Gardening requires lots of water…most of it in the form of perspiration. Louise Erickson

Everything just seems to keep coming all at once.

Last week we processed the broilers. All went well. The guys were thankful for their humongous new trailer for loading all the chickens and the new stock box for carrying the totes of processed birds back to the farm from the processing facility.

The baby turkeys arrived in healthy condition and the layer chicks hatched in time to be placed with them. They seem to enjoy each other's company.

Talking about chicks, one of the barn hens hatched out a little flock of colorful babies. Real farm life.

We're still waiting for the bees. Bureaucratic roadblock in BC. Martin's seeing red and it's not just the red tape.

The gardens are being weeded and everything is growing nicely. The strawberries have tiny green fruit. With this warm weather and Grander water, we should be enjoying lovely ripe berries in a month or so.

Lots of trees have been planted around the farm to make it into an oasis on the prairies. Trees have an incredibly beneficial impact on the environment. They improve the air and water quality, temper the climate, provide wind protection, create habitat for plants and animals, and improve our health. Research demonstrates that exposure to trees has a relaxing effect on humans, reducing stress and imparting a sense of well-being. Hospital patients with a window view of trees recover faster than those without. Children with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) are better able to concentrate after time spent in outdoor green settings. Trees are good for us. And we can use the relaxation and stress reduction they produce.

When the weather was very hot a couple of weeks ago, Martin found the sheep fighting over a tiny bit of shade from a small tree. He grabbed one of his many trailers and scrambled to make a shade for the sheep. He took the frame, removed the wooden bed, and attached windscreen to the top of it. The sheep can easily relax underneath where it is cool and shady. Everyone is happy now.

Speckle Park Cattle

You'll read in the Down On The Farm segment about our new additions to the beef herd. We purchased some Speckle Park heifers and a bull.

We've had a Speckle Park bull for a few years, which is why our calves are a motley combination of black and white or just white with black noses and ears.

Here are a few facts about this special breed of cattle.

It's back!

Our pastured chicken is back in the freezer – wholes and parts.

The average weight of the birds we processed was about 6.5 pounds. Don't worry, we saved the smaller ones as whole birds and cut up the big guys, some of which were 8 pounds, with mostly 6 and 7 pounders.

Enjoy plump, flavorful, and tender chicken again.

Think summer picnics!

Harvest Haven Pastured Chicken Drumsticks – Yay! They're back in stock. Enjoy these plump and delicious drumsticks served hot off the barbecue or from the oven, or fried and tucked into a picnic basket.

Bioitalia Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 750 mL – Bioitalia produces excellent products, and their organic extra virgin olive oil is one of the finest. Bioitalia has selected the best organic oil varieties out of the southern Italian regions.

Their origin is guaranteed by a system that follows the product from the field to the table through the Certified Chain.

Harvest Haven Linzer Potatoes, 5 or 10 lbs - These smooth, thin-skinned potatoes are sooo yummy. Perfect for roasting or boiling, served hot or cold, in salads or with the main course. A favorite for sure!

Harvest Haven Chives – Fresh from the garden, these delicate and tender stems are best eaten raw or cooked very briefly. Add a professional touch to your meal with a sprinkle of chopped chives.

Harvest Haven Rhubarb – 'Tis the season for fresh rhubarb. Throughout history, it has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Rhubarb became popular for desserts in the 18th and 19th centuries after sugar became widely available. But, it makes a lovely chutney or sauce to go with savory dishes, such as chicken or lentils.

Organic Lemons – What's a picnic without lemonade? Fresh squeezed lemon juice makes the best.

Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic.

Where's the beef?

It's coming! It's coming!

The beef IS coming. It just takes awhile to get from field to fork.

Chickens are ready to be processed in 8 or 9 weeks after hatching. Lambs grow quickly and reach slaughter weight in 5 or 6 months. Pasture-raised beef takes 2 to 2 ½ years.

After a substantial increase in customer demand, the beef freezers are empty. We're sorry for the shortfall, but are remedying that situation; it just takes some time.

Part of the remedy came from an advertisement for Speckle Park heifers and bulls for sale that Martin happened to see.

He connected with one of the original producers for this breed in Saskatchewan and purchased 5 heifers and a bull. Those animals aren't going to put beef in the freezer right away, but will contribute to the future with their offspring.

Martin's been reading an interesting and very informative book written by two elderly leaders in sustainable cattle production. Reproduction & Animal Health – How to Select, Breed, and Manage a Herd for Health and Performance on Grass has become an invaluable resource for raising beef on pasture.

After a few hours of Martin describing what he's been reading and applying to our beef herd, I was able to conclude that cattle must have a healthy endocrine system and glands, and a sound structure that will perform well in a grass-fed situation. And the second part of the equation is to have proper pasture management, which optimizes the grass by rotating cattle through small paddocks using electric fence. Cattle are kept healthy by keeping the pastures healthy.

The author concludes his book by explaining how government subsidized grain and the resultant feedlot paradigm have collapsed the sustainability of cattle genetics. All that's left is a show ring where defective hooves and rough hair coats that signal the collapse of fertility are trimmed and groomed to hide the inevitable result of chasing the quick dollar. So that it's now almost impossible to raise beef naturally on pasture because the genetics are no longer there.

This is where the Speckle Park breed comes in. They are ideal animals for raising on pasture because they readily convert grass to weight gain, producing quality tender meat. Speckle Park genetics were selected for sustainable fertility and function on grass. The temptation to cover up genetic weakness with grain has been resisted by most Speckle Park breeders.

Speckle Park cattle started in 1937 in northwestern Saskatchewan. Mary Lindsay, the daughter of a beef farmer noticed a uniquely colored speckled red roan heifer in her father's herd. The unique color pattern impressed her, and she bought the heifer.

Mary found that regardless of the breed of the sire she bred the cow to, it always produced calves with that color pattern. It is believed that the heifer was a descendant of a Teeswater Shorthorn, which carried the White Park gene as well. These two ancient breeds dating back to the 16th Century were hard, strong, and milky. Mary continued to breed speckled cattle and found that the speckled pattern was a dominant trait in her newer version of those ancient breeds. The cattle grew quickly, were hardy, and quiet-natured.

In 1959, Eileen and Bill Lamont from Maidstone, Saskatchewan became interested in Mary's speckled cattle and bought a heifer. That led to the development of the Speckle Park cattle breed and to 2006 when the Minister of Agriculture announced the Speckle Park a distinct pure breed, the first and only one to be developed in Saskatchewan.

So, here we are at Harvest Haven with a Canadian breed of cattle suited to completely pasture-raised beef.

The other day after considering the many activities we are involved in, I asked Martin if we were taking on too much and if there was anything we could eliminate. After a surprised look and brief contemplation, he replied, "Nope."
Now, he wants to take on even more – raising purebred Speckle Park cattle for sale. Not to worry, we'll keep enough beef for the freezer and sell what we don't need.

More ventures and adventures down on the farm.