The Caledonia Farm Journal

Eat our ground beef!

2011-09-06T03:10:00.000-07:00

For those who follow our blog, the following plea is not new. We need to have you buy our ground beef! Sure our steaks are quite the treat; but one cannot live on steak alone! We cannot process more beef until we move our low-end cuts that is overwhelmingly our ground beef.

Ok, ok you say. You've talked about this already in previous posts- what's different this time?

Well, LOTS of things are different. Previously, our sales and promotions worked pretty well. But not now. Its not news that we are in extraordinary times! Not only are we in a persistently soft economy, but the collateral damage from this translates into a change in demographics and buying habits. There are lots of people who simply cannot afford our products. We know that. Then there are those who will only buy steak- as a result of only having enough money to buy that occasional "treat" of a steak or those who simply have more money these days. The widening class divide promotes a lot of steak eating for those who have more money now while at the same time we see a weakening of purchasing power for those who are falling down the economic ladder- no doubt these folks won't be able to buy even our value priced ground beef. We see this a LOT now. These two factors collude to keep ground beef in our inventory. A ground beef mountain has always been a problem for us, but more so now. So.........

If you buy our steaks, we thank you for your business and support! When you buy a steak, buy ground beef for your everyday eating! While it seems counter-intuitive, we'll sink out of sight if we can't sell our ground. We cannot process animals only to store ground. We cannot sell more steaks unless we process more animals. We cannot stay in business by sitting on inventory. Solution= buy ground beef (or patties or sausages). We have recipes and ideas at the ready to help!

Questions? Comments? Let us know!
Bon appetit!
Dave

News On Pricing And New Markets

2011-06-06T03:27:00.000-07:00

We have lots of news to talk about- from our new price list to our presence on Facebook (many thanks to my family and marketing team at Scanlon Web Design and Sound the Bugle Studio!), new farmers' markets and a recall on my latest rant on credit cards......we now take them!

First, as we previously warned on an earlier post, we have a new price list. Yes, unfortunately many prices had to go up. From spiking fuel prices for operating our machinery and to the pervasive effect this has on many things! From replacement calves priced historic highs (we've watched with great wonder how prices could have remained steady for over 30 years, but they did NOT until late 2010!). And when we speak of fueling machinery, it must be said...OLD machinery. These need care, time, expensive parts and eventually need to be traded in.

An important note on our new price structure is that it reflects a unique logistics problem here. It appears that our high end cuts are moving at a brisk pace that is leaving our lower priced items to sit in inventory for too long. Not only is a small mountain forming, but if it doesn't sell, cash doesn't flow to cover costs. If some of our costs are not fully covered, then we have to re-price those items that do sell so we can cover our costs. You'll see our steaks have a higher per pound price to reflect this issue. How can you help? Bring our low cost "everyday" cuts more into your meal planning routine. Not only are they a healthy and clean food for your family, your purchases can help us stabilize prices across our whole product range. If more ground beef and lower cost cuts move more quickly, then we'd be happy to LOWER the prices on our legendary steaks!

Due to the urging and help from my marketing guru and sister, we're now on Facebook! Check us out at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Caledonia-Farm/217381011617402
We hope to use this very popular social media outlet to stay in better touch with you- and since a quarter of the civilized world is using social media, we should use it, too. Many of customers say they religiously use Facebook......and that probably includes you!

We ranted earlier about the rampant mis-deeds of our banks and bankers to include a rant against credit cards. Well, it appears that there is still some common sense, low cost ways to beat the "common wisdom" of high fees and catches in merchant banking. We found one through our local bank- WITH personal service, WITH much lower fees, WITH great support! So, if you re shy on cash at the markets, pull out your plastic- we'll take it!

Join us at the Waltham Market starting June 11 and now at Wayland on June 22!

Thank you for your support!
Dave

UNCLE!!!!!

2011-04-24T06:52:00.000-07:00

Oh, boy here it comes AGAIN! Another energy price surge like we saw back in 2008! We just bought $4+/gal. fuel for the farm, machinery spare parts, oils and other supplies and chicken feed. Our fuel bill just increased by THOU$AND$ overnight. Can you say OUCH?

We maintain a pretty steady pulse on our financials to make sure we are pricing our products fairly and such that we can keep afloat. Price volatility on our supplies really reverberates through the whole farm!

We have to raise our prices on many of our products this May- but by how much is still being tweaked now. We are giving all of our customers as much notice as we can.....and we'll be back with a newsletter soon detailing our new price list. We will do this by May 15.

While grazing animals are cheaper to keep in the grass season, our fleet of iron swings into high gear putting up nearly half a year's worth of forage. And, we need to move last winter's barnyard gold onto the fields, too. The serene look of grazing animals belies the flurry of activity going on everywhere else on the farm!

Thank you for your understanding and patience!
Dave

Just When Things Look Up.......

2011-03-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

Well, that didn't take long for the unrest in the middle east for oil to shoot over the $100/bbl mark! And then it almost overnight translated into price increases across the board! Our vendors won't quote on future orders for our supplies and fuel, but one thing is for sure....we're paying more for things we need now. So unless things calm down soon, we're going to have to raise our prices. We'll do our best to hold costs in check and we'll announce our price increase in enough time should you wish to avail yourselves to product at a lower price. But.....being forewarned means being prepared.

