Go Organic? Comments Please!

As we prepare for the arrival of swine, we are trying to make a decision of "natural" vs. "organic". I currently market my lamb as organic, it is 100% pasture raised, no wormer, no grain, relatively easy to achieve. We are not certified organic because we sell well under $5000 a year in product. With the addition of hogs comes the addition of feed. Nate did some phone calling today, and we can get certified organic feed, for twice the price of regular feed. So my question -to the three of you that read this blog- is it worth it to pay the extra to have an organic product? Would YOU pay twice the amount to know that the pork you are eating was raised on all organic feed, on pasture, in God's country of northern MN? Our pork operation will be as small as our lamb company. Two gilts, one boar, 2-4 litters of piglets per year.

New Year...New Ventures

As we begin a new year, we are organizing and planning new ventures. In our quest to diversify, we are soon going to be adding a new dimension to the Rice River Lamb Company. A red one. Not nearly as woolly as our current inhabitants. Red Wattle hogs. Google them, they are pretty unique, pretty rare, and pretty cool pigs. We visited a small group of them yesterday, and made the decision to purchase two gilts (young females.) They will arrive in a month.

The Red Wattle met our requirements for friendliness, flavor, and a breed that will do well on pasture. We are excited to soon add this element to our small, niche market farm. Nate and the boys had a conversation on the way home about ham, bacon, and sausage all with a bit of drool and gleam in the eye. The plan is to sell some feeder pigs and pork along with filling our freezer.

As we develop our farm goals they remain simple and straightforward. To supply ourselves and others with top quality, naturally raised, respected, cared for food. To know that the lamb, chicken, or soon pork that I put on our table was able to have a quality life, grown in sunshine, good feed and love. To keep it small enough and simple enough that we can continue to enjoy doing chores. To see our boys learn lessons that television and the classroom cannot give them. (As a side note, Isaiah wanted to bring one of the five week old piglets home yesterday, on his lap. He's an instant gratification guy, and didn't want to wait a month and then bring home 7 month old gilts. Though he was OK with leaving the babies on the farm when he heard the squeals they emit when picked up!) Our plan to start is two gilts and a boar, a small breeding group. I had to give Isaiah a promise that when we do have babies, he will be able to hold them.

I am in love (call me a romantic in mud boots) with the idea of raising our lamb, our pork, milk goats, along with a few turkeys and chickens and a garden that contains more edible produce than weeds. The sheep provide us with meat and wool (my first order of yarn is being processed at the mill right now), the pigs will provide us with meat, the goats provide milk for our family for drinking, cheese, yogurt and soap, with extra for the hogs and chickens, the chickens give us eggs and meat. It feels good to know that we can achieve a balance with our small bit of a farm. To be able to produce enough to share with others is an added bonus.

As I write this I think of how busy this spring and summer will be with the animals and gardens. Others might get excited about planning a vacation, me, give me some animals to take care of. Though I must admit that the care taking is much easier in the sunshine, grass and mud than it is right now as the snow flies outside my windows. Chores right now require down jacket, boots, my new super cool "ponytail" hat, mittens, shovel, five gallon buckets of warm water, and a willing husband doesn't hurt either. Speaking of, we better go shovel a path out the mud room door. Happy New Year everyone!