February Newsletter
Like any good Minnesotan, I have a strong desire to spend this entire newsletter complaining about the weather, “I mean, can you believe this cold snap we have this week.” Please imagine that being said in a thick Minnesota accent. But instead of ranting about the weather, it might be productive to reflect upon all of things that have been done to prepare for the 2021 growing season. And I am not just talking about vegetables, but the livestock. Each winter I get to plan what animals will be added to the farm. Some we order, some are picked up and some of the animals get their start right here in the barn. But each animal will come to us in their own unique and sometimes challenging way.
New baby chicks will be coming at the end of April to join the layers that we already have. Oddly enough, they come in the mail by the US Postal Service. Walk into any post office in early April and you are bound to hear some chirping. Once they arrive, we must create a 95-degree environment for them. April in Minnesota can be as cold February sometimes. Oh gosh! Sorry, I just complained about the weather. I will stop.
Bees have been ordered and are currently in California waiting to be shipped. Lucky bees and their warm California weather. Massive amounts of bees make their way to the Midwest in early April and handed out to brave beekeepers. The new bees will join our over-wintered bees who, as of right now, are still alive and well but with this recent cold snap who knows whether they will make it. Ope! Here I am complaining about the weather again.
The cows are fun to get. If you have read my bio, you know that my partner’s family still runs a dairy farm in central Wisconsin. They cross breed their milking cows with Angus beef to keep up the milk production but control the herd size. In early March, we make the trip to the farm and pick out a couple of calves. We load them up, drive them home, and put them in the barn. They are the cutest and loved by everyone.
Lastly the pigs, the most amusing animals to procure. In May we drive down to Southern Minnesota to get feeder pigs from a local farmer who specializes in heritage breeds. Feeder pigs are fifty-pound pigs who are no longer reliant on their mother. The goal is to get the pigs loaded onto a truck and then unloaded at the farm. A seemingly simple task that, quite frankly, is a crap show, literally. Feeder pigs are 50 pounds of pure muscle who by no means would like to do anything a human wants it to do.
Planning and preparing for the new batch of livestock is what I look forward to when the days are cold, and the winds are unforgiving. Recalling the memories of bottle feeding a calf, holding a fluffy chick, and bear hugging a pig keeps me focused on the warm days ahead.
Stay Rebellious,
Rebel Pickle