New Life at the Farm
posted on
March 19, 2023
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
More from the blog
Farm Store
Our farm store just got a major restock! Grilling season is right around the corner and we have a variety of cuts available. Our featured steaks include porterhouse, sizzlers, t-bone and delmonicos. We also have our summer sausages and snacking sticks. An exciting change is happening in our farm store. We will soon be accepting credit cards through a self service point of sale system! We currently accept Venmo, cash and check but we know that sometimes a credit card is a more convenient option. Make sure to watch for a future email (as well as on our social media) for information but it should be ready to use by this weekend! We hope this makes our shopping experience even better for our local customers!
Getting Ready For 7,000+ Little Chicks!
Chicks Are Coming!In a few weeks, our little farm will be full of little fuzz balls running all around! See below how we care for thousands of little chicks! As I type this email, it is 45 degrees outside and snow is melting! It may only be mid-February, but the warmer weather has us dreaming of Spring. Spring on the Farm is one of our favorite times. We have thousands of little yellow fuzz balls running around in our brooder! It also brings us sunny days spent in the pastures with all our different animals! As we prepare for Spring, we wanted to take our customers along with us. Our goal is that you feel part of the process so that you can feel confident in the food you are consuming. That starts with baby every March. March 14, we will welcome our first batch of 7,600 chicks for 2023! It is hard to even put into words how much excitement surrounds welcoming our new fuzzy friends. Chick arrivals mean *all hands on deck* in order to get the chicks from the hatchery trays into our brooder. We are incredibly blessed to be on a weekly route for the hatchery which means we get chicks 12 hours after hatching! That is incredibly fast! For context, a few years ago, our chicks shipped through USPS. They could be 36+ hours old by the time we received them at Joe’s Farm. The first 72 hours are the most important in lives of our chickens. The sooner we can get the chicks into a warm stress free environment, with clean water and feed, the better! Being able to partner with our hatchery has made an impact on the welfare of our flock. We are always looking for ways to improve the welfare of our precious animals. We look forward to welcoming these amazing creatures onto our farm in just over a month! Make sure to follow along with our social media pages or here on our newsletter to watch these little chicks grow. Tour the Brooder with Farmer JoeLots of CHICKS!! Stock your freezerA great way to combat the insecurities in our food supply is to stock your freezer. We are always here to answer any questions you might have on what is best to order for your family’s needs. Stop on by at the Farm Store or send us an email. Soon, we will be opening up for pre-orders on our 2023 whole, half and quarter beef boxes. We have created a google form to gauge interest so we can anticipate how to best serve our customers. If you are interested in learning more, follow the click box below to get on our interest list.Interest FormVisit our Farm StoreOur self-serve farm store is open 7 days a week from 8am-8pm. It is located in our older looking barn on your right when you pull in the drive.. We currently have eggs, chicken, pork, beef, and honey. We are always adding more products so be sure to check back for more products.Joe's Farm (our on farm market) - 53323 Pulver Road, Three Rivers, MIClick for directionsOur Meats: From our pasture to your porchBe sure to get your orders in by midnight on Sunday nights for delivery the next week! We recently restocked a lot of our most popular meats! Shop Now
Strengthening the Path to Sustainability
Embracing the simplicity and integrity of regenerative farmingPinpointing the problemWhen you think about farming, you might imagine rolling hills or acres of corn as high as your knees. You might see cows on pasture and chickens gathered around their coop. A horse might be seen leaving the warmth of a beautiful red barn. This is the imagine you SHOULD see. Sadly, most farms in America look nothing like this anymore. Locked in cages or stalls, many animals will never graze the open pasture or feel the sun on their faces. Chickens labeled as “cage free” may still live in huge factory style barns, forced to live out their days in their own waste. This needs to change. If you have been watching the news, you have probably heard stories about Avian Influenza. It is no secret that AI (Avian Influenza) has hit the US very hard. It has claimed the lives of 58+ million chickens just this year! This has obviously affected the national and global egg supply. With our math, we have found that roughly 12-18% of eggs have been taken off the market. This may not seem like a lot but it is enough to empty store shelves. From inflation adding costs to production to barns full of birds burning to the ground, the egg and chicken prices have soared. It can be overwhelming trying to keep up with all the hurdles between our food source and our families.Navigating towards a solutionFrom a few chickens in my backyard to a fully operational regenerative farm, I have always wanted to use the most ethical farming practices. This meant learning from other farmers and researching all the “how-tos”. It also meant a lot of trail and error. But throughout the process of learning, one thing always seemed to resonate, simplicity. Don’t get me wrong, by simplicity I don’t mean the life of a farmer is easy. It means long hours, hardwork and muddy boots. But what I do mean is that we often complicate things.Raising with integrityWe work hard to raise our animals in the most natural way possible. We want to limit human intervention so we don’t use hormones or antibiotics. Our beef are grass-fed and grass-finished. Our chickens are moved daily to new, fresh pasture. These practices can help us mitigate the risks of Avian Influenza. Healthy practices equal happy and healthy animals. This is better for not only the animals within our care, but the customers who consume our products.From pasture to porch…bringing simplicity to your shopping experience Shop localFind a farmer you can trust. See how their animals are cared for. Transparency is the first step in establishing the relationship between your food source and your table. We always welcome visitors, so if you are in the area feel free to stop by. We, along with many other farmers, are working hard to keep up the demand especially for eggs right now. Always feel free to contact and ask about our inventory. We never want a customer to leave disappointed. We also will post to our social media if we are running low. Make sure to like and follow us for those updates. Stock your freezerA great way to combat the insecurities in our food supply is to stock your freezer. We are always here to answer any questions you might have on what is best to order for your family’s needs. Stop on by at the Farm Store or send us an email. Soon, we will be opening up for pre-orders on our 2023 whole, half and quarter beef boxes. We have created a google form to gauge interest so we can anticipate how to best serve our customers. If you are interested in learning more, follow the click box below to get on our interest list.Final thoughtsWith all the negativity surrounding food these days, we want to bring enjoyment back to the shopping experience. Putting nutritious and delicious food on your table shouldn’t be complicated. You can shop with confidence knowing we take pride in the care and welfare of our livestock. We want to thank our amazing customers. If it wasn’t for your support, our family farm would not be able to exist. You play a vital role in the sustainability of regenerative farming.