Over the past several weeks, our customers may have noticed that our cheese prices are inching upward. Here’s why: Last fall a ton of hay cost $90; now we’re paying $200 per ton, a 122% increase. We’ve heard of some folks paying up to $260 per ton! A bag of rolled barley cost $8.49 in [...]
Posts under ‘Farming’
Seed Catalogs: Welcome to the Monoculture
‘Tis the season for seed catalogs, and for dreaming of the coming spring garden! Yet I can’t help but notice a similarity between the various catalogs I get. Last week I received three, two from companies in Illinois and one from Minnesota. A quick survey revealed: All three sell Item #B7739, Oriental Lily Mix, priced [...]
Milking Stand
We’re often asked where to get a stand for milking goats. Our current one is metal and came from Caprine Supply. Wood is not permitted in a licensed dairy. The most important thing for a milking stand is that it support the goat, hold her in place without hurting her, and be affordable for the [...]
Tips on Sanitation for Home Dairying
If you want to make great cheese, you have to start with good, clean milk. When we first started milking for our own use, we used a simple wood milking stand and mostly plastic equipment. This would never pass inspection for a licensed dairy, but works well for home dairying. The main thing is, anything [...]
Q&A: What Is My Hen Doing?
Q: I have one hen that’s acting weird! She’s outside in the dirt, digging a hole, rubbing in the dirt?? A: It sounds like she’s dust bathing. Chickens love to dust bath – they’ll dig a hole and toss the loose dirt up over their feathers. Sometimes they’ll do this for hours – and sometimes [...]
Chicken Feed: Beware of Arsenic
Two children in northern Utah were found to have toxic levels of arsenic in their blood– and the cause was eggs from their backyard chickens. The Utah Department of Health traced the source of the arsenic to commercial chicken feed made by IFA. IFA insists that it does not add arsenic to its feed. UDH [...]
Half a Billion Eggs Recalled
The CNN headline says, “Feed likely source of salmonella in eggs, federal officials say.” This as the egg recall expands to 550 million eggs from two mega-egg-producers in Iowa, with tainted eggs traced to 23 states and almost 1,500 cases of salmonella poisoning. Kind of makes you wonder what those mega-farmers feed their chickens. Sustainable [...]
Utah Launches AgriAdvocates.org
“In the war to prevent our dependence on imported food, this is the front line.” The State of Utah launched AgriAdvocates.org this week in support of local farming. Its theme: local food promotes self-sufficiency, a healthy economy, and a better environment. Amen!
Free Gardening Class
The University Extension Service is offering free gardening classes, starting Tuesday July 20. The classes will be “taught by Utah State University Master Gardeners. We will cover all the basics, starting with soil preparation and ending with food preservation.” For information, click here.
Animal First Aid Resources
Emergencies happen– and rarely during our vet’s business hours. In the photo above, a friend’s goat had broken its leg on a Saturday, so we splinted it for her. Having the resources and some basic knowledge can save money on emergency vet visits, and sometimes save an animal’s life. A reader sent me this link [...]
