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Michigan Organic Listserv Sept 20, 2011-09-21 Michigan State University By Vicki Morrone ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>) Here is news about organic production and activities that support organic production. This info is not intended as a promotion or support from or by Michigan State University. Organic Production News Corn and Soybean Farmers: Stay Safety-Minded During Harvest Tue, 2011-09-20 15:58 Source: Nebraska Corn Board Agriculture remains one of the more dangerous occupations in North America, but exercising caution, getting rest and being safety-minded can go a long way toward making it safer for everyone involved, the Nebraska Corn Board<http://www.nebraskacorn.org> says, noting that Sept. 18-24 is National Farm Safety and Health Week. “We’re expecting another good crop this year, and it looks like farmers will enjoy good prices, too. Yet none of it is worth injury or fatality that could have been prevented by taking appropriate precautions or simply taking time,” says Alan Tiemann of the Nebraska Corn Board. “While we all recognize the excitement and enjoyment of harvest, staying focused and resting regularly can help a lot in keep things safe around the farm for everyone, including family members helping to bring the crop in.” Since first proclaimed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in1944, National Farm Safety and Health Week has been an annual proclamation by every sitting U.S. president. This year’s theme is Safety Counts – Your Community Depends On It. The National Education Center for Agricultural Safety, which promotes National Farm Safety and Health Week, says there were more than 50 grain bin incidents, auger related injuries, power take offs (PTO) incidents and more than two dozen fatalities in the U.S. last year. “Grain production and handling continues to be one of the most dangerous aspects of crop production,” Tiemann says. “With more than 1 billion bushels of on-farm storage capacity across Nebraska, grain bins and associated equipment are common on farms and deserve extra attention.” Tiemann also cautions motorists driving on rural roads during harvest. Such roads see additional traffic during harvest, which increases the chances for accidents to occur between slower moving farm equipment and vehicles moving at highway speeds. In addition, rural intersections will have heavier-than-normal travel and dusty conditions may limit visibility, as can sun glare in the morning and evening. Standing crops in the field may also block a clear view of oncoming traffic. The Nebraska Corn Board encourages farmers to pay special attention to the safety features of their equipment, and encourages everyone to keep an eye toward safety on the highways and byways this harvest and year round. Safety considerations Some things to consider for farmers and farm workers while on the farm this fall: * Ensure that trained family members and employees are operating powerful equipment. * Develop a set of safety rules that everyone should follow – and enforce them. Also consider developing an emergency plan so everyone is on the same page. * Check that PTOs are well protected to avoid contact with clothing or people during operation. * Check to make sure safety shields are in place on all equipment everyday – they are installed for a reason. * Always be aware of power lines that can come in contact with moving equipment and augers around grain bins. * Grain bins deserve special attention and caution when grain is being loaded and removed. Safety measures should be put in place to avoid any risk of entrapment and suffocation. * Take periodic breaks to help avoid fatigue. Take a rest break for a few minutes; go for a short walk or check in with family members. * Use extra caution when backing equipment. It is easy to overlook something or more importantly, someone, especially a child. * Protective eye and ear wear is important in many situations. * Equip tractors and combines with a fire extinguisher – dry crop residue is fuel for a fire. * Remind family members and workers that safe practices come before expedience. “Harvest and fall field work is truly a thrill, with all the sights, sounds and beauty of this time of year,” Tiemann says. “So please be careful. We’d like to see all farmers and their families out in the fields again come springtime, when cold weather gives way to the excitement of getting the crop in the ground.” A note to farmers who have experienced injuries or physical debilitation. If you are having difficulty to continue farming due to a change in your physical ability call Michigan AgrAbility at 800-956-4106 today to see how this program can help you modify your farm equipment to allow you to continue farming. Source URL: http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/corn/corn-and-soybean-farmers-stay-safety-minded-during-harvest Cereal rye cover crop can stretch your spring feed supply Cereal rye as a cover crop can help the soil as well as feeding livestock. Published September 15, 2011 http://www.news.msue.msu.edu/news/article/cereal_rye_cover_crop_can_stretch_your_spring_feed_supply Roberta Osborne, Michigan State University Extension Planting cover crops has many advantages, especially to livestock producers. Cover crops add organic matter to the soil, reduce soil erosion, suppress weeds and capture and hold valuable manure nutrients. Cereal rye is a favorite fall cover crop for producers to use due to its hardiness and ease of growing. In addition to those benefits, rye as a spring silage crop can also be advantageous to cattle and dairy producers. Planted in the fall, the rye germinates and grows at low fall temperatures; it will resume growth in the spring when temperatures rise above 38 degrees. By spring, the farmer can decide if they choose to kill off the rye or let it continue to grow to harvest as silage. As the price of corn for feed continues to rise, so does the value of corn silage and other feeds that can replace it, like rye silage. For many years, using a value of $25 to $30/per ton corn silage has been the norm. But with today’s feed prices, excellent corn silage is easily worth $65. What is the value of rye silage? A good rule of thumb is good rye silage has about 75% of the energy value of corn silage. Both silages should have similar dry matter content, so 75% of $65 = $48.75/ton as fed value of rye silage. Considering that the average rye silage yield from a fall seeded field is between 6 and 7 wet tons per acre, the rye cover crop could have a feed value of over $315/acre. Rye silage is higher in fiber and lower in starch than corn silage, and may not fit into a lactating cow diet. But rye silage can fit nicely into a heifer or dry cow diet, and “stretch” the corn silage supply for the lactating herd. (Note: rye silage is higher in potassium and should not be fed to close-up cows). Rye silage also has higher protein levels than corn silage, which can decrease the need for added protein in the diet. Harvesting rye for silage can be tricky. Fields can’t be too wet to harvest. The boot stage is optimum for feed value but only lasts a few days. Feed quality decreases as the rye matures. But