Turning the Tables on The USDA

I recently made the acquaintance of Andrea Elliot. She and her husband have a dairy farm in upstate NY. Andrea is an active opponent of the NAIS and recently launched a one-woman anti-NAIS mail blitz that included some NY Ag & Market folks in Albany.

Within a week Andrea’s farm received a visit from an Ag & Market person concerning a “complaint” that just happened to be lodged against them. It’s all highly suspicious and seems to be nothing other than a bullying tactic against this family. The Elliots responded with courtesy and firmness, using a video camera and a Public Servant Questionnaire to make it clear that they were not going to be intimidated.

Here is the whole story as reported by David Gumpert at http://www.thecompletepatient.com/

NY Dairy Farmer Turns the Tables When the Ag Inspectors Arrive for a Mystery Visit

Over the last two weeks, Andrea Elliott has been writing emails to farm associations, her Congressman, and members of the U.S. House and Senate agriculture committees—all urging that the upcoming farm bill not include funding for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). She and her husband, Jim, own a dairy farm in the Catskill Mountains of New York, and she made it plain in her notes that she is adamantly opposed to registering the farm’s 80 cows under the federal program.

Yesterday (Monday) she received a call from an inspector with the New York Department of Food and Markets in Albany that he planned to come by the farm for a special inspection, based on “a complaint” made to the department’s Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services.

Andrea couldn’t imagine who might have complained, and what the complaint might have been about. Her farm, Crystal Brook Farms, sells nearly all its milk to a local creamery for pasteurization. She sells a few gallons of raw milk occasionally to individuals who stop in with their own containers, under New York rules that allow sale of 25 gallons a month without a permit.

Today (Tuesday), the inspector, Bradley Lyle Houck, arrived from Albany, two hours away, together with her regular local dairy inspector, and Andrea was prepared. As soon as they arrived, “I turned on my video camera. I think that made them a little uncomfortable.”

Then, she says, “I asked the state inspector to fill out my form.” Her form is a three-page “public service questionnaire” that asks for the inspector’s identity, his principal reason for doing the inspection, how the information he gathers will be used, and other such data.

“He shook his head and refused,” says Andrea. “He said, ‘I have to be authorized by Albany.’” He tried to make a call on his cell phone, but couldn’t complete the call because the farm area has no cell reception.

Andrea persisted. “I said, This is our property and I can require you to fill it out.'” He offered his state ID and badge.

Andrea moved on. “I asked him why he was here and he said a complaint was received in Albany.”

What was the complaint? “He said he couldn’t tell me.”

Who filed the complaint? “He wouldn’t tell me. He just wouldn’t go any further. He said all complaints that come into Albany are treated as confidential.”

“I asked him what statute allows a complaint to be treated as confidential. He said he couldn’t quote a statute.”

At that point, the inspector asked if they could talk off-camera. Andrea declined.

“He said, ‘I guess the best thing would be for us to come back another time.” The two got back into their car and took off.

Andrea adds, “At no time did I deny him the inspection. I didn’t ask him to leave. All I did was ask him for specific reasons for the inspection…I have a right to know who my accuser is.”

Andrea seems to have added an entirely new dimension to the agricultural inspection. Especially one with such an intriguing coincidence connecting it to NAIS.


Bravo, Andrea!

Jumping back in

Whoa.

It's been about 6 months since I last blogged. Life has been busy and we once again had a good year at the Farmers markets.

The reason that I am starting to blog again has to do a growing awareness of the pressure being put on small farms by various departments of our state and federal governments.It really does seem that all the stuff from the USDA that claims to support small farms and buying local is just a bunch of nonsense. All those web pages and handbooks are contradicted by the actual practices of the department which treats small farms like an annoyance to eliminated.

I have recently spoken with farmers in my area and all of them have "horror stories" of being pressured, harassed, and intimidated by agents of the Department of Labor, or some subset of the USDA. One of these has been driven out of business by some very shady government folks. I hope to post some details soon.

Also, I have become aware of the HUGE impact that locally-raised and locally sold foods can have on family health, the local economy, and the whole mindset of farming on a small scale. More to come on that as well.

So expect posts on farmers rights and the struggle to preserve them, the benefits of locally raised foods, the joy of raw milk and other living foods, and atleast 1post on how NOT to raise turkeys.

Gil

Everything I want to do is illegal

I can get frustrated with our government sometimes. It seems like every time I get a good idea of how to make a living from my little farm there are laws and regulations in place to make it harder than it needs to be. Here are some examples:

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

I used to process chickens from my neighbors and friends in the area for a nominal fee. I would do their birds when I did my own. In this way they did not have to travel over a hour to a USDA approved processing plant, and I had to clean up after my own processing anyway.

