Still kicking :)

See a few e-mail's wondering if we fell off the face of the earth...not quite yet :)

Been a busy last fall and winter. Our breeding fleet of hogs is offline for now. The Defender boar we got was (unfortunately) a failure for breeding purposes and we now have two wonderful (full blooded) BH sows (a Prudence/Majestic and a Canadian lined Matilda/Majestic) and a wonderful (but very cross) Boar.

So in the short term, we will have butcher pigs, or sires and dams for butcher herds, but out full blood stock program is on hold, probably for the forseeable future.

Those customers who want pork (or beef, we are a bit over run with cattle at the moment) can get in touch. Same e-mail, same phone.

dalan.farm@gmail.com
509-301-6207

Thanks!

Dave,

More summer pics

Heres some of the little pigs doing what they do and the "pretty boys."

New pix from the farm...it's baby time!

So here some of the new babies on the Farm. This weekend has been filled with moing the margins (and the nieghbors) weed crop. Going to throw some seed and keep watering this weekend too. Just good ole farm living ;)

Babies born 6/25 to Lilly

One of the replacement sows ("Ms Piggy"), some feeders and the runt (Skittles)

Daphne's babies, less than a week old.

My lawn mower can eat your lawn mower :-)

Still here

First hay is up, the spring piggies are on the ground (and sold!) And the old baler works like its supposed to. I might make a half decent baler mechanic after all!

Well be processing pork in October and again next march. $5.50/# includes cut and wrap, whole or half.

Next litters (including breed stock) will be march 2012. Prudence and Matty Beth sows x defender boar. By fall 2012, well be selling pairs again. Should be nice low CI, and compatible with any of the stock you may have bought from us before.

Defender x Prudence litter piglets are going to be $500 a head at weaning. Matty Beth x Defender will be $650.

Remember to check pedigrees before buying and maybe get a trial mating through the largeblackhogassociation.org registrar. Before you buy!

Dave,

Milking madness

So my eldest daughter finally broke our naughty cow. Blossom now comes to the milking stantion with relative ease. The Mrs and my eldest are separating blossom from her big baby at night and milking in the AM.

So far, so good. Looks like we'll get about a gallon a day and it delicious. The Mrs and Blossom seem have a repaired relationship. Now talking about Blossom makes my wifes eyes light up...instead of making her shoulders slump. Yeah!

On the hog front, im getting a Matty Beth sow (out of Noble Sam boar) to breed to my defender boar. Should create a pretty low CI piglet, with plenty of new blood for the west coast.

Springy 'round here

Seeded some alfalfa last weekend, yesterday i checked the field and most of the seed was opening and shooting runners in the ground!!

Grass is green and growing, kids are playing in the woods again and i'm looking forward to hay season. Seriously!

Updates!!!

OK...I think the on hand stock is all sold. Well, we have commitements for those breeding animals that are leavingt he farm. We still have a prudence sow and a defender boar. MAYBE defender piglets in the fall, but I'm not 100% that well breed again this year.

The prudence sow is bred to her half brother (he's heading out soon) and her babies will be exclusively for pork to the locals. Or a feeder pig.

Eventually I plan to add a Warbler (been looking for a while) but in the nearer term perhaps a Matty Beth (if I can wrangle one up). In short we'll have defender boars/gilts...eventually. And probably in the next year or two we'll be selling out of Defender and Majestic boys and Prudence and Matty Beth ladies. Warbler (if I cna get one) will sub in for the Prudence. Confused? Me too. And I of course reserve the right to change my mind completely :)

Farm News: Well winter cam back today, but looks like it should be gone tomorrow again (back int he 40's and 50's). Nice. We'll be seeding some alfalfa when the time is right and I managed to harrow up the over grazed pastures and the hay field.

A 6v fuel pump is on the way for the massey 36SP swather (mechanical one took a dump, and I'm not willing to toss money on a rebuild). Get in istalled, get the old opening covered with a plate and change the oil (fuel was leaking into the crank case...so the oil got real thin) and we'll be on the road again.

Oh...and we're sticking to our farm alone this year. We were haying som other folks stuff, but it just eats too much time. I'm a weekend farmer, and I like it that way. We ususally jump in feet first, and then have to draw back a little (a lot?). Let the drawing back begin.

That's all for now.

Dave,