if harvested properly, the rye silage can stretch your feed dollars. There is one more benefit to harvesting rye cover crops as silage in the spring. If soil P levels are high, the rye silage can draw off around 40 pounds of additional P2O5 per acre. This can be helpful to maintaining or decreasing soil P levels even while applying manure by matching nutrient removal with application rates. Planting cereal rye as a fall cover crop after corn harvest has a multitude of benefits. For more information on selecting and seeding cover crops, please visit www.covercrops.msu.edu<http://www.covercrops.msu.edu> Researchers identify how insects resist Bt pesticides Source: Cornell University Sep. 20, 2011 8:30am http://farmindustrynews.com/bt/researchers-identify-how-insects-resist-bt-pesticides Cornell University researchers have identified how cabbage looper caterpillars in the field develop resistance to the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which naturally occurs in the soil and on plants and has been developed into a successful and widely used biological insecticide. Cornell University researchers have identified how cabbage looper caterpillars in the field develop resistance to the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which naturally occurs in the soil and on plants and has been developed into a successful and widely used biological insecticide. Organic farmers use Bt as a key weapon against insects, and crops genetically engineered with insecticidal Bt genes are now sown on more than 145 million acres worldwide. When ingested, the insecticidal toxins in Bt kill insects by destroying their guts. Some insects such as cabbage loopers develop resistance to Bt via a genetic mechanism that alters a toxin receptor in the insect's gut, two Cornell University researchers have discovered. Under normal circumstances, the Bt toxin Cry1Ac, which is a caterpillar-specific toxin, binds to an enzyme called APN 1 along the wall of the insect's gut, where the toxin destroys the gut lining. But when cabbage loopers develop resistance, APN 1 significantly decreases, allowing the insect to properly digest food and Bt without harm. Ping Wang is an associate professor of entomology at Cornell and senior author of the paper published online in the Aug. 15 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Kasorn Tiewsiri, a postdoctoral associate in Wang's lab, is the paper's lead author. Farmers first reported Bt resistance in the field 20 years ago. Since then, researchers have uncovered a number of mechanisms for resistance in insects in the lab, but then learned that lab insects, which don't face the same stressors as field insects, develop different tactics for overcoming Bt. The researchers hope their studies will lead to new management strategies for Bt-resistant insects. For more information about this research visit http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Aug11/BtLooper.html Why hairy vetch should interest farmers By: Laura Rance Posted: 09/17/2011 1:00 AM | http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/why-hairy-vetch-should-interest-farmers-130010198.html As PhD student Caroline Halde held up the thick mat of rotting vegetation, it was at first tough to fathom why this would be considered an exciting scientific find. Halde is studying organic-no-till cropping systems at the University of Manitoba's Ian N. Morrison Research Farm near Carman. She's looking for ways in which farmers can pursue organic crop production without having to do so much tillage. Long thought to be at the opposite ends of the spectrum, both conventional and organic systems offer benefits to farmers and the environment, but both are flawed. One depends on destructive tillage as the chief means of weed control. The other depends on herbicides, which face increased resistance in the weed populations. Until recently, marrying the two seemed unlikely. But then researchers started exploring the use of cover crops and mulches. Cover crops have traditionally been used by organic farmers to produce fertilizer. A legume crop, which produces its own nitrogen, such as clover, is planted in the field every second year or so and then worked into the soil, where it decomposes and feeds the following year's crop. As it turns out, some of these cover crops, particularly a legume called hairy vetch, are also good at controlling weeds. The viny, creeping plant with pretty purple flowers literally climbs the weeds, pulls them down and smothers them as it competes for sunlight. It also produces a lot of nitrogen. All it needs is sun and soil. Even if it is rolled and left on top of the soil, instead of being worked in with tillage, it forms a thick nutritious mulch into which an annual crop can be directly seeded. Organic wheat sown into plots that grew hairy vetch the previous season is noticeably free of weeds in Halde's replicated trials. Organic flax sown into hairy vetch mulch in 2009 yielded 33 bushels per acre. In 2010, it yielded 24 -- respectable yield's by any farmer's measure. This work is in its infancy. But these strategies could provide a tool for conventional farmers, too. Even if there is only one year in a farmer's rotation that doesn't require herbicides or nitrogen inputs, this could be an important resistance-management tool, and a money saver. It's main drawback is that there is no annual crop produced in the year the field is producing green manure -- unless it is being grazed by livestock. Farmers and researchers in other parts of the world are studying these techniques. Some see it as a way for farmers to be more competitive in export markets. Others see it as a way to achieve food security by making their home farmers more productive. Halde has been invited to speak about her work in Korea later this year. Ohio State University has recently coined the acronym "ECO Farming" to highlight efforts to reduce tillage through the use of cover crops. "ECO Farming stands for 'Eternal no-till, Continuous living cover, and Other best management practices,'" says Jim Hoorman, extension cover crops specialist said in a release. "Continuous living cover means farmers try to keep a living crop on the soil 100 per cent of the time," Ray Archuleta of the Natural Resources Conservation Service said. "The goal is to protect the soil from soil erosion, increase water infiltration, and decrease nutrient runoff." Examples include grain crops followed by cover crops, pasture or hay systems, or perennial plants. Ohio No-till Council president Dave Brandt has been practicing the concept on his farm for 15 years and said he has reduced his fertilizer inputs by 50 to 70 per cent and herbicide costs by 50 per cent. He also has reduced his fuel consumption. In the process, he has added soil organic matter, which has improved soil health and increased crop yields. "For 100 to 200 years, farmers have been tilling the soil and basically mining it of nutrients, destroying soil structure and losing 60 to 80 per cent of soil organic matter," Archuleta said. "Now we can use advanced knowledge of soils, soil health and soil ecology to work with Mother Nature rather than against her." Granted, a plant named hairy vetch doesn't have the wow factor of some