http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOZ5B_swYhk&feature=fvsr

Last night I thought of this song and it inspired me to write the following:

WHAT ME WORRY?

Organic pricing concerns

Still below chemotherapy

Pure but pompous

My mind starts to atrophy

Hay prices have doubled

What are we to feed

Without a bull

Our Cows won’t breed

Lambs are popping

30 of five hundred so far

Feeding them thru winter

Sure will be hard

Hawks been eating chickens

When they get out

Guard dog watching

Had egg on his snout

Weather turning colder

Winter’s on its way

With the drought grass stopped growing

We didn’t make any hay

Turkeys getting big

Gorging themselves now

Orders rolling in

But we have lots more to sell

Customer just complained

Beef Ribs too short

All I could think to say

He needed a longer fork

With thirty five pages

All needing to be signed

Organic Inspection went well

Just lost my mind

Our main write up

Was no complaint log

Its as if Mr. Short Ribs

Was sent to us from God

Billy goats are following

The Nannies all round

Making crazy noises

Though none in estrus can be found

That’s cause the Nannies

Are now twice the size

From the Billies last go round

Makes you roll your eyes

Both wells went dry

The new one drilled no water came forth

Four hundred feet down

Nothing but dry earth

Hauling water from town

Cost enough to make you cry

Five thousand gallons per week

An ocean by the time I die

When half the markets shut down

I let most of the help go

The ones I kept around

Half the time, don’t show

With bad home mortgage loans

The local bank almost went bust

Leaves you to often wonder

Who all you can trust

Things always go right

Things always go wrong

I have been keeping track

So I could write this song

When I was a kid in 1969 the musical Hair hit the stage. The song “Age of Aquarius” became quite popular.

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

I have often thought since then, what happened to the love and peace?

Well it is happening, but maybe not fast enough. The world is changing. How can we help this process go in a good direction?

THE PROBLEM

Most people would prefer the humane treatment of animals.  The problem is that we have found ourselves in a rut. Industrial agriculture and the economic structure behind it are built on energy intensive subsidized crop farming of grains and finishing livestock with these grains in confinement. The quantities processed give this current methodology a distinct cost savings. However this process of grain production creates excessive soil erosion, pollutes our environment with harmful chemicals, and consumes excessive energy.  Feedlot animals are treated inhumanely, with high prophylactic antibiotic consumption producing a inferior product which is unhealthy to the consumer.

Carl Jung developed a typology based on the way we as individuals make our world by our focus and perception. The four basic types were Thinking, Sensate, Feeling, and Intuitive. Our western culture has been profoundly thinking driven. We have broken all the wholes into their parts and micro-analyzed them but in so doing have lost track of the big picture. Industrial agriculture is a testament to that. This thinking driven economy puts the opposite pole of feeling in the shadow. This means that Feeling is our way out of this mess.  To feel we need to engage in a subsuming experience. Working with animals creates empathy for them. Before long you are psychically attuned. You can feel when they need to be moved and when they are out of water. Subtleties of behavior become recognizable and a new sense of belonging in the whole becomes real. I don’t know how to get this without actually experiencing it. Get ones body down to the farm and work with the animals!

The Aquarian Age is about group self-realization. We each have to feel that we are all connected.  We must care for our Earth, as it is our home and a reflection of our soul. Bringing this down to our level here. We have these small sustainable farms juxtaposed with huge grain farms and feedlots. Having seen feedlots up close and personal my belief is that not many people would care to eat what comes from them. They would not feel good about the way the animals are treated. The feeling of this would overwhelm you and leave you stricken.

In our thinking driven economy, how things fit in the totality does not matter and individual profitably is the metric of choice. This leaves the small farmer in a conundrum. We have the awesome advantage of believing and feeling strongly about the path of heart in which we walk. Our hope is in the recognition of the value in what we do and the willingness among the enlightened to pay the higher price for our products.

