Chicama Run Family Farm

Most people don't understand the stress and frustration turkey season is for a small farmer.

First, we plan our what we are going to do sometime in December/January and we have to get the order of our baby turkeys in soon before they sell out.   Then they arrive in July (sometimes sooner if you use heritage breeds).

We have to plan on some dying as well.  But these birds are the funds to finish off our year and hopefully pay off a few bills (which they have accumulated since July).  I personally plan on a 10% loss because that makes it easier for me to think about it.  Some years we have less, some more.

We start selling the birds in September by taking reservations.  This might seem too far before Thanksgiving for most, but we need the birds sold and we need to have the knowledge they will ALL be sold.  I aim for them being all sold before November even hits.

Now, we butcher around 50-75 birds.  Notice, I say WE BUTCHER.  Not many farmers who do the number that we do will butcher them on the farm with only a few people.  We are a family run farm - currently we have 1 full time employee and that's it.

A full grown turkey can weight over 50lbs live weight.  That means catching and carrying a big strong turkey - and repeating this over and over all day long.  When we butcher chickens (yes, we butcher all our own chickens as well) we can do up to 40 in an hour with all of us working, but we can do 3-5 at a time.  Turkeys are 1 at a time because of their size so maybe 3-4 per hour.  It is not a fast process at all.

Some people look at it and say $6.99 per pound is expensive.  Heck, even when I see that number it is high in my mind..... until I do the work.

Day 1 is usually a happy day.  It's the first day and we know what to expect.  Day 2.... everyone is sore from Day 1 and tired.  The turkeys are fighting with us more (at least it feels like that) and we also know this is the LONG day as we will start in the morning and continue until we are done.  We usually get an hour or 2 break while we have to clean everything and set everything back up.  Remember, we might have an assembly line of some sort going - but it's nothing like a commercial operation.  We are personally looking over each and every bird one at a time.  If we need a Day 3... well let's just say we don't really want a Day 3 to show up in the schedule.

You would never believe where we have muscles!  Lifting turkeys like footballs and cleaning them out is more of a workout than you would imagine!

This is also why when we are asked if we have more turkeys, no we can't just add more to the schedule, no we can't predict the weight (which is why we have wide weight ranges), we are doing all the work here - on the farm and it just doesn't work that way.  It's also why we ask for a non-refundable deposit which is a small amount - I really don't need extra turkeys - it makes my life more difficult.

So please enjoy the turkey - a lot of work and caring goes into this process - and remember the labor behind it ;)

This week was a very trying but happy week.  I won't go into everything because honestly it's just not all appropriate for everyone to know about.

However, if you have a child, hug him or her or both this instant as you never know what might happen.

On Monday (I was not here at the time - Joe was), our daughter, Alexis, was doing mid-afternoon chores of checking waters in the very back field etc.  She drives our ATV to do this and has for years.

She parked it under the pine tree like always, got off and walked inside.  Seconds later - the ATV exploded.  Yes - exploded.  It was right next to the propane tank and Joe's truck.  Luckily, no one was hurt and neither one of these things blew up (or else this would have been a MUCH larger deal)

Everyone is ok - no we no longer have the ATV - it's kinda melted and you can see it sitting there now as we wait for someone to get the scrap metal.

7 years ago when we moved here, I never thought we would be where we are today.  I never thought that I would have an actual FARM that people talked about and have people ask ME for advice about starting their own farm.  Ok, my first response is "don't do this".... in other words don't get as large as we have gotten - it's a lot of work (and a lot of money).

So over the past 7 years, we have discovered a lot about farming in general and what works for us and what works for others.  Not everything will work for every person.  It's been a very educational experience.

First - did you know a chicken will be happy to travel 150 YARDS away from their coop for food?  Now you know why there are chickens in my front yard, yet their coop is in the back.  I always thought they would stay close to home - but they don't - as long as they have some sort of cover during the day, they will travel.  Needless to say, I don't think the ones that have come up to the house and found some pretty yummy bugs and such are sharing the information as most stick to the back fields and follow the cows around.  My idea is to give them a safe place at night to sleep and enjoy the eggs.  I like my roosters as well - we have close to 50 or 60 I believe (they never line up for a head count).  They are pretty to look at (and yes - farming is about aesthetics as well as usefulness)... and serve a purpose.

