Chicama Run Family Farm

We get so many questions about our Meat CSA because it's SO different from everyone else's it seems - yet we were one of the very first farms to have one.  Strange how that works.

I'm going to start by showing you what we do NOT do so I can get this out of the way.  I just found a local business that offered weekly pickups.  That's all fine and awesome but here's the deal.... it's $55/week and you get 5 lbs of meat.  Yep - no matter what they give you - they even have listed: "One week may have 3 lbs of beef short ribs, 1 lb of ground turkey, and 1 lb of maple breakfast sausage. The next week may have 1 lb of hot italian pork sausage, one whole 3-4 lb organic chicken, and 1 lb of ground beef. "  So you are paying $11 per pound for those items.  Great idea - and I know they would have a lot of business (and they aren't even the farmer's BTW - they contract out) because of their pick-up locations, but I cannot justify charging or PAYING $11 per pound short ribs or a chicken.  My own personal budget (no matter what Joe says, I do have one) can't be stretched THAT thin - I like to eat too much!!  Sadly, most farms do their Meat CSA's by weight as well.

So then let's see what we offer here at Chicama Run.  You are paying 10% off the RETAIL VALUE of the items.  That's simple.  So for a pound of ground beef, you are getting 10% off the current retail price.... you WON'T be paying $11 for short ribs - you would be paying the current retail price minus 10% (currently at $4.99/lb retail) - so when this happens you get MORE items in your bags!  The whole concept/idea we have is for you to get as much as possible in your bags - we want to give you a great selection for the entire month!  As a bonus, you can also receive 10% off any other items when you pick up your bags.  So if you know that you are having a party or a cookout, you can always stock up on extras and get the 10% off!

So why the CSA vs the Build-a-Box?  The discount is the same!  Some people aren't big experimenters in cooking - they know what they like and aren't going to try a lot of different things.  Personally, if left to my own devices, I fall into this department, I can eat the same thing over and over again without too much thought.  For people like that, the Build-a-Box (which has a $150 minimum retail) is the perfect option.  You just schedule it when it's convenient for you and then come in and build it. 

For the CSA, you never know what you might get in your bags.  I do think this is a fun way to "shop" - it's like a mystery surprise but for meats!  We essentially are building your bags from what we have available at the time.  We try to base it off of the season, more steaks when it's grilling season and more roasts if it's colder slow cooker season, so you get the most use for your money.  It also allows you to try different things that we have that you might not have thought of before.  Sometimes, we also throw in something that's new and we want some extra opinions on so you won't be able to find it in the store!

I hope this helps with some of the questions we receive and how our CSA is a little different than the average CSA out there.  If you have been around us and learned about our farm for awhile, you would understand that we don't like to charge more than we have to - we understand living on a budget and we try and make our farm as family friendly as possible!

Most people don't think about this, I know I certainly didn't when I wasn't a farmer.  What do farmer's DO during the holidays?  Simply put - we work.

So I put off writing this for a few weeks until after the stress of Thanksgiving was gone.  How do we plan Thanksgiving?  We start in December or January.  That's right, we start now.

First, we have to plan on how many turkeys we would like to butcher for Thanksgiving.  This year we butchered the largest number we have done so far - 74.  We placed that order last December and we STILL didn't get the delivery date we would have liked!

That done, we have the turkeys from July-the week before Thanksgiving.  We start selling in September even though most people aren't thinking of Thanksgiving yet, we've found it is a good starting place for us to take orders and most people have caught on and place their orders right away because we do sell out.

For us, by the end of the week, we have no desire to see another turkey!  This past season it took us 18 1/2 HOURS to butcher the turkeys over the course of 3 days.  It's exhausting work as a 20lb dressed turkey weighs in at about 30lbs live so lifting and moving the turkeys can take a lot out of everyone.  Imagine - our largest turkey this past season was 32lbs!

So while everyone else is planning their meals, we are working our asses off to make sure that we have everything together so that you WILL have a turkey.  Last year, in 2014, it was the first year we had to ask people to give up their turkeys and our customers were great with it.  For us though, it was heartbreaking.

After Thanksgiving, we took a few days of rest, which doesn't mean no work because the animals still need to be fed, cows still need to be milked, it means we didn't do anything extra.  I think we all took a nap or 2 during those days as well!  Then we start working on Christmas sales - for that season - we have our Prime Rib Roasts & hams.

