Autumn is coming quickly. The air is cooler now and has a distinct crispness first thing in the morning. The trees are beginning to turn brilliant colors and we found frost in patches across the fields at least one morning last week.
Happily the smoke that hovered most of the summer has blown away, at least for now. Especially in the afternoon the light is so bright and clear after all the weeks of smoke and haze. I keep pausing to look around and admire the bright rich colors, the hills clearly visible and how the valley seems to nearly sparkle.
Our beef harvest is moving apace, we have sent six beef nearly each week this month to our processor Northwest Premium in Nampa, and our big walk-in freezer is just about full. Orders keep rolling in, for which we are thankful, but we have plenty of beef available here to fill your freezer and feed your family this winter.
Late summer and early fall is the best time of year to harvest since the steers have had all summer on the best pasture available. They can gain 2 pounds per day! And it’s good for us as we plan and prepare for winter to have fewer mouths to feed through the cold months, especially large steers that can each eat quite a lot! By harvesting now while the grass is still growing, we capture the highest nutritional profile in the beef, and allow the pasture to grow and stockpile feed to graze through the winter.
We are finally raising our prices in October. It’s been years since we raised them, but the current state of the economy dictates that we must. If you order bulk beef (eighth, quarter, or half) and send in your deposit by October 1, you can take advantage of the current pricing for your whole order.
In other news, Aaron has decided to step away from the farm in mid-October to pursue a career in law enforcement. Claire is stepping in to fill more of the management of grazing and cattle and our friend Robert Kennedy is also coming on part time to help with the heavy lifting. However, given the wide range of responsibilities Aaron carried out here, we have a need for more help. There are a variety of options with field projects, managing social media, coordinating orders and making deliveries. Please feel free to contact us if you have interest in working with us.