Color is the New Black in Beef Cattle

It has been awhile since my last post but over this span a wonderful thing has taken place. Calving season has arrived. I raise beef cattle and for the most part they calve relatively easy, but calving always brings up worries in my mind. No, not whether my cows going to calve successfully, though that is on my mind as well there is something that weighs more heavily. Most farmers breed to a black Angus bull now days, this is a huge problem in my mind. The trend started with the fact that Angus beef supposedly has a prime amount of marbling, small amounts of fat throughout the beef which makes it taste better. Because of this many commercial beef producers are striving to produce naturally polled(hornless) calves with black hides. Due to this many breeds of cattle which don't come in a solid coat color, such as longhorns, and Randall linebackers are in endangered. With black cattle prices so high small sized farmers who would like beef but desire calves to sell to pay for feed cost are having to resort to black coated cattle. For small time farmers, such as myself,it is difficult to take the hit on a spotted beef cow when its just as easy to breed a black one and make money off of it. Its simply uneconomical for small scale farmers to breed any other cattle. This is the outlook most have on this subject. One in which I don't fully understand. Beef is beef regardless of coat color it taste the same practically. Angus beef has caused a whole new market of fraud. Hardee's so called "Angus beef" actually comes from HOLSTEINS!! That's not even a beef cow! As long as the color of the hide is 51% black it can be marketed as 100% Angus beef. Personally if I am paying for Angus I want Angus! By attempting to breed a majority of our nations cattle to be black we are loosing some important genetic diversity. The high prices of black hybridized cattle is contributing to the depleting valuable gene pools and breeds of cattle going extinct. So make the switch! Breed heritage breeds of cattle whether you are going to breed black or color and avoid breeding black hybridized cattle. So make the switch and my color the new black! SIDE NOTE: I realize this blog post discusses a highly debatable issues. Most post will not be like this one, but in order to establish a base for my blog I first need to allow those viewing this blog to understand what I stand for and that homesteading isn't just about farming but also about protecting something we deeply love, the farm life.

Heirloom Sweet Peas...Easier or Harder to Grow??

I felt seeing as it is the time of the year fall sown peas are producing fruit it would be an appropriate topic for a blog entry. To first begin analyzing this particular point of debate you first need to define heirloom. Heirloom typically something of old origin, describes none hybridized plant in the world of gardens. The benefit is with heirloom you can dry your own seeds and re-sow them into the ground next year. This fits in perfectly with self-sufficiency and if you garden, heirloom plants would complete the produce your own theme by you not having to rely on virtually anyone to have a garden. Hybridized plants you can NOT save the seeds from due to the fact that when re-sown they may not germinate or if they do you won't receive any fruit. With food terrorism such a threat in recent years, being able to keep your own seed may help give you peace of mind and secure your food supply. However, in peas there are benefits to having both. There is a vast variety of peas to choose from when sowing. The hybridized ones, in general, are short and meant to provide the ease of not requiring to trellis them. The are capable of producing high yields and they are perfectly good for food production, but as I choose heirloom over hybrids when I have the choice I am more inclined to heirloom peas. This year happens to be my first year growing heirloom peas. I looked around a bit and chose Mammoth Melting Sugar Peas, an heirloom variety I acquired online, the link is to the right. http://www.burpee.com/ Burpee has a large variety of heirloom seeds and ships very quickly. Anyways, I planted them about mid August. The heat, in theory would help them germinate and when the time came it would be cool enough to grow, flower, and fruit to its prime ability. Luckily my theory was right. They are providing bountiful fruit. This particular pea plant climbs to about 4 feet, thus some sort of support system is necessary. I didn't use a support system and just grew them like hybrid peas and I think it for sure has affected my yields, but live and learn...right?? Anyways with the right amount amount of sun water and rich soil, the rest is self explanatory. My heirloom peas are the next best thing for your garden! Good luck!

Guard Llama?

Many goat herders or sheep shepherds have BIG problems with loosing kids to predators. Ever animal lost on your farm is not only a lose of time but money. Why not cut your loses and get a guardian for your livestock. Well you instantly think the cost of feed for a LGD (livestock guardian dog) will counter balance. News flash! Why not get a guard llama?! They eat on browse and are low maintenance. The extent of maintenance is regular worming, occasional hoof trimming, and annual shearing. A llama is silent for the most part and won't wake you up at night with obnoxious noises. Llamas make excellent guardian against coyotes and such. The intellect of a llama is the number one weapon it contains. Llamas are know to herd sheep, and goats into your barn in the event that a predator is present. Llamas will spit but only when threatened and like with all animals if you treat them with respect they will rarely spit on you. Guard llamas are an excellent way of protecting your herd. There are certain criteria you should look for when selecting your guard llama. It should be of at least two years of age. Growing up in a llama herd is a must. The llama herd will teach your guard llama to be protective of his herd members. It should also be a gelding. This is a castrated male llama. Getting the right guard llama may be one of the best investment you've ever made for your herd. I myself own a guard llama and please be aware this is just a brief summary of the information you need. Please feel free to ask questions in the comment box and I will reply as soon as possible.

BlueBerry Plants 101

Ever considered growing your own berries? Berries are an important part of a homestead, they are considerably easy to grow, yield high outputs if cared for properly, and can be used in a variety of canned goods and wines. The first berry you may consider planting is the blue berry, with many varieties everyone can find a type that fits their farm and climate best. Blue berry bushes add beauty and a good source of food to your farm. In spring they have nice little bell flowers that have a nice light aroma. In summer they have bright green and blue berries strewn among their branches and in winter their branches turn to a bright scarlet color which really stands out among the bleak winter landscape. Fall is the perfect time to plant these amazing bushes. Dig a hole about 2-3 times the size of the bucket your plant came in. For best results in planting shred up oak leaves and put them in the bottom of the hole you dug for your plant. Place the bush inside the hole, be careful not to cover up much more stem then was showing while in it's container. Pack potting soil around the plant and finish covering the hole with the pre-existing soil, be careful not to pack it to tight, it might act as a pond causing water to puddle instead of draining towards the roots. After planted consider loosely tying it to a stake. This is just to assist in the establishment of the plant by helping it support itself through violent weather. Mulch around the base of the plant about a 1-2 foot diameter all the way around with pine needles. Water heavily and frequently for the first few days. By planting blueberry bushes in the fall it provides all winter for them to adjust and by spring they will be ready to bloom and produce wonderful yields of fruit. Remember to be patient, Blueberry plants don't truly mature till 3 years of age, meaning the first year or two your yield may be just a hand full. In spring it is recommended to net the berries in order to prevent birds from eating all the crop. Blueberries will dry up if they do not receive enough water. Water at least once a weak if not every other day in the dry seasons.