Please note

This blog is primarily to let Farm members know what is happening here at the farm and other information that I feel is fun, useful, or pertinent. I am glad that other people find the information useful, and comments are encouraged. However, Following will only be allowed for members or those people that email and ask permission to do so. All comments are moderated and no improper comments will be posted. You are free to disagree with my positions but you must do so in an appropriate manner. That being said, enjoy this blog and come visit the farm on a Saturday morning. You can interact with the farm animals and farm members can pick up their orders on that day. Pick-up can also be arranged for other days but please remember that this is a working farm and we cannot always accommodate your schedule. Beef share pick up is this Sat 9-1, lamb and Pork shares next week. Get your chicken orders in for June as the May harvest is sold out unless you want to harvest your own. See you soon!
Meg

Happy Easter!

We are at the Farmers Market Today 9-1 Homespun Gifts has Bacon Chili Brittle today. Amazing Stuff! We have beef lamb and Chickens. Angela is here with her beautiful flowers. Tony has the first Zucchini of the season. Stop in for your last minute holiday needs!
Meg

Happy Holidays!

Have a great Easter everyone! We are actually going to take half a day and go to Church and then to have brunch at THE LANDING ZONE. Jim puts out a great spread and his BBQ is TO DIE FOR! The Fried Pies are Crazy Good to.
Everyone has their orders for tomorrow and a little rest will be nice. All the pups went out wit the sheep this morning and I took some good pictures of them with the girls. I will post them on Facebook for anyone that wants to see them.
 Pork Pick up is next Saturday along with CSA and Pantry Pick up.
The Bottle lamb is going to visit a Nursing home this afternoon and we may let Ping tag along. It just isn't the same without Charm to go with us. I know it's silly but I still miss her almost a year later. She was my travelling buddy for 18 years! (Tweed said to say thanks for the treats AMY. The Duck Jerky was DEEElicious!) And Allen I LOVE LOVE LOVE the new crook! Thank you for making it for me, the balance is perfect and the the scrimshaw work you did is beautiful.
Meg

For the Holiday

Dont' forget! Orders have to be in by this evening for pick up Thursday or Sunday. Regular share pickup is Sat 9-1.
Yesterday J helped harvest a lamb for some folks down south. Ask to see the pictures at Pick up! The road trip has been put off until tomorrow and there is room for 2 in the truck. We're going to stop at the OK Corral on our way back and pester Doug for a bit. Ostrich Eggs will b available for those who want them. $15 each. Remember these eggs are the same as cooking 2 dozen large chicken eggs. I will never forget my nephew Anthony's face the first time he saw one. Are they from a Dinosaur? Almost!
Meg

For Tomorrow

Remember that tomorrow at the market is Easter Order Day! Place your order tomorrow and pick up Fresh Lamb and Turkey, Flash Frozen Roasts and Hams on Thursday. Paul is going to let us use his patio at the Java Cafe for pick up. Order forms will be at the Murrieta Farmers Market Tomorrow. All orders are pre-pay and Members, dont' forget to put "myEgg" on your order form for your Easter surprize! We are hauling lambs up to the high desert on Tuesday for Custom Harvest and there is room in the truck for 3 people to come along. I will also be dropping off a small flock to a friend for weed abatement and she makes the best peach tea ever! Dont forgrt the Grazing Class in May! $15.00 per person to cover lunch and refreshments.
Meg

Hoof Trimming

Nicole is here today to trim the Boer Billy's hooves. He grows a lot of hoof and has to be trimmed regularly just like a horse. Our Ground isn't hard enough to keep his Nebraska Born fee worn down. The 3 Does do just fine. Leave it to Bill E. Goat to need the extra attention. He's geting a bath and beard trim too! Billy's STINK unless you stay right on top of their hygeine. He is a former show Buck so likes the attention. We will have Chevon available in about 90 days and 2 of his kids will be going on the show circuit this fall.
Shadow the bottle lamb is off the bottle now and eating like a big boy. He will join the other farm lambs (or they will join him?) as their mothers wean them. He is next to the big sheep so they all know him and won't hurt him at integration time. He still follows J around like a puppy and loves the attention from visitors. his big bother Oliver spent last weekend ant th fair at Diamond Valley Lake working as a 'Farm Ambassador'. Jaimie had sheep, goats, steers, poultry and cavies in the livestock area showcasing what the "Youth in Agriculture" are doing in the community.
Herman is setting tour dates for the Dairy so anyone that wants to go let me know and we will set something up. Next week 6+ lambs are going up the hill for custom harvest if anyone wants to tag along. Another bunch wil be dropped of for abatement work so two phases of our operation can be seen in one trip.
Meg

