too cute!!

Last Wednesday, I [Paula] was leaving for the bank and came upon a newborn! It was such a cold day to be all wet, too. I got out of the vehicle and determined that Mama Angus calved a heifer. The poor thing was shivering to beat all. After returning from town, I got the barn ready so they could move inside when Eric got home. That little girl needed to be out of the wind. A few days later, we extended the corral outside so they could enjoy the sunshine.

She's a special little calf because she's the first Angus/Dexter heifer. All the other crosses are bull-calves. I just figured it was God's way of helping me keep them straight. Guess I'll have to tie a pink bow around her neck! Right now she lets me walk up and pet her, but that won't last long after she & Mama return to the herd in a few days.

colossal carrot

No, this 14" carrot is not from our fall garden. It came from Sam's and every carrot in the bag was comparable in length. Bigger is not always better (okra, for instance), but in this case it wasn't too bad. But have you noticed that bigger, larger, longer seems to be a growing trend in the supermarkets? The frankenfish salmon comes to mind right away. We were at Dillon's the other day and saw Honey Crisp apples the size of a softball. One apple could almost make the whole pie! It's actually a bit discomforting. For the record, MHf has no interest in manipulating beyond the naturally intended growth pattern of any product. Fall green beans are looking really good, though! The combination of purple and green makes for an eye-catching order.

Had another Angus/Dexter bull-calf born last week. He wandered underneath the electric fence and couldn't figure out how to get back. As we were trying to guide him back into the paddock, he went through the barbed wire fence and into the neighbor's field. Just a day old, the little guy was easy enough to grab and carry back. He was a bit nervous, though - can you tell?


Eric's Endeavors ~
It's nice to have cooler weather - finally.

Rooster's Call

MHf is expanding its product line! And we are so excited!!

Working with Prairie Fire Coffee in Wichita, MHf now has its own coffee: Rooster's Call. Available in 8 oz bags, it'll get your day going! Custom-blended Rooster's Call will be available all year supporting the fact that MHf CSA shares never expire.

Pair it with a Sunrise Muffin and you'll be set! Warm one (or two) in the microwave, let that butter soak in and swallow it with a little MHf java. Mmmm...too good to pass up!! Check out the Rise & Shine Special listed here.

As a result of the State Fair, MHf is now negotiating with ???. Also available year-round, we hope to reveal it next week.

Said good-bye last week to five cows from our herd: Molly and her bull-calf, Jack's mama and her heifer, and Baldie [self-appointed baby sitter of all newborns]. We miss them, but needed to sell since we were three over the limit of the land. MHf has a bit of room to grow again. Have no fear, though - grass-fed beef is still on schedule for next spring!!

Eric's Endeavors ~
Nothing much going on right now. Was gone all last week so I'm still playing catch up.

end of summer

No more A/C. Sleeping with the windows open. Blasted out of bed by the rooster's crow! The joys and perils of farm life!! The garden is still resting after the intense summer heat, but we do have a few new items this week. Casaba melons are ready for the harvest - finally. They were a long time coming, but worth the wait. Not too sweet, not too bland, they taste like a mild honey dew. Some say they taste better at room temperature, but we like them refrigerated. Sweet potatoes are ready, too! Varieties include Beauregard (yellow flesh/yellow skin) and O'Henry (creamy flesh/white skin - but still sweet).

Found this odd little guy in the garden the other day. Just think, had it not been for this non-conformist, the others would have never been caught on film! It immediately brought to mind two things: 1) this quote at the top of the CSA Program page of the website, and 2) the first part of Romans 12:2, "And do not be conformed to this world..."

Please note a new entry added to the Schedule of Events page. We'd love to have you join the class!

Eric's Endeavors ~
Bought big round bales of brome & prairie hay from the neighbor and started moving them a week or so ago. Was able to get the rest moved this weekend with a whole day to spare. Because of no rain, the cows have already received two bales. We moved the herd into the first garden spot for next year. We'll throw in bales and let them do their thing to get the soil ready. Right now, we have three new garden spots marked off which would expand our planting area by at least four times.