Well this changed when the chicken hobby grew into my main source of income. Now that am officially operating under the “Producer/Grower – 1,000 Limit Exemption” from the USDA, I can no longer process other people’s chicken. That would require a different exemption, the “Custom Slaughter/Processing Exemption” and according to USDA FSIS, “However, a slaughterer or processor of poultry may not simultaneously operate under more than one exemption” (emphasis theirs).

So, I had to inform the folks that were counting on my family to process for them that I could not legally do so. They were somewhat inconvenienced but they understood that I wanted to obey the law.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

We are currently operating at the 1,000 bird or less exemption level, and as I have mentioned here before pastured poultry does well at the farmer’s markets in our area. I have thought about expanding but once again there are USDA hoops to jump through. In order to go up to the next exemption level (20,000 or less birds) I will need to construct a processing facility with separate rooms for killing/plucking the chickens and eviscerating them. Each room needs a 3-bay stainless steel sink and a hand wash sink, sealed concrete floors with drains (that lead to the required new septic system), and washable wall surfaces. Add in a walk-in cooler also. Quite honestly, this expense is way beyond what we can swing financially. I need to process and sell more birds so that I can afford the facility necessary to process and sell the extra birds. Sheesh!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

For the past few years I have been interested in making sausage. My family likes sausage and I thought that it would be fun to make it and maybe even sell some. Think of it – grass fed meats (beef, veal, pork, poultry even) made into fresh sausage without nitrates, nitrites or weird chemicals – and using good cuts, not just trimmings and such. Yummy! Pass the natural casings.

The other day I contacted our state Department of Agriculture and Markets to see what obstacles were placed in my path this time. This is what I found out:

•  I would need a commercial kitchen inspection and water test to have a 20C license for direct sale to customers. (No problems here since we already do this in order to sell our breads at market.)
  
•  Keep the sausages at 41 degrees F or less (Also not a problem, since we already keep our chickens chilled)
  
•  All animals must be butchered at a USDA inspected processing plant and all meat, whether made into halves, quarters, or recognizable cuts, must be stamped by the processing plant. The man I spoke with was not aware of any such plant in our area but gave me an 800 number where I can ask about it. (Big problem here. I know what those places are like, that is why I do not buy meat at a store and raise and butcher my own animals)
  
•  Separate processing facility for making sausages: 3-bay sink, hand wash sink, washable walls, etc – (Big expense - see above)
  

Sigh.

Years ago, Joel Salatin wrote an article for Acres USA entitled “Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal” I can relate.

It seems to me that our government has lost its sense of proportion. I don’t see why a small-time operator like me needs to go to the extremes deemed necessary for the big guys. I’m not Frank Purdue or John Morrell. I am a very small farm and always direct market to my customers. I do not plan on making a mega-corp out of my farm and do not need to make thousands of pounds of sausage every week. I just want to make ends meet and provide for my family.

I mentioned this to a farmer friend of mine. His response was that the whole idea was to keep the small farmer or businessman from succeeding. Big Farm puts lots of money into lobbying and contributions for political campaigns with the intent of keep the obstacles in the way of guys like us.

Is this true? I don’t know, but someone sure is making life difficult for this small farmer.

Avian Flu Immunity?

Another interesting item from WorldPoultry.net: "Humans may be immune to bird flu."

Tests at St Jude's Children's Research Hospital indicate that most people may be immune to both types of bird flu.
Check it out at http://tinyurl.com/2fu64f

Bird Flu in Britian

www.worldpoultry.net has been reporting on the avian flu outbreak in Suffolk, England. Apparently, 2,600 turkeys died from H5N1 within a few days. As a result the remaining 159,000 are all being gassed to death to prevent the spread of the disease. At first the disease was blamed on the possibility of infection via contact with a wild bird.



Now there is an investigation to see if this is linked to a recent outbreak in Hungary which resulted in thousand of geese being destroyed. According to the Guardian Unlimited web site (http://www.guardian.co.uk/birdflu/story/0,,2006082,00.html) the Bernard Matthews turkey farm in Suffolk is owned by the same company that owns Saga Foods, Hungary’s largest poultry company.



A follow up report by worldpoultry.net shows that this has not effected poultry purchases by British consumers.



OK. Some comments:

 A place with over 161,000 turkeys is not a farm. It’s a factory.

 This factory environment with it’s overcrowding of animals, lack of fresh air, sunshine, and cleanliness is the perfect breeding ground for disease.

