Grass Roots Co-Op (Healthy Meat Shipped to Your Door)

Full disclosure -- Grass Roots Farmers' Cooperative gave me samples of some of their products and asked that I write about them if I liked them.  Truth be told, I would have written this same post without the yummy meat.  I've participated in FarmShares for several years and wholeheartedly recommend them.  I love the quality of food and supporting the small farmer.

Grass Roots Co-op has a special-deal-membership drive going on now until the end of September.  In addition, members get an additional 20% off a la carte items.

Grass Roots ships everywhere in Arkansas and other states as well.  Tell your good food lovin' people in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, North & South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

Let me tell you about the meat they gave me then I'll tell you more about the Co-op.

Ground Beef - Sometimes grass-finished beef can taste "gamey" or like wild game because it doesn't have enough fat to bring the flava. The ground beef was VERY good. I took this to a dinner party in the form of HBs cheese dip and everyone raved.

Deli Ham - Wow.  It is good.  And no nasty preservatives.

Brats - Amazing, especially the lime-mesquite flavored ones.

Ground Turkey - is on the menu this week in the form of lettuce wraps.

From this sampling, I wholeheartedly give my approval of Grass Roots Co-op.

What are the benefits of a co-op?

Farming is hard work.  Non-stop, jack-of-all-trades kind of work.  When farmers band together to form a co-op, they can focus more on growing healthy meat while someone else tends to administrative and marketing details.

For the consumer, when buying from a co-op, we get a stable meat source.  Usually all cuts are available year 'round since there are multiple farmers to fill in the gaps in the event of a problem that would inhibit the farmer from delivering, like predators or herd illness.  And the marketing and accounting are very pretty.  (I've worked with a few farmers over the years who very much stink in the area of accounting and sadly, some are no longer farming.)

In the previous post, I recommended that if you were buying direct from a farmer you should ask questions about their practices.  When I tell some people this advice they totally freeze.  The thought of talking to a stranger at the farmers' market about a subject that is less than familiar totally wigs them out.  When you buy from Grass Roots, they have done your homework!  They have vetted the farmers for you.  Before the formation of Grass Roots, I purchased from at least two of the farmers.  Read here about the husbandry standards of the farmers in the co-op.  Most notably, I'm quite impressed that Grass Roots prohibits GMOs.

The downside of working with a co-op is that you don't always know which farm(er) your meat is coming from.  However, as stated above, the co-op makes sure the farmers are practicing with high standards so the consumer can can feel good about every piece of meat.

One thing I love about Grass Roots is how easy it is to get meat from them.  They ship their products directly to your door.  Shipping is free when you become a member or when you purchase at least $75.  It arrives frozen in a cooler on dry ice, delivered by FedEx, and you don't have to stop what you're doing - or remember - to drive across town to meet someone for your meat.  Because it is frozen you don't have to eat it right away.

What does membership include?

The Whole Farm Membership Monthly Box includes: a whole pasture-raised chicken, 2lbs grass-fed ground beef, a package of brats, & 2 lbs of forest-raised mild ground sausage.

The Chicken and Pork Box includes: a whole pasture-raised chicken, 2 lbs of forest-raised ground sausage & 2 linked sausages.

The Chicken and Beef Box includes: a whole pasture-raised chicken, 4lbs grass-fed ground beef

The Chicken Box includes: a whole pasture-raised chicken, a package of breasts (2pieces), a package of 4-6 drumsticks, a package of 5-6 wings and a package of 4-5 thighs.

If the box isn't enough for your family for the month, or if you have a special event, you can always add pieces a la cart with 20% off the retail prices.

Mouth watering yet?

Go here and sign up.

Julie

Related: The Healthiest Meat
Why is the Farmers' Market More Expensive?
Why Pay More for Grass-Fed Meat?

Arkansas Abundance Spring CSA

I love knowing where my food comes from - and that it is nutrient dense. When you buy locally, the food is fresher (hasn't been on a truck or boat for days from California or Mexico...or China.)  And, when you buy from growers who are concerned about investing in their land with biodynamic amendments, you are sure to get nutrient dense nourishment.  The longer my nose is in the food scene, the more convinced I am of the need to vote with my fork and buy local.

It is my desire to make you aware of local, real food options.  Central Arkansas has an abundance of choices.  We are blessed!