[click on photo to enlarge]

promotion day

Promotion: to further the growth or progress of.

This weekend the turkeys and chicks were promoted to larger facilities. This grand hotel became the new home for the turkeys. After they learned they had more space above their heads, they began roosting on the water tank and the feed bin. So, today they get an official roost in their pen! With portability in mind, these larger pens are surprisingly easy to move and the design is much more stable than the smaller pens.

The incubator chicks and the La Fleche moved into the turkey's old house. La Fleche is the breed that arrived during the heat of July. Starting with 24, only 6 remain. The tallest on the far right is a La Fleche.


Farm tip for the day: when one cow is all alone in the pasture without any inkling to join the herd, there's much more to the story. "Congratulations, Angus! You have just been promoted to motherhood!!" She calved a healthy bull-calf yesterday morning. Eric and Snow checking on the pair.

Eric's Endeavors ~
Put up electric fencing in 1/4 acre plots along the driveway. The cows have pretty much eaten the available grass in the existing pastures, plus it saves us time mowing.

[click on any photo to enlarge]

container gardening and ??

Every so often a deal comes along that's just too good to pass up. This week had two such events and MHf took full advantage of them. The first was a satellite greenhouse set up in a parking across from Eric's office. Everything was 50% off! We grabbed fruit bushes, herbs, edible flowers, and a few other tidbits. The second was Stone Creek Nursery in Hesston. Everything there was 70% off!! Hence, more of the same. Check out the list of up & coming produce here. (Scroll down passed the garden plan.)

Craigslist led us to a guy delivering 5-gallon buckets to Wichita in a few days. Works like a charm! After adding a few drain holes and dirt from the garden, we were good to go. The dreaded rock garden around the front door finally has a purpose! With much work remaining to prepare the beds, these buckets will serve quite nicely until then.

Allow us to introduce...
...the newest addition to the MHf herd. B&E Spring calved early evening June the 24th. The little heifer is doing great and has made fast friends with the other calves.

Spring is such a good mama and has never had any trouble calving. She didn't mind us getting up close & personal, but stood very close the whole time (and then licked off all human contamination after we walked away!).

Taken a few hours after birth, this photo is proof of what a good farmer/cow relationship can lead to. Because Spring is so comfortable with us, the calf learned right away not to be scared of us. Once in a while she gives us several minutes to pet her all over. Making physical contact is necessary to maintain that trust.

Her sister (Abiegeal) is almost a year old now and still loves to have her neck and back stroked. When we're in the pasture, Abiegeal walks right up to us for the customary rub down.

(PS: This heifer has no name, yet. If you know of any Irish names for a girl, please leave a comment!)

(click on any photo to enlarge)

whoa! what a weekend

This fencing project has been on the list for quite some time. Eric was able to get it started Friday after work. Phase 1 was this wooden segment placed about half way down the drive from the mailbox. Mimicking the lay of the land, the tops of each board will be cut later.

From there five-strands barb wire run up the hill behind the garden (phase 2) marking the north property line of MHf. This line joins the pasture where the hen house is located. Future plans are to permanently fence the entire 80 acres breaking it into daily paddocks using temporary electrical fencing (the white lines in the photo above).

Phase 3 was to run electric wire and turn the cows lose in the over-grown area. Eventually this area will be planted with fruit trees and the cows are a wonderful start to amending the soil. In this photo Abiageal and one of the calves joyously munch fresh grass which is about three feet high.

All this in one weekend! Phase 4 was to kick our shoes off and then collapse with a cool glass of water!!

(click on any photo to enlarge)

wild cows [part 3]

Craigslist is a fantastic venue. One can always find something to buy. One can find other things, as well. Take cowboys, for instance. Do you realize how many actual, the-real-deal cowboys are still alive and kicking? After posting an ad for "Cowboys Needed" we had a flood of phone calls. Guys (aka cowboys) are just itching for an opportunity to tame the wild things.

