Happenings on the Ranch

Being a proponent of locally, sustainably grown foods I refuse to by tomatoes from Mexico or apples from China.  If there is something I want that is hardly grown in the U.S., like plantains, I will purchase it on occasion.  That purchase does go to support the local economy in that country and I view it as a luxury purchase.  Having labels on these products makes my decision in the grocery store much easier when I can’t buy things at farmer’s market or grow it myself.  Even so, I will rarely buy produce in the winter.  I can’t justify the shipping cost and impact on the environment through the use of fossil fuels just so I can have a head of lettuce in February, even if it is grown in the U.S.

So I, personally, was very happy when legislation came out requiring Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) on all nuts, fruits, vegetables, meats and seafood.  But there are quite a few items that this legislation doesn’t cover, like dairy products.  Unless I am able to buy from a local producer or the company specifically puts where the item comes from on their label, how am I to know that the milk or butter I’m buying isn’t using milk coming from New Zealand or, worse yet, China?

Now, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing for legislation to require country of origin labelling on all dairy products including yogurt, cheese and ice cream.  I know I can’t be the only one saying, “hooray” for this one.  Many of today’s consumers are much more conscious about where their food comes from and how it is produced.  Producers that are just as conscious about these issues proudly display where their milk is produced and how it is handled.  But large manufacturers very infrequently put any labeling at all about where their milk is coming from and how it is produced, including whether the cows are treated with bovine growth hormones.

Where do you stand?  Does where your food is coming from affect your purchases more now than before the COOL legislation was passed?  Would this new legislation make a difference in the dairy products you buy?  Sound off, please.  I want to know where you stand.

So, it’s been six months or so since my last entry.  That’s exactly how long our CSA season lasts.  Tells you how busy we were.  We had an absolute blast for our first season and a very positive response all around.  Our waiting list has been growing since June and we’re starting sign ups now.  Planning is already under way for next season and there are so many new and exciting things we’re working on I just can’t wrap my head around it just yet.  I’ll save that for later.  Right now, I think I need to do a brief recap on  what’s been happening around here lately!

All of our calves have born for the year and, unfortunately, we lost one of the momma cows in the process.  So, we’ve been bottle feeding “T-bone” and he’s doing very well.  We also lost a bull – he’s an escape artist!  He’s still wandering somewhere in the Peculiar area and people catch sight of him now and again but he’s so keen to what we’re doing that he’s impossible to catch.  Eventually I hope to get him back but in the meantime we have to figure what we’re going to do about getting our cows pregnant.  Grrrr.

We ended up losing about 85% of our laying and meat chicken flocks to predators this year along with many ducks, geese and turkeys.  Right now we’re working on trying reconfigure things to keep closer track of the birds and keep them protected from foxes, coyotes and other prowlers while still allowing them to free range.  Not an easy task, let me tell you.  I’m determined to make it work, though.

We’re also working on ideas for hoop houses and row covers for the crops next year to cut down a little on the wrath of mother nature.  She’s our friend and our enemy at the same time and since we’re expanding our programs for next year we really want to have a little bit more control over the harvest.  We’ve come up with some great ideas that won’t impact the land at all and I can’t wait to see them come to fruition.

Now that the harvest season is over I’m hoping to post several times a week.  If I can manage to keep that pace into the planting and harvesting seasons, then all the better.  Like everything else on the farm, though, we’ll have to see how it goes!

-Karin