Ebert Farms Newsletter
March 17, 2007
Considering it has been two months since I last posted something, I thought it might be a good time to break my silence. Things are looking up at the farm. The snow has all melted, the mud has finally dried out and the pastures are beginning to turn green! We are so glad to be farmers right now. The cows are glad to be cows too. They are so much more pleasant to milk when they are clean and happy. They are running around the pastures like wild children, jumping and kicking.
We had three new calves last week. Wyoming, Vanessa and Vermont are all proud mothers. Two girls and a boy. This coupled with a new load of very high quality alfalfa has helped our production skyrocket. We should have plenty of cream again and I will be making butter later today. We also have shares available again.
We bought the new hay from a farmer in western Nebraska that my dad knows. It is certified organic. According to my dad, this farmer spends a lot of money balancing his soils. As a result, his alfalfa is so nutritionally balanced it will meet all of the girls' mineral requirements. We've estimated about a 30% increase in milk production from this hay alone. Why do you care about this? If we can get this same hay secured to feed next year, we shouldn't see the typical dip in production during the winter months. That means cream and butter all year round!
We've also found a farm that will raise laying hens for us. They are veterans in this field. We are planning to move the chickens to our farm right before they begin laying. We'll also get two separate flocks each year to try to keep an even supply of eggs.
Kres and I are really looking forward to the year ahead. With the experience of a hard winter behind us, and plenty of mistakes, we're excited to make changes and see what lies ahead. We're very hopeful.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Don’t miss the latest news. Sign up for our e-mail newsletter