new pasture. 

The arrival was not even a 10 second introduction.  Bob expertly backed up the trailer into the corral, open at the other end, they practically jumped from the trailer, found the opening and without even a "by your leave", They Were Gone!

Pictures you say - Negativo batman!  We've been working for two weeks and have finally got within two feet of mama - only for the food, mind you.  Who can think of cameras.  We are coaxing them to follow us to the corral where we will begin fence weaning,  Mama on one side, baby on the other - not as traumatic as separating them into different fields.

Every morning is like a safari here at Salad Bar - looking for our wild ducks, wondering, did she hide those eggs?  Finding the cows that hide from us in the big pasture.  Working in the grow trailer and asking myself what happened to May 15, I should have 5 trays - but I don't.  Age is such a lesson in humility!  And of course, feeding the piggers, I call them "the girls" which I don't think they are but they are giddy and squeel like a group of young girls seeing the Beetles when I come 'round with their fodder.

Yep - stay tuned - photos to come!

The piggers

Meanwhile, the piggers are growing well on a diet of fodder, although I am surprised that they consume daily a whopping 45-50 pounds of the munchy green barley sprouts.  To avoid waste we feed three times a day which is fun because they hear my voice and get so excited knowing it means food.  We bought a small mineral block which I see them trying to nibble, it's hanging in a holder nailed to the wooden gate post.  We put a new feed trough as they have outgrown the smaller one.  Now they have half of a 40 gal hotwater tank, cut length wise, it's long enough so that all three pigs climb in to eat. 

Fodder House in Full Swing for Spring

We've been busy since my last post - the irrigation season has begun and our pasture grass is green and beautiful, knee deep with seeds.  Lucky for us that our cows are ready for their new home.  We're very excited to be welcoming a bred Mama with a calf, to be weaned in June and another, just weaned, steer. Cliff has been working hard, repairing and placing the new electric wire, this along with the old field fencing should keep them home.  He's taking precautions knowing that he will be the one chasing after them.

BeeKeeping - Rough and Ready Grange

This past week, Rough and Ready Grange hosted a Beekeeping Seminar.  Dan Wheat of the Nevada Co Beekeeper Assoc and (A to Z Hardware) squeezed a seven hour introduction into 45 minutes; complete with photos of anatomy, diseases and a bee house.  He told us for both commercial and personal use, what behaviors to expect from "happy bees". 
A young man from the ridge area, Neal Sullivan presented his adventures in beekeeping and spoke more to the native "permaculture" and environmental factors effecting bees.  Both speakers gave different slants on how to care for bees, what to watch for, how to develop and enlarge your hives.  Absolutely fascinating stuff.  Stay tuned for more to come from Rough and Ready Grange.

Hunt for lost Treasure

Easter is here and we were so lucky to have everyone who lives in the state and their friends here for some happy times.  The weather cooperated wonderfully and we thank our friend Summer for giving us the digital photo record of a great time.  We had a hunt for treasure, the kids had to use the clues and the signs to find the hidden gems.  I'll bet the parents will not be in favor of making the clues so the kids ran back and forth, because we were all following to take pictures, help with clues and ensure safety.  By the end of the day, kids were fine, parents were zombies.  We had a hay wagon ride pulled by the blue tract around the circular road in front.  We started with a farm breakfast of biscuits and gravy.  Could not have been anymore fun.

Rainy Days and Nights

Getting ready for dry weather, always planning for the next season.  We make weather work and do the inside projects like hooking up the irrigation pump, Cliff drained it and secured it last winter, after NID stopped flowing.  The pump worked fine but the pressure gauge is broken, although testing confirmed the shut off sensor was working - it's a confidence problem now.  Don't want to burn out that, not even a year old, pump.  This was item number 3 on the 6 item weekly list and now it's Saturday.Remember the rains last December.

Yep that's a tree on our Brand new tractor barn.  It's cut up now, the building was a stud, not even a leak, just a few wrinkles to break 'er in.  As soon as the weather permits, we'll put the ladder up on the roof and drag off the remaining limbs on top.

And while we wait this planted irrigated pasture continues to flourish with the warm weather and spring rains.  Whoopee!!