Earlier in the week, we heard from Rattle's Garden and about their FarmShare.   In December, I mentioned North Pulaski Farms' CSA for summer 2015.  Today Arkansas Abundance is in the highlight.

Each farm has a different personality.  And options: pick up locations, variety of produce, length of season, etc.  Read through each and try to get to know your farmers.  Or, be brave and just jump right in!

There is a learning curve for using the veggies you get weekly in a CSA.  It's not bad, just different from grocery store buying.  Actually, I have enjoyed the challenge of using up what I get each week.  One of the things I appreciate about the Arkansas Abundance CSA is that you can start small.  Baby steps.
 -Julie

PS - I'm happy to highlight other farms, just send me the info.

+++++++++++++++++
Arkansas Abundance - Daniel Kiser
A local, chemical-free farm
Spring CSA 2015

How much you want,
what you want,
when you want it.

A CSA (short for Community Supported Agriculture) is a program in which a customer buys a share of a farm at the beginning of the season.  In this kind of program, the farmer benefits by sharing the risks of the growing season with his customers, while the customers benefit by receiving a convenient delivery of  produce each week.  At Arkansas Abundance, we're seeking to create a CSA that gives our shareholders both convenience and choice.  We're also committed to giving our shareholders the very best of our crop, giving them their choice of the produce before farmer's markets.

How it Will Work
Unlike many CSA programs, in which the contents of each weekly share are determined by the farmer, our program allows shareholders to choose what they want and how much they get each week.  A few days before harvest, we will share a Google Doc that lists the produce we have available.  Our shareholders will then mark on the Google Doc the produce that they would like for that week.  After it is harvested, they can pick up their produce at one of four locations on three different days, listed below.

Pick Up Locations
Hillcrest Farmer's Market
Saturday 8am-Noon
2200 Kavanaugh Blvd

Westover Hills Farmer's Market*
Tuesday 4pm-7pm
6400 Kavanaugh Blvd

Julie Majors' House
Tuesday 4pm-6pm
1600 Tarrytown Rd

West Markham Farmer's Market*
Thursday 4pm-7pm
9820 W Markham St.

*Pickup will be at the farm until these markets open in May.

The CSA will run from Apr. 19-Jun. 13. Expected produce includes organically grown lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, swiss chard, cilantro, carrots, turnips, radishes, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, and strawberries!

Share Options

Small (1-2 people) 
$100 of produce over 8 weeks. $0-$20 value and up to 1 of each item each week.
Medium (3-4 people)
$200 of produce over 8 weeks. $0-$40 value and up to 2 of each item each week.
Large (5 or more)
$300 of produce over 8 weeks. $0-$60 value and up to 3 of each item each week.

Each week, shareholders will be able to choose the produce they want up to a certain value that depends on share size.  They can choose to get more produce on some weeks and less (or none) on others.  The amount of each kind of produce they receive will also be dependent on share size.  For example, a small shareholder will be limited to one bunch of carrots per week, while a large shareholder can choose up to three bunches of carrots per week.  These limitations help ensure that the farm is able to provide everyone with the kinds of vegetables they want.

However, there may be occasions when there won't be enough of a particular item for everyone.  This is most likely to happen near the beginning and end of the season, when crops are still growing or when they're winding down.  It may also happen in the middle of the season if there is a partial crop failure.  In these circumstances (and we will do everything we can to prevent them!), those who paid for their share earlier will receive first pick.

How to Sign Up

Email us with the information listed below.

-Name
-Phone number
-Location where you plan to pick up your produce
-Share size

Note: The pick up day you select will be your normal pick up day.  On any given week, you can pick up on a different day by contacting Daniel Kiser at least 48 hours before pick up for Hillcrest and 24 hours before pick up for Westover and West Markham.

Daniel Kiser
501-213-6450
arkansasabundance@gmail.com
10305 Johnson Rd.
Little Rock, AR 72206

Visit us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram or at the farm! (call/text in advance)

Rattle's Garden Farmshare (or CSA) & Eggshare

On Monday, we heard from Tara Stainton of Rattle's Garden and why she's an egg snob.  Today you can read more about her farmshare program (think Community Supported Agriculture).  If you live near the LR Athletic Club, she has a very convenient deal for you --you can pick up in the LRAC parking lot.  You don't have to be a Club member to get her Farmshare delivered there.  I especially love that Tara is gleaning the extras from her garden for the Spirit of Vilonia Ministries (see the volunteer part near the bottom).  --Julie

What is Farmshare?

