November 22, 2009

Funding the Butcher Shop

Other — walterj 9:12 pm


South Field Pigs and Sheep Grazing

As I mentioned in my Sunday post we are building a USDA/State inspected on-farm slaughterhouse and butcher shop - our Big Project. We need approximately $150,000 to build and outfit the butcher shop. That is about 10% of what the typical facility costs to build. We have some special efficiencies such that we can build for less because we are:

  • a small tightly focused family farm,
  • just doing one species,
  • an on-farm facility,
  • already own the land,
  • started with an existing foundation,
  • had some construction materials on-hand to begin with and
  • providing all of the labor.

Still, there are costs for concrete, insulation, plumbing pipes, electrical, equipment, etc. It takes many wallets to fund a project like this. Here are some of the ways that we are funding the butcher shop project…

Read the full story here

[This is part two in the series. I have moved this story and comments from here back over to my Sugar Mountain Farm blog in the interest of keeping the discussion thread in one place. Visit http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/ regularly to follow the progress as we bring our on-farm slaughterhouse and butcher shop up to USDA inspection. Learn about how the story of our butcher shop and NoNAIS are intimately intertwined… -WJ]

Pastured Pigs & Piglets
Healthy, happy Certified Naturally Grown piglets to raise yourself or we'll do it for you delivered to the butcher.
SugarMtnFarm.com

 

Personal Pencil Portraits
Exquisite hand drawing from your photo. Visit my online gallery to see examples.
HollyGraphicArt.com


November 18, 2009

Butcher Shop at Sugar Mountain Farm

Other — walterj 6:26 am


Pigs who will live their entire lives at our farm.

“…Oh, and just one more thing… We’re building a butcher shop.”

Yes, that is what I said a few days ago. Our top secret big project for the past year and a half is a butcher shop. Well, about as top secret as anything is on a small planet. The gossip has been fun and I’ll admit that I have fueled the stories a bit. This big project is what has put a slow down on some other more minor projects like expanded fencing, new pastures and the greenhouse. Although we were able to get bits of each of those done so they’re ready for more later. Everything in its time.

Short Version: We are building an on-farm slaughterhouse and butcher shop located on our farm so that we can get our pork to customers’ fork. This will assure our farm of available slaughter and butchering capacity, guarantee humane animal handling to the end, reduce our energy consumption and expenses while increasing the quality of the meat and keeping our prices from rising. Processing is essential to farm viability. We will be slaughtering just for our own farm which helps other farmers by freeing up slots in the area butcher’s schedule. The opening of our butcher shop is expected in early 2010. Find out about getting free processing when you do a CSA Pre-buy which helps fund the butcher shop - details soon…


Removing Shed Roof - Saving Materials for Pig Shelters

I hear some muttering in the back of the crowd:
  • “Walter’s gone over to the dark side.”
  • “He’s sold out to the goobermint.”
  • “He got too big and became one with the enemy.”

Rest assured that this is not the case, the rumors of my conversion to Big Ag are grossly exaggerated and unfounded. We are still a small family farm raising Naturally Grown pastured pigs sustainably on pasture. Having our own on-farm process does not change how we farm nor our fundimental beliefs and core values. Heck, I can’t even get a loan never mind a temptation on the mount. What this does do is improve the end of life for our livestock, improve the quality of the meat and increase our farm’s financial security.

Read the full story here

[This is part two in the series. I have moved this story and comments from here back over to my Sugar Mountain Farm blog in the interest of keeping the discussion thread in one place. Visit http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/ regularly to follow the progress as we bring our on-farm slaughterhouse and butcher shop up to USDA inspection. Learn about how the story of our butcher shop and NoNAIS are intimately intertwined… -WJ]

Pastured Pigs & Piglets
Healthy, happy Certified Naturally Grown piglets to raise yourself or we'll do it for you delivered to the butcher.
SugarMtnFarm.com

 

Personal Pencil Portraits
Exquisite hand drawing from your photo. Visit my online gallery to see examples.
HollyGraphicArt.com


November 16, 2009

Why Pick Kansas?

Commentary — walterj 10:29 pm

There are a whole lot of questioning as to why Kansas was picked by Homeland Security for their new infectious disease laboratory to replace isolated Plum Island. In case nobody noticed on the map, Kansas on the mainland, is right in the middle of tornado alley, near populations, up wind of urban areas and in the breadbasket of America. There’s a lot of livestock in Kansas. Even the GAO is against putting a disease lab there. So why pick Kansas?

Well, I figured it out. Kansas is flat. In the event of a breach of the labs it is easy to eradicate any escaped diseases. You see, there are no shadows when you drop the Bomb in Kansas.

It fits with the whole Kill-Zone mentality of our beloved government. They’re just trying to keep the rest of us safe.

Sorry, Dorothy…

Pastured Pigs & Piglets
Healthy, happy Certified Naturally Grown piglets to raise yourself or we'll do it for you delivered to the butcher.
SugarMtnFarm.com

 

Personal Pencil Portraits
Exquisite hand drawing from your photo. Visit my online gallery to see examples.
HollyGraphicArt.com


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