Fodder Growing on Salad Bar Farm

We have been experimenting, building and re-building, refining, re-doing and re-thinking our green farm, growing micro-nutrient feed system, these days called fodder.  Much like their sprouting counter parts for the sandwich sprouts we love to eat, they don't take alot of skill to produce.  Clean water, clean implements, 70 degree environment, dark first then add light.  We started with one tray in the bath tub before deciding this was a super method of feeding animals on a small farm.

We have some pasture, both irrigated and dry but not enough to produce sufficient nutrition all year long.  The more we read and researched the greater we found the advantages of using 50 pounds of barley seed to grow approximately 375 pounds of feed at a cost of $20.

The best news about this green stuff is that my piggers are loving it.  We've just put unit 2 into operation so that we can take 30 lbs each day, which is way more than 3 little pigs will eat, but we like making sure they have plenty.  We hand feed three times each day, because we enjoy talking with the happy little fellas and because we want to have first hand knowledge of health or emotional stress.  You never know when a water line will be clogged, or the weather turns warm  warm they need a good shower to cool off, then of course, the big one - TIGERS, LIONS OR BEARS.

Growing Piggers on Farm Fresh Fodder

The piggers have been here since March 16 and we fed one full week of starter since that's what they were on.  Then we switched to 1 full week of grower and threw in some of the fodder, which they weren't too interested in.  They have been kept on full feed, anytime for the first two weeks.  We are now well into the third week and was so bold as to let them run out of the grower grain.  Not real interested in the fodder until the second day - then there was a feeding frenzy, alot of pushing and shoving and growling at each other.  The third little pig always lost out.  So at 3 1/2 weeks we are feeding only fodder in the morning, but in two different places, so they all eat.  They are devouring it.  We feed half a biscuit at 800am and the other half at 12noon, in the evening we just feed 3 lbs of starter grain.  We don't want them to be stressed and hungry.

Pigger Diet

Big day for the piggers, yesterday was the final day of their second 50lb bag of grower pellets, alot of which has gone wasted on the ground.  They have pasture and fodder to eat and they are thriving so far.  We are changing them to fodder feed 12-15 lbs per day, pasture and supplementing with 5lbs of grower each day.  Need to keep a close watch for change in energy levels and weight loss.  And the first round of kids arrived last night, so it will be up early, pancakes and eggs, boots and jackets and early morning chores.  Whoopee!!!  Fresh legs in the game.

Springtime is for FAMILY

Peaceful Valley Farm Supply in Grass Valley has become an important resource of information, seed, trees and gardening plants.  They are beyond helpful and supportive, friendly and efficient - the good just keeps coming and we're so excited because the small orchard planted as bareroot last winter has begun to fruit.  We actually have little mini apricots on our earliest, the beginnings of raspberries are starting to form and all others are budding or have flowered - WHOOPEE!!
This weekend - all the kids are coming home with their kids to gather round the firepit, Chelsea and Inde we really wish you could be here and will miss you being with us.  We have a list of projects they can choose to do and have fun with, the little ones love to help on the farm.  Topping my list is the greenhouse, it lost a roof panel during the winter storm and needs replacing and the inside needs to be cleaned and prepared for new seedlings.  Always have pine cones to gather, bottom of the new trees need white paint, need a better sun shade for the piggers and plenty of little limbs and branches from the pine tree that fell on the building - we still have some limbs on the roof that need to be pulled down.

Salad Bar Farm - Routine?

Sitting here over my morning cup a jo - planning the day, the chores, the want tos and remembering what was left undone yesterday.  Realizing that just like any job, after so long when you stand up to leave not all is completed, always some for tomorrow and the daily chores don't stop.

So Cliff is in to AtoZ buying a part for the ag pump system, necessary before covering up the trench.  I am delaying going outside, it's so cold albeit sunny.  We'll say good morning to the piggers, look to see if the ducks ate the cracked corn we left for them and then off to do the fodder.  I'm excited to see if the pair of wild ducks can be encouraged to call our pond their home.  Wouldn't that be great.

Need to take cuttings off the Photinea for planting in the fall.  Hope I can do it right, probably need about 100 to plant on the fence line.  We should be up there plowing the garden and planting seeds in the greenhouse, but that will have to wait until next week.  And searching for beef cows.