of the test-tube technology in plant genetics hitting the market these days. It is unlikely to replace conventional systems in the near future. But you would think, given their production costs, farmers here would be all over a strategy that offers them weed control and free fertilizer. So far, they seem remarkably disinterested. Thankfully, a small corps of researchers are -- and they are preparing for the day when the rest of us might be, too. Laura Rance is editor of the Manitoba Co-operator. She can be reached at 792-4382 or by email: [log in to unmask] Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press Demand for Local Meat Brings the Butcher Shop to the Farm<http://www.motherearthnews.com/happy-homesteader/localt-meat-local-butcher-shop-zb0z11zkon.aspx> 1/14/2011 11:18:55 AM By Jennifer Kongs<http://www.motherearthnews.com/biographies/jennifer-kongs.aspx> http://www.motherearthnews.com/happy-homesteader/localt-meat-local-butcher-shop-zb0z11zkon.aspx?newsletter=1&utm_content=09.19.11+Kubota+Special+Issue+SLCS&utm_campaign=SLCS&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email It’s a common saga for many small-scale local meat producers: Slaughtering time arrives, but without a butcher or slaughterhouse in a several hundred mile radius. The demand for local foods, including sustainable meat raised nearby, continues to skyrocket. Without a simultaneous rise in the infrastructure necessary to process all these animals fresh off the farm, locally raised meat might end up traveling just as far — if not further — than your standard, packaged supermarket meat product. This whole process equates to a bigger price tag at the meat counter: The costs of transportation and slaughtering can add to the price of local, grass-fed meat in a big way. If the meat can't make it to the butcher, then why not bring the butcher shop to the meat? Thus was born the mobile abattoir. Where Have All the Local Butchers Gone? By 2005, a Food & Water Watch Report<http://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/WheresTheLocalBeef.pdf> found that 84 percent of cattle and over 60 percent of hogs in the U.S. were slaughtered by only three — that’s right, three — companies. After the series of beef scares in 2010<http://www.motherearthnews.com/healthy-people-healthy-planet/ground-beef-recalls-in-2010-zb0z11zbug.aspx>, this centralization of our meat supply has gone beyond a question of fair business into the territory of food safety and human health. Unfortunately, the regulations enforced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have encouraged this centralization. The expensive inspection systems make it hard for smaller, local slaughterhouses to remain financially solvent, favoring the big-industry plants that already have these implements in place and can afford the high overhead costs. Enter the mobile slaughterhouse: A setup complete with the required federal inspector that moves from farm to farm, legally and sanitarily processing whole animals into salable packages. The local butcher is now heading to the country, which could be the answer to making local meat more available — and more affordable. “Despite the odds stacked against them, some small slaughterhouses and processors are finding ways to survive<http://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/WheresTheLocalBeef.pdf>,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. “It’s time for USDA and other government agencies to make sure that their policies work for more than just the largest players in the meat industry.” Local Farms + Local Butchers = Local Meat Success This is the idea that caused Cheryl Ouellette, of Pig Lady’s Summit farm in Wash., to start the Puget Sound Meat Producers Cooperative<http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/mobile_slaughterhouse_saving_w_wash_farms/> to run a traveling slaughterhouse. The mobile abattoir consists of a 45-foot-long trailer where livestock are dispatched and made ready for packaging, all without placing a hoof off the farm. Some of the area producers, especially ones who raise a variety of meat animals, are finally finding a way to run a financially soluble business. The idea is catching on: By fall of 2010, the USDA recognized nine federally inspected “mobile slaughter units.” Coupled with grants from the Rural Development Agency and a compliance guide<http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Compliance_Guide_Mobile_Slaughter.pdf> from the Food Safety and Inspection Service, mobile abattoirs are geared to be part of the answer to helping small processors and establishments reclaim local meat processing systems. Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/happy-homesteader/localt-meat-local-butcher-shop-zb0z11zkon.aspx#ixzz1YPHs5G6Z Harvesting, handling and storing frost-damaged soybeans The late planting season has increased the potential for frost damage to occur this fall. Learn how to reduce the adverse impacts of soybean fields damaged by frost. Published September 15, 2011 http://www.news.msue.msu.edu/news/article/harvesting_handling_and_storing_frost_damaged_soybeans Mike Staton, Michigan State University Extension Frost-damaged soybeans are generally considered salvageable as long as the plants reached the R6 growth stage at the time the killing frost occurred. The R6 growth stage occurs when the beans completely fill one pod at one of the upper four nodes on the main stem on 50 percent of the plants in the field. In dense, green soybeans, frost or freeze damage kills the upper leaves, but rarely penetrates deeply into the canopy when temperatures remain above 30°F. However, once the upper leaves have been damaged, subsequent freeze events will penetrate deeper into the canopy. Once the plants reach the R7 growth stage, yield reductions due to frost or freeze injury will be minor. The R7 growth stage occurs when one pod on the main stem has attained its mature color on 50 percent of the plants in the field. Combine adjustment Frost-damaged beans will probably be wetter than normal and more difficult to thresh. Your first step in adjusting for this condition is to reduce the concave clearance. If acceptable threshing still does not occur, increase the speed of the cylinder. Make incremental adjustments and check your progress after each adjustment. Harvest at higher moisture contents Soybeans that experienced severe frost or freeze damage extending well into the crop canopy will dry down slowly. In this case, producers should avoid significant harvest delays by harvesting frost-damaged fields at moisture levels between 16 and 18 percent. Data from the University of Wisconsin<http://www.uwex.edu/> showed that shatter losses of 0.2 bushels per acre per day occur after the beans reach 16 to 18 percent moisture. The beans will need to be dried to a safe moisture level for storage (12 percent for six months). Electronic moisture meters tend to underestimate the moisture levels in green and immature soybeans, so remember to add 1.5 percentage points to the moisture meter readings when testing mixtures of green, immature and mature beans and adjust drying times accordingly. In fields where only the upper leaves were damaged by frost, producers should wait and