We have people pre-order if possible so you can get the size that you would need and we have to plan for the butchering WELL in advance!  Did you know we book our steer and hog butcherings at the beginning of the year for the ENTIRE year?!

We work right through Christmas (animals still need to be taken care of!) and we just continue on.  We move right into the new year and keep going. This job is 365 days per year 24 hours per day.

The simple answer, we pull them immediately. We feed the baby from their mom's collostrum only until we run out. A lot of people would like us to sell the colostrum, but the baby cow needs it more than anyone else does.

So why do we pull the baby cow? Isn't this stressful? Again, it's a simple answer and I can say it's heartbreaking for all of us. HOWEVER, if we do it right away vs a week later, it's not as stressful for as long a time frame.

There are a few reasons for us doing this. First, yes we are a raw milk dairy farm and we do need the milk. If we were to allow the baby to nurse, they nurse on demand, and well, we milk 2x per day. So, in the end this can cause issues for the mother with mastitis as we wouldn't be milking her completely out, or she might have extra milk that sits causing her pain.

Another reason is if we are going to keep the baby or sell her to another farm. If she has been bottle fed, she is a lot easier to work with an handle than a cow that has never been touched! Lucy, our large holstein jersey cross, was a bottle baby. 3 years later she is STILL a big baby and we can do any work we need to on her without too much fuss. She has the personality of a spoiled dog - a really big one! I can send anyone out there to work on her without a doubt of knowing if the work can be done. The other cows? Not so much!

Cows are not trusting by nature. They are creatures of habit, believe me, they let us know if we are late! A change in routine bugs all of them, then they are antsy and don't want to do anything.

So now, we have a baby in the picture. Mom is used to coming in the barn at certain times. Baby is outside and this can now cause aa safety issue. We recognize that the bond is there and usually will bring the baby inside to be near mom while she is milked out! This makes both the mom and baby happy, and the baby will also bond to whoever is giving her a bottle, so it works out.

We don't do this to be cruel or mean or because of profit (we are a small farm, profit doesn't mean much - LOL)....it's mainly because of health and safety for all involved.

Until you are the one working with a 900-1000lb animal, it's really hard to make judgement calls on what's best for your farm and operation. Believe me when I say we would all like sunshine and rainbows and everyone happily skipping through the fields. Reality just doesn't come close. You learn patience, practice, and a lot of lessons in-between that are never easy. When you've had an 1100lb cow run at you (I've never figured out why they run AT you vs away!) because they have never been handled, or it jumps a fence right next to your face, you will understand the need for handling a calf as soon as possible and accept it as the one thing to do for your own sanity and safety.

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This is one of the busiest weekends we have every year.  This is the Loudoun County Fall Farm Tour. From what I understand there are a lot of new venues on this tour and that's always exciting - for both us and for you.

I will start by saying this is NOT the blog post you want to read if you are sensitive to this sort of thing. Remember, we raise our animals for meat so they have that purpose here.

I was not raised butchering animals and being around animals that were being butchered. In our neighborhood we had horses and the dogs running around. That's it. Chicken came from the grocery store as did steak and whatever else we ate. Yes, we had the fish that people caught, but that was usually catfish caught in the Shenandoah River, when you could still eat the fish, or the occassional smoked rock fish I believe, served with crackers at a party. Rabbit never crossed my mind to eat and believe it or not, I never thought of eating venison. So you can say that I have come a long way since then as far as my food choices and knowledge goes. Butchering though is a totally new experience.

Starting with my first turkey, Joe watching from the garage, as this animal would not die was hillarious - but he was a damn good Thanksgiving dinner!! Otherwise my animals have gone to the butcher - I didn't need to watch everything. Chickens have become second nature with butchering, I don't really think about it anymore while we are doing it - we just do it. Rabbits though have fur.... so this is new! They aren't ugly like the meat chickens - and I still think about cute and furry animals.

I have now butchered 6 rabbits. The first 2 were actually pretty easy and I was thrilled with that. So when it was time to do the next 4 I didn't think anything of it. 20-30 minutes I figured and we'd be done. 2 of us were doing this - 1 to kill and I would clean and gut. Perfect. Oh was I wrong!!!

