Chicken Thistle Farm Coopcast

Farming Updates in what seems like a farming soap opera: We were away from our farm when hurricane Sandy came through Being prepared for disasters Lessons from this event Here's the  In the CoopCast Community  Response to a blog post about the cost of raising pigs  GMO discussion feedback  Ernest shared a link to a documentary on GMOs Melanie shared her dream product - In this weeks Farmers Choice : People always talk about wanting to "eat healthy" but what does that really mean?  How do you really measure healthy? Eating healthy and the definition Nutrient dense food and the difference

Just a few Farmining Updates this week: Garlic planting and our technique, A root cellar full of goodies, Our youngest gilt is in heat - Ollie traits! In the news we discuss Proposition 37 and GMO's: Opinions on Prop 37 and GMOs in general Labeling requirement? What is a GMO? For or against GMOs? Natural selection and pesticide use

Updates from around the farmstead: #farmerandy shares his Big Buck story of dispair, We put the veggie patch to bed with compost and the rototiller, Pigs moved to a new section of pasture, Pig pasture maintenance and seeding on the old pasture, From the pasture to the plate we talk about canning chicken in the pressure cooker, Final sales of year and the risk to cash flow In the CoopCast community: We talk about cooking a heritage turkey (http://www.localharvest.org/features/heritage-turkey-recipes.jsp), A listener who didn't know he could raise his chickens on pasture, Some general listener feedback items from Facebook, iTunes and Stitcher. In the news: We talk about a non-functioning pair of oxen in Vermont and what should happen with them: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/10/21/163257176/despite-protest-college-plans-to-slaughter-serve-farms-beloved-oxen

Updates around the farm include: We were featured on Libsyn's Rockin New Podcasts! - The growing season is officially over with a hard freeze last week, We finished turkeys by processing the last of the Midget White Turkeys, We got our municipal water bill from over the drought months (WOW), Winter preparations are ongoing including cleaning out the chicken coop and starting to put the vegetable garden to bed, Farm stand review for the year. This week we are having 2 related farmers choice segments about commitment: From the farmers side, what levels of commitment are required to your livestock, land and customers?  We talk about this in relation to a listener email about his journey into becoming a farmer. From the consumer side, what and why are you committed to a farm or farmer? And how do your actions speak louder than your words when it comes to demonstrating that commitment? (This episode was recorded on the eve of our 13th wedding anniversary, hence the commitment theme!)

This weeks farm updates: Special announcement is we are going to be a featured podcast on Libsyn's  blog of up-and-comers on October 15th! Pork pickup - happy customers and farmers - yummy pork too! Hermione and Katniss are getting along just smashingly Turkey vs Fox story (a win for the good guys) We eat good - soup - add greens - yum! In the CoopCast Community: Business info posting on Facebook - http://www.uvm.edu/newfarmer/?Page=webinars%2Fwebinar_recordings.php&SM=webinars%2Fsub-menu.html#management Gift from listener - http://www.potterybymehg.com/ A "postivie" review, maybe, says she can't go to sleep without our voices - hmmmmm!?  And National Lard Rendering Month, maybe? In the News: Pig farmer eaten by his pigs Farm out of business http://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Fond-memories-of-Soul-Food-Farm-3923428.php

Even though it's early Autumn we have still been busy farming this week! Updates from around the farm this week include: Taking the last of the pastured pigs to processor and deciding who was going to stay with us! We touch again on the difficulty of sending respected animals to the processor, Getting ready for pork pickup with customers as the meat comes back from the processor, Dealing with turkeys - everywhere. We take a muddy stroll through the veggie patch: CSA is done but still harvesting, Late planting reviews and opinions: zucchini, beans, lettuce, bok choy, Dried bean update, Greenhouse plantings update. In the CoopCast community: Jennifer asked about feeding candy to cows, Constance wanted an update on the poison ivy drops (Oral Ivy), Chad was wondering what we do to winterize farm (waterer, shelter bedding) right now: coop, winter paddock for pigs