Also, we're about to get our broiler program rolling for the year. We don't need reservations and deposits, but if you think you'll be looking to load up and want to make sure we have you covered, give us a "heads-up" as soon as possible. While the old program of reservations was hard to manage for us, it did give us a powerful management tool- how many birds do we need to raise?

Why does energy cost impact a grass based farm so hard? Our beef animals eat grass, grown right there, right? Yes, they eat grass and not energy intensive corn, but our long winters pushes us to put up their forage for nearly half a year. Supplies such as plastic wrap for silage bales to anything related to the machinery needed to make this all work is hit by high steel prices, shipping and we do use fuel- both biodiesel and petroleum diesel. The prices on all those supplies are way up NOW and we have to buy them now to be ready for harvest that comes as early as May/June.

For chicken, they are not ruminants and we must buy feed for them. This item is up over 10% already. Lots of transport/machinery/energy goes into making this feed. We have even less control over this item!

There appears to be little elasticity in many of the major markets that affect us. This fact makes us think that we are "skating on thinner ice" with regard to price volatility on everything we use. Are we are peeking into a new era? A goal here is to use less energy and iron for what we do.....and to use what we do use with utmost care and efficiency.

Some Important Inventory News!

2011-02-21T11:53:00.000-08:00

Hopefully you all are feeling an "uptick" in the overall economy, as we've felt just that in our winter's worth of sales! We've gone through expansion after expansion and optimizations to make sure we have enough beef to supply our ever expanding customer base. Well, an interesting thing has taken us by surprise........we have noted that sales of all our lower end cuts such as ground beef and our roasts are lagging historical trends. It seems our clientele would rather order our top end steaks and pass over our value priced products. As a result, we are out of most of our steaks and are sitting atop a sizable stash of ground beef, suasages and roasts. Maybe people bought our steaks for gifts this past season or they are seeking to spoil themselves with some pretty fine grilling steaks after the 2+ year recession? Suffices to say, we are in momentous times! Historical trends cannot help us plan from this point forward........

We will be processing more beef in April, so hang on if you are looking for our ever popular steaks. And we do have a good supply of ground beef, sausage, stew beef and roasts and they are priced competitively with comparable beef. Have you spied conventional beef prices in the store lately? We do, as a curiosity. Wow! For a welcome change, we aren't too far off what the supermarket will charge for beef and ours is so much better to boot! Consider us more for everyday value priced beef for you and your family!

We are out of stock on SIRLOIN, PORTERHOUSE, T-BONE AND RIB-EYES/DELMONICO. However we do have Strip steaks if you desire a loin steak suitable for grilling!

Most sorry to deliver this news, please accept our apologies for the stock outage!

Peace and good eating to you!
Dave

What a winter!

2011-02-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

Now, this is a real winter!! Snow galore, cold and more! From this farmer's viewpoint, not an altogether bad thing! Too many of the previous springs have we had too little sub-soil moisture to get the grass up and rockin' and we've had to deal with way too many pests that ordinarily get knocked back by a good cold winter. We've had to pick ticks off the dogs in February and deal with red flag fire warnings in April too many years! Of course the downsides are all too obvious- life is harder when we spent our precious little time in traffic and endlessly moving snow, fearing for our structures, but with all things considered I'll take this over some years in the past!

Has anyone NOT noticed inflation in many of our purchasing venues? Fuel, food, durable goods, services? The stock market is up, and so is Brent crude as it heads up toward triple digit territory again! Instability in those areas of the world where we get a lot of our energy and with some terrible conflicts of interest, too! We promote democratic ideals, but have to support autocracies that further our interests in countering terrorism in a volatile region of the planet. In essence, we don't like what we see over there but cannot rest so staunchly on principles so we have to hold our noses and do business with corrupt, abusive entities anyway! Very tough corner to be backed into....

A caboose to this train of thought? We'd better get our collective will and wits about us to become more self sufficient in some vital areas such as energy, food, fiber and many durable goods. Personal responsibility and political will are needed in heavy dollops..........from very simple things such as energy conservation all the way up to activism in D.C. and at the ballot box. What will we do? Starting simply......

Reduce our energy use and rely more on our locally sourced biodiesel. Finish our solar collector projects to heat water. Simplify operations to use less oil and iron, and get more active politically to level the playing field for local business, agriculture, education and health. What will you do?

We have no where to go but up........

Here's to a healthy 2011! Peace!
Dave

Farewell to a good bud!

2011-01-14T06:55:00.000-08:00

The continuum of life swirls all around us......births, celebrations and the necessary difficult good-byes. My trusty, great all-around horse Cavan left us Thursday January 13, 2011. He was a smallish Trakaener cross horse, barely 1000 lbs but tough and strong as nails and was arguably the best horse I had the privilege to work with. Put a beginner astride him......no problem, safe and kind. Many youngsters got their start into the equestrian arts with him. Field work- no problem! Supremely "forward" and attentive, straight as an arrow and snappy, too! No need for the driving lines- he knew the routine. Get to the end of the row "gee" over two rows and do it again back to the next headland.
Cavan was already 20 when he came to us 11 years ago, from a riding academy in Willington, CT- Woodcock Hill, very close to where my wife and I went to college (University of CT), but aside from some stiff hocks, he had gumption enough to go strong another 11 years! There are countless students from Woodcock Hill who remember him well- ears back attitude, kind of grumpy. He turned out to be an honest mush for a good bum-scratch and absolutely loved his 24/7 turn out on our many pastures that also see our chickens and cattle in rotation. Life afterall was pretty laid back here for the horses. Sure they got used and worked, but had (and still have) the very best that we can provide and they certainly had way more down time than work time.
We raise a toast to his memory and celebrate some foal just born somewhere to replace him in this world.
Remember that life is short...too short.....live it well and give thanks to all you meet and truly cherish those in your life now. You never know what tomorrow holds!
Three cheers for Cavan!

