“Watch out for the ram.” Surrounded by sheep, I turn quickly, trying to find the one ram among the twenty plus ewes in the pen. They all look alike in their thick winter fleeces on this January visit, dashing away from me when I approach like minnows in a pond. I move closer to Bridget Kavanaugh, the owner of Happy Goat Lucky Ewe farm, to make sure there isn’t enough open space for the ram to follow through on his name. Sheep bump against my thighs, and I feel like I’m being hit by toddlers with pillows, their fleeces are so thick. It’s a barnyard comedy show: I’m darting after the sheep to see how long their fleeces are, they are running away from me while chasing the hay that Kavanaugh is tossing to them for their late morning feed. Finally, I spot the ram, fortunately across the pen from me, horns hidden by fleece, leaving the black straps of his chest harness the sole identifier.
Posts tagged #sustainable farming
Carnivores Unite! A Meat Eater's Guide to Supporting Local Farmers, Mongers, and Butchers
My passion for great food, and for those who produce and handle all aspects of providing it, is at times an obsession. I become a little rapt when meat and fish are involved because I have health issues that demand clean, healthy food, and environment. I place huge emphasis on the person behind the product when I embark on seeking out a farmer, hunter, monger, or purveyor. There is a symbiotic relationship between one who raises, gathers, and hunts animal meat and the end consumer. This relationship should be taken on with deep sincerity and thoughtfulness. I prefer, when possible, to purchase meat from animals bred and raised locally. The animals feed from grass in the pasture where they live and roam, until they are nearing full growth. At this point they are usually grain fed for higher fat marbling, but the lives of the animals are still cared for and properly managed.
Four Seasons of Fresh Inspiration at Brighton’s Stone Coop Organic Farm & Learning Center
When my business partners and I bought the property that Stone Coop Farm lives on in November of 2011, I knew we had to save it as farmland for future generations. Our farm is on 30 acres, but it is zoned residential. 1000 new homes in four new subdivisions are being built on both sides of us. I can hear the excavation equipment every day. A wastewater treatment plant is being built and the high-pressure sewer line will be connecting these subdivisions along our property line. Developers are approaching us to sell the farm, so that more homes can be built. The value of our land is increasing as residential lots, not as farmland. I know my mission is to save the farm, but that often feels like an insurmountable task, given what’s going on around me.
Raising Backyard Chickens: What to Consider Before Collecting Those Wonderful Eggs
A chicken ordinance was passed in Ann Arbor in 2008, allowing residents to keep up to four hens in their backyards for the first time. Happily, residents of Ann Arbor began building coops and transforming their backyards into a haven for their chickens. The popularity of backyard chickens has continued to grow. As of December 2016, 22 permits for backyard chickens had been issued, already rising above the 14 that were issued in 2015. Early in 2015, the number of chickens allowed went from four to six, delighting those who already had them and instilling curiosity in many who have never had chickens.