Second - goats and sheep are funny to watch - but more work than a lot of people think.  They have hooves which need to be clipped and cleaned out etc.  They also get worms so they need to be watched for signs.  But I like the smaller varieties and breeding the larger ones at this point, I will leave to others.  Been there, done that.... I can't actually do everything - which is very hard to admit.

Third - pigs.  I LOVE my pigs.  They provide endless entertainment with babies and personalities.  Never try and tell me they are ugly, unintelligent animals - they are smarter than dogs and I swear, some humans I know.  Yep - they can stink and even I don't like that smell... but I can live with it because I love my pigs.  They don't require as much maintenance as other animals - but I still watch closely.  And since a nice retired pig farmer/customer came to my rescue and showed me HOW to fix baby pigs - I can now do that without calling a vet (I like my vet - but prefer to call only if absolutely needed).

Last - cows.  These require more work than any other animal on the farm. They need to be milked 2x per day, fed, and monitored.  I love my cows - but I wouldn't be heart broken to see them go - only because of the amount of work needed to deal with them.  Did you know that the only reason we have an employee is because of the cows?  When I was sick, I needed help during the week and we needed someone to help milk - so we hired someone.  Now it still gives me a break to be able to do other things around the farm.  Yes, my kids help out as well - but having someone who can do that makes sure we can go away for a few days here or there.

Our way of farming..... taking care of our animals the best way we can and providing them all a wonderful and happy home as long as they are with us.

At least 1 time per week I get a phone call from an over-zealous new chef with a brave new idea who wants to use local farm ingredients.  I say over-zealous because, well, they all seem to think this is THEIR new idea.  Hate to break it to them that I know of some restaurants that have been using local stuff for YEARS.

So anyways, I always turn them down and they seemed utterly SHOCKED that I have the nerve to do this to THEM.

Here's our reasoning.  We HAVE worked with A restaurant.  We LIKED working with them (and we still like having drinks with the owners).  However, it became non-feasible for us to continue.

See, I can sell all my eggs at $4.75 per dozen pretty much every week.  So why would I wholesale them for $3 per dozen?  Yes - it would be a 1 stop drop off and I'd be done.  But did you know there are certain rules and taxes if you wholesale BULK eggs?  Seriously - extra paperwork (which I wonder sometimes if people ever actually pay attention to).

Moving on to beef.  We raise a certain number of steers for beef per year.  This insures that the quality of the beef I present is consistent EVERY package.  It's all incredible (and that's me being egotistical - but heck - it IS amazing!).  If I were to increase production to make sure I have enough to supply restaurants PLUS our customers, well something would have to give... and I'm not willing to give up on quality - sorry...and I like my customers so I'm not dropping them!

The same thing with beef applies to pork... but it actually just takes so many pigs to produce a certain amount of products.  Everyone wants bacon.  Well there is only 7-14lbs of bacon per pig.... so how many pigs would I need to raise?  See why a containment system is good for bulk products?

Lamb and goat?  Well we don't butcher nearly enough per year to supply anyone but ourselves.  We sell all our lamb within the 2 weeks after butchering - so why wholesale?

Lastly, they want me to transport the product to them.  Do they think we have unlimited people available to drive out to DC or Fairfax to take them a couple hundred dollars worth of product?  Flat out - I don't.  I'm lucky that we got help for the market this season.  Running a farm and having a family is a full-time PLUS job.  There is no extra time and emergencies can happen which need my attention and I can't worry about a delivery if I am worried about a cow giving birth who is having a difficult time or a kid who is sick.  Yet their menu depends on my delivery and I wouldn't be able to make it.  Too much pressure.

It doesn't mean I condone the chefs that are searching - and I hope they find farms that CAN provide them with what they are looking for.  There are a lot out there that are just starting who would probably RATHER deal with just a couple of chefs vs the thousands I deal with every week.

There is a way to make it work - but it's just not going to include my farm at this point.

As many know, I have lost a bunch of weight (over 60lbs since July 2012).  Diet has played a big part - tracking EVERYTHING I eat plus exercising - and I dislike cardio so it's been mostly weights.