We used to refer to our program as a CSA which stands for Community Supported Agriculture and can take many forms.  This year we've changed the name of our program to Farmshare to emphasize that you are buying a share of what our farm produces.  This is a subscription agreement between our farm and families wishing to join our community and enjoy really delicious organic food.

Why a Farmshare?

For us, it truly is about community. While we are grateful to be part of a large local food movement through the Little Rock markets we also want to share our vegetables and flowers with our rural neighbors. The commitment our Farmshare customers make by forming this membership allows us to do this.

For you, we hope it is because you too want to be part of our community. We hope that it is because you want to know where your food is coming from, who is growing it and how it is being grown. We know that it is because you want the freshest, healthiest, tastiest vegetables available to you.

What is our Agreement?

By becoming a farm member you agree to take the time to stop by our farm every Tuesday for 10 weeks between 9am and noon or 4pm and 6pm (unless we’ve made other arrangements) to receive a basket of organic vegetables we have grown and harvested at the peak of maturity to be enjoyed by your family. By becoming a Little Rock member of the Farmshare, you agree to pick up your share every Thursday for 10 weeks from the parking lot of the Little Rock Athletic Club between 9 am and 11 am. In return, we agree to work our tails off growing you a variety of organic, fresh vegetables that have been selected based simply on how fantastic they taste.

What scrumptious vegetables are being grown at Rattle’s Garden?

For the past six years we have grown a variety of vegetables including broccoli, cabbage, swiss chard, spinach, snap peas, green beans, lettuce, kale, garlic, onions, yellow squash, zucchini, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, purple hull peas, eggplant, sweet peppers and okra.  We also grow a lot of blackberries and a few blueberries and strawberries that make it into the baskets if we have a good season.  While not all of this produce will be available at the same time, most of it will be available over the 10-week subscription period. Inevitably, every year we have a crop failure or three. Despite weather and war with bugs or deer, we always manage to grow a lot of food and we want to share our harvest with you. We hope to fill baskets with at least 5-6 different types of vegetables each week. We want every $25 basket to be equal to or greater than the market value of the individual items in it.

  

When will this subscription begin?

As with all farming, we are dependent on Mother Nature. We hope to start the CSA the first week in May and run for 10 consecutive weeks. If our early spring weather is great, we may start a week early. If the weather is cold and rainy, we may start a week or two later. We will send out weekly newsletters via email beginning in April to let you know how the farm is progressing for the year and when you should expect to pick-up your first basket.

What if your family needs to miss a Tuesday pick-up?

We know that there may be a day your family can’t make the pick-up. We are going to have one make-up week at the end of the season to help ensure that everyone receives all ten baskets. If you are going to miss a week, we need you to notify us by 7 am the morning before your pick-up via text or email to keep us from harvesting your food. If you cannot give us advance notice or you need to miss more than one week, you are welcome to send someone to pick up your share in your place or your share will be donated to a needy family in the area.

Do you get to pick what you want in your basket?

Not exactly…we’ll divide each week’s produce up evenly between the baskets to make sure everyone gets variety and the full value of their basket.  As members you will also be given the first opportunity to purchase large amounts of successful crops outside of the Farmshare season at wholesale prices for you to freeze or preserve by canning. If freezing or canning is new to you, we can help!

What about all of those chickens in our front yard?

This year we've decided to add an Eggshare option to the farm baskets.  To get a dozen of our beautiful, pastured eggs added to your backet every weeek you can simply add the Eggshare option ($50) to your total on the membership agreement.  If you are only interested in an Eggshare and not vegetables, please choose whether you will pick up your eggs from the farm on Tuesdays or from us at the LRAC on Thursdays.

My challenge to you, as volunteers.
Every year we grow more food than we sell.  This year, rather than simply donate the extra, we would like to plant enough to keep the Spirit of Vilonia Ministries supplied with fresh vegetables as often as possible.  To do this, we need your help.  I am challenging you to sign up for a three hour morning or evening at the farm to help pick vegetables for this program.  While this is not a requirement to join the Farmshare, it is an opportunity to really learn where your food comes from and what it takes to get it to those in need.  Volunteer opportunities will be available during the Farmshare season as well as after the season is over.

