Why are we doing this?

One of the first questions that everyone asks is "Why are you doing a CSA?"  We have operated a profitable beef operation for several years and with our careers our time is very limited.  So why would we want to start a production system that stands to be less profitable and more labor intensive.  The answer is very simple... our daughter.  

This little piggy went to . . . . Clear Creek Farm Part 2

I almost rolled out of my chair laughing at supper as my wife told of her swine odyssey!  I have read part one of her story and unless your computer has an odor feature that would have allowed you to smell how bad she stunk then i think it is tough to get a solid idea of how bad it was.  After several minutes of laughing I realized that she was not laughing with me and I stopped and asked her if she wanted to try again.  She said she wanted to give me a chance to have some fun.  So, I found a sucker.....I mean a friend to ride down to Augusta.  We took our cattle trailer and some muck boots and figured we were good to go.

What is wrong with this picture?

So, as I was trying to do the "Sunday Shuffle" of making breakfast, feeding animals, bathing Sarah Katherine, and get everyone's clothes ready for church, I walked out to witness this . . . .

Do you see what a wonderful guard dog Josie is? Let me show you a closer look

She just laid there and let that cow belly up to the buffet! She wasn't alarmed at this enormous creature eating all of the chicken's feed right next to her. Lord help us if we have a real emergency! You got to love her!

Cattle Drive

We move groups of 50 to 75 cattle every couple of days with our rotational grazing program, but it was a whole new experience with our bottle calf Clover.  As Clover grew out of his original pen my wife constructed another pen that was in a better location and much larger.  Now it was time to move the calf.  Seemed easy enough.  Unfortunately Clover didn’t want to leave his old home

From the bottle to the pasture

This adventure of mine started a few days after St. Patrick's day in '09.  I had gone over to another property to check on heifers. When I arrived I counted all of the cows and their calves. As I was combing the edge of the property, I found this small calf on the other side of the fence.  I carried this calf and put in on the right side of the fence.  Much to my dismay, this baby didn't have a mommy. His mommy passed a couple of days earlier and all of the other cows shunned him. Being a mother and veterinarian, I couldn't leave this baby to fend for itself and hope that another cow would adopt him . . . .

The little piggy went to . . . . Clear Creek Farms: Part 1

Craigslist came through once again!  We have been searching for some Spot pigs for several months and found some about an hour down the road.  Craigslist is the ultimate tool for good deals and shopping locally.  

Spots are known for their great muscling, mothering ability and temperament.  They are also a heritage breed which is something we were interested in.  Heritage breeds are the non-traditional breeds that the factory farms did not use in their design.  If individual farms choose not to use these breeds then the breeding pool will continue to dwindle and possibly cause the breed to cease to exist.

Clear Creek Farm Supply

I truly believe everyone should shop locally.  Large department stores are choking out the little man.  I don’t understand why people will drive past local hardware and small mom and pop stores to save a nickel on a product only to spend more on fuel!  The number one way to decrease your carbon footprint is to decrease the amount of fossil fuels you use.  So, that means we all should make an effort to drive less and this means shopping in our own communitites.  Whew!  Let me climb down off that soapbox and let you know about our latest venture.  

Burt, one of our faithful customers, discussing the "news" of the town and farming

Hide and Seek

My favorite part of being a farmer’s wife is to go and “check” cows to see if they are all there.  If there is one missing, then it usually means that she is off having a calf. When this happens, there is a rush of adrenaline for the thought of new life and then the game is on!

Building Fences

We worked on finishing up the fencing for the hog pasture today and our little girl was there every step of the way. She loves to be outside and “working” with her daddy.