Howdy from Deer Creek Pastures! The month of August flew by in a flash with some highs and lows around the farm. We experienced our first glimpses of Fall weather (#FakeFall) – the piggies and I thoroughly enjoyed it before temperatures spiked back up. Whitney and Stevie are still thriving and the piggies have eaten many watermelons in celebration of National Watermelon Day, which came and went on August 3rd (so mark your calendars next summer for the occasion!)
The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs: While the amount of resources available these days to navigate different niches of farm life are vast, and I do find myself watching YouTube content when I need a quick how-to, I am a book lover at my core. I tend to always be reading at least one farm related book at any given time. I am currently reading Joel Salatin’s The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs – because while I have figured out a lot about taking care of Dolly and Loretta, I know I can always be a better steward, and I want all of the animals at Deer Creek Pasture to enjoy their time here. The pigness of pigs, and their unique rooting nature and smart and inquisitive personalities, play a central role in the book, but it also digs deeper into the state of our food systems, environmentalism (being good stewards of our planet shouldn’t be nearly as polarizing or politicized as it is in my humble opinion, and he tackles this head on from a Biblical worldview), and raising happy and healthy animals. Let me know if you have any book recommendations – Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating by Jeffrey Smith is next on my list!
The Farm on Instagram: For many years, I have avoided social media. My reasons ranged from disagreeing with free speech limitations and wanting to maintain privacy and anonymity, through to desiring to minimize screen time in my free time since I spend most of my work day looking at a computer screen. Many of my feelings about social media haven’t changed, however the farm is a business, that while in its infancy today I have plans to scale, and as such, I felt it important to diversify the platforms on which I share the happenings of Deer Creek Pastures. So if you don’t already, please give us a follow on Instagram (@deercreekpastures). There you can catch some more up to date farm moments, and the daily hijinks of the piggies and sheep!
Getting Involved in the Local Farm Community: The month of August brought multiple opportunities to participate in events through the local agriculture extension. If you’re in Georgia, every county has one and you can check out your local programming! If you’re outside of Georgia, you likely have a similar program through the land grant university in your state. Last month, I attended the Northeast Georgia Ag Expo which had an antique tractor show, livestock and equipment exhibits, educational opportunities on soil conservation, and more. I also had the chance to participate in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census! Farmers are often busy tending to their own farms, so extension programming has been a great way for me to get connected to other local farmers and keep abreast of current challenges in the region – for example, my area is currently having a rough time with pickleworm and the weather combined with pests has made for an extremely challenging hay season (which will make for a tough winter season for the cattle operators).
Scenes from the Pastures: Here’s some of my favorite scenes around the farm from the last few weeks.
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