There is one more thing. Investment. It takes substantial capital to build a sustainable farm. Those courageous enough to try have got to be committed to long hours of work often seven days a week. Most if kept track would be working far below the minimum wage. How can they build capital to pay for the infrastructure and production capacity, let alone the cost of land?  Most of us that could be consider as successes used capital acquired from previous jobs or have a spouse or family that bankrolls us. If we wish to see our world move in the direction of sustainability then we need to create ways to invest in these farms and their farmers. I have offered previously a personally guaranteed note paying 4% to those willing to invest in Mint Creek Farm. This would be a way you could help us. We are certainly interested in other investment vehicles; this is just a simple obvious option. One thing is sure. We cannot go it alone without your help!

Last night after working late preparing for market

I lay in bed restless the moon was full yet the wind had picked up

The moon tucked its lazy head behind a cloud

An eerie pressure pervaded as a storm was brewing

Light flashed in the distant sky, far off rumbling echoed

Then I remembered that a cow was close to calving

She should be checked and I had forgotten

I arose and dressed and went out into the night

Birth seems to occur at times like this

As does death as well

The crack between the worlds open

Some enter while some others must leave

Wandering into this night I entered the cow pasture

The light of the moon had been switched off

I was on my own in the darkness

The only working head lamp I could find, worked only in the low setting

Illumination escaped me

Finding a black cow calving in the middle of the night

It’s peers spread evenly out through ten acres

She did not make herself obviously known liking not to be interfered

Braying for her missing calf however a Line-back Cow was distressed

We had taken her calf off of her for the locker

She had given birth in early January in the dense cold and nursed it through spring

Not yet ready to let her bull calf go she cried piercingly into the night

Change we find difficult

Though the universal constant we fight it tooth and nail

Death always resides on our left shoulder

No wonder our heads tilt off to the right

Forces beyond our control often usurp our plans

Traversing into the night looking at the backs of black cows

Birthing fluid comes out red

Warning of danger and what might lie ahead

I left the night to the black cows

Fate would find its way till the morning

Back in bed the ghost of sleep took me

In the morning I would return and find the little one doing fine

Nothing about this particular event went very well. The move over of 800 head of sheep from one farm to another required many livestock trailer loads. We were not able to succeed in moving them in one day as we started late. This meant that young lambs were separated from their mom’s overnight. While this was not life threatening, as none of the lambs were less than 45 days old, it did add stress to the flock and worry to our lot.

Having moved them without other incident we found they consistently challenged our electro-net and busted through to graze the more attractive alfalfa acres adjacent to the field Harold had wished us to graze in. So the entire time we were grazing they needed to be moved more frequently than usual and baby-sat. We decided to move them back home a little prematurely as our labor resources would be diminished during the upcoming weekend.

I breathed a sigh of relief knowing our sheep were coming home.  I had some good help with moving them. Derrick, who has been helping with animal care for about five years, Anthony, Raya and her boyfriend Joe. I was tied up processing orders in the office late that afternoon and they almost completed the task when the sheep got ornery and darkness set in. Some got out and could not be rounded up out of the lush alfalfa field next door.

The next morning, a Friday, we had to move quick as I was losing my help for the weekend. Tony our llama was found missing when we arrived to the farm.  I went after him. Raya and Joe caught and loaded up what sheep were left, except two Ewes missing their lambs from the night before, hopped over the fence and went trucking off to the west and out of sight.

I found Tony about a half mile away in the middle of a muddy area in an large unplanted field adjacent to where we were grazing. After about an hour of walking and coaxing, I was lucky enough to catch his halter and walk him to our livestock trailer. We went after the two Ewes that trucked off but could not find hide nor hair of them. So we moved what we had back to our home farm and worked on their set up.

I was now in the mode of doing all the animal care for the weekend late Friday afternoon and was finishing up some order processing when I received a call from Harold that our two Ewes had reappeared back at where they had escaped.

Not surprised, I grabbed the livestock trailer and some electro-net to make a funnel to catch them and went after them. By the time I arrived they had made their way about a mile down the road and were grazing a grassy filter strip along a drainage ditch. So I constructed an electro-net funnel and attempted to herd them towards the trailer. They had other ideas. They went west and I was setup to the east. So I followed them on foot over hill and dale for the next three hours until dark, unsuccessful in luring them in the direction I needed to. Exhausted I disembarked back home, conjuring up strategies for catching these two itinerant ones.