End Of The Year Musings

2010-12-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

Wow, here we go AGAIN....turning the page on ANOTHER year! And what a year, or two for that matter! From a farm/business and personal standpoint, I am amazed to see the things that have passed us by. The sub-prime mortgage debacle, BIG bank closures, high unemployment and for some reason I am always drawn to the ever widening class gap. Did you know that a quarter of the top 400 "richest" people are in the financial services sector? Did you know that in 1982, that number was closer to 1/8? Hmmmm. Your bank as well as mine is not just a bank, but an investment house, too. Lending into the community is at a standstill because you will not get as rich from your neighbor as you will by taking your deposits and rolling the dice in a game of fancy derivatives! Now, this dumb farmer is connecting the dots. I've been uneasy about taking charge cards for the business and now I can put my finger on it!! What true value will that bank who services it add to my bottom line? The answer comes in negative terms; their hands are in my pocket!! Monthly fees, swipe fees, terminal rental fees.....etc. Who puts out the hard dough, rolls up the sleeves and does the real pulling in the economy? Those true working, innovating folks aren't as rewarded as they once were. Working toward the American Dream? Work hard, get ahead........not so fast! We do need banks, yes......don't get me wrong, but these days the banks are investing outside the community to chase higher profits. Local business, innovation and community health suffers as a result. Big time!

Ok, ok- so what's my point? Take a moment to ponder where your money goes in a monthly budget. Who gets paid, and what happens to that money? Is it worth it? Who's adding true value to your life and to the American dream?

We won't take charge cards and we work with banks that take a real and personal stake in our business and our community and country. It is hard to ferret the facts out, but alternatives exist! Starry eyed over that super low advertised mortgage rate? Read the fine print! Do you have a mortgage? Who owns it? Who are you working for? When the chips are down, will they listen to you?

We work hard toward a simple principle; do it right, work hard, work smart and make damn sure whatever you do nourishes your soul, your family, your community!

Best wishes to all for a super 2011! We'll be there!
Dave

Chicken is here!

2010-10-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

Hurray! Our long list of patient customers who ordered chicken are getting their orders filled, at long last! Are we ever thankful for your patience!

We are extremely pleased with our new hatchery that delivers us healthy, live chicks (Mount Healthy Hatchery) and to our new processor, Westminster Meats of VT! We can toot our horn here by now offering a full interstate trade legal USDA inspected product to all of our customers. No more reservations and deposits for both farmer and customer to keep track of. Chicken is now a standard stock item along with our USDA inspected beef. What we trade for this simplicity, will be swapped for some marketing "soothsaying". How many birds should we be growing, what will the demand be, will we have scores of new customers? If you are either a new or returning customer, you could help us by giving us some guidance as to how much you might want in 2011. We went through growing pains with our beef business; we've expanded production and our land base several times....from 20 acres and 4 animals to over 24 animals and over 150 acres, with all the necessary investments to make it all work. In our early years, we turned away many customers due to low stock. We are hoping to advance the curve by getting some insight on the poultry market so no one goes away empty handed.

The market season is winding down, and the farmer is getting some respite from the frantic pace of farming and markets and buying clubs! We will go into our shop this winter to fix the fleet of aging iron and we'll go into our office and do market research, customer outreach and planning for 2011. What did you like, or not like in 2010? Let us know!

We are looking forward to 2011 already!

Thank you for your business and support!
Dave

You deserve more explanation!