These three riders came to our rescue. With all the confidence of a true-blue, done-it-before cowboy, they set out across the pasture. Don't miss the dogs in the photo. These critters were the ticket to getting the cows of out the trees. The dogs run them out and the cowboys rope them. Simple. Right?

Right. It was just that simple. In about 15 minutes, they called me [Paula]. Wow! That was so much quicker than I thought!! My job was to bring the trailer farther into the pasture so they wouldn't have to drag the cow all the way to gate. Piece of cake. Getting the cow into the trailer took was another matter, but these seasoned cowboys got it done.

Now to find the bull calf. Yeah. Three HOURS later there was still no sign of him. Did he freak out and jump the fence? Is he hiding in some deep crevice of the ravine? Did he climb a tree? It's anybody's guess. Searching every fenceline inside and out of the pasture (plus pastures adjacent), no tracks could be found. None. It was like he just flew away. That was February 18. We have yet to find him.

Meanwhile life goes on at MHf. And we continue to be surprised. Two weeks after her capture, the wild cow calved. We now have another little heifer in the mix. While the mama is Dexter, we have no idea what breed the papa is. Eric says the calf looks part deer because she's so tall and very, very skinny. The skinny may be due to the fact that mama lost so much weight over the winter. We're actually amazed that she calved so easily and birthed such a healthy calf. Both are doing well and gaining much-needed weight.

Here the calf is pictured with Baldie, the self-appointed babysitter. If you look closely, you can see the tip of mama's nose in the upper right corner of the picture. She is very protective. This photo was taken at maximum zoom.

[Click on any photo to enlarge.]

wild cows [part 2]

And it was sight to see! That stunningly beautiful dun-colored cow was running across the neighbor's green wheatfield. The colors were truly magnificent. Oh! Wait a minute!! Those are the cows we just purchased!! Why are they out? Where are they going?? "They're out! They're out!! They're out!!!" I yelled. And I kept yelling and yelling, getting louder each time. Eric ran to the back door and do you know what he said? "They're out!"

Not only did they bust through five strands of barb wire fence, they took three of our herd with them. We tracked them for two miles and then lost all sign of the wild pair. But, because our herd knows us, we were able to walk them back home quite easily.

Desiring to be good citizens and maintain heathy neighborly relations, we reported the run-aways to three different counties: Harvey, Butler, Marion. Since we live so close to BU and MN counties, we thought it wise. Who knows how far that pair will run?

From time to time, Eric would take the tractor out searching for tracks and we would check with all three counties for reports of sightings. All to no avail. There was nothing else we could do.

Several months passed and then a neighbor stopped by asking if we had a couple of cows missing. "Well, yes." Eric stated. "But they've been gone for months. We've given up on finding them." This farmer proceeded to tell us that he found a cow/calf pair in his herd, but they were not his animals. He made his rounds to every neighbor with cows, but no one claimed them. Then he remembered we had "those small cows" and that maybe they belonged to us. How could we know unless we saw them? (He didn't bring pictures with him.)

Being home all day has it's advantages, but not when it means that I [Paula] am the one and only to accomplish certain tasks. This was one such task. Not sure what I'd find, I set out the for the neighbor's pasture. Now, keep in mind that this pasture is roughly 1/4 of a section with two very tricky landscape features. The first is in the NW corner. Limbs from the hedge grove make it nearly impossible to walk upright at times. The second pretty much cuts the pasture in half: a deep ravine. Knowing the cows would take shelter in the trees, it's pretty much useless to take a vehicle in there. One just has to suck it up and walk the entire piece of land.

All is well and I'm figuring out how to manuver through the limbs and across the ravine. The herd is spread between the open areas and the trees. Walking slowly, I'd really like to avoid a stampede, if possible. And I'd really like to avoid triggering the bull into combat. So far, so good.

Thankfully the neighbor's herd is very gentle and I was able to search for the wild pair with little trouble. It took a while, but I finally sighted them. For some reason, humans scare the tar out of wild animals and this wild pair displayed that characteristic quite well. The very instant they got wind of me they started running.