Communication…

One key to success is going to be communication! We will post farm updates on our blog (www.rattlesgarden.com), on our Facebook page (Rattle's Garden) and in a short weekly newsletter sent to your email address letting you know what you can expect in your next basket. And we also want to hear from you…keep us posted on which veggies you love and let us know if something isn’t working for you. We can be reached by phone at 501-941-0331.

How do I become a Member?

So, you are ready for the yumminess.

Simply drop us an email at rattlesgarden@yahoo.com to check on availability and then fill out our membership agreement and mail it to us with your full payment of $250 for farm members or $275 for Little Rock members. We are limiting this year’s membership to thirty families picking up on Tuesday from the farm and thirty families picking up on Thursday from the Little Rock Athletic Club.  The Eggshare will be limited to 40 shares.

Thanks for your support! We look forward to working with you this summer!

Tara Stainton

Rattle's Garden

Meet Your Farmer This Saturday

Tammy Sue and her Critters invite you to join them at their place this Saturday, November 29 from 10am-2pm.  

Load up your children (grandchildren or the neighbor's kids) and head over to the outskirts of North Little Rock.

 You'll find goats, chickens, alpaca and even a guard llama.

While the farm tour is free, you'll want to remember your wallet.  Tammy will be selling her hand crafted soaps, lotions, lip balms and other body care items.  These make the perfect Christmas gifts!  I love her grapefruit scented lotion and hair bar (shampoo). --Julie

Tammy Sue's Critters Open House

Saturday, November 29, 10am-2pm

4 Cheyenne Trail, NLR 72120

Farm Girl Meats Update & Sausage Cooking Tips

I have a special relationship with Katie Short of Farm Girl Meats.  Our friendship started about 5 years ago when I was chatting with her at the Argenta Farmers Market.  She told me she had a copy of Nourishing Traditions.  At that very moment I knew we were kindred spirits.  Fast forward a few years.  Now she comes to my house twice a month to deliver meat and egg shares to 25+ families.  (I'm lucky enough to have a flat driveway in a central location!) Katie is a gifted communicator and I asked her permission to republish this week's shareholder newsletter in this space.  --Julie

This week is all about the hickories. Those lovely trees turning all shades of red are also dropping gold all over our land, and the pigs just can't get enough. Not only are the nuts irresistible to the pigs, high in protein and good fats, and abundant, they will add depth and sweetness to our finishing hogs. I wish I could say we planned our hog harvest to follow the hickory drop, but this year it was just a bit of delicious serendipity. Some of the meat in this week's offerings will be from hickory-fattened hogs, but a better array will be available in early December.

The hens don't seem to care much about the nuts, but they are nearly out of the annual molt and feeling sassy with their fresh new plumage. They compete with each other for the prime roosting spots at night and the roosters vie for their attention during the day- needless to say its always noisy in chicken town these days. As for the meat birds, they are almost ready to harvest! We can expect some chicken in the basket as early as next delivery.

How to Cook a Link Sausage

Do your links ever split while cooking? Are they crumbly when you try to bite or cut them? 

We'll save the meat science behind the challenges for another day and get right to some simple ways to make the most of our lovingly raised, carefully seasoned sausages:

For the grill, parboil first. To do this, put your room temperature sausages in a deep saucepan or soup pot and cover generously with cold water. Now place the pan over medium-low heat and bring it to a simmer. Remove from heat immediately. Now your links are ready to brown up on the grill to your liking, texture preserved! 

Start on the stove, move to the oven. 

Preheat your oven to 375 and lightly oil an oven-safe frying pan, cast iron is ideal. On the stove top over medium heat, brown your sausages on all sides. Now, place the whole skillet in the oven and set the timer for 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and the sausages from the pan, giving them 2-3 minutes rest before eating. 