2010-08-28T04:59:00.000-07:00

Our last newsletter has brought out some comments that have prompted me to write further on our poultry pricing and our slower response times to customers. We got lots of letters in support of our price increase (thank you!) and some alerting us to some frustrations (thank you for the honesty!) . First, I was able to keep up with upwards of 20 customer e-mails per day and now that isn't possible. With more customers and more plates spinning on the farm (and life in general) and a decidedly slower farmer, it is becoming really hard to keep up with everyone and everything. I set up one heck of a precedent! You can help us now by remaining patient and giving us time to meet your needs. We may need a new software package to help us deal better with what is turning out to be a larger retail business. Or, a combination of things to help you stay in better touch with us. So far, we don't have a dedicated person to help in the "office"- the farmer is it. We have great help, but we cannot afford it all the time- but we could REALLY use the help all year 'round! The farmer is the animal tender, mechanic, carpenter, father, husband and........you get the picture. Boy could I run.....all day and halfway into the night....every day......before this summer. Not now. New game plan. Now!
The price increase on our poultry brought lots of questions. What is going on there? Where's my chicken? Why a price increase halfway through the season? We got shipment after shipment with upwards of a 100 dead chicks. Talk about a horror upon horror to open up boxes of dead chicks! Our hatchery said "well that happens", really no big deal..to them! They are now our ex-hatchery! Our many small lots had to have separate housing and we weren't ready for so many multiple lots of birds. We stretched ourselves pretty thin. And we fell short on the first part of the season's orders. And then there is the big issue of processing. Many governmental agencies came around to the region's poultry processors with heightened regulations- aka spend more money to stay permitted. The costs to use a permitted custom processor is now nearly the same as going to a new USDA plant in VT. With our "old" system, we were not allowed to sell out of state or from our freezers to a walk-in clientele. This partly explains our deposit system. This is the essence of the custom processing, USDA exempt rule. The legislature in VT told both the USDA and their own agencies to make it possible to have farmers sell their poultry direct to any customer, and they put up the money to help make it so. Wow! Now, in 2010, New England has a fully licensed USDA facility for poultry. This is a very big deal for the region and for small scale farmers who wish to retail more of their farm's products. There have been similar pushes in MA to have this done, but our legislature and agencies have been far from helpful. Voices from a small population does not get things done a lot of the time. VT's commitment to their farmers came from the very top- and many good things happened! The price to process in VT is virtually the same as for a MA exempt custom processor. The USDA stamp helps us open our marketing options and offers us more service. We absorbed the extra processing fees this summer, but with finances already pretty thin on a farm, we have to become frank with you and ask you to help us. We understand if the price is now just too much. We have to be ruthless and objective when an enterprise is losing money. The recession and realities of business and life may bring in more changes for us. No doubt that we are in the best of times, and the worst of times!
We have a new lot of beef to offer which is among our finest for flavor and tenderness! Our beef animals had excellent pasture from very early on in the spring, and it shows!
Thank you!!

Egg Recalls and California Chickens

2010-08-19T03:28:00.000-07:00

Well, here we go again, another food recall...this time a vast mountain of salmonella tainted eggs.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703908704575433881581660408.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_4

LOTS of eggs being recalled........which brings to mind that a short explanation is indicated for our friends and customers.

ALL eggs can potentially carry these pathogens. Free range eggs are not exempt from this issue. However, when hens can have lots of room and fresh pastures to roam in, then the chances that their eggs come into contact with fecal material is much less. So, free range eggs from flocks that are properly managed should have a much lower rate of contamination. When we collect eggs, we discard all stained and contaminated eggs right away- they never enter an egg box. And, we use a sanitizing egg wash solution to further knock down any bacteria that do wind up on the shell (that can then migrate into the egg). Also, due to the anatomy of a chicken, with the reproductive and digestive tracts sharing a common opening, there is always some risk involved that even hens from a pristine environment can impart contamination. We strive to drastically minimize the risks for you, but personal responsibility always reigns supreme. Discard cracked eggs and buy from a reputable source. Thoroughly cook egg dishes. Keep raw eggs refrigerated.

California wishes to redefine how eggs are sold and produced in the land of mega farms. This is a good thing- perhaps a beacon to the future? We hope so! As much as we wish all food were produced on a scale that brings back local production, we fear that it may not be realized in our life-time. Too many people really don't care that much, and with economies of scale, much of our food will remain very cheap. We see Wal-Marts springing up in droves (and in many cases on old farmsteads)...not small farms! Reality 101.

We do care and we really appreciate those who care enough to vote with their wallets and time!

Thank you!

A Follow-up/Article of Interest

2010-08-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, two posts so far in summer! What's up with that? Well, in today's NYT (8/1/2010) there was an article showcasing an iconic feature of our region's agriculture that has thrown in the proverbial towel- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/opinion/01sun2.html?th&emc=th

This article has touched something rather sensitive and VERY telling to me.......

The Tuttle Farm of Dover, NH- a vibrant farm that I considered emblematic and inspirational, as an example of a successful family farm, is calling it quits. They've been in existence since 1632. Yes, you read that right- over 300 years ago! I have studied farms like the Tuttle's that have persisted over the generations and was looking to see how they did it. A common thread is direct marketing with a diverse product base. Most to all the farms I studied (that still stand today) have done this. And now, the model is not as rock solid as I once thought. One can burn out, drain the coffers and for a sobering kick to the head, not come up with an option to move forward. Game over, no more options.......Argh......

Why my treatise on this subject? It strikes a note that strums through my head lately. You can't run like you used to.....and no matter how hard you work, you cannot make enough money to support a year-round payroll to get the help to keep the ferris wheel turning.

Other parallels come to mind that have strong correlations to our collective pickle. I run our town's food bank and we routinely distribute food from the USDA to our needy. OUR USDA and our tax money. Canned fruit from China. Dried pasta from Egypt. Canned veggies from South America. I'm not sure where the meat comes from as food labeling laws don't require country of origin to be posted. Currency devaluation, budget woes....Hmmm....A multi-generation, "older than dirt" business and farm in NH goes under and Chinese peaches are feeding our people.

The Tuttle's decision to quit is due to overwhelming forces. Fiscal, monetary, economic and social forces are pushing VERY hard now. We feel them, too. Boy, do we feel them!

Stay tuned to learn how we are going to deal with these forces...........

Change is something we can all count on regardless of the times.......count on that!

Some Notables To Note....

2010-07-12T05:40:00.000-07:00

Ah, farming in an ever changing world......touched by so many elements that can both help us, or.....hinder us. Some more wild hot weather, a weak economy, regulations and labor issues topped by a hobbled farmer made for a very INTERESTING season here!