allow the beans to mature and dry to 14 to 15 percent in the field if possible. Drying frost-damaged soybeans with ambient air If only two to three points of moisture need to be removed, the air temperature is above 60°F and below 75 percent relative humidity, no supplemental heat is required in drying bins equipped with full perforated floors and fans capable of producing one to two cfm/bu. However, drying will occur slowly. Drying times depend on initial moisture content, air flow, grain depth and weather conditions. Aeration fans should be ran continuously as long as the beans are above 15 percent moisture and the average humidity of the air is below 70 to 75 percent. Drying frost-damaged soybeans with supplemental heat If you plan to add supplemental heat, be careful as soybeans are more fragile than corn and can be damaged by drying temperatures above 130°F. These temperatures will cause excessive seed coat cracking and split beans. The relative humidity of the drying air should always be maintained above 40 percent to protect the integrity of the seed coats and prevent splits. Growers can control the heat and humidity of the drying air by using short burner cycles or by changing the burner jets. Store frost-damaged beans Green and immature soybeans are included in the total damage factor in the United States soybean grading standard. Elevators will discount loads containing green and immature soybeans and, in some cases, may reject entire loads if the damage levels are high. Discounts can be reduced by screening out the small beans, drying the rest to 12 percent moisture and storing them in aerated bins for at least six weeks. The green color may fade and marketing concerns should be reduced after this amount of time. This article was produced by the SMaRT project (Soybean Management and Research Technology). The SMaRT project was developed to help Michigan producers increase soybean yields and farm profitability. Funding for the SMaRT project is provided by MSU Extension<http://www.msue.msu.edu/> and the Michigan Soybean Checkoff program<http://www.michigansoybean.org/>. Raising Chickens for Meat: Do-it-yourself Pastured Poultry http://www.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=2147483727 June/July 2009 http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/Raising-Chickens-For-Meat.aspx By Gwen Roland Let’s get the hard part over with first. I hug the hefty white rooster close to my chest to keep him calm on the way to the killing station. With one smooth move, I turn him upside down and place him snuggly in the cone. My left hand continues downward to gently extend his neck. I grab the knife with my right hand and swipe off his head. While he bleeds out, I dry my eyes. That’s how a chicken lover has to do it. Strangely, it’s only because I have life-long affection for chickens that I can kill them at all. If I didn’t care about them, I would just eat store-bought chicken. I only eat meat once or twice a week — but it’s important to me that the animal lived well and died humanely, with barely a blink between life and death. I nurture them in exchange for their nurturing me. Even though I have raised chickens for years, I never expected to raise them for food. After they provide delicious eggs, I retire my layers to the barnyard, where they help manage manure, turn compost and fill my woodlot with industrious melody. But Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle<http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/> convinced me that I could raise my own meat birds. So in 2008 I raised and processed two small flocks of the Cornish and white rock cross, usually referred to as Cornish crosses. They are the fast-growing birds raised in confinement operations to supply restaurants and supermarkets with everything from nuggets to whole birds. Spring Flock In April 2008, I shared an order of Cornish cross chicks with my friend Jim. Of my 10 chicks, one died the first day. The other nine spent their first couple of weeks on my porch in a borrowed brooder that kept them thermostatically correct day and night. The brooder was supposed to be their home until they feathered out — about three weeks or so — but I wanted them to enjoy green grass and sunshine as long as possible, so I started transferring them outside to the floorless A-frame coop on sunny days when they were a week old. I’d bring them back to the brooder at night. I had read that Cornish cross birds were not robust enough to handle outdoor living, but mine didn’t seem to know that. In just a few days, they were so heavy I could carry only half the flock at a time or risk breaking the bottom out of the pet carrier. After another couple of days, I could only carry three at a time. Genetically programmed for less than a two-month lifespan, my flock began to look elderly as they approached their eighth week. When they spied me coming with their feed bucket, they would waddle at full speed on bowed legs, their short wings flapping for an extra boost. The roosters’ rumps were conspicuously dirty from resting so often in the holes they had dug in the soft garden soil. They still sprinted to the compost pile to compete for earthworms, but the effort made them wheeze. By the end of May, our Georgia weather was unseasonably hot. Even in the shade of the big hickory trees, the chickens looked so uncomfortable that I set out box fans in the afternoons. The birds jostled for position in front of the fan blades, little combs and wattles flapping in the breeze. Even though none of mine developed the leg or heart problems that can come from growing so fast, they were ready to lay it down by the time we picked a slaughter date. Dispatching our combined flock of 20 birds took less time than we expected. It was 8 a.m. when my husband, Preston, and I arrived at Jim’s farm with our little flock. Jim already had two homemade killing cones nailed to trees, a large pot of water heating over a propane burner, and a clothesline strung between two oaks as a plucking station. He had worked in a commercial chicken processing plant as a youngster, so he taught the rest of us how to process birds according to standard food and safety guidelines. After everyone had an opportunity to try all the tasks, the most efficient process became for Jim to behead, scald and hang them on the clothesline. His wife, Jayne, and I plucked — by far the most time-consuming part of the process. A tarp under the plucking station collected the feathers for easy removal. Plucked birds were placed in a large plastic barrel filled with cold water. Next stop was the evisceration table. Then each bird was placed in a cooler packed with ice. By 11:15 a.m., all the birds were on ice. A recycled feed bag held the entrails, feet, heads and feathers with room to spare. It was three hours from start to finish, but the actual processing time was closer to two hours — Jim and Jayne had spent part of that time teaching the rest of us how to complete each step safely and thoroughly. Fall Flock I wasn’t planning on raising another flock anytime soon, but in mid-August one of my Rhode Island red layers went broody. I was curious as to whether this hen could take the worry and work out of raising meat chicks