For The Hog Killing

The dark early winter morning washed over us, enveloping us in its frigid embrace. Alarms went off on time, warm feet hitting cold floors long before most else were awake. Pigs were loaded into the trailer uneventfully, and warm coffee enjoyed, making our hot breath even more visible against the icy air.

The drive was quiet and solemn, winding rural roads empty, me lost in my thoughts, uttering silent prayers. I pray each time we take an animal’s life. Prayers drifting up to the heavens for the lives to be taken that day, for a swift, painless, and unexpected death, for calm and comforted hearts in our chests, for forgiveness and reassurance, in thanks and with immense gratitude.  

Blessed are we to spend our days in such a beautiful, picturesque place, experiencing so much life, immersed in so much joy. Even in pre-dawn darkness the beauty of our surroundings was visible, a welcome distraction. Hills rolling into mountains, farmhouses not yet coming to life, animals still shadows in the field.  

Raising our farm animals for meat means that death is a frequent companion, a reluctant friend. There is no hiding from death, no turning a blind eye or pretending it doesn’t exist. There are planned deaths, such as today, and unexpected ones, each carrying with them their own unique grief. Regardless of whether we pull the trigger, or wield the knife, the weight of being responsible for taking that life is present. I’m still learning to embrace that grief, learning to gracefully carry the weight and responsibility, to allow myself to be immersed in it and then feel it transformed into appreciation, acceptance, and gratitude.

I would prefer that all our animals take their final breaths on our farm, just as they do their firsts, in the comfort and familiarity of our Heavenly Acres. In truth, with regulations and the realities of running a business, it’s just not possible at this time. Maybe one day. For today, comfort is taken in the wonderful people who show care to our animals as they walk them through their final moments.

Climbing into the truck, empty trailer in tow, the sun began peaking over the horizon, melting away the somber chill of hours passed. I thought of our pigs, who I helped birth, of their now empty paddock back at our farm, and of the next litter already growing their way to an inevitable end that we will all one day confront.

And yet, my heart is full. I love this life. With all its challenges and triumphs, sorrow and exultation, farm life is truly the best life. In the quiet moments of our drive home I feel thanks for having spent some of my life with those pigs, and when we sit down at our table to enjoy the flesh of our animals, we acknowledge them, and utter prayers, professing deep gratitude and appreciation for the sacrifice of their lives as it gives nourishment to ours.

When you sit down for your next meal, I embolden you to do the same.  

Think of the animal. Think of the farmer. Offer thanks.

Blessings,

Your Local Farmer

The Great Egg Debate (on pricing)

I saw an article yesterday about how the price of eggs is increasing again and thought it might be valuable to share a bit of insight on that. While the article was very much referring to big ag, we are not big ag, so the following is from our perspective as a small farm, and very small-scale egg producer.

If you're interested, read on! :)

There are many factors that affect the price of food, and those factors are going to be very specific to each particular farm, especially when we're discussing a small farm. No two farms are the same. Using egg prices as an example, our farm is currently charging $7.00 per dozen, while another local farm may charge $3.00, or $6.00. Some of the determining factors when pricing the food that farms produce are: 

Feed costs:
Feed costs vary greatly depending on the type, quality, and amount of feed being purchased at one time. In our opinion, feed costs are one of the biggest determining factors when it comes to price (for a farm that aims to cover their costs and make any smidgen of a profit). We feed certified organic, non-gmo, soy-free feed that we buy for our laying flock in 50lb bags. On that note, our feed costs went up by $2.00 per bag just recently. 

Flock size:
We have a moderately sized flock which means daily production is fairly low. Chickens do not lay eggs every day, and also gradually slow down as they age. Although our flock is around 40 chickens, we get maybe half of that in eggs each day. Simply put, higher production typically means a lower price per dozen because there is more to sell. 

Time of year:
During the spring and summer, the pasture is plentiful, bugs abundant, and our flock's ability to forage is increased, therefore feed demand decreases. Not only is the pasture less available and the ability to forage much more limited throughout the fall and winter, but the colder temperatures mean our flock requires more feed to stay warm and survive. The price of our eggs increase in the winter and decrease as we come back into spring. 

Market:
In TN you can sell unwashed eggs from your home / farm directly to a consumer but the same is not true for selling through other avenues, such as a farmers market or off-farm store. TN regulations for small-scale egg producers require you to follow safety guidelines, which includes washing and sanitizing eggs, as well as using new egg cartons. The current price for new egg cartons via Amazon is 144 cartons for $84.99, putting each carton at a cost of $.59.

Labor:
On top of feeding and housing our flock, is daily care. We also put in quite a bit of labor (time) to clean and sanitize the eggs in order to sell them. There's no fancy, automatic egg washer over here. I (Nicole) take the time to wash every single one of our eggs by hand in a solution of extremely hot water, natural soap, and white vinegar. 

Supplies:
Bedding for a coop and run costs money. Water for a flock to drink costs money. If a flock is given supplements, such as oyster shells for added calcium, apple cider vinegar as a water additive for health, all those supplies add cost. We've already talked about the cost of egg cartons but the supplies needed to clean eggs costs money too, as does purchasing labels, a printer, and ink - because regulation requires the egg cartons to be labeled with your farm name and address. Could we hand write on every single brand new egg carton? Sure, but that's absolutely unreasonable and so a printer and printing supplies are needed in order to print labels for egg cartons. 

Profit:
Without knowing for certain, I will go out on a limb here and state that someone selling a dozen eggs for $3.00 per dozen is probably not even covering the cost of what it takes to feed their chickens. Some choose to sell eggs simply because they keep chickens and have extra, not being concerned with recouping their costs or turning a profit, and that is absolutely okay. We are not those people, this is not that farm. In order to continue to produce nutrient dense food for our local community we have to recoup our costs and make at least a sliver of a profit and honestly, I can't imagine anyone would expect us not to! 

My last point is going to be VALUE. I absolutely understand that eggs have historically been a very inexpensive food and while the price has drastically increased I argue that eggs are still a very affordable food. The amount of nutrition packed into an egg is immense, and organic, pasture raised eggs provide even more nutrients than conventional eggs. 

Let's break it down:

12 eggs come in a dozen and let's allot 2 eggs per serving for an adult. 

2 eggs contain around 140 calories, 10 grams of healthy fat, 0 carbohydrates, and 12 grams of nutritious protein. 

So, in ONE carton of eggs, you're getting SIX PORTIONS of protein for $7.00 which comes out to $1.16 per TWO EGGS. 

$1.16 for a 12-gram serving of protein! 

I challenge you to find me a better, high quality, nutrient dense protein source for that price. :)

I hope this post helps to bring a bit more awareness and understanding with regard to pricing (specifically for eggs from a small-scale producer).

Blessings,

Your Local Farmer