No USDA Mobile Slaughter In Our Area

I've gotten several odd calls in the last few weeks so I thought that I would answer the questions here. The most repeated question was Do you have on site USDA Harvest? The answer is NO. There is no Mobile USDA Slaughter plant that comes any furter south than the Central Valley. We have to haul our steers to Pico Rivera for Harvest. Lambs go to Dixon and Pork is raised on our sister farm except for exempt hogs. Its just too far to haul a pig for harvest. Long trailer and Lairage times cause undue stress on the animal and they can even die in transit if they get too upset. Heritage Breed are especially delicate when it comes to transporting and shouldn't be subjected to long hauls if at all possible. Another question was,
 "What Heritage Breeds do you raise?" Belted Galloway cattle, Tunis and Khatadin Sheep, Kiku Goats, Jersey Giant, Buff Orpington, and Wyandotte Chickens, Mulefoot, Glochestershire Old Spot, and Red Wattle Hogs, and Standard Bronze Turkeys. I giggle when I see people list cross bred pigs as HERITAGE BREEDS. Ummm, They have to be a recognized breed, not a cross. Same for any animal. Cross breds don't count. Now Cross breeding is good for improving vigor and sometimes improves grass conversion in the case of ruminants but its no longer a breed. Do some research in to what breeds are recognized in this country, some heritage breeds never made it across the pond.
Another question was "How come your beef is marbled if it is grass fed and finished?" the operative word here is FINISH. It takes up to a year longer to get grass fed beef to finish. They need to be gaining as the approach harvest readiness and the feed that they consume needs to be higher in nutrition than your typical range grass. Come see us and we'll set a time to visit the finishing pastures so that you can see the differences and gain a new appreciation for truly Grass Finished beef. We are hosting a grazing workshop in May. Please plan to attend.
Meg

Stewing Hens and Roosters

Kimmy is culling her flock and we will have Stewing Hens and Roosters next week. Only $2.25 lb. These birds are great for soups, stews, curries, and of course Coq au Vin! Love those old birds slow cooked in red wine! Our egg layers are coming on strong. The little hens are laying about a dozen a day and we got our first brown eggs last week.
The Mulefoot hogs will ship in next week too. They are going to be fun for folks to see. Red Wattles are finally on there way from Texas next month. The front pasture has been planted so now all we have to do is wait. Come by Saturday and say hi an be sure to shoot me an email at MMLivestockCo@live.com to reserve your stewing birds. I will post some recipes later.
Meg

It's Raining Again

I know we need the rain but I just wish that it would obey the Camelot theory, "The rain cannot begin until after sunset and by 10 am the sulight must appear". Hey a girl can wish right? It sure is good for the garden and the pastures though. Filleree is usually burned off by now but this year it is still thick. The one drawback that I am seeing is the rampant growth of foxtail. As long as it is eaten off while green it is a good feed source, but once it starts to dry out it becomes a hazard. The heads get stuck in fleece, gums, eyes etc. and can cause all kinds of havoc. It hasn't been a problem until this year with all the warm days in between rains. We are going to have to bring some of the commercial sheep over this next week to clear down the pastures so we won't have to plow them under. If you see a big group of woolies out in the open field stop and say hi to Sammy or Juan. 4 of the Cur pups will be going out to be "BIG FLOCK" dogs so we  get to see them mature first hand. I'm looking forward to comparing Cricket to the pups that are with sheep 24-7.

Remember Beef Share pick up is this Saturday. I'm going to be gone on for a speaking engagement the last week of June so Jason wil be handling pick up. If you could get your orders in early that would be a big help. The last Day to order special cuts for Easter is April 12, any later than that we cannot guarantee that you order will be ready or the holiday.

CLA Content In Grassfed Beef Varies With The Forage Grazed

CLEMSON, South Carolina:
Research a Clemson University into grassfed beef has found that the legume species alfalfa and cowpea (black-eyed pea) both increase the daily gain, dresing pecentage, tenderness and consumer acceptability of grassfed beef.
However finishing catle on warm-season bermudagrass and pearl millet produces a greater percentage of CLA, a potent anti-carcinogen.
Apparently various forages have the ability to alter the concentrations of important fatty acids in the muscle tissue. The Clemson researchers said that forage-finished beef has similar tenderness and palatability to grain-finished beef but contains greater concentrations of desirable fatty acids and antioxidants for human health. (copyrited material reprinted with permission of the author.) Pretty wonderful findings if you ask me! Many people think that grassfat beef is tough, devoid of finish, and and acquired taste. Not so! With proper management grassfat beef can grade mid-choice or higher. It just takes a bit more time and effort.
Meg