 Animals existing (I can’t call it “living”) in these factory farms are under stress and have weakened immune systems already.

 It is no surprise that the feared disease would show up here. I am pretty sure that a wild bird had nothing to do with bringing in the disease. I think it’s a matter of hygiene, proportion, and humane treatment of animals.

 This type of “farming” is a time bomb waiting for an excuse to go off.

 Small sustainable farms are the only viable way to raise safe, nutritious food.

It won’t be the small farm or backyard flock that brings about a pandemic. It will be ridiculously huge unmanageable factory farms.









 

Catching up

   Wow, it's been more than a month since my last post here. Lots going 
on around these parts.

   My wife, Michelle, gave birth to our 12th child on Jan 16th!

 

 We named her Ellie after my mom. She is sweet, gentle, and peaceful! That makes the score to be 5 boys and 7 girls. We are so grateful to God for giving us another child to raise up and encourage. He is so very good to us!

  8 days later, I was rushed to the emergency room and gave birth to a bouncing baby appendix. Apparently, I would have been in big trouble if I had waited any 
longer to come in. I have a high tolerance for pain and did not realize there was a 
problem right away. A few more days and I will be off of the doctor's restrictions
and back to as normal as I ever get.

  It's tax prep time here. It's more complicated than in previous years, since I am self-employed now. This ought to be fun!

  Will try to post more regularly after this.

Gil

The Ambulance Down In The Valley

This old poem reminds me of the attitude of our government , particularly with regards to the NAIS debacle. Rather than diagnose or prevent animal diseases the NAIS simply wants to perform damage control. 48-hour Trace back will not prevent contaminated meat from reaching consumers nor will it keep any supposed pandemic from occurring. It simply ignores the causes and tries to inadequately deal with the effects. Rather than choose a good fence they have opted for an ambulance down in the valley.

The Ambulance in the Valley by Joseph Malins 1895

‘Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant;
But over its terrible edge there had slipped
A duke, and full many a peasant.
The people said something would have to be done,
But their projects did not at all tally.
Some said ‘Put a fence ‘round the edge of the cliff,’
Some, ‘An ambulance down in the valley.’

The lament of the crowd was profound and was loud,
As their tears overflowed with their pity;
But the cry for the ambulance carried the day
As it spread through the neighbouring city.
A collection was made, to accumulate aid
And the dwellers in highway and alley
Gave dollars or cents – not to furnish a fence –
But an ambulance down in the valley.

‘For the cliff is all right if you’re careful,’ they said;
‘And if folks ever slip and are dropping,
It isn’t the slipping that hurts them so much
As the shock down below – when they’re stopping.’
So for years (we have heard), as these mishaps occurred
Quick forth would the rescuers sally,
To pick up the victims who fell from the cliff,
With the ambulance down in the valley.

Said one, to his pleas, ‘It’s marvel to me
That you’d give so much greater attention
To repairing results than to curing the cause;
You had much better aim at prevention.
For the mischief, of course, should be stopped at its source;
Come, neighbours and friends, let us rally.
It is far better sense to rely on a fence
Than an ambulance down in the valley.’

‘He is wrong in his head,’ the majority said;
‘He would end all our earnest endeavour.
He’s a man who would shirk this responsible work,
But we will support it forever.
Aren’t we picking up all, just as fast as they fall,
And giving them care liberally?
A superfluous fence is of no consequence,
If the ambulance works in the valley.’

The story looks queer as we’ve written it here,
But things oft occur that are stranger
More humane, we assert, than to succour the hurt
Is the plan of removing the danger.
The best possible course is to safeguard the source
By attending to things rationally.
Yes, build up the fence and let us dispense
With the ambulance down in the valley.

Instead of the ineffeicient waste of resources that we call the NAIS, resources would be better applied to cleaning up the meat processing plants and huge agricorps that breed the diseases that the USDA is so afraid of.

NAIS Meeting in Whitney Point, NY

Report on Today’s NAIS Meeting in Whitney Point, NY

Attendance:

There were about 25 or more people in attendance, plus two ladies from New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, a man representing the USDA, and another man from the county level.

One of the ladies from Ag & Markets did most of the talking with occasional input from the others. She asked up front that everyone be respectful of each other even though the topic was controversial. Folks were respectful throughout the meeting, even during the Q&A/comment period.

Presentation of the program:

• The basics of the NAIS were explained in a slideshow. During the slideshow two things were emphasized:

1. The Voluntary nature of the NAIS,
2. And that NY state is not implementing everything that is being advised by the federal level of the program, (For example, NY will not require the use of RFID tags, and is actively encouraging the use of tags already on the animals).