through the brooder stage, so I ordered some Cornish cross chicks for her. She accepted each one of the peeping fluffballs, stretching her wings wider and wider trying to cover them all. She taught them to forage in the garden, and protected them from being pecked by the other layers. When the chicks were 7 weeks old, I hosted a second chicken harvest. This one was easier for all of us because we knew what to expect. Hearing about our satisfaction, more local foodies have asked to join us this year. Some families would like to raise birds, but can’t bear the thought of slaughtering them. They are planning to team up with others who can slaughter but lack the experience or facilities for raising chickens. Chicks and Balances Even though I raised the broilers for humane reasons, I kept records to see how much they cost. Stepping on the bathroom scales on the way to the freezer, I found that a rooster carcass added about 8 pounds to my weight, while the two hens added between 5 and 6 pounds. These aren’t scales certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but it seems fair to estimate that the nine birds translated into about 60 pounds of chicken in my freezer. The chicks and their feed cost $62. That means the total cost was about $1 per pound — a bargain in my opinion. While you might think that allowing birds to forage in pasture would save on the feed bill while increasing their weight gain, research shows that calories used when foraging, compensating for cooler outdoor temperatures, scratching in the dirt and simply enjoying a natural chicken life are not necessarily made up for by the extra nutrition derived from foraging. Some pastured poultry enthusiasts report that their birds consume 10 to 30 percent less feed when on pasture, but according to researchers Andrew Walker and Sue Gordon, who presented their findings at the University of Leeds in 2002, the reduction in feed is actually closer to 5 percent or less. This is because poultry have short guts, and they would simply fill up before they could obtain enough nutrition to survive on grass. In fact, Walker and Gordon’s research found that most of the protein available to pastured chickens comes from worms, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers and other critters. What I Learned (report from author of article) Broilers vs. layers. The biggest difference is the quick return on the investment of time and money when raising meat chickens instead of layers. Fast-growing broiler breeds can be on the table in less than two months; even gourmet meat breeds only take 12 weeks. In contrast, layers need about five months to produce their first eggs, and they require roosts, nest boxes and winter housing. Meat birds just need protection from weather and predators. Emotional stress. I was surprised by how much it bothered me to kill the females in the first flock. The cockerels seemed to be just mindless eating machines lubricated with testosterone. Of the two females in my first flock, one was a nervous wreck who was convinced from day one that I planned to kill her. The other one used to peck at my foot until I sat down on the grass, then she would sit in my lap. If there had been any future for her, I would have kept her alive. But not only would my layers pick on her without a mother hen’s protection, her white feathers would have made her an easy-to-spot meal for predators. I still think about her. In general though, finding out how quickly I could make the mental leap from nurturing to killing helped me understand Joel Salatin’s warning that a person should not kill chickens every day. He says slaughtering too often can blunt our natural feelings of compassion for other living creatures. When I fried the first chicken for a Sunday dinner, the fragrance alone obliterated the memory of all my work and worry. The flavor was fried chicken in the purest sense — honest, unforgettable and worth much more than I had invested. Feeding. All my chickens have access to pasture, a three-acre wood lot and worms in my compost piles. Garden trimmings and kitchen scraps also contribute much to their diet. In addition, the broilers were confined in a fallow garden spot twice a day so they could fill up on the concentrated feed they are genetically designed to utilize without being bothered by the layer hens, the goats or the Great Pyrenees pooch that lived with them. The nine birds in the spring flock used 31⁄2 bags of feed in their 81⁄2 weeks, including much that was wasted due to my placing the feeder too low, forgetting to protect the feeder from rain, and other management shortcomings. The second flock of three used a little more than one sack in seven weeks. That includes what the mother hen ate. Both flocks ate commercial starter/grower ration their entire lives. If I raise Cornish cross birds in the future, it seems safe to figure about one sack of feed for every three birds if I slaughter them at 7 weeks. There are many mix-your-own feed recipes in the poultry discussion lists on the Internet, but my small flocks did fine on the basic starter/grower brands available at our local feed store. Slaughter age. I will slaughter Cornish crosses at less than 8 weeks from now on to ensure they enjoy the best quality of life. At 81⁄2 weeks, the spring flock lived about a week too long for comfortable breathing and walking. At 7 weeks, my second flock was sound and active. When I experiment with the slower-growing birds, the slaughter age will be closer to 12 weeks. Season. It makes sense to raise meat birds later in the season in Georgia. The August heat welcomes them as chicks and then cools down in September and October as they feather out and get heavier. The season also affects the slaughter date. Our June slaughter event resulted in odor and flies at the processing site, while the October and November harvests did not. Foster hen. This method wins hands down for the small homesteader who doesn’t like to bother with a brooder and happens to have some broody hens. Brooding about Breeds Cornish cross hybrids. Most people who raise table birds buy Cornish cross chicks for their first flock because they are widely available and grow rapidly, producing a 5-pound live bird (3.5-pound carcass) in about six or seven weeks. Because they gain weight so rapidly, Cornish cross birds can suffer from heart problems and broken legs. Some people avoid them on the principle that perpetuating these genetics is inhumane. Producers of pastured poultry would like to see the best characteristics of the Cornish cross combined with more foraging ability and increased hardiness for outdoor weather. Some pastured poultry connoisseurs say Cornish cross birds lack the flavor of slower-growing breeds, but I’m a typical American who is accustomed to lighter meat. I rate the flavor of my flocks as perfect — a more pronounced chicken flavor than store-bought birds, but not overpowering; firm, but not stringy or tough. European-type hybrids. Sometimes called label-rouge types after a popular production system in France, these birds reach 5 pounds live weight in 12 weeks and are harvested close to sexual maturity. They are considered more flavorful than faster-growing hybrids and have a firmer texture. Compared