First, to kill the rabbit, you hit them on the back of the neck. It's SUPPOSED to be instant as it breaks the neck and you are good to go. However, if you miss or don't hit hard enough... well.... ummm....

Rabbit #1 this week - hit on the back of the neck.... but it wasn't dead - the neck was broken - I could feel it - but it was still trying to hop!!! Oh good lord.... now I needed to cut the head off..... it IS dead - it couldn't survive the broken neck so please remember that. It has already been humanely killed. I start to cut and it screams. I jump and tell the person working with me to make it stop!! I am laughing and he's afraid I'm going to start crying (I'm not I was just in shock). I finish cutting and debating if I am going to continue this or not!! "BE FREE RABBITS" is running through my head. But no, this is just a fluke and I made a commitment to this and really want it to work.

Rabbit #2 - nothing like the first one so we are good. I'm happier though my heart is still racing a little from it. Skinned and I am starting to clean it out.... it's twitching... that's just freaky on a whole other level!! Yes this happens with every living thing - you all know the stories of a chicken running around with it's head cut off - well rabbits apparently twitch. It LOOKS like the heart is still beating (which it's not).

This week was definitely one to remember with butchering. Am I going to continue? Yes, I am. I'm raising the rabbits for meat. I know what is involved and what it's going to take. Does it still creep me out? Heck yeah - I am not immune to it at all!!! But knowing what could happen I believe helps me out and will get me through this.

Yes, this story is one for the books.......

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Some people MIGHT say I horde animals..... this isn't true.... but I definitely COULD be one of those people! I love animals. They calm me down, listen to me, and quite a few of them taste REALLY good!

Here's the thing, Joe has "banned" me from the animal shelter because I am GOING to come home with something and a lot of the time it's the smallest and weakest animal in the bunch. Not the one who is jumping up and down saying "PICK ME PICK ME" (you all read that in a high pitch voice didn't you?) but the one sitting in the back of the kennel waiting to see what happens. I'm a softy - what can I say.

So, I also haven't gotten ANY new animals for the farm in a few years. No new trial things, nothing new.

Well, that has changed!!! That's right - I get new animals!! I have gotten rabbits. Not cute cuddly pet rabbits - but MEAT rabbits!

Nope, I have never TRIED rabbit.... Nope I have never butchered a rabbit.....see how this becomes an adventure?

Remember though, 10 years ago we walked onto this property without ANY knowledge of how to farm at all. I had no idea how to do any of these things. I could mow the lawn! I could muck a stall (notice I still don't have any horses)! But dreams were hatched - literally - from 25 baby chicks and 4 llamas.

What do I do now? I learn. I research. I figure it out. If I can't do it, I find someone to teach me. The world is so open though today and ripe for learning. It's such an amazing age where if you don't know how to do something you can go online and watch a video of someone doing it and you are good to go! 10 years ago, youtube was SO slow out here - ok it still is, but we ARE getting better..... and figuring out how to butcher chickens and turkeys was NOT easy. Now, I have an animal with a problem, I'm out in the middle of the field with my iPhone and I'm "googling" how to do something! Amazing right?

My new adventure begins and since I don't ever seem to do anything half way - expect to see rabbit in our store really soon!!

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Ok, so people ask us a lot what our animals are fed. This is coming from the current awareness of various issues with food production and with the big commerical farms and just the public reading more.

Yes, we use a commercial feed for our chickens. Why? Simple.... price.

Let me first explain that we do NOT pump any of our animals with feed. Our free range chickens prefer to run around and find food - but it's there in case it's icky hot or cold or wet outside and they want to eat. They are fed outside so they need to move to get it.

Our broiler chickens are fed a limited amount, but they are moved to fresh grass each day. Instead of it taking 8 weeks for a chicken to grow, ours take 10-12 weeks. This is because they don't have food set up in front of them all day. Even many non-GMO farmers will fill up the feeders so the chickens eat constantly throughout the day! This means they don't really move at all - there is no reason for them to.

Lately I looked at some pricing of other farmers eggs and was shocked and knowing that egg prices will be going up scares me even more. I was finding eggs at $7+ a dozen!! I know everyone wants the "best" for their family - but I will be flat out honest with you..... I could not afford to pay $7 for a dozen eggs. It takes 2 dozen to make 1 breakfast for my kids. That doesn't include the eggs I need for the rest of the week!!

