Pasture Prose

December 2017

Welcome to the official newsletter of Yellow Hutch Farm! I hope to make this a regular feature for our farm friends. This first edition is longer than it will be normally because I have a lot to get out there right off the bat, so please bear with me. The goal is to publish these updates at least quarterly, and hopefully monthly!

As many of you know, we arrived here on the farm in Braham from California in September with the goal of building a farm business based on clean, healthy, local food, and to become a resource to our community for inspiration and information about the world of regenerative, integrity farming that improves the commons of our planet, instead of depleting them. I won’t go line by line telling our whole story here, because you can find all of our past and up to the minute content on our social media pages (Facebook and Instagram) as well and Lauren’s wonderful blog. Be sure and like, follow and subscribe!

As I plan for the upcoming season, I want to officially let you know that we will be producing pastured broiler chickens, pastured and forested pork, and 100% grass fed and finished beef. Our grass based system of frequent pasture rotations, working with nature, and not administering unnecessary antibiotics or growth hormones ensures the highest quality, most nutrient dense, cleanest food you can get with flavor that is like nothing you can find at the supermarket. A cornerstone of our mission is that our animals get to live as nature intended, allowed fully express their unique distinctiveness. What’s more natural than a chicken scratching around for bugs and the proverbial worm? Or pigs under the shade of hardwoods, rooting and searching for every last acorn? If you close your eyes and imagine cattle grazing, do you think of lush green pastures and cows contently grazing the day away? If you come to our farm and open your eyes, this is exactly what you will see. You will not see the ruminant cattle eating things they weren’t designed to eat in nature, and the pigs and chickens supplement their forage with a non-medicated, non-GMO ration. Isn’t this exciting?

We are currently researching marketing options, and are continually trying to get the word out. Please let a friend know about us!

2018 EXCLUSIVE OFFER

Starting a farm from scratch is capital intensive and fraught with risks: how can we get patrons interested in buying our food if we haven’t even raised any? What if we raise all this food and nobody buys it? These are challenges I have to face in order to get this venture up and running, and try to plan the upcoming production season. We want to be diligent in our spending and don’t have unlimited funds to risk with just the hope that people will purchase. With this in mind I have a great way to get our wonderful patrons involved: THE FOUNDERS CLUB!

For a limited time, only for the winter 2017-2018, you have the opportunity to get in on the ground floor, and help us get off the ground. FOUNDERS CLUB members can sign up and PRE-PAY for farm product in any amount they choose. It could be $20, or $20,000- it’s up to you! We will earmark that money in your name, and you can redeem at any time for any currently available product, and your earmark NEVER EXPIRES! But wait, there’s more…

If you sign up between now and the end of January 2018, you will get a 15% DISCOUNT on everything you order, up to the amount of your initial investment, and it’s good for both retail cuts, whole and half animals, anything! Send us an email today to sign up and become a member. FOUNDERS CLUB discounts will reduce to 10% on February 1 and then to 5% March 1, so sign up early to take advantage of big savings. I will have more details about this program in the January edition of Pasture Prose If you have questions, send us an email at yellowhutchfarm@gmail.com

2018 OFFERINGS

Below is a brief description of what we plan to produce in the 2018 season. Prices, processing dates, and availability will follow in a future newsletter.

PASTURED BROILERS

These birds come to the farm as day old chicks and begin their life in our brooder where they are started on their non-medicated, non-GMO ration. After about 3 weeks they are feathered out and ready to go out on pasture. They are placed in portable shelters, called Chicken Tractors, and are moved EVERY DAY to fresh grass where they can forage for protein and fertilize at the same time. At around 8 weeks, they will be ready to process. We will offer whole birds to start. If there is demand for cut up birds, let us know and we can incorporate that into our planning.

PASTURED AND FORESTED PORK

Pigs are amazing creatures. We love the utility of the animal and the quality of the meat they provide. We raise the pigs outdoors, rotating around the farm protected by portable electric fencing. They start in the garden area rooting and tilling the soil, while foraging any yummy leftover vegetables. Then they will move through the rougher pasture areas helping to clean up the overgrowth and fertilize as they go. Finally, they will finish in the woods, where they can root for morsels and glean anything they want from the tree nuts and leaf litter. They always have access to a balanced, non-GMO ration. Pork will be available by the cut, and as a discounted bulk purchase of a whole or half animal that is custom cut to your specifications.

SALAD BAR BEEF

This is the top product for us and the one that I am most excited about. In my opinion, grass fed and finished beef is THE most regenerative protein source we have. A cows job is to convert sunshine into food by way of grass. Cattle managed in an intensive rotational system where they are moved every day to a fresh salad bar do wonders to rebuild soil health and animal welfare. Like the bison on the Great Plains, the cattle move together in a tight group, controlled this time by portable electric fencing instead predators. This creates a short term disturbance followed by a long period of rest. It allows the pasture to rebuild it’s roots and proliferate. Over time this management system builds organic matter and produces a very diverse diet for the animals, hence the Salad Bar moniker, and we never have to feed grain, shovel manure, or buy chemical fertilizers. The sales program is just like pork. And just like pork, product availability will determined as we assess demand.

With that, I want to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas, and a safe a joyous holiday season. Referrals are our lifeline, so please tell a friend and ask them to sign up on our email list. Please visit our website, www.yellowhutchfarm.com for more information. If you would like a paper version of this letter, let us know how we can get one to you.

Cheers!

Chris Kiesz