to Cornish crosses, they have smaller breasts and more dark meat. They are said to be hardier and more active foragers than Cornish crosses, making them more suitable for pasturing, but there is some debate surrounding this. To learn more, search for project number GS03-029 under the “Project Reports” tab at the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education<http://www.sare.org/> website. Heritage chickens. Old breeds such as buckeye, Delaware, New Hampshire and barred Plymouth rocks have not been bred for meat-production characteristics since the 1950s, so they are slower-growing than birds that have been bred for greater feed conversion efficiency. However, many backyard chicken fanciers prefer to raise the old standards because they are hardy for outdoor living, disease resistant, and they have a pronounced chicken flavor. Jeannette Beranger, research and technical program manager for the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy<http://www.albc-usa.org/>, says that it is important to choose a breed that works for your climate and the system in which you plan to manage them. (The best source we know of for this information is Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. See Page 65 to order. — Mother) Once you’ve decided on the breeds you think would work for you, the Conservancy can suggest a breeder. Beranger also advises that, while these breeds love to forage, they will need high-protein feed to produce a good result. “Common commercial poultry rations are typically not high enough in protein,” Beranger says. “They need at least 28 percent, particularly in the first eight weeks, or they will never reach their potential for growth.” Adding high-protein supplements such as meat scraps or whey to their diet would help, but may be more of a challenge than a beginner would want to tackle. ________________________________ Poultry Processing Made Easier Buying or renting special processing equipment will speed up the time it takes to ready your birds for the freezer. Elaine Fawcett of Aurora, Ore., owns Featherman<http://www.featherman.net/> processing equipment and rents it to others. “After you’ve plucked a few by hand, you really appreciate how the equipment makes the process more efficient,” she says. Tiffany Johnson of Vancouver, Wash., advocates renting the equipment. “Four of us processed our batch of 50 ‘colored range’ chickens in just under five hours,” she says. “After you fumble your way through a couple of birds and learn what works best for you, processing a bird really doesn’t take that long. Especially with the scalder and plucker!” If you don’t have enough chickens (or other poultry) to justify purchasing processing equipment, renting may be a good option for you. The Featherman website lists people with equipment for rent. For those who raise their own meat, processing it with friends and neighbors can be a great community-building event. Start Your Own Farm Business July 16, 2010 http://www.motherearthnews.com/sustainable-farming/start-farm-business-xe0hir.aspx By Sarah Beth Aubrey The following is an excerpt from The Profitable Hobby Farm<http://www.motherearthnews.com/shopping/detail.aspx?itemnumber=4527> by Sarah Beth Aubrey (Wiley Publishing, 2010). Packed with tips not only from an expert author but from the experiences of other small-scale farmers, The Profitable Hobby Farm offers a blueprint for building a sustainable local foods business, from finding financial assistance to surviving your first year in business. This excerpt is from Chapter 2, “From Idea to Inventory: Planning and Assessing the Market.” When I began Aubrey’s Natural Meats in 2003, I started with a 30-page business plan. It made sense. First, as a writer, being verbose was no problem for me, and planning made me feel like I was doing something. Second, I wanted to borrow money from a local bank and knew they’d want to see projections for returns and cash flow. Yet, though I strongly advocate having a solid plan, newbie ruralistas are not likely to write up a formal document. The structure and length of your business plan will vary widely depending on what you plan to do, but the basic components are as follows. Mission statement: This can be one sentence or one paragraph. It’s a formal statement that defines who and what you want to be and your objectives or goals. Company profile: The company profile describes everything from the name and address to the legal designation (corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, etc.). For location, it describes the surroundings and the area or setting of the business. It lists who owns what percentage of the company and the roles and responsibilities of the participants. The profile also provides more detail on what the company does. Product description: In this section, which can be as brief or as detailed as necessary, you define and describe your product. Strong plans also detail quantities expected to be produced and timelines for production, as well as product pricing. Resource/supply assessment: This section includes a discussion of how the raw materials will be acquired, how steady the supply will be, and whether the supply will have any seasonal interruptions. Market assessment: A market assessment is a description of the desired or targeted customer and the marketplace for the product. This can include demographic information, such as profiles of people and regions where you will be selling. Startup costs: This section should include accurate prices for everything from land, equipment and raw materials to permits and legal and accounting fees. Budget: Put together a budget for the first year to demonstrate how your startup costs will balance out against how you plan to price your product and against projected first-year sales. (You don’t have to recoup startup costs in the first year.) Growth prospects: Anticipate your growth for the first year, as well as your overall goals for the first through fifth years. Plan for Growing Seasons How long does it take for raspberry bushes and grapevines to produce fruit? How long do goats need to roam before they have kids? How long should cheese age? This is where planning for growing seasons comes in. Brent and Suzie Marcum of Salem Road Farms in Liberty, Ind., advise starting your homework on the segment of small farming you’re interested in long before you dig the first hole and order the first plants. They’re absolutely right. Everything from the region you live in to the breed of plants or animals you buy affects its ripeness or maturity. It’s essential to understand the seasons of growth as they relate to your new venture. When Brent and Suzie started buying fruit trees at $25 apiece, they already knew what they were getting themselves into. “With our fruit trees, we had to plan ahead three to five years for a crop, so we knew the return on them would be later,” Brent says. Knowing that, they didn’t overextend themselves. Take courses, read reliable information online, and talk to other people who’ve gotten started recently or have years of experience. “Put the seed in the ground and it will grow” is not going to work. Plan for the Changing of Seasons I think you’ll be amazed when you move to the