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For more details about the Farm Girl Meat/Egg Share, click here.  Farm Girl Meats website is here.  She's also on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook (check out the video of the pigs eating hickories).  Email Katie for additional questions: katie AT farmgirlfood.com

Kent Walker:: Arkansas Artisan Cheese

by guest blogger, Sam Hedges, Director of Operations, Arkansas Local Food Network

Kent and I are sitting in Diamond Bear Brewery's tasting room, talking about his new cheese shop.  The visit didn't begin here; it began in Kent's kitchen, which he leases from Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, but at some point in our conversation it became clear that we were going to have to continue with a beer at Diamond Bear.  It fits Kent's style: he loves fermented products (like cheese, beer, & wine), and tends to drive every interaction towards something more relaxed. Plus, I hadn't had a Diamond Bear in a long time.

I have to apologize because I am jumping over some of the basic fact nuggets on Kent's artisan cheese operation.  I've interviewed him before and wasn't crazy about rehashing the same questions, albeit for the benefit of those new to Kent’s work.  Here's a summary to catch you up: Kent started hobby making cheese while he worked at a winery in Oregon. He moved to Little Rock, started making so much cheese that the only logical step was to start selling it, and subsequently birthed Kent Walker's Artisan Cheese. His milk is sourced from Coleman Dairy and a local goat farm. Someday, Arkansas legislation willing, he'll use raw Arkansas cow's milk.  He does things in the artisan fashion, meaning with simple ingredients (milk, rennet, and the naturally occurring molds that make aged cheese possible) and old school techniques. His current cheeses are aged 3 months in his mock cheese cave (it's a party tent in a giant walk-in, in which Kent created a 80% humidity environment and other things cheese caves need. Kent is nothing if not thrifty), and the usual list includes Habanero Cheddar (a spicy young cheddar), Garlic Montasio (an earthy Italian cheese), Leicester (a funky English cheese, named for one of Kent’s dog), Bluff Top Feta (a briny goat’s milk fresh cheese) and Ophelia (a very funky wash-rind goat’s cheese, like feta times ten. Also named for one of Kent’s dogs).

Kent’s drawing of new cheese shop

Over an Irish Red ale and a Paradise Porter, Kent turns his attention to the future and, in relation to me, the unknown.  Big things are afoot.  He grabs a pen and scribbles on his coaster.  The little lines and geometric shapes formulate into Kent's future plans: the cheese shop he's moving into on Main Street.  What I see are four rooms of different geometric shape: a production room, an aging room, an office, and the tasting room.  The production and aging rooms are where Kent's head is: his own production space and adjacent aging room are going to allow him to multiply his cheese output by, like, ten, as in the 250lbs of cheese a week he puts out now x 10 = 2500 lbs of cheese a week.  Don't quote me on that, but the point is that he will be making a lot more, with the help of his new 500 gallon cheese vat.  For a guy working out of an incubator kitchen on rent and aging his cheese in a warehouse walk-in fridge 5 miles away from his kitchen, this is a big deal.  The answer to his logistical prayers, the future of his business.

Kent Walker showing off his Bluff Top Feta, aging in its tasty salt water brine.

What I'm interested in is the tasting room.  In the tasting room, according to Kent, his cheeses will all be available in whatever quantity your heart desires, alongside a few very rare imports (including a 50lb wheel of  10-year aged parmesan) plus wines (his parents are wine brokers, so you know the wine will be good), charcuterie, and beer, either by the bottle or on tap.  From this little foodie haven of a room, customers will be able to observe the cheese making process through windows that overlook his production and aging spaces.  All in the renovated basement of the historic Main St building off 6th.  It's going to be a cool place.

Ultimately, Kent and I both are both jazzed about the cheese.  At the moment, Kent is hitting his rented kitchen's roof, and he hasn't got the capital or space to age his cheese past 3 months.  This side of the cheese business I haven't considered much, but it's worth appreciating that, for cheese makers (as well as brewers, wine makers, and distillers), a return on their product can take years.  It hurts the brain a little to consider the schedule: Kent has to think 3 months in advance when he makes his cheese, or in reverse, he has to deal with whatever decisions he made three months earlier.

 Milk becoming cheese: with the addition of heat and rennet, an enzyme, 

the solids and liquids begin to separate, allowing cheese to take form.       

