To make agriculture sustainable, the grower has got to be able to make a profit. – Sam Farr

Spring's here!

I hope the guys are ready. No more time for workouts in the gym or music practice. Sigh!

Our first lambs have been born, with many more to come. It's exciting to see them. Watch our Facebook page and Instagram for new arrivals.

Our friend Tony, who lives in Hong Kong, watches the flock via cameras while he's at work and we're sleeping. If he sees a ewe starting to give birth, he'll text Martin who rustles himself up to face the cold and whatever may be happening in the barn.

Martin says he doesn't mind heading out in the night because it's quiet and there's no one bothering him. He can focus on what's at hand, unlike what his life is like during the day with constant interruptions.

Tony says, "I always look forward to watching the sheep. Their mannerisms make me smile." That's a nice change for him, too, as he has a stressful executive job in Hong Kong and has to deal with people who make him grimace.

Talking about change, James took another road trip and had a change of scenery. Martin bought a Jersey heifer for a milk cow to supplement Cherry's production. James had to pick her up from a farm over 5 hours away in east-central Alberta.

As usual, James headed out the night before, slept in his truck (ugh), and arrived at the farm first thing in the morning. His trips sound interesting, but sleeping in the truck would leave me cold and suffering from a kink in my neck.

James returned in the afternoon with Mabel, the new heifer. She's really cute, but has horns. Cherry saw the horns right away and wanted nothing to do with this new addition to her corral and just kept walking away from her. Even though Cherry is probably three times as big, she was afraid of Mabel who persistently tried to make friends.

Cherry was bruised in an encounter with another cow that had horns and wasn't keen on that happening again. Even though Mabel is a lot smaller, the horns appear menacing.

Mabel has settled in nicely and seems to be more acceptable to Cherry.

And Martin continues to work on taxes, not finding them acceptable but necessary. Will Rogers said, "The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets."

Martin gathered eggs from our laying hens and hatched them in an incubator. The result is a colorful combination of hens and roosters.

When the birds are a few months old, the pullets will be separated from the roosters. The pullets you keep; the roosters you eat.

The roosters have a good life of free-ranging on pasture. In the fall, they are processed as pasture-raised REAL soup chickens that are meaty with oodles of flavor.

Cilantro, also called coriander and Chinese parsley, is the go-to herb for heavy metal detoxification. Fresh cilantro accelerates the excretion of mercury, lead, and aluminum from the body. It's also antiviral and antibacterial, fighting off virtually every form of bacteria and flushing its waste from your body.

Studies found that when cilantro was used concurrently with natural antibiotics and antiviral agents, like garlic and fatty acids found in olive oil, that viral and bacterial infections could be eliminated for good. With Harvest Haven Cilantro Pesto, you have all these ingredients in a tasty combination.

Harvest Haven Cilantro Pesto is made with all organic ingredients – fresh cilantro, raw almonds, single-estate cold pressed olive oil, fresh lemon juice, Harvest Haven garlic, and Celtic sea salt. It's packed fresh into jars and frozen to retain all the goodness.

Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, one of the world's foremost authorities on the subject of heavy metals detoxification, recommends taking 1 – 3 tablespoons of cilantro pesto three times daily with meals. For those suffering from neurological problems, such as Alzheimer's or brain "fogginess" and difficulty concentrating, the pesto may be taken more often, he says.

Enjoy this tasty way to remove toxic heavy metals from your body and improve your mood.

Harvest Haven Pastured Soup Chickens – Old-fashioned chicken soup, the ultimate comfort food, made with pasture-raised real soup chickens. These birds are meaty and full of flavor. Perfect for a hearty soup!

Harvest Haven Carrots – Carrots, the new old superfood… It's been proven that eating raw carrots is very beneficial for our health, none of which has anything to do with vitamin A. Carrots can help lower estrogen, combat bacterial growth, reduce inflammation, promote weight loss, and help excrete bacterial poisons called endotoxins. Other benefits are improved digestion, better skin, and less oxidative stress.

Eat more carrots! Bugs was a wise bunny! Remember him? Not so looney!

Organic Monograno Tagliatelle Egg Pasta, 500 g – This is a very fine pasta! The description on the box says it all.

"Mountain air of the Dolomites, fresh spring water, pure cereal semolina, and the understanding of the art of pasta-making since 1908 are the four elements that make Monograno Felicetti pasta a true expression of our passion. Those who cook and taste our Monograno pasta range truly understand that we aim to place our products on the palates of those who appreciate the finest quality.

"Our Tagliatelle (egg pasta) are processed with Matt durum wheat which is a special variety found in desert-like climates. The Felicetti Family specifically sources the raw material from exclusive suppliers who cultivate this grain in Puglia, a Southern Italian Region. Our master pasta makers turn this precious grain, combined with the proteins of organic eggs from free-range hens, into a premium pasta. The modern processing methods give the pasta its unique fragrance and full flavor, ideal for all typical Italian specialties."