country at just how much more you notice, feel and even sense the seasons changing. You can smell the earth so strongly in the spring, and the hint of rain practically permeates the house. On July days in the Midwest, you can hear the corn stretch and grow in the sweltering, humid air. By fall, the sight of combine headlamps amid the dust and red light of dusk will become a sight you know means harvest. In winter you can feel in your bones a cold that signals a snow squall, and the gray-blue late afternoon light just begs you to finish up your chores early and go inside. Yes, the seasons affect us deeply when we’re out in them rather than just driving through them. When you’re starting a hobby farm, be sure you’re ready for the changing seasons. Resources like feed and bedding are often purchased early for animals, and in tough years can be hard to locate after the first snow falls. Crops and produce must be gathered before the first frost, and it’s difficult to know what that date will be, even if you’ve bought a Farmer’s Almanac. Do some research about when each season typically begins in your region and what you’ll need at the change of seasons. Make sure whatever work you do for your main income is compatible with the seasonal nature of your farming life. Planning for Seasonal Cash Flow Just as the crops and animals and foods such as meat, wine and cheese are seasonal, so, too, is your cash flow. Cash flow is so important if you’re starting a farm-based business. It’s not like your nanny goats will be handing you a regular paycheck every two weeks — but they’ll still expect to be fed every day! Where you sell your goods may also be seasonal. Evaluate your selling venues and know ahead of time when these places open and close. Then make sure your expenses match up with your markets. What will you do to cover expenses when your seasonal farmers market closes? Do you have a plan for saving or a place to deliver products in the winter? Will you shut down production totally or save cash, or should you be doing something to create inventory for next spring? Much direct marketing of food items is based around the farmer’s schedule, not the consumer’s. Consider that you’re now on that time frame, and make sure you have a way to stay in business. Transportation and Distribution Most business plans include a section on how the product will be transported and distributed. But products produced on hobby farms require special consideration, because your channels for getting the product out there are more limited because of your small scale. In short, “more limited” means more labor for you. Make sure you understand direct-to-consumer marketing and are familiar with the outlets in your region for your product. Before you make agreements with too many stores, restaurants or consignment shops, evaluate the time it will take to get from one location to the next and the frequency with which you’ll have to replenish products. Labor In summer 2008, my husband and I hired our first intern to help us run the meat business. We were nervous about bringing someone in and opening our home and business, but the results were fantastic. Rural life requires more labor than you can imagine. Seasonality and the weather can cause everything thing from droughts to a never-ending crop of weeds. When planning for your new enterprise, seriously evaluate your labor needs and decide whether you can commit to the amount of time the business and its management, marketing, selling and maintenance will take. If you’re not sure, seek out other entrepreneurs who are doing the same thing and ask them to provide a sketch of their day-to-day workload and how much time each task ordinarily takes. Evaluating the Local Foods Market Check out MarketMaker for #s specific to your area of production and location (Marketmarker.org) Like the planning section, this section is an experience-based discussion of market research that I’ve created specifically for hobby farmers and new foodies. It is not a detailed tutorial on how to do market research. Yet I can’t underscore how important knowing your marketplace is to the success of your new opportunity. You’re coming at this market from a consumer’s perspective, and that is a major advantage, especially if you’re starting a business to respond directly to a need you feel is not being met. Understanding (and caring about) consumer preferences is an area where many lifelong farmers fall short. You don’t have this problem, so on some level you’ve got a built-in sense of the market. Still, when it comes to knowing what will and won’t make a go, you’ve got to learn the market from the purveyor’s point of view, being conscious of supply, market saturation, price points, demographics, and consumer knowledge and acceptance of your product. Peruse the Market Go see where you want to be. This rule is simple, but surprisingly, many people overlook it. I can’t imagine selling in a new farmers market I hadn’t visited before, but many vendors do it. I think they’re making a mistake. Spend time learning about the marketplace where you plan to sell. Visit stores, boutiques, markets, restaurants or any venue you’re considering. While you’re there, don’t just look and listen — talk to people. Talk to other vendors, talk to customers, meet the managers, and get a general feel for the place. There are long lists of formal market research techniques you can use to evaluate a particular market quantitatively or qualitatively. I’ve written about these techniques in other places. You can build a questionnaire to e-mail to prospective customers, friends, business acquaintances and others whose opinions you respect. You can conduct focus groups with peers, potential customers or potential retailers. You can interview influential people in your community. Even if you’re conducting your research informally, you need to be sure to ask certain questions — of others and yourself. * How long has the venue been in business? * Do you like the layout and design? * Is there adequate parking? * Do customers appear happy? * What’s the ratio of repeat customers to new “walk-up” shoppers? * Are people actually shopping or just browsing? When you’re checking out a particular market, be sure to visit several times. If you’re planning to sell bedding plants — the way Brent and Suzie started out — that’s an early spring buy. Don’t set yourself up at a farmers market nobody goes to until it’s sweet corn and tomato season. And how will you know this if you don’t visit the market more than once? Statistics also help. Visit local community development offices or the chamber of commerce to find out about traffic patterns and volume for the roads you’ll be located near. You may also find out population data and demographics such as mean income that can tell you whether the local population has the means to buy what you want to sell. Do Your Own Research In addition to visiting sites and asking questions, you can and should do some research on your own. There are so many online resources that it would be foolish of me to try to list them all, and the convenience of the Internet is unparalleled. Visit sites that offer the same product you’d like to produce and sites for other vendors in your