When it comes to good cheese, three months is, Kent will tell you, not the sexiest time frame.  Really good cheese needs to age longer, and the new space is going to free Kent up a little to do some longer aging.  Last September, he put aside a few wheels of Cheddar and Montasio to age for 1 year. Come this September, when he celebrates the grand opening of his new space, those suckers are getting wedged open, and they will be good.  But that's just the beginning, and the prospect of more specialty cheeses, more varieties and experiments, longer aging, is exactly why having a local artisan around is fun.  At any point, you're able to ask Kent what he's got up his sleeve, and the list can be ever changing,  so ever changing that it's hard to conceive of his cheeses inhabiting the same world as Kraft singles and Velveeta.

Kent’s cheese press, where liquid is removed from the cheese wheels 

with the pressure of time and weight.

This brings me to the final slice of future about which I am excited.  Are you still reading?  Pay attention to this part. Reserve Cheese.  Kent's done a little creative business planning, and he's using the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model for his aged cheese.  Like a CSA program, the customer pays up front to help offer a little financial security to the producer and receives the product in due time.  For Kent's cheese, this is how it works: you request a wheel of cheese for reserve and pay a portion of the cheese's cost up front. Then, Kent ages it as long as you want him to, like a delicious round wheel of investment.  At this moment, you can have him start a 2-year cheddar for you, and in 2 years you can try a core sample and even say, "Know what, Kent? Let's age it another two years." Your call.  In addition, Kent invites any reserve customer to participate at any stage of the cheese making process, from fresh milk to flipping your aging wheel.  In return, Kent get's some of the profit up front to help his business out.  Know what I think? This is a fantastic gift in the making. I can't wait (but will have to wait) to give my folks a 2-year cheddar.

cheese making vat

To boil it all down, Kent Walker is a cheese fish in a vegan pond* indeed, and he is enjoying the space to grow.   His cheese is available in retail spaces all over Arkansas and beyond, courtesy of Ben E Keith, as well as a big handful of restaurants. Tusk and Trotter of Bentonville did a special dinner just for Kent last week: a four course meal, of which each course was paired with one of Kent's cheeses.  As long as Kent makes cheese, the chef told him, Tusk and Trotter will buy it exclusively.  You can count on that kind of community response in Arkansas, where the local food market isn't saturated and people love their roots.  I can personally say that, as long as Kent makes his cheese, I will enjoy my cheese locally.

- Sam Hedges
Director of Operations, Arkansas Local Food Network
*because Kent makes cheese, and "vegan" is the opposite of cheese, and Little Rock only has one artisan cheese maker, so he's the only one in the pond. Get it?

Why Grass Finished Beef Costs More

Andy and Tracy Youngblood, along with a few other families, opened MeatWorks a butchery and market in Mena, Arkansas this spring.  If you live in that part of the state, you should go visit.  It's really a one-of-a-kind store. Today's post was written by Tracy.  She also wrote about the benefits of bulk buying local meat here.

Why Does Grass Finished Beef Cost More than Grain Finished Beef?

To answer this question simply, it has to do with three important elements:

1. Genetics
First, properly finishing animals on grass is very difficult and requires specific genetics and attention to forage quality and quantity.  Approximately 95-97% of the US Cattle Herd producers have transitioned their genetics to fit the industrial feedlot system, which has advocated larger animals that will gain muscle fiber and fat consistently over time.  Initially, the feedlot system was built to take advantage of low-priced grain and convert it to higher-priced beef, which is why the typical cow weight has increased well over 300 lbs in the past 35 years.  While production geared for this system provided a relatively brief profit opportunity for industrial agriculture (about 50 years), it fundamentally changed the phenotype of most of the cattle in the US, which has resulted in a US Cow Herd that is relatively inefficient on grass and simply wont gain the proper fat covering on grass alone.  We have invested only in heritage grass-type genetics which are highly sought after and cost about 2-3 x that of conventional genetics.

2.  Forage Quality/Quantity
Additionally, the forage quality/quantity has to be adequate to allow these animals to express their genetic potential, which requires management intensive operations and a higher level of expertise in agronomy.

Most of the grazing lands have been stripped of micro-biology and nutrients due to excessive extraction (hay making, cropping) over many decades.  Conventional fertilizers, while causing a short-term boost to forage growth, cause tremendous harm to soil life and structure.  A true "grass-finisher" must put several resources into re-establishing the soil micro-biology so that forages can truly thrive and produce high levels of nutrients for our animals.

