Fall has been kind to us. We had ample time to prepare for the inevitable first snow and frozen ground. And yet ample time does not always mean we are prepared. This year we were pretty darn close. Those of us on the farm who are warm blooded were not prepared however. Just a week ago we had sunny days in the high 60s, and for Lewis and Lovett gloves and hats were superfluous. This week, our joke has been that we went straight from summer to winter. For all of us, pigs, humans and horses alike, we’ve all felt the cold these first few chilly days as our bodies adjust to our new climate.
On the first snowy cold morning Racey donned the same layers that will keep her warm in below zero temps in February. She crunched her way down to the barn where the pigs were already awake and waiting at the white boundary of outside snow. These piglets were born this fall and have never seen snow in their lives. Lewis and I took a trip with Chad’s truck and trailer to pick them up a few weeks ago and we all love having pigs back on the farm. It took a few days for them to learn the do’s and don’ts of our electric fence, and now they are experts and can explore out into the large area around the barn.
The first snow is always a stunning visual transformation for me, the white of snow unifies the whole farm landscape and I am reminded to look up once more and see the mountains in our western view. For the pigs a blanket of snow seemed literal, maybe the ground really was made of something new?
With some coaxing and the tempting prospect of breakfast, the pigs were soon enjoying rooting in the fluffy white dirt. Snow doesn’t change much in the life of pigs. There are less green leaves to chomp on, but the soft ground is still full of fun roots and treats to dig for and they happily explore and return to their hay bed for a mid-morning snooze or the evening pig pile.
As I mentioned in the beginning of the email, we have custom lamb available for a limited time. Processing date is coming up at the end of November so place an order quick to reserve your whole or half lamb for delivery/pickup before Christmas.
Our e-commerce platform (GrazeCart, a small independent company run by farmers in Indiana) has recently updated how to manage pre-orders and the user experience is much improved. So I’ve updated our all of our Custom Cut Freezer Meats including our Custom Beef and Custom Pork items so folks can order ahead for upcoming processing dates.
Reber Rock Farm Blog 