• It was stated that the NY version of the NAIS is called the New York Animal Health Information Systems (NYAHIS). NYAHIS will attempt to maintain the “positive aspects” of surveillance embraced by the national system, discarding the elements that just do not work with NY State. They believe that in doing this they can still meet the goals of the national program. (Personally, I don’t see how they can do this.)

• The premises number will be 7 alphanumeric characters, and the animal ID number will be 8 alphanumeric characters. (If they were only using numbers that would give the possibility of trying to track over 999 trillion animals. With both number and letter variables in use I don’t even want to think how many that would be. Why does anyone need this many variables?)

• Current status: 51% of premises ID’s registered. (I’m not sure where this number comes from.)

Q&A session

The real heart of the meeting was the Q&A session: Lots of folks had strong opinions and concerns about the state and federal levels of the program. I don’t recall any farmer there who really had much good to say about the NAIS. As I mentioned, everyone was civil and reasonable. This helped us cover a lot of ground.

The main speaker fielded most of the questions, and did well overall. Here is a summary:

Q: How secure is the database?
A. She could only speak of the NY database, which is only accessible via direct physical (cable) connection to the computer storing the database. Only 5 state vets have access to the database.

Q. There were questions about RFID tags and the frequencies to be used. Also there were concerns about the vulnerabilities of the tags to tampering and duplication of the data.
A. You don’t have to use the RFID tags in NY.

Q. I received an information packet in the mail. It included a card that had my premises ID. What’s going on? (A few people there had this happen to them.)
A. Folks who had previously been registered with state animal disease programs were registered automatically. The literature that was sent to you included instructions in how to opt out of the program. (This must be the data mining hinted at in the last NY State Cooperative Agreement document. None of these gov’t folks seemed bothered at all by the blatant privacy invasion that had been perpetrated upon these farmers.)

Q. How can the program be “Voluntary” and still attain 100% participation?
A. Well, I have to admit that it doesn’t sound very realistic.

Q. What is really meant by a “Voluntary program?”
A. In NY State you will never be forced to participate in the NYAHIS. It will always be voluntary.
(This was discussed at some length with lots of comments from farmers. Many doubted that anyone could presume upon the future and guarantee that things would always remain voluntary. My own comments were that even if things remained unchanged that you could not avoid compliance even when you are not registered. State fairs could restrict participation to livestock with NAIS ID, processing facilities could require that ID tags be present before any livestock could be processed, etc. They had no answer for these concerns.)

Q. Have there been any cost analyses performed? Who is going to pay for the personnel needed to track animals, maintain the needed databases, and enforce the NAIS?
A. State level: Pretty sure that these have been done but could not readily reference any info. Did not know total cost (too variable) or who ultimately pays for it. Federal level: The USDA rep had no answer for these questions.

Q. NAIS does not address issues of disease prevention or treatment. Wouldn’t it be better to close the barn door rather than to go chasing the horses?
A. This was not really answered at all.

Q. There are at least 4 different amendments to the U.S. Constitution that are violated by the NAIS (1st, 4th, 5th, and 14th). Care to comment on that?
A. Hey, It’s a voluntary program. You don’t have to participate.
Q. That’s not a good enough answer. How can you as government employees actively support a program that violates the Constitution?
A. (They really couldn’t answer this one either.)

Q. The NAIS will create a complete “paper trail” for the whole life of livestock animals, say, for example, a cow. The cow can change hands several times and eventually be slaughtered in a USDA plant. What if someone gets sick and sues the place they bought beef from. They can now sue everyone who ever had anything to do with this cow, right from the market back to the farmer who first owned her. How does the NAIS handle the increased liability for farmers?
A. This won’t happen in NY. We are too good at preventing disease from spreading. If you see any problems, report ‘em. (This got a few polite chuckles from the group, even though she was sincere when answering.)

Q. How does the NY program protect farmers from lawsuits?
A: I don’t know but I can look into it.

Q. How does the federal program protect farmers from lawsuits?
A. (From NY level) The federal program has ensured that you will not be held liable. (She turned to the USDA rep but he did not say anything to confirm or deny this.)

Q. Every animal sale that is made has to have receipts. Everyone keeps records of their own animals. Plus there are disease prevention and herd improvement programs that keep records. Isn’t the NAIS redundant?
A. Maybe, but it is difficult to pull all this info together to use it efficiently. The NAIS will consolidate this info to speed up tracking of animals. On the state level it will mean being able to shift from thousands of paper files that must be manually searched to an up-to-date computer database. This will save many, many hours of work.