In general, this requires time consuming methods such as foliar spraying, compost and compost tea preparation and application, intensive grazing and other methods geared for bringing the soil back to life.

3.  Additional Time To Finish Animals
Simply put, proper grass-finishing requires more time than grain-finishing which results in increased land requirements and feeding costs.  The conventional producer will usually wean and sell their animals at about 8 months old, which doesn't require any wintering costs of the calves.  The grass-finishing producer typically keeps their animals until slaughter at about 24-28 months, which results in carrying these animals through two winters, not to mention a requirement of about 40% more land to ensure adequate stocking capacity for raising animals to finish.  While some may argue that the cow's time on grass is relatively inexpensive, we would encourage you to look at the current figures regarding the necessary land investment $$/cow in the state of Arkansas, which is now in excess of $10,000 per cow.

In summary, we strive to operate our farms in a sustainable and holistic manner, with a strong focus on the soil and animal fertility and a loving stewardship of the small piece of God's earth we've been blessed enough to "borrow."

-Tracy Youngblood
Youngblood Grassfed Farm
MeatWorks Butchery and Market

A Visit to Farm Girl Natural Foods

 - written by guest blogger, Angela Gardner after a farm tour in April 2013.

Driving along highway 10, through the Lake Maumelle Watershed and towards the misty convergence of Ozark and Ouachita hills, Sam Hedges and I quickly find ourselves immersed into the rural landscape of Perry County.   We have ventured out of the city to visit two farms nestled into this land and gain an understanding of how these sustainable powerhouses supply numerous retail and business operations in central Arkansas.  Our first stop for the day is Farm Girl Natural Foods operated by Katie Short and company.

Growing up in Berkeley, California, immersed into a developed culture of local food and liberalism, Katie intuitively knew that she was a farmer, connecting her aptitude for natural science and creative work with her hands.  As a teenager she notes the homogeneous urban elite identity that was created over the years as budding a curiosity and rising to see a new world of “true salt of the Earth” farmers.  With the local food markets already established by veteran farms and affordable productive land hard to find, Katie decided to venture out of Berkeley and seek opportunities where a young farmer could experiment, learn and work with the land.  Her first (and only) stop was Heifer Ranch, the launching pad for Farm Girl.

One of Farm Girl’s many stocked freezers in their farm store.

Over the years, the success of Farm Girl has expanded to a 30 acre wooded homestead where we first meet Katie.  She leads us into their new farm store, built out of sweat equity and filled with freezers for meat shares, milk jars and timeboards for the farm.  Every Thursday from 10am-6pm, the store provides customers an opportunity to come out and deepen their ‘farm-to-table’ experience.  Bring the whole family for a great educational day trip!

Land restored to productive beauty thanks to Katie’s pigs

Venturing out of the building, Sam and I, though ill prepared for the terrain and weather, set forth into the scrubby forestland in wonder at what may lie beyond the grassy slope.  Through the clearings, Katie points out the landscape impact hogs create under a woodland grazing rotation. These porkers do a fantastically efficient job of clearing out understory brush, providing an ample opening to reseed the area in regionally appropriate cover crops.  This cooperative act of clearing and reseeding in rye and clover helps to enrich the properties and nature of  soil by replenishing nutrients to the surface layer, and, I might add, it’s nicer on the ankles to romp through.

Industrious pigs at work on Farm Girl’s woodlands.

Approaching an undisturbed section of woodlot, we are introduced to the first litter of hogs busily roaming the new terrain of lush wilderness.  The pigs are rotated to a new 1 acre area twice a week in order to maximize grazing, add nutrients to the land (in the form of manure) and limit soil compaction.   For all of their livestock, Farm Girl uses mobile electrical fencing for pasture rotation as it is easy to work with and adaptable for any terrain.  At (4) months old they had not yet ventured too far from the grain feeder but had already started working on the vegetation.  The pigs associate the grain feeder as a ‘home base’, a familiar comfort zone, when they move into the new lots.  The grain is supplied as a supplement to their diet to ensure they are receiving all the nutrients that are required for their growing bodies.   These are some of the healthiest and most inquisitive pigs in the region.  They are a mix of 4-5 different breed lines that Katie has been experimenting with over the years in order to select physicality traits that work best for her operation as well as the overall innate nature of the pigs she raises.  She tells us that she is particularly fond of the red haired pigs as they seem to cope with the sun and heat better than their fair and dark haired cousins.