The next morning I was tending to the chickens and goats when I received another call from Harold. The Ewes had moved up the road a piece, and were standing in it, at a dangerous bend. Again I scurried on over but in the meantime they had disappeared. I spent the next hour driving around looking for them but to no avail. Now worried that I had lost valuable chore doing time, with many more animals to care for, I went back to chore doing. About three in the afternoon on Saturday, the Iroqouis County Sheriffs dept. called up. Two sheep were seen on the loose at the Clifton road bend, might these be ours, and if so would we come catch them? I told the lady on the other end of the wire that is what I had been doing for the last day and a half but I would keep it up. Within minutes the gentleman officer in the Squad car sent out for reconnasance called and said, “Those sheep are dangerous and I had better get them in” I asked him if he had seen them and he said that he had not been able to locate them but he kept getting calls. I asked him if he wanted to shoot them and he said he could not for liability reasons. I found this odd as I would expect that is why he would desire to shoot them. He informed me he was on OT and his boss would not be happy with him for running up his time over some sheep! I told him I was on my way.

Thankfully, my wife Gwen had made it back and offered to help. She went out with her car looking, and I loaded up our four-wheeled drive utility vehicle. By the time I made it to the dangerous curve in the road a man was out working on his house for rent. (3 bedroom farm house for $650). I asked him if he had seen several itinerant sheep and he pointed north west to a drainage ditch said he saw them there about a half hour ago.

Well that was good fortune, maybe our luck was changing with these two. I called Gwen and she met me at the curve. We proceeded to the spot last seen and unloaded the 4×4. Off we went and search and found the two lonesome doves sitting in a barren field chewing their cud. Springing up on our arrival they went full bore due west again. (Ironically the same direction as  their lambs).

Now in full throttle we road these mamas hard over a ditch to a unplanted corn stubble field we could pursue them in. I was able to run one to the point of laying down and quitting, hog tied her and proceeded to go after the other. She being the smarter of the two went into a planted field of corn that I could not drive in. Back on foot and a mile now to the east she entered a tall grassy filter strip. I went back to the 4×4 and drove up the road to connect with the intersection of the filter strip. There lay a big beautiful farm house and lot with cattle grazing. I rang the bell to seek permission to trespass. A nice young girl came to the door and said fine to my request to drive on their grassy filter strip. The mom came running out and offered her assistance. I introduced myself to Glenda and said I think I could manage. Uh hum. On down the strip I caught up with the Ewe. She gave me the so you think you are going to catch me look and made a bolt for it. I raced after her on top of my 20 horse 4×4. Surely in this tall grass I could catch her. Just about pay dirt time she jumped over the bank of the drainage ditch. I slid down after her thinking now I got her! Normally sheep are afraid of water and will not cross a creek by wading. Well there are exceptions and she was one of them. With several leaps she was over and up the bank into another planted field. Oh God I thought will this ever end. Back up the the farmhouse Glenda came running out. Smiling she said the next water way over a half mile was theirs as well and that is where the sheep was headed. She hopped into her pickup truck and accompanied us onward. By the time we arrived the Ewe was in the tall grass and we did a replay. One difference however this was no little waterway this was a river. Not sure how deep and about 40 feet wide, Glenda did not think it was over our heads. Surely this Ewe would not jump in that. Well, wrong again. Never in my twenty years of shepherding have I caught a sheep under water! Caught she was however and I had her. She was not escaping me now. I hauled her with all my might up to the banks edge and Glenda grabbed her. I hog tied her legs and Gwen threw us a nylon strap to tie around her legs and she pulled the Ewe up the bank with the 4×4. Into the back of Glenda’s truck she went and we went after Ewe #1. Together the two for the road accompanied me in the back of Glenda’s truck to our home farm where her lambs were glad to see them.

Harry

Yes, farmers have credit lines.  It’s a long way to harvest when raising livestock, the money does not flow in until you have raised, fed, slaughtered, processed, packaged, sold, and delivered.