A hot, dry spring and summer have doled out some stresses to every animal here. So, we must attend to their need for comfort and shade and more water. NOW. We apologize if we've been hard to contact or receive information back from us. The plus, awesome haymaking weather! We're packing it all away for our long, cold winters. At least what we can get, as yields are way down due to the lack of water. That is farming!

We have great help this year! A weak economy has expanded the pool of available help. Also, the weak economy has also affected our sales, so we must watch our cash flow more closely. Boy, would we love to reward our help with more hours and raises to help our young adult workers and the wider economy...but we must remain cautious so we don't let our cup run low!

The Obama administration has issued a mandate to tighten up our food safety systems. That means the small exempt processors have had to make major upgrades and updates to remain permitted. While all processors large and small are affected to varying degrees, the "smalls" seem to be more affected. That means folks like us. But who would argue that safer is always better? Pro-active is good. We really bristle at the attitudes of regulators that feel part of their job is to NOT help those who are trying. We could go on and on.....but won't now....We do applaud the State of Vermont legislature that WANTS to help farmers. Talk about a change of attitude from the top! Vermont wishes to make local food safe and widely available and seeks to spread about honey to get everyone involved and on board to pull in the same direction. Wow!

This farmer has been on an odyssey to work through some health issues this winter through early summer. Most frustrating and enlightening both. How? Working with our health care system and taking charge to get the many elements that do work to work together for the ultimate outcome....a healthy individual. Let it be said from the heart......you must take charge and control of your own health (or finances, or whatever it is!). There are great people and systems out there, but they are mired in paper and dead-end phone trees (among other things!). Your own research and energy has to go into the system! Talk about happens when a phone call goes un-returned and the farmer shows up in your office and won't vacate the front seat! The farmer is feeling much better these days and is getting back up to speed. Lets all keep our eye on the ball! We affect others and are affected by others.
With sincerest wishes for good health to all!
Dave

LOTS of Changes coming in 2010!

2010-03-01T08:46:00.000-08:00

We've been reasonably happy with how the events of the meat recall at Adams this winter. For those who have purchased from us recently, we now have lot numbers on every package of beef we sell. And, the this recent lot was tested and found clean of pathogenic E. coli. Phew.....we squacked and squeeked and something different has been done....hurray! We are not complacent, though. We hope that enhanced testing will continue at Adams Farm.

Our planning for 2010 has many new projects in the pipeline. First, we are not going to sell at the Barre Farmers' Market this year. Whoa...why you may ask? Well, as our business grows and we need to be ever careful on how and where we spend our time, a harsh reality broke over us. The Barre Market is a great venue for getting out with our friends, neighbors and colleagues, but it creates a business sink. We really did very little business there...and have done so for years. And since my wife works off the farm Monday-Friday, I'm loathed to have to spend over half a day away of the only two she has off with me. Don't despair, we will look to address the issue of local access by setting up a day and time that we'll be at the farm to meet your needs. We will let you know and we will also advertise as well. I could use your input on days and times for our open farm sales day in the summer and fall of '10.

On the production side of farming for an ever widening marketplace, we've been confronting two "ghosts in the closet". We've been loading up our home farm with a wide range of critters from cattle of various ages and sizes to an ever burgeoning flock of layers and broilers. The first ghost is that we're getting close to the carrying capacity of our farm and are on the lookout for more land to rent. In the meantime, we are working with a retired dairy farmer who is converting his crop base to grass only (away from corn) to help us with a supply of young stock and properly finished beef according to our specifications. This is a HUGE leap for us, a bit scary too, as we need to think about so many more things now. We built our reputation on transparency and quality based on sound environmental, financial and animal welfare tenets that we also need to reflect on the facts that we cannot do it all. And we need to use our time to make darn sure things are done right. So we swap a manager's cap for our farmer's cap from time to time.

The second ghost is about us having so many animals on the farm...and what they leave behind. We've got our animals in moveable loafing sheds and the pack they leave behind is manageable when we have a modest sized herd. When we need to clean up, we move the shed and scoop up the barn yard gold and get it our to our hay fields and grazing land (in the off season). Its manageable for a modest sized herd.....

For a herd size that we now have, we need a different system. We need an easier system for the farmer and we want to make sure we capture as much of those nutrients as possible to get them back on the land. We are planning for a small composting facility to help us better safeguard water quality and minimize fertilizer needs.

No small endeavor........nor cheap....but necessary. We "gotta walk the walk" not just "talk the talk" so to speak.

For these reasons, we need to adjust our prices from time to time to reflect the realities we are faced with. We qualify for virtually no USDA price support programs, so we are pushed into self-financing any and all improvements, and at our small size, our costs do fluctuate. We feel that the prices we charge are a true reflection of what it truly costs to bring our products to you.

We're working every angle as hard as we can to do things cleanly, effectively and as affordably as possible.

Cheers...spring is here!
Dave

Tonic of Time...and Reflection....