To be fair to our hosts I must say that they did well in the meeting. They had a tough subject to address with a tough audience (very independent-minded farmers). They were professional and friendly throughout, even when some of the questions were very difficult. They were not rapid big government fanatics trying take away our rights. They sincerely believe in what they are doing and want to help. They are good folks but rather naïve for trusting in the program to fix anything. I hope that we gave them some things to consider.

After the meeting some of the more outspoken farmers were able to talk together. A few of us have decided to keep in touch and continue to fight the NAIS.

Gil

But I Don't Want To Be This Protected

I am not quite sure when it started but I have noticed over time that our government has been changing gears from public servant to public protector. Over the course of my lifetime the government has tried to protect me from

• air pollution
• global warming
• killer bees
• work hazards
• swine flu
• communism
  
• mad cow disease
• poverty
• hunger
• lack of health insurance
• weather conditions large and small, (On the radio we now get winter weather alerts from the National Weather Service - why do I need to be warned about snow in December?)
• sexual predators
• deteriorating ozone layer
  
• avian flu
• bacteria in restaurant veggies
• terrorists here and abroad
• potential animal pandemics
  
• and you could probably add a lot more to this list...
  

Now some of these may be legitimate concerns but I am bothered by the government's increasing role as protector since each time it takes up a new "danger" there is a proportionate loss to the freedoms of it's citizens. Even if I wanted this much protection I differ from my elected representatives on the scale in which the government is to be involved. I would use a pea-shooter, they would use a bazooka.

Besides, I never asked to be protected. I am willing to take personal responsibility for my choices and actions, even if there is some risk involved. I grow my own vegetables and raise most of my own meat. I am self-employed and will take care of my own family's welfare. Thank you very much.

I do realize that some government intervention can be helpful at times for people in genuine need. I am concerned at the large number of people who have become totally dependent upon government entitlements. I think that it makes us weaker as a nation and as a people.

I will also admit to some suspicion of our elected officials since they never return the power that was taken to address each danger or emergency. It is especially troubling that they are the ones who always spot the dangers first. Maybe I'm paranoid, but it just seems to be very convenient for them.

Looking Back on the 2006 Farmer's Market Season

Well, 2006 was our first foray into making a living at raising pastured poultry. I am pleased with the results.

The farmer's markets in Binghamton and Vestal, NY were both successful. We developed a loyal customer base that truly appreciated the quality of our chickens and baked goods. Even better than selling out most weeks toward the end of the season, were the relationships we developed with the other vendors and with the customers. We really came to care about the customers as people, and my wife actually shed a few tears (along with a couple of customers) when saying goodbye at the end of October. It was a pleasure to interact with people who care about their food and where it comes from.

We got a chance to see a few of them again when we distributed pasture-raised turkeys for Thanksgiving. That also went very well. I hope to increase the number of turkeys next year, since demand far exceeded our supply.

We learned a lot this year and made continual improvements throughout the season in areas of production, presentation, marketing and record keeping. We will be experimenting with having customers pre-order products next year and hope to introduce a few new value-added products, also.

Looking forward to next year!

Gil

NAIS Meetings in South Central NY

A local farmer recently informed me of upcoming meetings about the
NAIS. He gave me a photocopied page from the Nov 2006 Dairy and Field
Crops Program newsletter (From Cornell, I think.)

Here's the text of the page:

Finally... National Animal Identification System (NAIS) Explained

Featuring:
Sarah Blood-Szentmiklosy, NAIS Coordinator, NY State Dept. of Ag & Markets.

3 Sites in South Central New York Area aimed at commercial livestock operations:

December 14 - Cortland
NYS Grange, Rt. 13 North
11:00 - 2:30 lunch provided

December 15 - Owego
Treadway Inn, Rt 17C East
11:00 - 2:30 lunch provided

December 18 - Whitney Point
Aiello's, Jct. Rts 79 & 205 (sic - actually it's Rt. 206)
11:00 - 2:30 lunch provided

Benefits of becoming informed:

- You'll learn the ins and outs of the program without wandering
around websites wondering if information is up-to-date

- You can register premises on site

- Gain a better understanding of the program's associated standards and regulations

- Most Importantly - learn how you will be able to leverage advantages in your management program.

Please RSVP by contacting Sharon VanDeuson at 607-753-5078 or shv7@cornell.edu

I contacted Sharon VanDeuson via phone today and registered for the meeting at Whitney Point. All that was required was my name and phone number. No other information was requested.