Things happen when you start tracking everything and it's funny the direction you seem to go in.  Try it for awhile - a month.... use that fancy smartphone we all know you have (I have one too - so I'm right with you!) and track everything - and I mean everything you eat for a month.  Make notes of how you feel afterwards (say within 1 hour of eating) and watch a trend start forming.  It's pretty cool once you think about it and start to look back and say, "Well no WONDER I feel like crap today!"

That's what I did.  I started out with Weight Watchers and found myself saying, "I have 16 points left - that's 4 ice cream sandwiches I can eat!"  Not good right?  I still lost weight - but I felt awful and was tired constantly.

Moving on - I found "The Fighter Diet" - which I absolutely LOVE.  Tons of calories per day (huh?? seriously??) that you get from TONS of vegetables.  Pauline is hardcore, but it works for me.  I love the workouts as well.   However, I wanted more "whole foods" which you can certainly do - and I noticed I felt and performed better if I had more protein in my diet from meats vs yogurts etc.

Now, it seems after reading and reading and MORE reading, I have naturally progressed to a "paleo-style" diet.  It works FOR ME.  I am personally taking a break from tracking what I am eating.  I have a food list where I can eat what I want as long as it meets certain criteria FOR ME.  Veggies are still where it's at - and timing of my food works as well.  I eat carbs (yes, it's not low carb - been there and done that over time on my roller coaster of weight loss) - my personal favorite is sweet potatoes with REAL butter :)  but I eat it at night.  My system slows down and then I am ready for bed.

Because of all this, I am finishing up my nutritional consultant certificate and my herbalist certificate - ultimate goal is to complete the Holistic Health Practioner program.  I have started a new FaceBook page for people who want to work with me and join me on the journey (http://www.facebook.com/getfarmfit) and I plan on working with people to help them reach their own goals and finding out what works for them.

My family will NEVER be 100% paleo.  Seriously - if you know my husband (Joe) and his love for fresh bread you KNOW this will never happen.  It doesn't mean though they won't be 90-95% paleo.  I make a LOT of paleo-style dishes they all eat.  Sometimes bread gets involved for them (the steak sandwiches I'm told are amazing - but I stick with the no bread version at this point in my journey) and that's just fine with me.  They already eat a TON of vegetables - you should SEE the farmer's market score my daughter did this past weekend!!  I'm going to have to post pictures up on FaceBook about it since it was that amazing.

So start tracking and see where it leads you!  You might be surprised when you find out that all the "bad/evil" foods according to the USDA make you feel better.  Trust me - I currently am eating like a pig and STILL losing weight.  I honestly believe my body will know when to stop losing, there is no "magic number" - I'm a size 6 now down from a size 18+ a year ago.  The number on the scale wouldn't make people think "size 6" - but I am, I have the jeans to prove it!

So, figure out what works for your body.  Ask for help if you need it - I know you will be thrilled if you start listening :)

To answer your question, no we really don't have one.  We are open the entire year and the animals can't fend for themselves.

Believe it or not, we sit here in February waiting for chicks to be delivered starting in March!!  Those will then be butchered in May.  The cycle begins.

These are months where we try to take a small break/breather - but it doesn't happen.  It's alright and it's fun actually - if we didn't have something to do all the time, then we would honestly get bored.

In January we booked all the butchering date for the entire year!  Yes, we have to plan on anticipating what you, as our customers, want and when you want it.  Then we have to order all 900+ chickens and turkeys for the year (scary number isn't it?) - and try and guesstimate how many we will lose so we make sure we cover for those.  We can only butcher by law 999 at our farm and that's what we do.

Are we doing markets?  We will be at least at Hillsboro this year as we have already been accepted for that market.  We are waiting to hear from Leesburg.  Then we have Chicama Chow this year (which is a lot of fun and Joe is having a blast trying to "create" his own sandwich creations) -- so how often are we doing that?  Who will be where to help out?

Spring Farm Tour?  Yep - that comes up the 3rd weekend in May!  We are NOW discussing food options for that day (can you believe it?  I'm having a hard enough time coming up with dinner for tonight!!)  Also, who will be operating what section that weekend?

Vacations?  Yes, we get a couple.  Believe it or not, we schedule them so we don't miss markets.  As much as we would like to be disconnected, we are still available by cell/email during that time as well...

