Wow. What a year this has been. I can’t believe how little I’ve been writing here on the blog – but when I consider everything that’s happened, it puts things in perspective. We’ve endured the drought (along with the rest of the farming community) and all of the problems that has brought – and through which we are still suffering, make no mistake. Hay is double and in some cases triple the price it would normally be, and when you consider that we had to start feeding it full time in June – when that would normally not be necessary until November – it might start to convey the incredible increases we’ve had in costs. Grain has also skyrocketed, and we have had some tremendous struggles to endure here over the last several months.
In more personal news, I’ve had health issues, George started a new job that is very demanding of his time, we lost my dear father-in-law to a very sudden heart attack at the end of August, and our dear little Boston Terrier Loki has been diagnosed with cancer and is not doing so well right now. We are keeping him as comfortable as we can. He will be twelve if he makes it to December 27th. We are just taking it day by day and working with our vet to adjust treatments as needed.
As far as the farm – we are flush with chicken eggs right now! We have plenty and as mentioned on our Facebook page, we are running a special so long as the girls are being as generous as they’ve been recently: Chicken Eggs are $5/dozen $13/three dozen $20/five dozen.
Duck eggs have not been so plentiful – but we are hopeful to see a return to their normal laying numbers in the near future. In the meantime, if you want duck eggs, please give us a few days notice to insure we will have what you need on hand.
Due to a number of phonecalls that have been received, we must reiterate: WE DO NOT SELL GOAT MILK. It is illegal in the State of Michigan to purchase milk direct from a farm. Please do not ask us to do this, as we will not agree to it. We understand that there are a lot of folks out there who have compelling stories about why they are seeking fresh milk – but we cannot place ourselves at risk and ask that you respect us and the work we do here by not attempting to convince us otherwise. The only legal means for an individual to get milk for themselves is if they are owner or part owner of a milking animal, hence the reason herdshares exist. You can read more about herdshares here.
Our herdshares have been closed for the season and we are not sure what we will have available come Spring, but please check back with us around March if you are interested. We are looking at downsizing our herdshare operation at this point, but we will see how the Spring is looking in terms of conditions then. If you are seeking a herdshare in the meantime, please visit the “Farm Directory Websites” section of our Interesting Links page, where you will find several websites on which you can search for other local farms offering shares.
We hope that the holiday season is delightful for you and yours. We’re hoping for an improved and bountiful 2013 for all!
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