I hope that they will have a Q&A period since I have lots of questions. I plan to strongly voice my opposition to the NAIS. Any input as to issues to bring up would be appreciated.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Chickens

Teenage Mutant Ninja Chickens – that’s what I am raising out in my pasture pens. There is something not quite normal about Cornish Cross chickens. Oh don’t get me wrong. They have their good points - they are fast growing, fairly low maintenance, and rather tasty – they’re just odd.

My laying birds eat to live. My Cornish Cross broilers live to eat. The voracious appetites of these guys can be a bit unnerving sometimes.

This is why I think of them as Teenage Mutant Ninja Chickens:

Teenage: because they eat like my teenage sons. However, my sons put every calorie to good use, whereas I wonder about the feed efficiency of these broilers. I mean they are always eating and yet they seem to be always hungry. It reminds me of American consumerism.

Mutant: these birds are not a naturally occurring breed, but are specifically bred for their fast weight gain and proportions. Mutations occur with a loss of genetic information and are usually not benign in nature. The overlarge breasts and legs of this breed may seem good for eating but cause some real issues for the birds. Lately, I have been more aware of the health issues that plague the species. I found a few large broilers that had stumbled on some uneven ground and fallen on their backs. They could not roll over to get back onto their feet. Some died in this position. I flipped one that was still alive onto her feet and she immediately skeedaddled over to the feeder, wild with hunger. Weird.

Ninja: There is an air of mystery about these chickens. They grow so fast you can almost see the weight gain happening. Chicken also makes really good oriental stir-fries.

Chickens: Well, they look like chickens and they taste like chickens. They somewhat act like chickens. They must be chickens.

Overall, I am satisfied with the end result of raising and selling these birds.

And yet, I can’t help but feel that there must be a better way, a better breed to try… some way that I can improve the pastured poultry model. I will keep trying new things, experimenting with different feeds, breeds, pens, feeders, waterers, etc…

I just won an Ebay auction for 6+ fertile eggs from Tim Shell’s rare Improved Corndell Cross breed. Another experiment is about to begin.

Farmers Market Update

Things are going fairly well here at Full Quiver Farm. We have had 2 successful weeks at the Vestal, NY farmers market. People are enjoying my wife and daughters’ good breads, pies, and cookies. This is no surprise to me since I have always enjoyed their baked goods.

What was surprising to me is that we nearly sold out on everything even though there was some real competition from other more established vendors. These folks have very professional set ups that make their products look like they came from professional bakeries. They each had a huge selection of wares. Our breads and other baked goods look like they came from a kitchen, which they have.

And maybe that’s what people are looking for – home baked breads and a few old-fashioned cookies that are fresh and good. No high gloss or fancy packaging, just real food.

As far as the chicken goes, it was surprising to me how many people have never heard of pastured poultry. They were generally interested in learning about how we raise our chickens and turkeys. Many were surprised to learn of the lower fat content and greater amounts of vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids. We sold a lot of chicken!

But as good as the products are, we would not have done well at all if the Lord did not go before us and give us favor in the eyes of our customers. He is continually showing Himself faithful to provide for us.

Please pray that we will also be similarly blessed when we start a second market in Whitney Point, NY next week.

To God be the glory. Great things He has done.

First Day at Farmers Market & Recommended Poultry Sources

Full Quiver Farm at Local Farmers Markets

This year we will be selling our pastured poultry and fresh baked goods at two local farmers markets. They are located at Whitney Pioint, NY and in Vestal, NY. We really enjoyed our first foray into farmers markets last year in Whitney Point, developing good realtionships with customers and the other vendors.

Today, we start at the Vestal farmers market, which is a lot bigger and busier. There are other vendors competing with us who have already established a solid customer base for the same types of products. I admit to being a tad nervous. This is good though since it adds energy to our efforts.

Recommended Poultry Sources

Moyers Chicks: For best prices on broiler chicks. Excellent customer service.

Cackle Hatchery: Best prices on Turkeys, especially heritage breeds. Also, scores high for customer service.

Ideal Poultry Breeding Farms, Inc. I plan to order from them soon. They have an large variety of heritage chicken breeds available.

Robert Plamondon has some excellent information on poultry at his family's various sites. www.plamondon.com

More to come later.

Encouragement from Cumberland Books

I recently discovered the Cumberland Book catalog via Herrick Kimball's always excellent The Deliberate Agrarian blog.

The catalog has books that are "carefully chosen, lovingly described." The selection is wonderful.

But even if you do not order any books the catalog is worth checking out just for the insightful reviews and articles.