Buster, a 3,600lb boar

Deep snarls and grunts reverberate through the trees as Katie leads us up the hill to visit the breeder pen.  Sam and I meet Buster, all 3,600 lbs of him, and stand in awe at the shear amount of life in front of us.   He shares the pen with three sows, one of whom, Mudpie, is due to deliver soon.  Beneath this canopy of trees, another litter will soon begin their journey from woodlot to woodlot, grazing to their hearts’ content while frolicking amongst the clover.

Baby chicks beneath the warm glow of the heat lamps.

Pigs are a big market for Farm Girl but chickens certainly have their share of conscious nurturing from brooding to customer.  The chicks that are raised at Farm Girl are purchased from S & G Poultry, who specialize in breeding chickens for southern US pastures.  Red Rangers and Naked Neck (or Poulet Libre) are the broilers and Grey Ladies are the lead laying flock that Katie has purchased from S&G.  While sitting in the brooder surrounded by 300 baby chicks, we learn that these ‘classic’ varieties are traditionally bred and raised to naturally maximize their potential physical nature (equates to a more developed flavor and natural growth development) whereas most conventional chicken operations use breeds that were developed for speedy frankenstein-ish growth habits that are not only are detrimental to the health and wellbeing of the animal but also distort our concept of humane agricultural production.  She understands that agriculture is a business and needs to be profitable and by focusing on these varieties of chicks and livestock, Farm Girl Foods is paving a middle ground for the community.  By being built upon this ethical foundation for all of their animals, Farm Girl Natural Foods has recently been granted their Animal Welfare Approved status. Way to go Farm Girl!

For the final leg of the Farm Girl tour, Katie takes us to Heifer Ranch where we journey towards 10 acres of the Fourche La Fave River Bottoms leased to Farm Girl for their cattle and roaming chickens.  Along the way, the mist begins to accumulate into light rain droplets and as the breeze flies through the fields I again realize that I should have brought a jacket…..what a chilly spring we have had this year.

Stepping out onto the land toward the chicken pasture, my eyes soak up the blurred scenescape of rolling mist, clouds and green hills.  Our route through the tree break creates a corridor of vibrant colors and sounds as the wind blows the pine branches above us.  This technique of planting trees along the fence row provides not only an aesthetic function but multiple purposes for the farmer:  a wind break, shade for livestock and firewood.  Breaking through the pathrow of pines, Katie takes us onto a fenced patch of land where the mobile chicken coops are housed.  Currently there are 2 houses in production with two more houses ready for action.  After 2 weeks in the brooder, the chickens are relocated to a mobile chicken house where they are moved twice daily with the help of a living tractor: the antiquated farm donkey.  Again Katie points out the lush vegetated patches where the chickens have moved through providing generous nutrients for cover crop reclamation.

Heading to the last pasture of our tour, we follow Katie towards a mob of grazers: Jersey cows, a donkey and a Shetland pony. Being managed by a practiced grazier, this ultra high density forage-cattle interaction, know as mob grazing, produce quality gains for cattle (a grass-fed diet) and much higher than average gains from the land (a manure-fed diet).  As Katie talks about how she utilizes the Jersey breed for both milk and meat, the donkey makes a bee line straight for us.   After a few pets and acknowledgements of our attention, we learn more about the efficient physiology of Jersey cows to convert grass into fat providing both flavor and marbling that customers seek in meat products as well as flavor and fat content for milk products.  These cattle are rotated through the pastures twice a day and are milked every morning.  Milk shares are a new venture at Farm Girl, for more information please contact Katie Short.  Be sure to check out their blog.

At Farm Girl, they are aspiring to capture the land of their flocks and herds, the ‘terroir’ of Perry County.  Try their offerings of sausages, chicken, pork or beef available on littlerock.locallygrown.net, Argenta & Bernice Garden Farmer’s market and see if you can taste the place.  Before we head onto the next leg of the journey, Sam and I give a cheer to real food with fresh raw milk and share our delight of this liquid ice cream that only Jersey cows grazing on the county of Perry County flora can naturally express.

Savor local flavor y’all!

by Angela Gardner 

See also this article that Katie wrote about her operation.