Updates from around the farm: We got some of our pigs to processor and share our feelings on that. Turkey processing of the first batch Frost Warning! In the Coopcast Community Vivianne shares her experiences raising cornish cross and shares that on her blog. Adalyn Farms shared with us as well and has Kelli wanting a dwarf goat. Paul asked some specific business questions about  a farm corporation, LLC, insurance etc and we discuss why we don't answer those questions very well. John was afraid we were deleting his Facebook post and had some questions about a sleepy rooster and some bad advice he was given. This weeks Farm U (part 2 of Chicken Processing) Poultry Processing Our set up: what we have and our line set up Some general comments about our HACCP procedures

This weeks farm updates include: A discussion about pork cut sheets and pig preparations Turkey processing starting next weekend Egg layers- who's laying? Dealing with  older chickens and refreshing our flock Last week of CSA Greenhouse - looking good In the Veggie Patch: Our potato results! Do it yourself- note pesticide levels in store bought potatoes Farm U: Chicken Processing This is the first part in a series of Farm U's talking about chicken processing. Equipment and set up, what do you need as the basics to start processing chickens What to buy vs not buy in a basic setup

We try out a new intro on this weeks show based on a listener iTunes review... Farming Updates this week include: Pigs on new pasture was an easy move, Making a swale for their wallow, New hog feeder feeder in use, Update on O2's limp, Selecting a gilt to keep - what is good conformation? Pork cut sheet designed, Turkey processing dates picked, Turkey ordering form sent out, CSA is ending in 2 weeks. In the Veggie Patch: We talk tomatoes and blight.  What is it, how do you identify it and what can you do about it? In Farm U: We discuss what we are doing to manage pasture spaces after moving pigs off of them.

This Labor Day week we have a shorter version full of fun filled farming listener feedback! In the CoopCast Community: A comment from a listener Susan P about her struggling small farm and challenges with regulations, Lucinda asked many questions about chickens, Laurie askes about food saftey and honey. Then on the In the News Segement: We discuss a recent scientific study about BPA

Updates around the farm this week: Our Daycation here in NY, A new to us hog feeder, O2 and his bum leg, Turkey ordering, prepping greenhouse for fall. In the Veggie Patch: Fall Succession planting update in the garden and in the greenhouse, CSA spotlight - Edamame. In the CoopCast Community:We get mentioned on some blogs ( and ) where they say we are a good farming podcast - COOL! And we bundle a bunch of reviews and questions together from the community to have a conversation... We ruminate about going full time as a farmer and answer the following questions (from James and "farmer on hiatus", amongst others): Is our aim to do this full time? How much land do we have? DO we want farming as primary occupation? Are we "Big enough to sustain" our farm?

A update light week on the farm with: No poultry pens to move, Normal weather for a change on the farm, Turkeys and layers doing well, Pigs have their first weigh in. In the Veggie Patch we talk: Greenhouse soil fertility and design, Low tunnel greenhouses you can build, End of garden season discounts. In the Coopcast Community: On a listeners suggestion Andy is trying Oral Ivy. Sheree asked about growing grain for chickens and supplementing them with veggies/greens from the garden. Brice suggested we invest in some livestock guardian dogs. In this weeks Farm U we learn about the science behind preventing Botulism when canning vegetables.The bacteria lives in all soils and we talk about terms relating to it and defeating it when canning: Spores Anaerobe Soil Pressure and temp pH

Updates this week on the farm: We learned that Ollie is no more on the farm we took him to, Hay and livestock trailer, The seasons final chicken processing, 5 gallon bucket waterer gauge, And a question - what makes you happy when farming? In the Veggie Patch: Tomatoes and canning, Succession planting, We discuss the results of the above ground potato growing method (from coopcast 014) Questions, Conversations and Ruminations: We get asked all the time "Don't you get attached to your animals?" Can you care about the animals you eat for meat?  Is it better to not like them?  Is that why we've gone to a system of mistreatment?

This weeks updates include: Hermione's move to the pasture reuniting her with her piglets, Club station cool (what is it)... a shade cloth shelter for pigs when there is no other shade around, We are sold out of pork and share some lessons on ordering / selling pork halves, Chicken processing coming up next weekend, Weather has been hot and dry and the rain has come with a price, Shattered window and shredded turkey shelter. A new segment called The Veggie Patch focuses on the vegetable gardens and gardening techniques we use (because you, the listeners asked for it!) Tomato planting, labels and harvesting, Basil planting techniques in northern climates Farm U inspired by a listener comment on the use of antibiotics on the farm. Is the meat tainted? Why don't you want antibiotics used in livestock What constitutes safe or good use of antibiotics on a farm?