area. Look for which products are overloaded and which are missing. Fill the gaps and you’ll find business. Reading this book is another form of market research, by the way, so keep reading and, when you’re done, look for more books. Brent has been studying his market for more than ten years and has no intention of slowing down just because he’s learned a thing or two. Read. Networking is also a great research tool. Networking is more than shaking hands and eating a mediocre lunch at a conference center. It’s about building a base of contacts you can turn to again and again. It’s about getting answers to questions you didn’t even know you had when peers raise pertinent issues. And it’s about staying motivated when you begin to get weary. Search for local trade groups and attend at least one industry meeting before you start your farm business. Taking courses can also help, especially if you’re going to raise or plant something you’ve not only never seen before but certainly never cared for as a living thing. Calves are cute, but did you know that it can take as long as two years for a grass-fed cow to be ready to become beef? Get educated — in advance as much as possible. USDA just put out updated statistics. Visit http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/MI.htm#ORG Here you will find fact sheets on Michigan farming, even specific to organic production! • Population, Income, Education, Employment, and Federal Funds<http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/MI.htm#PIE> • Organic Agriculture<http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/MI.htm#ORG> • Farm Characteristics<http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/MI.htm#FC> • Farm Financial Indicators<http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/MI.htm#FFI> • Top Commodities, Exports, and Counties<http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/MI.htm#TCEC> • About the State Fact Sheets<http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/About.htm> Data updated September 14, 2011 Just Get Started Your profitable hobby farm business planning and market research may seem mundane, or even something you’d rather not bother with at all. But this is important work. Let’s relate it to agriculture and the seasons. Planning, and then waiting for those plans to unfold, is like your own springtime. Just as the grass waits to turn green in the spring, you may be dreaming of blooming flowers and other lovely warm-weather transitions as you lay the groundwork for your business. Thinking of your new venture critically yet creatively will enable you to uncover the fresh grass of prosperity and potential underneath the blanket of snow. So I leave you with the idea that if you’ve worked hard to plan and taken the time to assess your market, you’re almost ready to bloom. Business planning is an exciting time. I spent a lot of hours planning because I found the process so encouraging. Just learning about the prospects and thinking through the potential challenges that lie ahead stimulated my mind and kept me motivated to prepare to leave behind my career in town. The zip of electricity you feel when you start to set your plan in motion is like a first kiss. It’s so gratifying to be in the process rather than just mulling an idea around in your mind. I encourage you to start planning and investigating, and start the journey. I’d take the journey again if I could. But it’s your turn now. ________________________________ Food processors can use MI MarketMaker to identify new customers Food processors can use the online tool, MI MarketMaker, to help potential customers find them. A business profile can be set up quickly and easily to attract new business. Published September 15, 2011 http://www.news.msue.msu.edu/news/article/food_processors_can_use_mi_marketmaker_to_identify_new_customers Tom Kalchik, Michigan State University Extension MarketMaker<http://national.marketmaker.uiuc.edu/> is a web-based resource that provides a link between producers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, restaurateurs, farmers’ markets, food service providers and end consumers in the food supply chain. The purpose of MarketMaker is to link customers interested in food products to the producers of those products. MI MarketMaker<http://mi.marketmaker.uiuc.edu/> was introduced to assist Michigan’s agri-food businesses improve market penetration. How can MI MarketMaker help food processors reach new customers? How MarketMaker works MarketMaker is an on-line database with almost 33,000 businesses in its listing developed from a list management firm such as infoGROUP<http://www.infogroup.com/>. Most of those are a basic listing of company name, address, phone number, web site, line of business, and sales and employment numbers. The basic listing does not communicate to potential customers what you really do. If you process frozen blueberries but do not include that in your profile, a buyer who is looking for frozen blueberries will not find you. If you are a food processor who has a basic listing on MI MarketMaker, you can register to create your own profile to help potential customers find you more easily. Create your personal profile Creating your personal profile on MI MarketMaker is simple. · Go to the MI MarketMaker website at http://www.mimarketmaker.msu.edu/. · In the Register Your Business panel, click on Log In. · Click on Request Account Access. · Enter your business name, contact name, e-mail address and phone number, then click submit. The MarketMaker administrators will send you a user name and password to access your profile. Once you have the password you can create your profile. · Go to the MI MarketMaker website at http://www.mimarketmaker.msu.edu/. · In the Register Your Business panel, click on Log In. · Login using the username and password provided by MarketMaker. · Complete your business profile for the products you process, the product attributes, methods of sale, markets served and other business details (look for the tabs at the top of the profile page for Fruit & Vegetable, Bakery, Beverages, Meat & Poultry, Grain & Oilseed, Dairy, Fish/Shellfish/Seafood, Sugar and Confectionary, and Miscellaneous). · Once you have completed your profile, click on Continue at the bottom of the page. · Add photos of your business, if you wish. · Complete your General Business Information and specific contact information. · Check if you affiliated with any of the groups listed in MI MarketMaker. · Review your profile and make any corrections, then click Submit. Why register? You will have access to your business profile so you can update it as your products and the seasons change. You can personalize the profile of your business to communicate to potential buyers or customers exactly what you do. This will allow potential customers or buyers to find you more easily using the search functions on MI MarketMaker. And, most importantly, it’s free. Vicki Morrone C. S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems Outreach Specialist for Organic Vegetable and Field Crops 303 Natural Resources East Lansing, MI 48824 517-353-3542/517-282-3557 (cell) 517-353-3834 (Fax) www.MichiganOrganic.msu.edu<http://www.michiganorganic.msu.edu/>