Winter is a time for learning.....

The Farmwife and I just spent 2 very intense but pleasurable days at the third annual Winter Green-up, Grass-fed Conference held at the Century House in Latham, NY.  The seminars were very educational and thought provoking.  We especially liked hearing Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm speak about his farming experiences in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and his marketing strategies for the products they produce.  Quite enlightening to hear someone speak of the eggs from the "Eggmobile" being "cream" and earning $375,000 a year with them!  The original purpose of the hens on pasture was to eat fly larvae from the cow patties.  The eggs were just a side benefit.  WOW!  Joel definitely gave us a lot to contemplate for a while.

The other speaker that really got my attention was Ray Archuleta from the North Carolina field office of NRCS.  He spoke at great length about the ways to restore health to our soils, and in so doing bring back the productivity that has been slipping these past many years.  Again, he gives us much to consider and work towards when the snow that is blanketing the fields begins to release it's icy grip.  The good thing is this still allows us some time to make plans for improvements that can be put into place this spring.

The rest of the presenters also gave some really good information and the networking with other farmers from around the area was great.  The meals we were served were outstanding, and were prepared with the produce donated by folks participating in the conference.  Shows the pride in the products we are capable of producing in this area.  Maybe next year we can get some goat on the menu?  We'll see what time brings to us.

In the meantime, we are bracing for another onslaught of winter weather this week and need to be prepared for the potential of power outages from the ice they are predicting.  Stay warm and talk to you soon.

Another snowday!

The school children may all be delighted to have yet another day off due to snow, but for those who have to clean up after it, not so much fun!  The Goatfarmer will be out most of the day clearing the paths to the barns, making sure water tubs are free of ice, and that the goats can all get to their feedbunk.  But aside from all of that, there is still cause for happiness....most of all, as the Goatfarmer's wife, I'm happy we decided to put off our kidding season until April this year!  Next week's forecast is for extremely cold weather, below zero nights, and single-digit days...  I'm especially happy to know we won't be spending those nights in the barn, watching for does to kid and setting up heatlamps to warm newborns!  Yes, sometimes the decisions we make months in advance turn out to be just right!  So for now, I'll enjoy playing with the grandchildren in the new snow by day, and staying in by a warm fire at night!

Something new under the Sun!

Greetings from our new Sunny Acres Farm blog!  We hope to use this blog to keep you updated on the "happenings" at our family farm, as well as to connect with others sharing our interests.  Our main enterprise currently is raising Boer and Kiko goats, and transitioning our herd to a grass-finished operation.  Its an exciting time to be doing this, as more and more people are discovering the benefits of locally grown, fresh, high quality foods.  It is our hope that using this new blog format will help us to reach more people with whom to share ideas.   We also desire to learn from others who are traveling this road with us.  Join us on the journey!