Greg and I were in the barn castrating the last batch of males born during the piglet explosion (all the sows and new piglets are doing great by the way!), when I noticed something.

There’s a time of year when the barn is so jam packed with bales of straw and hay that you can barely find a path to walk from one end to the other.

And then there’re days like today, when we have just a few stacks of this precious, preserved pasture left. And I’m scratching my head, wondering if Greg’s calculations will be correct.

We’ve been scattering certified organic hay around the farm for the animals every day since the cold weather hit last fall – the grasses and seeds are nutritious and full of energy. And it’s a good source of warmth, too.

The bales – all 368 of them, to be exact – came to us this past fall from an organic farm out in Wayne County. And just this week, it dawned on me that our stash, nestled neatly in the barn, is starting to dwindle.

Greg’s been rationing. And he assures me that we’ll have enough to make it ‘til grazing season – which typically starts in early May and is glorious because instead of us bringing the bales to animals, they’ll be rotationally grazed and harvest the goods themselves.

I know, full well, that a wet spring could set us back, delay the start of the grazing season, and require us to use more bedding than we have on hand.

Success here will hinge on our best educated guess and forces of nature far beyond our control. And believe it or not, this realization calms me, in part because I know that Greg’s a very good guesser. The best I’ve ever known.

Your Farmers,
Jenney & Greg

PS – It’s a fresh pork week which means we are re-stocked! If you would like to place an order, download the 5 Easy Steps to ordering HERE. If not, please feel free to stop by during Farm Store and shop on the fly!

PPS – Mark in your calendars – Farm Store will be closed on Easter Sunday (April 4th). But we’ll be open on Saturday April 3rd from 10-12 instead!