When we raised our egg pricing to $5.25/dozen we hadn't raised the price in over 2 years and it was a 24¢ increase. It was hard for me to increase the price over $5 but it had to be done.

So this goes back to what I said the other day - it's what you feel you can do for your family. I know that our birds are happy running around eating a bunch of other things OTHER than the feed so I feel happy with the eggs. It's a compromise, because from day 1 - I always wanted our farm to be AFFORDABLE to families. Putting it out of reach for more of the public may work for smaller egg farmers, but when for our farm, it just doesn't make sense.

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Something I always find as funny is what people think about what we eat. Seriously - we honestly feel like everyone at the grocery store is watching us and what's in our basket and if they are a customer of ours, I think they fear we are going to judge what's in theirs!

First and foremost - we are NOT the food police!!

Second and I think more important.... we aren't perfect. Heck you should see the bachelor meals Joe has while I'm off camping!! Ok, you should also see some of the meals I decide to eat when I'm camping because cooking is just too difficult! Ice cream is a food group right? Yes, I drive through McDonald's sometimes.

Keyword - SOMETIMES!! This is where you are on the hook! That's right... I'm not worried about IF you go to fast food.... IF you eat ice cream and cookies.... it has to do with HOW often do you do this?

We all have budgets. Even I am supposed to have one. So we do what's best for our families. I eat grass fed beef, pasture pork, and of course free range eggs. This is what I have all year round because of our farm. You don't see chicken on that list do you? This doesn't mean that we don't EAT chicken - we eat a lot of chicken. Unfortunately on this one thing we compromise sometimes. Chicken is a seasonal item and even when it's IN SEASON we don't always get it as our customers come first for these - which is ok with us - when we DO get a chicken we enjoy it a lot!

My point of this post is that if you are doing your best for your family and for you - then that's all that matters! If your sanity requires you to order pizza - ORDER THE PIZZA!!!! If some place we liked delivered, believe me there are plenty of nights I'd be eating pizza!!

We will never judge you if we run into you at the grocery store - you might notice chips and sodas in our basket - so don't judge us either!!

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So this past Wednesday afternoon, we were called by the Great Falls Farmer's Market asking us if we would like to participate at the market starting this Saturday.  Understand, we have NOT done farmer's markets for the last couple of years because honestly, it's exhausting, and with the Lyme Disease, I never know how well I will do and it took it's toll.  BUT, this looked good and we worked around to see what we could do.

Thursday, we call and actually talk to the Market Manager who says that yes they would like to have us there.  I respond back saying that I need to verify that everyone is on board with this because I won't be able to do it myself every weekend.  I also spoke to the farm that is leaving the market and completely understand their need for a larger volume - but it seemed it would be a good fit for us.

Within 30 minutes of hanging up the phone with the Market Manager, I call back (no answer), then email stating we will gladly be there and ask if 8am would be good so we can find our spot etc.  I fill out the applications, scan those in, and send everything over - even the required insurance certificate (1 of the 3 they need).

We start prepping - which is NOT an easy task for a small farm.  This requires a complete revamp of the day and plans for the weekend.  Who is doing what, who is going with me, times we need to wake up, what our specials will be on the farm, holding back the newsletter until everything is set up and in place, and making sure everything still WORKS that we take with us.

Remember, Thursday at 5pm we spoke with them - so all this is going on from 5pm until I'm ready to crash in bed.

8am Friday morning - Joe has gotten all the correct freezer packs ready etc - we receive an email that the space is no longer available and we will not be needed so they are not accepting our application.

WHAT?!?!?!  Ok - first off - they called US asking US to be a part of this market.  Second, we ACCEPTED VERBALLY the spot!!  THEY RESEARCHED OUR FARM!!!

We did not go searching for this avenue - they came to us.  We did all this work - and yes it is a lot on a short notice... and then they "fill" the spot with someone else?  Where is the professionalism in that?

I did respond to their email stating that it is disheartening and that a lot of work goes into getting something set up like this.  I doubt I will receive a response because people honestly, I doubt they understand farming at all - people THINK they do - but they have no idea the difference between a craft vendor and someone who has to package things up!  Heck - if we were bakers - I probably would have been out ordering things and purchasing and even starting to BAKE - then to be told "sorry"??