2010-01-20T04:54:00.000-08:00

Now that nearly a week has passed since my near coronary regarding the recall at Adam's Farm, more information has been garnered....and some solid opinions are forming.
First, the very potential for a recall seems a little closer to home. Not only are we not in a vacuum, but the processing of our beef is controlled by others and comes in contact with other farms and individuals. We've been cruising along growing grass, managing animals, developing customer networks and dealing with the bumps along the way. Chugging along as one might say. In the past, we've not thought deeply enough that we may need to call on our customers to announce "there's a potential problem...we need to recall the beef we sold you"!
Secondly, there seems to be more risk, or at least awareness of, that there are more pathogenic bacteria in our world and in our food as well. Be it in our raw fruits and vegetables or our meat. Headline news and solid science supports this observation. By recent USDA accounts, 28% of all the beef carcasses in the USA carry detectable amounts of pathogenic E. coli. While our meat processing industry does not look like a contemporary counterpart to Upton Sinclair's account of the early 20th century meat packing industry, we do need a dose of reality that meat processing is not and cannot easily be made into an aseptic process. Could we do better? YES! How? There lies the challenge! Not only did a consumer blatantly disregard any and all reasonable meat handling practices, then to have subsequent testing on the the plant and the other farm's products come clean, only to have my pleas for tightened testing fall on deaf ears. "See, the system worked, we're clean, the USDA and Adams did their jobs"!
Thirdly, we're back to thinking more deeply about how we can tighten up our farm to keep safe, clean, transparent and accountable. Not that we lost sight of this, but since we are not at an industrial scale that seems to promote the proliferation of pathogenic E. coli, we tended to rest on some laurels. We thought since we use a processor that does not deal with such industrially produced animals and is just another small-time business trying to fill a need and do it well and cleanly, we should be pretty safe. Well, it seems pathogenic E. coli appears to be around these parts- in central New England. In an unemotional, coldly scientific analysis, the large amount of food that got processed and how many people ate it and did not get sick might suggest something about the processes involved. Something is working....though emotionally, we NEVER want to be in a situation where we slam the doors shut after the horses escape! So, observe, test, change, act.....never rest on your laurels!
So, we've insisted on lot numbering on our product so we can deal decisively if a recall should haunt our doorstep. This will start on our next lot. We've asked to meet with the USDA to learn about their testing and sanitation regulations. We may visit new ways to bring in independent testing. This is expensive, but maybe a cooperative system to share the costs could be started? When we lose control at such a critical step and hand off our animals to someone else, we need new lenses in our glasses!
Since it is a safe assessment to contend that we live in a world populated with very adaptable bacteria, please handle all of your food with an extra dose of care! Wash those fruits and veggies, properly defrost and cook that meat and properly handle all leftovers. Can you hear your mother in the background.....?

Warning Shot Over The Bow....Recall at Adams Farm

2010-01-18T12:53:00.002-08:00

Hello! What a day we've had when a customer calls us to inform us that our beef processor has been involved in a beef recall. An amazing tribute to those who are paying VERY close attention to developments in the spheres of food safety. A well deserved hats-off!

Our beef is processed by Adam's Farm of Athol, MA and they were just involved in a beef recall that affected over 2,000 lb of beef from local farms in our area. The link is here: http://www.telegram.com/article/20100113/NEWS/1130377

The official recall is here: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_002_2010_Release/index.asp

While our beef is not involved in this recall, a shot of panic shot through my very being as the beef we are selling was processed the day after the beef in question was processed. After a healthy dose of expletives and OMGS, I regained some of my composure and called several key people. Among them my wife, a research biologist who is in the midst of some of the best minds in biology (and is one of them!), to help me gather data, information and yes....my composure. And a call to Adam's Farm.

The recall is a result of a consumer falling ill from consuming pathogenic E.coli, from ground beef from a farm that had its beef processed at Adam's Farm on November 11, 2009. Since Adams Farm processed beef from 3 farms that day, all beef processed that day was recalled as a precaution. I learned by the end of today that the testing results from the other two farms' products were complete and no pathogenic E.coli was found. A single source was identified and no detectable cross contamination (by USDA protocols) was found.

It was reported to me later that the consumer who fell ill consumed the ground beef raw as tar-tar AFTER having left the beef out at room temperature for 24 hrs. My microbiologists, on honorary retainer, say that this makes for incredible bacterial multiplication......or should we say- exponential (super size me !) growth!

However, now that the cat is out of the bag, I am asking Adams and the USDA just how often testing occurs, as by USDA accounts, testing is characterized as "random-though-frequent enough to catch potential problems". I have a very hard time with this assertion since a month has passed since the contamination event occurred. As of today, I'm not sure if there was testing conducted during the processing session of November 12, 2009. I am awaiting confirmation. I am convinced that the facility undergoes extensive cleaning and sanitizing at the end of each day, so there should have been no cross contamination from the processing session of November 11, 2009 to our processing session on November 12, 2009.

The official guidelines for testing are here:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_002_2010_Release/index.asp

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Frame/FrameRedirect.asp?main=http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/background/mircrotest.htm

http://origin-www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/Ecoli_Raw_Beef_Testing_Data_YTD/index.asp

I've also looked into independent testing of our own beef, and what I found was a very expensive routine to sample, transport (for chain of custody integrity) and then testing.

Should we be doing more testing ? Can we bear the weight of independent 100% testing for our own beef ? Can we gain enough confidence from the current USDA practices ? We've chosen our processors on the basis of cleanliness and demonstration of capability and transparency. We are also at the mercy (or benefit?) of the agencies charged with assuring safety and wholesomeness.

Why do we bring this to your attention? It is of high concern to us and we expect it to be of concern to you. We are now on the trail of discovery to learn in greater detail how things get tested in USDA-inspected facilities. Maybe we can promote changes.....certainly become a squeaky wheel !

