We too are preparing for the holidays coming up. This takes many forms in our family and on the farm. Since our first years running our farm Racey and I wanted to shape our business and farm to allow for flexibility and not to be held captive by the farmer tradition of being “tied to the farm.” From the beginning Chad and Gwen have been our brainstorming partners, willing helpers, and the best backup team we could ever dream of. And the beauty is we are also a backup for them and the horses and cats they tend at their place across the street.
Next week our family will gather with uncles and grandparents with my parents down in Cotuit, MA, and Chad and Gwen will keep an eye on the farm for us. We have all been doing our part to prepare to be away next week. Lewis and Lovett have been working on belly rubs!
New piglets are always skittish and they have every reason to be. In their early weeks of life, the big tall humans are primarily associated with catching and handling, castration for the boys and occasionally having to shoo them back inside their electric fence. These activities do not endear piglets to their caregivers. But with time and care, their curiosity has the potential to bring them close enough for a good scratch, and pigs of all sizes love a good scratch.
Lewis and Lovett converted their first “belly pig” this week, and if you look closely you can see the blissful chin of the piglet getting a Lewis/Lovett combo belly rub. This took at least 20 minutes of sitting and scratching noses and chins before a belly rub ensued. I am proud of them both, pig rubbing takes patience and the grace to overcome the constant disappointment of curious but wary piglets. They have both been working at this since the piglets arrived.
While Lewis and Lovett have been hard at work rubbing pig bellies, I have been knee deep in a few projects to get things ready for winter and our time away with family. Installing our new big freezer has been a significant infrastructure project and this week I was able to finally close in the gap between the barn and the freezer so we can turn the heat on in the packing area of the barn!
At the core of this project is the “ramp” – Racey has grown tired of hearing of my ramp woes. At first glance the ramp is a simple structure to allow carts and such to roll in and out of the freezer. This was my first mistake, simple solutions often involve detailed thinking.
My first attempt at the ramp solution completely failed, I thought initially a piece of plywood would suffice. Plywood is easy to cut and shape and attach to. After our first day of moving full pallets in and out of the freezer, the wheels of the pallet jack had punched a few holes in the plywood ramp! A stronger material was needed.
As I mentioned last week, I purchased a sheet of ¼” steel plate that then warped and did not fit under the threshold of the freezer door. This week I fabricated a new support and was able to get the ramp in place! Confident in my ramp, I added foam and plywood to close the gap between the freezer and the barn. I have some trim work to do before I mark this project as “complete” but for now we can turn on the heat in the barn and roll easily in and out of the freezer.
Lastly I had the ambitious goal to finish a free-choice pig feed before we left for the week. Chad had a white oak log he was willing to have milled for the project so I would not have to use any pressure treated lumber! With the ramp in place and the gap sealed, I started on the pig feeder. Ooh the smell of green oak is wonderful.
The idea with the feeder is that I will build a frame to support an IBC tote, which are these plastic cubes in a metal frame that are used for shipping 275+ gallons of liquid. Then we cut a hole in the top and bottom of the tote and fill it with feed. The pigs can then have access to feed all the time.
I was not able to finish in time for our trip away, but the feeder is close. Here is what it looks like so far! For now we will continue feeding the pigs their ration of Organic Grain every day. Though they seem much more interested these days in all the goodies they find in the woods and pasture.
Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to you during this holiday week.
Reber Rock Farm Blog 