So needless to say, we will NOT be doing the farmer's market - and honestly - I'm sure there is a reason for this in the grand-scheme of things....and all I can think is "what goes around....."

This weekend was the Loudoun County Spring Farm Tour. Over the years as more and more farms have joined, and we are in our 10th year, the traffic has gotten less and less. We attribute this to a lot of things - the county cut the funding (shocker) and we don't have a lot of new attractions.

Ok, as a farm, it's really hard if you aren't a big agri-tourism farm to come up with something new each season, it just can't happen. Joe's said no new animals ;) but yeah, even animal lover that I am, I can't justify having animals here that don't serve a purpose.

However, we have our moments and each of these is truly precious to us.

This weekend, I had a tween tell me this is her favorite place to visit - and they have been coming here almost 10 years. She didn't have a cell phone that she was staring at, she even brought some friends with her - and everyone was laughing and looking around!

People were coming up to me shocked that Alexis was now DOING the egg gathering tours - and they remembered the first year when she was just sharing the baby chicks with people! Hey, she made the cover of the next farm tour with that!

We had customers give us hugs, thanking us for being here and for the work we do.

Overall, we don't just have customers, we have friends. We have watched kids grow but still come back, we watch the new ones as they look around and see their first real live chicken!

Though we have our ups and downs, and sometimes we get seriously frustrated.... a LOT of work goes into this and we thank everyone who says we are so organized because it never feels like it.....we love each minute of it and have created some amazing memories that will last a lifetime - not just for us - but for many! This in itself is truly humbling and we are thankful to be blessed with making it this far on a journey neither one of us expected to take during our lifetime.

So you may hear us vent and fuss....but at the end of the day..... we can say we love it and we are thrilled to have made so many friends and we can't wait to meet more!

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It's hard to believe we are celebrating our 10th year on the farm. Since I haven't aged, I'm not absolutely sure HOW that has happened.

Over the years we have learned, gained, lost, cried, and of course wanted to quit and at the same time can't wait to start the new year. We walked onto this property without EVER imagining being considered farmers. We just loved the property and the house needed a TON of work - heck after 10 years I think we are just starting to pay attention to the house.

Joe has retired from his full time government job as an Air Traffic Controller. Didn't see that did you all? So many people thought his only job was this one on the farm but nope, he had another full time job on top of this one! So now, all those things that were left alone until "next year" are getting done.

I still have damage from Lyme - but it's just taken day by and I live with that.

Can you believe 3 of our children are in college? That's right - Jake started this past January! Yeah - the little 8 year old you all saw at the first farmer's market we did 9 years ago is driving and in college. Again - how this stuff happens without me aging is amazing!! Alexis is now 15.... yep.... she was on the cover of the Loudoun County Spring Farm Tour when she was 6 - I mean how do you top THAT in life!? She was also in the newspaper with a bike helmet in the chicken coop!! Oh the ways I can embarrass my children for the rest of their lives is amazing.

So we start off this spring ready to kick it into gear. We have baby chicks already in the pens so we can start butchering in May, we added in making pork rinds (date night for Joe & I), we have a new dog (Nala) who is my first small dog and that requires spoiling her and getting all this goofy stuff (no one warned me!) and we move forward!!

As a total side note - with Joe's retirement - he noticed I hadn't updated the blog in a while, so I will be working on that now that I have a cool app that will help me do that outside in the sunshine! I don't want to be talked to about not doing my job ;)

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It's been awhile.  As a quick update - our goat is fine and back trying to "woo" the ladies...

So this past weekend was our family farm's 16th county farm tour.   In the last 8 years we have learned and expanded and passed out at the end of the weekend.

What goes into having a "farm tour"?  First off, we are open every weekend - so being open isn't as big a deal.  But, it changes from about 100 people coming out to up to 1000 visiting our farm.  We are completely at the mercy of the weather - yet we have to start planning our weekend MONTHS in advance!

Our first years, we didn't serve food and cook.  We added this on as a value added thing because we believe that you might want to TRY our meats.  This leads to inspections etc.

We did start out with the egg gathering tours and have continued with them as well.  In years past we had a stand alone plain upright freezer, and now we have 2 walk-in freezers and a display freezer, PLUS our upright.... you get the idea that we have expanded to make it easier.