Warning Shot Over The Bow....Recall at Adams Farm

2010-01-18T12:53:00.001-08:00

Industrial Food and Unintended Consequences

2010-01-10T11:24:00.000-08:00

Hello all ! Long time.....no post, and some fun things have been rolling across the big screens and the big press lately! If you've not seen Food, Inc. and you are interested in getting a feel for how industrial food is produced- then you should see it! For those who already know some of this big story, we have a new twist to add to the subject- a New York Times expose on ammoniated ground beef http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/us/31meat.html

Ammonia treated ground beef is coming under scrutiny as are the very agencies that oversee the safety and wholesomeness of the food we eat. One has to wonder, what will we learn next ??

Give it some thought whenever you eat out, or your children eat lunches prepared at school, or you shop through the aisles of the market. Whatever your take- be it a triumph of technology to be able to produce sheer mountains of food so cheaply, or an abomination to the very nature of what helps define us- what we eat.

No, I'm not advocating a wholesale rebuttal to large scale agriculture, but I do urge you constantly ask......."WHY?"

Why so cheap ? Why the other ingredients ? Why are the regulations written so ? Who is in charge ? A big part of the ANSWER is YOU...with your food dollars. VERY powerful ! Give it some thought ! Shunt a portion of your food dollars to.........
You fill in the blank !
Thank you and be well !
Dave

Food, Security and Responsibility

2008-10-22T03:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, what times we live in now! With an eye on the daily economic and political events, it is easy to feel somewhat awed...even humbled. How will all these events affect me, my family, my country...the world? How can I or the collective "we" make any sense of these events ? How can we affect (or effect) the outcome ? Easy for a simple farmer to say, but take charge of those things you have control of.....gain a greater sense of personal responsibility. How? Educate yourself on the issues that are important to you and get out and vote.....learn about the candidates and the issues. Also, become a prudent and responsible consumer of goods and services. The health of our economy and the course set by politics indisputably affect our lives, so.....become more informed and active NOW.
Thankfully our farm is not weighed down in a lot of debt. We never thought it was a good idea to bow in to the recent frenzy of taking easy money and possibly having to liquify the farm's assets to make good on those debts should we falter. We critically assess our every need and then quantify the risk should we go out on a limb...for every investment. The USDA, the Fed, Treasury or IMF won't bail us out! Thankfully we have such institutions that have a chance to avert a meltdown- if used properly, that is.
Nine meals from a revolution someone once said.......food security is pretty darned important!
What will you do? Thanks for reading!
Farmer Dave

PLEASE E-MAIL US!

2008-09-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Caledonia Farm is experiencing some technical difficulties. Our farm computer just went to to the fix-it shop, and we may have lost some e-mail addresses.

Please e-mail us at caledoniafarm(at) charter.net so we have your information. We don't want any of you to miss out on the exciting new developments at Caledonia farm!

Thank you, and hopefully we will be technologically sound again very soon.

--Caledonia Farm

A Treatise on Pricing & Costs

2008-06-19T05:15:00.000-07:00

Why the winter scene ? We're in the thick of readying ourselves for the inevitable onslaught of cold, snow and NO GRASS. During these busy times of haying and putting up grass silage, we're getting hammered by high costs and we've been fielding quite a few questions on how we are managing our costs with the recent spike in prices throughout the economy. For those who are repeat and loyal customers, you noticed our latest price increase, and many thankfully nodded that it was necessary in today's business climate. Others have asked "Aren't pasture based farms supposed to be more efficient, less energy consuming, cheaper ?" The answer is a double edged sword. First, energy is in everything we do. From the fuel to transport our animals and to moving our products as well as day to day operations on the farm, this all takes energy. We can ply some draft horse power to help in some areas, but in others, we're at the mercy of the energy markets. Diesel fuel, a keystone energy source, is now $5/gallon. Electricity to power freezers and water pumps is now $0.15/KwH. Secondly, add to the mix that we are still investing very heavily in the farm's infrastucture of fencing and equipment updates. Many of these investments are quite sizable, and almost economically ruinous if we do too much to embark on because of the shear magnitude of the outlay in money. We harvest surplus grass as baled grass silage and hay to then use in winter or during summer slumps in pasture quality. This takes about $100K worth of machinery. Fencing ? The material is steel....which has doubled in price. Land ? We need 5 acres per mouth to produce beef, about 3 acres to produce your chicken. We are still competing with development. If we are to continue and be able to offer abundant, healthy and clean food, our prices will reflect this reality and the need to stay economically sound. The financial strain is also great since we don't qualify for ANY subsidies. Agricultural infrastructure in New England took a battering in the last half century. Decayed farms, disintegrated fencing, tired and overgrown fields, if you can find them. Now more than ever, we need the continued support of our customers and supporters ! Thank you !

Gearing Up For Broilers !!