By way of example, check out these insightful words about why people pursue bizarre belief systems:

Back in my college days (early 70s), I was a major fan of a surrealistic comedy group known as the Firesign Theater. They mostly made albums, and my favorite by far was a satire of conspiracy-minded types, telling the story of Dr. Harry Cox, a fellow who spent his days researching and propagating wacky theories;alien abductions, psychic phenomena, international cabals from his trailer park in the California high desert. He referred to his disciples as "seekers," and pointed out that "there's a seeker born every minute."
The name of the album was Everything You Know is Wrong. About halfway through the recording Dr. Cox finds out something new and important, and breaks in to tell his listeners,"Seekers, I was right! Everything I knew was wrong!"

That joke points up an ever-present danger that faces those of us who deliberately seek out alternatives to conventional thinking.

When we see, hear, or read something very different from what we've always taken for granted; something about worship, or the roles of men and women, or cultural trends, or allegiances to political parties, or how to raise children, or what the word "fascist" means;we suddenly realize that our wisdom is merely received wisdom, that there is no particular basis for our beliefs about the matter.


Sometime, somewhere, we were handed an explanation that sounded plausible, and we accepted it without question. There��s a lot that can be learned when you approach such matters with an open mind, recognizing that your thinking on many topics may be more the fruit of cultural propaganda or a government-designed education than of careful study. But as we see in the example of Dr. Harry Cox, credulousness can cut both ways. We are in just as much danger of embracing a different worldview not because it is true but because it is new and exciting. Our latent gnosticism latches onto oddball ideas in the hope that they may turn out to be secret knowledge, understood only by an elite few. And by signing up for their program, we get to join their club.

This is the territory of the cults. Not just Mormons and Jehovah��s witnesses but full preterists and Oneness Pentecostals base their brotherhood not on the plain teaching of Scripture but on imaginative readings of a few passages. The fact that scholarship, church tradition, informed opinion, and simple common sense are squarely opposed to them does not lead them to rethink their ideas; rather it confirms their belief that powerful and malign forces must be at work behind the scenes, blinding the average man to the truth they've stumbled upon.

It won't do to ignore the dangers that lie in wait for us. Too many times we've seen friends and colleagues begin by rethinking the party line and end up parroting an even more outlandish alternative.

To raise questions about prevailing opinion without wandering off into the fever swamps of gnosticism takes discernment and humility. Many of the books we recommend in this catalog take a skeptical look at the conventional thinking on this or that topic. We think that they present the facts accurately, that their reasoning is clear and sound, and that their conclusions are sober and solid. But we also encourage you to read these books as a Berean would, testing their claims against what you already know and what Scripture tells you, drawing your own conclusions, and drawing them cautiously.

I have seen a number of solid Christian friends pursue off-the-wall heretical beliefs. I could never understand how such intelligent, perceptive people could accept such obvious spiritual nonsense. The wise words from Cumberland Books helped me to understand.

I am thankful to them.

The Best Way To Oppose The NAIS

After too long of a hiatus, I have decided to start blogging again.

I was encouraged to do so via an e-mail from Herrick Kimball, the Deliberate Agrarian. I have long admired Herrick's writing whether supporting others on various poultry groups, or helping other agrarians perfect their WhizBang chicken pluckers. His blog is a well written and insightful. Check it out.

I am glad to see more people becoming aware of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). I will be adding my own two cents soon.

I have seen lots of ideas about how to oppose this evil government scheme, and most of them are sensible and potentially effective. None of these address the root cause of the issue.

The real cause is our own lack of diligence in prayer for the leaders of our nation. I firmly believe that God can and does change the hearts (minds, intentions) of the ones that he has allowed to have governmental authority.

As streams of waters, the king's heart is in the hand of Jehovah; He turns it wherever He desires. (Proverbs 21:1 LITV)

We are called to pray for our leaders. Many Christians know this but do not take it seriously, and limit their governmental intercessions to the National Day of Prayer.

First of all then, I exhort that petitions, prayers, supplications, and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all the ones being in high position, that we may lead a tranquil and quiet existence in all godliness and dignity. (1Ti 2:1-2 LITV)

Look at the end result of our prayers, a tranquil and quiet existence in all godliness and dignity. This is what every "Christian Agrarian" wants for himself and his family. We also want to preserve the right to choose to live this way for every one else, too.

So write your senators and congressmen, storm the gates of the USDA, get the word out. But please take time to involve God in the equation. He is the only One who can effect the permanent heart change to ensure that our legislators respect the rights of farmers, homesteaders, and agrarians.

Defeating the NAIS will only give us a temporary victory. They will just try something else, a few months or a few years later.