Babies?  YES - when are they happening?  Are we in town?  Who is bottle-feeding?  Do we need supplements in case of emergency?  Who are we keeping?  Who are we selling?  How much?  How soon?  Where are we putting them?  We already have 80 pigs on the property - are we downsizing?  Who to get rid of?  Who do we keep and why?  

We can't check all the fencing until the spring - or at least a little warmer weather when the ground isn't so frozen.

So you can see - it gets a little chaotic around here, even in the winter.  We get called all the time asking us when we are open or when our season starts.... I laugh and really wonder when are we NOT in-season??

This will be quick but it was a thought that came up based on Alexis (our 13 year old) washing eggs.  Over the past couple of weeks, we've had a lot of people "searching" the eggs for the elusive blue & green eggs.  You know who you are - and we appreciate it - we honestly think it's fun as well.

Another newer group of egg followers are the ones who now get upset when the eggs all are the same size in the carton!

Alexis is the one you really want washing the eggs a lot of the time for those who do not want "equal eggs."

Why?  Because honestly I think she just washes them and checks to make sure nothing is broken and that's about it.  The rest of us pay attention to how they LOOK in the carton - and how have we all been trained?  That's right - we have always SEEN nice even eggs that are all uniform in size and shape.

Alexis - well she just washes eggs, sings to whatever music is playing on her iPod - and even sometimes is listening to her schoolwork... and she is my complete individual kid.  She's unique and completely well.... Alexis.

So if you find a blue egg, or if you are happy with the small-XXL eggs in your mixed up carton - Thank Alexis - because I guarantee you - it was most likely her that washed them ;)

As many people know, we foster children.  It's something that I honestly enjoy doing and recommend to a lot of people.  One of the "privileges" is that the kids get free lunches and breakfasts at the school.

This sounds like a wonderful way to help stretch our money doesn't it?  Don't think that foster parents "make big bucks" off the kids they provide a safe home for - we don't - it's not why we do it.  So having any type of subsidy can be very helpful when it comes to helping off-set the costs.

Now I want you to take a look at the breakfast provided..  I didn't think much of this until yesterday afternoon when our 6 year old came home and said she had a snack in her backpack - could she eat it?  I said OK without really checking on it - honestly I was in the middle of something and I didn't THINK it would be healthy anyways since I thought it must have been a kid's birthday.   What I didn't expect was that it was the cereal she picked up in the morning at breakfast when her class went.  See, she is in the ELL class to help her grasp a little more of the English language - which is great and I GET that a lot of the kids NEED the breakfast program and many are in the ELL class which is fine so they go to breakfast on their way to the class.  I still provide her with food in the morning - yesterday was a breakfast burrito which she ate because she thought it was funny.

Onto what she brought home.  Trix cereal - WITH LESS SUGAR!  Thank goodness it has less sugar than the previous one - whew I feel better!!

So today, I made breakfast again (this is part of my New Years concept - making breakfast for the kids).  Today was a "fruit taco"  It didn't go over so well... not because she didn't like it - but because she wanted to save room for the color cereal.

She is not allowed to have that type of cereal unless it's in a controlled environment *aka: home*  The reason is that certain food dyes cause her to have serious behavior issues to the point of running through the house until she crashes.  Yes, we have watched it happen with a Quaker Oats Strawberry Cereal Bar - and it was exhausting to watch!

But even so - with the behavior issues aside - if given a choice between a banana and a donut - kids will take the donut - HELL - I'll take the donut!  So why are we offering them "candy cereal" for breakfast?  Aren't eggs cheaper?  I don't expect the school to pay for organic free range eggs - but for less than $1/dozen - can't you feed these kids a better breakfast?  Remember, most of the kids that are eating breakfast at the school can't afford food at home - so why are we giving them more crap?  These types of foods aren't helping them stay healthy which them causes them to end up in the ER for something or other.

Some are only getting 2 meals per day - both provided by the public education service.  THANK YOU for that..... but isn't there a way to get something GOOD into them vs junk food?

My own house isn't totally "clean food" - I have Lucky Charms in the cupboard (no, I didn't buy it - but Daddy did as a treat *sigh*) and I GET having it on occasion.  It's the every day thing that worries me and it seems to be the main option in the schools.

I've heard a lot about school lunches and how terrible they are.... even my teens say they are bad and opt for the salad bar more often than not.  But I think people need to start looking into the breakfast - especially for the little ones.

Just a thought....