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Local Farmers Financially Impacted by COVID-19

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Local Farmers Financially Impacted by COVID-19

Dutch Hollow Farms is part of a co-op, so while Chittenden says they’re luckier than independent farms their co-op still asked them to cut their milk production by six percent.

“Our milk wasn’t being disposed of, it was still gonna get shipped but we just weren’t gonna get paid for it,” Chittenden said. “So to make the product and not get paid for it is a humongous economic hit to this business — so we have to figure out a way to make less milk — we actually sold 35 cows yesterday.

Dutch Hollow Farms has Jersey cows, which produce higher fat content and higher protein milk than other milk producing breed, so Chittenden says their milk is often favored over some other farms. But that’s not the only reason he says their family feels fortunate.

Nate is a great guy and his social media, especially his Twitter is great - but also follow him on Facebook. They dairy just outside of Castleton on Hudson, producing wonder Jersey milk on the fertile gently rolling country above the Hudson River. 

Soil health means better human health | Successful Farming

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Soil health means better human health | Successful Farming

Experts believe these soil microbes could also have a big impact on the nutritional content of our food. Moreover, the plants we eat and the dirt we come in contact with may also directly fortify our own gut microbiomes. The discovery of this link between soil health and human health has commanded the attention of big food companies, farmers, scientists, and environmental organizations, and it’s sparked a research boom that may soon tell us whether soil microbes are as important to our longevity as daily exercise and a restful night’s sleep.

TRUTH VS MYTH… Idaho Pastured Pigs

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Homesteady: TRUTH VS MYTH… Idaho Pastured Pigs

7/16/2020 by Austin Martin, Squash Hollow Farm

Web player: https://podplayer.net/?id=109802435
Episode: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/WPCM2016906615.mp3

The IPP… the IDAHO PASTURED PIG. It has made quite a lot of noise in the homesteading world.

There are a lot of big claims surrounding it. What is fact and what is myth?

Today we share an interview on the channel with Mouse Creek Farm who has been raising these pigs for years.

Kirstin answers lots of our IPP questions including do you have to supplement their diet or can they live off pasture alone? Do they ever root? And how is their meat production and quality?

The Farm and Hammer YouTube channel I often watch recently got some of those pasture pigs. While no pig is a ruminatent – you can’t stick them on grass exclusively and be they be healthy, pasture pigs can cut your feed bill by fifty percent, and eat some of the noxious plants that cows won’t touch.

Apparently the key to pasture pigs is making sure they have plenty of mineral including salt and rotate pastures frequently. Then they won’t destroy the pasture rooting it up in search of minerals.

Pigs as livestock interest me a lot when I eventually own my own homestead. Good bacon, good pork chops and other cuts. Not to mention a good way to recycle food waste and recycle all that paper trash I get in the mail as bedding.

My neighbors growing up had pigs on their homesteads. And it seems like a lot of people I follow on the internet raise hogs for meat as a hobby. They’re really quite fascinating animals. I should get some more books out of the library about raising pigs.