Harvest Haven Cilantro Pesto, 125 mL or 250 mL – An inexpensive way to remove toxic heavy metals from your body. Not only is it healthy, but it tastes good, too.

Organic Bioitalia Macaroni, 500 g – Another exceptional Bioitalia product, this pasta from the Southern Italy regions is made from only the best organic Italian durum wheat semolina. It has an ideal firmness to the palate and does not overcook, thus making possible the savouring of all the Mediterranean traditional recipes.

Frozen Organic BC Blueberries – Remember summer with frozen blueberries. Incorporate them into muffins, sprinkle on pancakes, blend into a smoothie, or stir into yogurt. Enjoy little bursts of juicy sweetness in every bite.

Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic.

Do Animals Talk…and Are We Listening?

As I've said before, "Conversations around the dinner table at the farm are always interesting and entertaining." With everyone participating, there can be a cacophony of chatter and much laughter as we're regaled with humorous experiences.

Our last repast was no exception. The new heifer, Mabel had just arrived and discussion of her interactions with Cherry started the theme for the evening.

It seemed unusual that Cherry would be intimidated by such a friendly creature as Mabel. Cherry has always been The Boss in her corral! But, Martin related to us how another cow with horns had been brought into the barn and had given Cherry a sharp jab in the neck with her horns. This set in Cherry's mind that horns are painful, even if they belong to a small animal. And when Cherry has had an unpleasant experience, there's no persuading her otherwise.

Like the time she had her hooves trimmed. When the hoof trimmer came the first time, he and Martin were able to load Cherry into the lift chute that holds the animals off the ground while their hooves are trimmed. That was the first and last time for Cherry. She hated the experience!

The next year when the hoof trimmer came, Cherry heard the truck and chute pull into the yard, and fled to the farthest corner of her corral. Martin tried to gently move her toward the chute. She stood fast. He then tried to coax her with a pail of her favorite oats. That didn't work. The guys tried to push on her with corral panels. She dug in her heels and wouldn't budge. So, that didn't work.

Martin was a little slow on what Cherry was telling him, but he finally got the message and let her win that one. No more hoof trimming for her.

This reminded him of another situation with Cherry where she was communicating her preference to him. As he was heading across the parking lot, past her corral, she made an unusual mooing sound.

He stopped mid-stride and wondered, "What was that? What was Cherry trying to tell him? I'll hate myself if I don't check on her and find out too late she needed it."

Going to the barn, Martin found Cherry inside kind of unsettled. It looked like her straw bed needed to be refreshed, which he did. Not 10 minutes later, Cherry laid down and had her calf. She was telling Martin that she wanted fresh bedding for her newborn. When he complied, she was happy.

Someone else who's happy if you comply with his assertive wishes is Gigantor, Konstantijn's gigantic ram. He insists on having his head scratched by anyone who comes near him. Head scratches are even better than hay.

Being busy farmers isn't conducive to non-stop head scratching a ram, even one who lets his wishes be known somewhat aggressively by pushing on you until your hand finds his head.

Konstantijn described Gigantor's reaction to her attempts to chase him away so she could finish her chores.

"Gigantor will stand in my way until I scratch his head. When I raise my hand to chase him away, he just turns his head to the side, like I'm going to smack him hard, and braces himself for the blow, which doesn't happen. He just thinks it will.

"If I speak firmly to him and tell him to leave me alone, he goes off to the corner and sulks like a big baby. But, he still comes and pesters me the next time I'm in the sheep pen."

Martin interjected with his experiences of having to speak firmly to the ewes. After being fed in the evening, they are enclosed in their straw-packed pen where they are observed via cameras by Tony, our Hong Kong virtual shepherd. On occasion, they want to romp around the corral some more, not being ready to come indoors for the night.

After a few sorties around the corral after them, Martin realizes he's not getting anywhere. In frustration, he commands, "Come on, sheep, get into the barn! Now!"

And what do you know? They line up and jostle their way nicely into their pen. How's that?

Talking about obedience reminded Marseilles of her dealings with Harriett.

"While Mathijs and I were going to gather eggs, Harriett wanted to play and was jumping around us and getting in the way. I told her to go lay down and we'd play with her after we got the eggs gathered. And she went a little ways off and laid under the tree.

"When we finished our chores, she was waiting and ready for us to play with her."

Konstantijn recalled the time Jeannie was looking for the kids and asked Harriett where they were. Harriett ran over to the house, gave a short bark, and took off. Sure enough, the kids were inside the house.

This begs the question: How much do animals understand?

We feed small birds, like chickadees, finches, and red polls. It's an enjoyable activity and they enjoy being fed.

There have been times when I've had to bring the feeder into the house to fill with sunflower seeds, and a chickadee has cheeped at me, "Wait! Wait! I'm not done yet! Don't take the feeder away."

Then, I return with a full feeder, and he's cheeping, "Hey, the feeders back. There are more seeds. Thank you! Thank you!"

All of creation shouts out her intelligence, each part in its own way. We would do well to heed, read, and succeed.