God can change the hearts of our nation's rulers and win them to our side.

Let's pray...

Spring Chicks

The first batch of this year’s chicks arrived yesterday!

New Life! Just thinking about it puts a smile on my face and a spring in my step.

These 50 little balls of yellow fluff have caused some excitement among our children, too. The entire family always appreciates and values life, especially babies (human and animal.)

These Cornish-X chicks have a very quick growth rate. These 2-day old chicks have almost doubled in size since we got them. Some of them are already starting to feather out, with white wing feathers showing a bit. They will be ready for processing in about 8 weeks, and will dress out at ~ 4 – 5 lbs. on average.


We will be selling these chickens at the Syracuse, NY farmers’ market this summer.


More stuff to come soon.

Fighting for Life

Yesterday, I commented on the War between Life and Death.

It seems clear that God, the Creator of everything, is on the side of Life and even instructs those who belong to Him to chose Life over Death.

But what is our part in this war?

What are we to do when faced with situations like the whole Terri Schaivo scandal? What’s the game plan for dealing with those who cannot speak up for themselves?

Once again we can look to the Bible for wisdom. Check out these verses:

Proverbs 24:11
Deliver those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold {them} back

Proverbs 31:8, 9
Open your mouth for the mute, For the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.

Help the helpless. Defend the ones being sent to death, especially those who have no way of pleading their case. Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Some practical things to do:

• Get educated on the issues; go beyond what the media tells you
• Write letters to the editor of the local paper
• Call, write, fax, e-mail the people in power who are making these far-reaching decisions (Senators, Representatives, Mayors, Assemblymen, the President, and yes, even the judges)
• Pray
• Speak out. Actively discuss the issues with your friends, family, co-workers. Be respectful but firm. The truth has a way of changing people’s minds. A lot of battles are won in the arena of public opinion
  
  More to come…
  

The War Between Life and Death

Terri Schaivo is dead, dehydrated and starved to death by court order. God help us all.

Regardless of how you feel about the situation, I think it can be safely said that this is not a simple case of someone’s "right to die." The whole thing is complicated by:

• Lack of a living will
• An adulterous husband who has everything to gain by his wife’s death
• Sealed medical records
• A large malpractice settlement
• A 3-ring media circus pumping out conflicting (and often misleading) reports, and
• Judges who defy the governor, the president, and congress
  

In my opinion, this should not be a test case for either side of the debate. It is just too complicated to be used in setting legal precedence. It may, however, test the backbone of both the legislative and judicial branches to see if the balance of power is still balanced.

But even the debate and the court issues are not the real heart of the matter. The war is.

A Matter of Life and Death

There is a war going on now. I am not talking about the war on terrorism. I am not talking about a conflict between the executive and legislative branches against judicial activists. I am referring to an older war, one with universal consequences.

It is a war between life and death.

This war has been going on since the beginning.

God created everything. Life is the greatest gift that God has ever given. Life is good Life is powerful.

If you don’t think that God has placed in everything the power of Life and a will to Live, just watch as weeds grow through concrete to get to the sunshine, or notice how a brain-damaged woman fought for 2 weeks to stay alive without food or water.

Death came into the world when sin came into the world. Death has been fighting Life ever since.
I am concerned about this because God is concerned about this. Here is a very straightforward Bible passage that may shed some light on the whole matter (emphasis added by me):

Behold! I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil, in that I command you today to love Jehovah your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, so that you may live and multiply. And Jehovah your God shall bless you in the land where you go to possess it. But if you turn away your heart, so that you will not hear, but shall be drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days on the land where you pass over Jordan to go to possess it. I call Heaven and earth to record today against you. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life, so that both you and your seed may live, so that you may love Jehovah your God, and that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him. For He is your life and the length of your days, so that you may dwell in the land which Jehovah swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give it to them.
- Deut 30:15-20

God is giving the Israelites a choice here: Choose life and good, or choose death and evil. It was such an important choice that he mentions it twice and states that He has called Heaven and earth to record their choice.

Yes, God gave them, and us, a choice. Then he tells them what He wants them to choose: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life.”

The same choice is set before our nation today. Heaven and earth are set to record our choice. Some folks in Florida have chosen death.

If we had any sense at all in this country, we would take God’s advise and Choose Life.

Welcome and Introduction

Full Quiver Farm is where my family lives. We are a large Christian family, 10 children with number 11 due in July.

This blog will be used to extol the joys of a large family, promote a culture of life, plug for organic farming and grass-fed meats, and offer highly opinionated views on current events.

May you be encouraged to live simply, honoring God in all you do.