Maybe there is some blessed middle ground to share between those of you who have money to put in a CD, and Mint Creek Farm which needs working capital to grow our business of growing food. I can personally guarantee a loan and have good land and animal assets to collateralize it. I am willing to offer 4% interest and can pay the funds back on demand. I would like the same privilege to return the funds with interest with no prepayment penalty if and when no longer needed.

While we have a good relationship with several local banks, wouldn’t it be nice to know that the people who valued the food invested the working capital of the farm? Invest in good food and sustainable agriculture and earn a better return!

Please email me hcarr@mintcreekfarm.com if you have any interest in this regard.

Thanks,

Harry Carr

Stelle being a cool sort of place we are blessed with a lawn mower coop. Those who are members get to share in an expensive mower, which is a zero turn radius model. This translates to loud, as it requires a large gas engine with screaming hydraulic pumps. Since this beautiful beast is shared over much of the community it means its always running.

By now you have guessed that I need therapy. You are right. I will tell you how I came by this state. I was abused by a lawn mower when I was a child. That’s right, one nearly cut off my finger when I was seven years old. My dad loved cut grass and we had to mow our acre and a half every Saturday. This took a good part of the day followed by a trip to the day camp down the road where our little league team practiced. This was a really cool camp in the forest with two baseball diamonds tucked away. Guess who got to mow them! One day on a Sears riding mower the grass was plugging up in the snout where it comes out and I reached in a little too far!  Halfway to the first joint of my index finger was almost sliced off. A trip to the emergency room and lots of teeth gnashing I was going to be all right.

I believe it was Carl Jung who said that the area of your greatest wound as a child becomes your greatest gift as an adult. So here I bring to you the concept of Lamb Mowing.

Owning the farm around Stelle we were asked by some organizers of the Earth Day festivities here in Stelle to bring some lambs over to graze for people to see. Well I jumped at the chance and the lambs have been grazing lawns since. They are a wonder to behold!

Harry

The older more mature plants are often passed over by the animals who graze in high concentrations for very short time periods. This high concentration causes much trampling of the mature plants which enable a thick plant litter on the pasture floor. This litter holds moisture just like mulch in a garden. It also breaks down to feed the soil organisms which proliferate under this scheme. The animals select for the younger more tender plant shoots which are highly nutritious. Due to frequent moves they are always getting fresh choice fodder and the plants are allowed a faster regrowth by not overgrazing.

Truly a perennial polyculture of pasture plants grazed using this method has great potential to heal our environment through the building of soil organic matter (carbon sequestration), reducing erosion, and the improved economics of synergistic resource management.

“Dunny” as we call her or Daniella, her official name, was a bit of an exception. Raised as a bottle lamb she became the love of our family. She helped us to become a part of her flock as we loved having her as a part of ours. We humans have our pets and those of us raising animals need to have ours as well. These special animals help us to connect in a meaningful way with our world, bringing a way in to an empathetic reciprocity of animal care. The old adage of “Take care of your sheep and they will take care of you” does have merit.

Well today Dunny needed care, she gave birth to a large lamb last night and being 8 years of age had a struggle. This morning when we found her she had a full uterine prolapse. With the help of Randy and Kevin we propped her butt up and replaced the uterus carefully. After stitching we gave her some treatments and she and her lamb seem to be getting along just fine. I realize that I have been living in fear of losing her for the last several years as sheep don’t live that long and soon her time will come. While we have many sheep there will never be another Dunny!

–Harry

Mint Creek Farm is located near Stelle, in east-central Illinois. Our sheep thrive on the lush green prairie pastures spring, summer, fall, and most of the winter. Our lambs are never placed in feed lots, never given hormones. Raised with thoughtful care by our shepherds, Mint Creek lamb is mild-flavored, tender, and tasty.

Grass feeding is great for the sheep, and therefore, better for you. Eating grass-fed lamb is a healthy way to enjoy meat in your diet. Research indicates that eating grass-fed meat is a healthy choice, because it is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), Vitamin E, and beta-carotene, and is typically lower in fat than grain-fed meat.

We are sure that you will enjoy the flavor and healthful benefits from eating our delicious, tender lamb.