2008-03-21T04:08:00.000-07:00

The not-so-spring like temperatures are not a deterrent to our spring planning for pastures, grazing and our ever popular broilers ! For the many people clamoring for our beef, we're very sorry if we've had to delay serving you, but never fear, there is a product that we can supply on short notice- the heart-healthy, low fat and efficient chicken ! While beef can take up to 27 months to produce from conception to processing (and take up to 5 acres of prime grass-land per mouth per year !), we can grow a broiler from a 2 oz. chick to a 6 pound broiler in as little as 7 weeks. For our Boston area based customers, we can allow entry into our Boston Area Buying Club when you order broilers. A refundable $2 deposit per bird reserves your custom reared whole broiler, weighing between 5 and 7 1/2 pounds with giblets. We expect delivery of the first lot in late June, therefore we will need your commitment by early April. We will close reservations in early August for the last lot due the end of October. Contact us if this interests you and we'll get you more details! Thanks you for your continuing support of local, sustainable and clean grass based agriculture !

Outlook For 2008

2008-03-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

We have secured the lease of another farm for grazing land ! We're now up to managing 4 farms. Our beef herd is expanding, as are the needs for high quality and convenient grassland. We scored at least on the first count, the glitch for the second is that the new farm is nearly 10 miles away. Also, the fencing and other infrastructure is very old and virtually non-existent. Welcome to reviving an industry and infrastructure that our society worked very hard to run out of town! There is frightfully little farm land left around here now ! We've also secured two very local producers to help us out with with supplying high quality, clean, grass fed only youngstock. The vast majority of producers who are left standing now (which is very small indeed) still use confinement methods and lots of starchy corn, so I'm happy to help further support our style of production. We're building a wave of product to come your way, but it takes 27 months from conception to processing to realize the prize of our efforts. Another appeal for patience is in order ! How can you participate if there isn't enough beef to go around you ask ? If they cannot eat beef, let them eat chicken ! A deposit can secure your 5-7 lb whole broiler for delivery by July 1. Raised in spacious open runs that we move often, we can turn around a freshly hatched 2 oz. chick to a table ready low fat, high quality tasty meat in as little as 7 weeks. A comfortable low stress natural life equates into a truly nurturing food source for us all ! Give pastured chicken a try ! I have to admit that the vast amount of resources that we need to devote to beef production gives me reason to pause and ponder if we shouldn't eat more whole foods including fruits and vegetables as well as the dramatically more efficient chicken, sheep or pig for our protein. We do love beef, and grass fed is best if you do eat beef, maybe we need to learn to eat less of it (at least as a society). Hmmmm...

There's a run on the farm !

2007-11-29T04:50:00.000-08:00

It pains us GREATLY that we are nearly out of inventory. For anyone in business, the prospect of customers lining up out the door and with virtually nothing on the shelves to offer is a true crisis indeed ! Our buying clubs and visitors to the farm will need to wait until this winter when we process more beef. For our poultry customers, late June 2008 will bring a steady stream of our extremely popular and acclaimed pastured poultry. A new flock of layers will be producing those lovely orange yolked prizes early next summer. We have more calves in the queue that will need a year and half to make beef. The theme.......food production still takes time, as animals need time to grow, and a great deal of time and labor goes into our style of farming. The results speak for themselves, but patience is really a virtue now. Our busy, electronically tethered lives are in stark contrast to this axiomatic reality of life and food. My apologies for the stock outage, we're "scrappin'" to fight back with an intelligent expansion plan and with novel strategies to get us there as quickly as possible. The bottom line is you, our customer. Without you, we cannot do our work, and we thank you for your patience and support. We also have a request; hang in there...we need your continued support to help us bring our farm to a higher level of productivity and efficiency. Thanks !!

Winter is NOT down time on the farm !

2007-11-26T05:12:00.000-08:00

Forget the traditional mental picture of a New England farm in the off-season. It doesn't apply here, at least not just below the surface. Sure, the gardens are put to bed, the machinery is tucked away and the grazing critters are back at the home farm eating the summer's bounty of hay. BUT, with sales zooming and inventory depleted, this farmer is wrestling with how to meet the needs of so many concerned people. I'm honored to be able to "show and tell" how we produce clean and safe food. The mental ruminations of this farmer will not let him rest ! In a nutshell; how can we expand without 1- breaking the bank, 2- depleting our farm's natural resources and 3- killing the solo farmer and find the help to get us there.....

Enter plan "1" for expanded broilers in 2008. A homemade bulk feed bin atop a haywagon will replace our bagged feed purchases. Another hoop house on runners and more electric netting for two concurrent lots. Better feeders and waterers to allow me to move the birds more easily. Envision a "pod" system of moving houses, feeders, waterers and feed bin. Make it better, easier, faster. No, not mega-farm infrastructure and machinery- same sunshine, fresh air, green grass, spacious living for our gallian friends. New found help with time savings.
Enter plan"2" for beef. Several new calves have made a sporty, cozy new home made out of wire panels on skids covered by a double layer of tarp. Cheap, effective housing. 10 degrees outside with 30 mph winds two days ago- REALLY cozy inside with napping calves. I'm happy with this.......saved precious money by going extreme practical.
Enter plan"3" for making room for grazing animals. Fencing! We bought this farm 10 years ago with dilapidated buildings and nearly non-existent fencing. Argh.....cattle out grazing the neighbor's petunias. Damn near threw in the towel then....overwhelmed to say the least. A new reinforced paddock "Fort Knox" is up and plans to fence in the back 40 (literally about 40 acres !). This is going to be a challenge for sure ! Money, time and need for help ! I'll be scrounging for salvage materials for corner braces and Bruce Cheney and his entire network will work for food ! Any other takers for good 'ol bartering ? Fun, good work and good people, who could ask for more ?