This all requires a special "Sam's Club" run to make sure we have drinks and water bottles as well as rolls and more.

We don't have a hay wagon, so we need to borrow one from a friend as well.

Who is going to help us and what role can they help with?  Sometimes this isn't even known until the day of or the day before!  So we don't know what CAN be done.  All we know is that if Joe is cooking, I need to run the store.

Our favorite part of farm tour is getting to know all the new people and sharing our experience with you.  We are sharing our home - as you would show a friend around your new house - we are doing the same thing.

Constantly we are looking for ways to improve your experience that won't kill our meager budget as it is.

When I was talking to my children after this past weekend was over, they started rattling stuff off they would want to see, of course not realizing the cost involved in all these wonderful things!

When we decided to open our farm, including weekend, our biggest thing was making it affordable and to show people a real FAMILY run farm - without all the workers.  As a mom of 5 kids... I know the expense to take kids out and didn't want to burden people with that type of expense - so it has always been free and the items we sell or charge for we TRY and keep at a reasonable rate.

Over the last couple of years, we have had an influx of a new type of person showing up at our farm for these tours.  They are the new 1% - and actually they seem to just be showing up - not even tour related.  99% of the customers we have come by and understand and can see the amount of work being put into this - it is by no means easy.  Then we have this new 1%.  Within the last 2 years, my kids have been yelled at because they asked people to follow the rules (don't enter the buildings - there are signs up), they have argued with us about parking, they have called animal control because our chickens didn't have enough room (they have access to all 32 acres), people have yelled into my home when we are closed, and they have to wait more than 10 minutes for us to change people around so someone can eat (gosh forbid).

This 1% is actually what gives us constant amusement as we look at them and can't believe they act like they do but at the same time they tire us out.  Is it worth it to continue?  Of course!  We won't allow 1% to ruin the fun of 99% - especially since we tend to have a lot of fun with that 99% and quite a few have ended up like family!

However, when you go and visit one of these farms who has graciously opened up their home for you - remember - they most likely have another full time job (very few are full time farmers in this area), and you don't know what's going on in their home at that moment or on the farm - we've had animals in the middle of birthing DURING tours!  So respect their home - take a breather and learn to relax - you are in the country.  Lastly - yes, we know your time is precious - but guess what - so is ours and we will do what we can to make you happy - but we won't be rushed because you are on a time schedule.

Welcome to our HOME - treat ours as you would want us to treat yours if you invited any of us in.

Did you know that kidney stones in goats will kill them?  It usually happens when you fix a male goat and they have a "back up" of urine in their system.  It can also happen when they don't eat enough roughage - and too much feed.

Our little buck had this problem recently and we were lucky to catch it early.  Of course it was in the evening and days that most places that MIGHT have something to help are closed.  Originally we thought he was just constipated and treated him for that.

Thank goodness for GOOGLE and iPhones where I can search up data while I'm standing out in the field watching him!

This HAPPENED to work for us - but don't always count on it.  He was still peeing at this point and some blood was coming out.  If your goat is NOT peeing - GET A VET!!

SO - immediately we took him off feed and gave him roughage only.  This included literally dragging him out into the field for grass (he didn't feel well and was very lethargic) and even bringing him pine branches.

I also gave him a Magnesium supplement which I read can help pass the stones as it will coat them so they don't get larger.  This was pretty much his only real water source (besides the grass) for a few days as you don't want to push a ton of water through him until the stones are coated or broken up.  They make stuff that can help with that - I just didn't have it available.

I was out there 3-5 times a day making sure he would eat and I would watch him pee and poop.  Yep - exciting times on the farm!

But this time it was rewarding because I could see him get a little better every day and I knew I made significant progress when we started coming outside on his own and eating grass.  Then when he started to pay attention to the girls in the next field I feel that I had overcome a huge obstacle.

Now - you can come say HI to Sonic as he is back in with his girl friends and hanging out with the rest of the goats.  He made it through a serious crisis which I am glad I didn't over react to and focused on the problems and what I could do.  If it HAD become more serious (no pee etc) then the vet would have been called immediately.  I like this little guy though so I'm happy to have him back around though I still don't think he's quite thrilled with me.

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 ;)