It finally rained some, Turkeys enjoying life on the lawn / pasture, A successful pig move Building a holding paddock / corral in pasture, using the livestock trailer correctly, ready with food to distract and lure,  singing the praises of homemade sorting boards! In the CoopCast Community: Dive_wombat - emailed a very interesting article along from down under about chicken prices as a result of the US drought Email and package from Steve in VA with a nifty system to monitor water bucket levels buckets The Stewart Homestead had a bit of their homesteading inspired by our talk of Cornish X chickens and pigs. The Farmers Choice - We had a pig with a problem.  What do we do? What is it the issue when a pig hold it's head to the side and shakes it and what to do and when to do it? Judging and transparency in the natural farm community leaves a lot to be desired. Hear our discussions about what our choices was and why, as well as the details about how we managed the situation and administered antibiotics or

Fertilizing the lawn with pastured turkeys, We have the barn back and are busy drying garlic, 9 weeks and less than .25" of rain, TOTAL, Nugget, Snowflake and nameless are growing up, Hermione is in heat again and piglets are ready for a move, We eat good: Bruschetta recipe 1 loaf fresh baguette or Italian bread 2-3 different fresh picked tomatoes 2-3 T good olive oil 2-3 cloves garlic (mashed) 3-4 springs each of fresh oregano, basil and parsley all chopped fine Fresh cracked black pepper and salt to taste (optional) fresh grated hard Italian cheese (your choice) In a bowl combine all ingredients and stir together. Cut bread into slices. Spray with olive oil and place on a medium hot grill until grill marks appear. Spray exposed side of bread with more olive oil and flip.  Immediately place heaping spoonfuls of tomato mixture on the bread and close the grill cover for about 2-3 minutes.  Remove and consume with beer, wine or cold ice tea! In the CoopCast community: Lisa asks about managing problems with

This weeks Farm Updates: Endless heat and no rain at all, What's the impact of this weather on our gardens, our animals and the nations food supply. Pigs and turkeys, Kelli loves the greenhouse (and all the garden spiders) We had one of our big chicken processing days Questions, Conversations and Ruminations Although it's one of the days of hardest work on the farm we find chicken processing days very rewarding.  In this segment we share some of our thoughts as we reflect back on the first chicken processing day of 2012

Around the farm and gardens: Hermione's standing heat and hormones, Piglets are bigger than piglets now, Predator attack on the Cornish X birds in the pasture, Lost 3 birds and now the defense plan Preparing for 1st chicken processing event next weekend Coopcast Community / Farm U: Susan I. asked: why wean piglets and not just let mama do it? Holly wanted to know what we feed our pigs? Scout wants to know about the low tunnels we use in the garden: Which type of Agribon do you use? Are you primarily using it for pest control or do you have the type that provides frost protection as well? Do you use the manufactured hoops to support it above your plants or are you using some other method? 

A very Happy 4th of July to all our listeners (or Canada Day), folks listening in the UK...  sorry :) Around the farm: Not normal weather for sure. Very hot but the gardens are surviving Rabbits under hoop the hoop Chickens on pasture get processed in 2 weeks Chicks and turkeys in the brooders are doing well Pigs - a very special weaning story What we did that was wrong in terms of setup, planning and moving large animals What we did that was right and that we would do again when weaning piglets What we did that was desperate and stupid What we would never do again because being smarter would let us avoid that CoopCast Community: An iTunes review where a listener is going to make some simple changes for healthier chicks and pigs Stewart Homestead likes Andy's humor (and thinks this should be a comedy podcast, ok, not really, Andy added that) but they ARE going to try Cornish chickens and their own pigs Plants between the rocks said this podcast is a "Skillful blending of planning implementing and evalu

Updates around the farm and gardens: How to keep cool weather crops happy when it's always over 90F, Keeping broilers cool in the pasture with box fans, Predators and pastured poultry, Still weaning the pigs, Thinking about moving the turkeys out sooner. This weeks DOUBLE FEATURE Farmers Choice: Conventional farming isn't all bad so don't treat it that way, The difference between researching and just confirming your opinion.