At this point, my job is done. They've been spotted and there's nothing I can do about it. But how do we get them out of this pasture?

Stay tuned for Part 3 next week.

Wild cows [part 1]

Some of you may know the story about our estranged cow/calf pair purchased last summer. If not, grab a cup of tea and read on. (Keep the pot warm, though. This may take awhile.)

Think way back to last summer (when it was warm!). While browsing craigslist, we found an ad for a Dexter cow/calf pair. The price was phenomenal - almost two for one! And (and) they offered to deliver!! Immediately, we called. And almost just as quickly we learned why the price was too good to pass up. These cows were wild. Very wild.

You see, a gentleman in Kingman Cty purchased the pair and then sold them. After their move they escaped and wreaked havoc on Hwy 54 for several days, maybe a week. Calls were coming into the 911 dispatch office in record numbers. Finally, one of the 911 dispatchers had the men in her family rope them. Due to the unstable temperament of the pair, the new owner had no interest in their return telling the ropers they could handle the matter as they saw fit. Hence, the ad on craigslist.

"How wild could they be?" we thought. "Once they get to know our herd, they should settle down. Right? Right." [Remember, we are new at this 24/7 farming thing.]

Okay. The day of delivery arrived. We had everything ready. Gates were secure. Fences were strong. Water tank was full. Here we go!

Everything was lookin' good (yea!). To avoid injury to the young animals in our herd, we had the pair to run with the older animals. For the first 45 minutes, all of the animals literally ran the pasture. There was no slowing down. While they ran the entire pasture, they were especially interested in the northeast corner. (What's up with that?) Tired of watching everyone run in circles, Eric and I went about our business. Every few minutes one of us would peek outside to make sure all was well. And everytime we peeked, all was well. And then it happened!

Part 2 will be posted next week. Until then, stay warm and enjoy today's sunshine!

(PS: Chicks arrived this morning!)

MHf bush hogs

"And as for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample." Isaiah 7:25
If you remember, this month's newsletter showed DGF Summer munching in forbidded lands. She figured out how to escape the allotted area in return for thicker grass. The area she chose will be planted with fruit trees this fall so we decided to let the ladies do the prep work for us. Eric strung an electric fence along the driveway and let them have it at. Not only are they mowing for us, but fertilizing, too! We don't think they're complaining too much.

Your sleep will be sweet?

"When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." Proverbs 3:24
Unless there's a storm coming. Or several storms!! Many times over our NOAA weather alert has proven to be a great asset. However, last night it must have alerted us half a dozen times. And not all at once, mind you, but all through the night.

However, as good as NOAA can be, the cows are better. Our sleepless night started around midnight. The cows in the neighbor's pasture were making horrible cow noises that resembled honking geese. Our bull took the command in responding which set us on alert. You see, some of the cows next door are in heat. And when our bull responds, it usually means one thing: "Hark! Somewhere there is a damsel in distress. I must help her." Great! Does our bull have to be a hero in the middle of the night? Out of bed & venturing outside, we find him properly constrained at home. Apparently the cattle were just jittery about the pending storm. Back to bed.

Out of bed every hour or so just to shut off and listen to the alert. Then came the distant roll of thunder and sparks of light in the sky. Out of bed. It's 3 am. Clear a path in the barn to pull in the vehicles (even the tractor). Move the bull and two older ladies into the pasture with the heifers so they have overhead protection in case of hail. Back to bed. Lie awake realizing what hail could do to the garden. Push that thought aside because there's nothing large enough to cover the garden, anyway. Out of bed several more times thanks to the alert. Out of bed again - what? It's morning? You've got to be kidding!

Tonight we are clutching the last part of this verse 'til our knuckles turn white. "Your sleep will be sweet." "Your sleep will be sweet." Hope you have a restful night, as well.

(PS: If you're up for a challenge, try moving black cows in the middle of the night!)