Beautiful Spring Day

Here at Salad Bar Farm, we start early.  Sunday morning up at 530am, armed with coffee, enjoy the beautiful sunrise.  As the day turned warm, I took pleasure in the sweet peas growing in the front garden.  If only the portable house for chickens were built.
Friends came by and we enjoyed a light picnic before showing off the fodder system.  He was raised on a big farm in Idaho and said his mother would get samples of seed and sprout them first to determine which sample would have the best germination and that's the one they would plant.  He asked me to grow some sprouts for salads and sandwiches, I hadn't thought of that but should give it a try.
The piggers are on their second 50 lb bag of feed and even though they've only been here a week, their weight gain is obvious.  This feed is grower instead of the starter. They are more playful now and when I approach the pen, they run up to meet me.  Very funny watching them trot, their little legs are so short and when in action the whole body moves and quickly too.  They do everything as a group, always competing for the same space.  I took photos and will post those and the ones we took last week.  It may be a visual of the growth. 

Since May of 2012, Cliff and I have been working outside on our DoubleB Ranch in Nevada County, established in 1975.  When we first bought the property in 1974 we thought it would be a retirement dream but luck prevailed, a transfer and in 1975 we moved up to a beautiful 10acre slice of heaven.  With one infant, a little money from our homesale in So Cal., a dog and a fully restored 1963 Corvette, we survived without power, running water or electricity for an entire year - And my kids ask why we never got into camping?

A wonderful thing happened right after our great luck in finding our 10 acres.  My folks, who were out of the country for the following 5 years, were able to buy the section next to us.  After their retirement, they built a house with a view.  We had double stairs, (stye) that allowed us to take a short cut between the two homes.  It has been one of the best experiences in our life, having them grow up with my kids, being a part of our family and being right next door.

In the next 30 years we were blessed with four more healthy beautiful children, we managed to plant an orchard, fence and cross fence for animals, build a house, a barn, a couple of bike and garden sheds, put in an above ground pool and had a great big back yard.  The kids had a horse and a pony, a quad and golf cart; we grew pigs, had a milk cow, chickens and a 3 or 4 beef cows.

As the kids became more involved in activities, we racked up miles on the car, had less time to manage the the ranch chores and became huge supporters of the pizza parlors.  Then a new business, graduations, weddings, retirement, going to sea, and the Army, had influence over our "disposable time".  The pastures became weedy and overgrown, the orchard trees died, the pool was removed, the animals and kids all moved on.

And now it 2012  here and we are looking at last year's efforts, the orchard has been replanted, and we look forward to a light harvest.  The raspberries are performing beautifully.  All the fruit trees are beginning to blossom, some are leafing out, the grapes are starting to show signs of life, and the blueberries are looking like bushes.  The pasture that was replanted last year is green and beginning to get taller.  We're searching  for a good price on 3 beef cows to graze on the irrigated, the dryland planted and the alla "natural".

We discovered a new wave thinking - FODDER!  Remembering how expensive feed was when we had to buy, prompted us to catch and hold water in our pond during the season for irrigating.  We bought a pump, lots of pipe and dug trenches.  But still we think we may need supplement which is where the fodder comes in.  Wanting to keep everything as natural, wholesome and homegrown as possible, this is a perfect solution.

Fodder sprouting!  The feed alternative that doesn't make you a weather slave.  It's grown indoors, you control the water and temperature, it produces in 7-9 days a "biscuit" that is, in our case, sized to our container, 12-15 lbs.

So we bought 3 little Hampshire weaner pigs from Hog Hollow Farms.  Steven is very knowledgeable and helpful with his suggestions.  The little boys were thrilled and came to visit on their first day, they are city boys but not afraid to get in the pen and pet and talk.  The piglets, having been born and raised the first weeks of their life on concrete, were positively giddy about being able to root up the pasture, the enclosed area is so big, most of the area is still green after a week.  Fodder - they loved it.  There is so much to eat they aren't using all of it but it's always best to make gradual changes in the diet and of course after the pasture has turned to dirt from their vociferous rooting, it will become "mo bettah".

Stay tuned for more to come on the progress at Salad Bar Farms.  Healthy eating and grass fed animals is the goal, fodder is the method we have chosen.  Next purchase is beef cows, meantime I am looking at plans for a portable chicken house so we can move them to greener pastures or in the orchard.  Along with this, the garden has been neglected, nothing is growing yet in the green house - we have to get started.