6th Annual Farm Day!

We would like to invite you to our 6th Annual Farm Day. Come see our pigs roaming in the field, cattle grazing in the distance, chickens out scratching, goats climbing around, and turkeys showing off. Admission is free! Back by popular demand, the pros at BBQ Pit Stop will be cooking up our pulled pork sandwiches and bratwursts for those who would like to eat lunch. Please help us make this day successful by sharing this post with others!

When: Saturday June 13, 2015 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Where: Christiansen's Family Farm (click for Google Maps location)

175 E. Sharp Rd

Vernon, UT 84080

What: Come get a tour of the farm, ask us questions, watch the animals, get a bite to eat, and enjoy the fresh air.

Lunch: We will be offering smoked/pulled pork sandwiches for $4 each and our preservative free Bratwursts for $2 each. Add a bag of chips and a bottled water for $1. Our bratwurst flavors include: Jalapeno w/Monterrey Jack Cheese, Sundried Tomato w/Basil, and German Bratwurst.

You are also welcome to bring a lunch and have a picnic. 

This will be a great time to bring the family to see where food comes from. We have baby chicks for kids (and adults) to see and hold. This will be an open house, meaning no set schedule. Folks can come and stay the whole time or just poke their heads in to say hi and see what's going on. Of course there will be the pigs to watch playing out in the field.  We will also have some outdoor games.

For those who would like to make a full day of their trip to Vernon, we can recommend some beautiful canyons to hike. There are lots of trails to bike on and good places to take four wheelers and dirt bikes. We also have the Vernon Reservoir just ten minutes from our farm that usually has good fishing.  There are also several historical sites like the Pony Express Trail markers that are fun to see. Hollie and I will also be available to talk and answer questions.

We ask that those who have children come with the understanding that this is a working farm. There is barbed wire, machinery, and live animals that can all cause harm to unattended children. If it is rainy it may be muddy, if it is windy it may be dusty, if it is sunny there is sunburn, so please come prepared for the elements. Our hope is that everybody has a safe and enjoyable time. We felt last year was a huge success as everybody seemed to have a good time. Feel free to invite coworkers, neighbors, and family along. For those interested in purchasing meats from our farm, we will be taking orders. However, please understand that there is absolutely no obligation. We love what we do and find joy in sharing this with others.

Come enjoy a break in the country.

Sincerely,

The Christiansen Family

Farm Day 2014

5th Annual Farm Day 2014

A Peaceful Day in the Country

We would like to invite you to our 5th Annual Farm Day. Come see our pigs roaming in the field, cattle grazing in the distance, chickens out scratching, goats climbing around, and turkeys showing off. Admission is free! This year the pros at BBQ Pit Stop will be cooking up our pulled pork sandwiches and bratwursts for those who would like to eat lunch. Please help us make this day successful by sharing this post with others!

When: Saturday June 14, 2014 from noon to 4pm.

Where: Christiansen's Family Farm

175 E. Sharp Rd

Vernon, UT 84080

What: Come get a tour of the farm, ask us questions, watch the animals, get a bite to eat, and enjoy the fresh air.

Lunch: We will be offering smoked/pulled pork sandwiches for $4 each and our preservative free Bratwursts for $2 each. Add a bag of chips and a bottled water for $1. Our bratwurst flavors include: Jalapeno w/Monterrey Jack Cheese, Sundried Tomato w/Basil, and German Bratwurst.

Sno Shack of American Fork will be there serving up snow cones to help keep us cool! $1 each!

You are also welcome to bring a lunch and have a picnic.

This will be a great time to bring the family to see where food comes from. We have baby chicks for kids (and adults) to see and hold. This will be an open house, meaning no set schedule. Folks can come and stay the whole time or just poke their heads in to say hi and see what's going on. Of course there will be the pigs to watch playing out in the field.  We will also have some outdoor games.

For those who would like to make a full day of their trip to Vernon, we can recommend some beautiful canyons to hike. There are lots of trails to bike on and good places to take four wheelers and dirt bikes. We also have the Vernon Reservoir just ten minutes from our farm that usually has good fishing.  There are also several historical sites like the Pony Express Trail markers that are fun to see. Hollie and I will also be available to talk and answer questions.

We ask that those who have children come with the understanding that this is a working farm. There is barbed wire, machinery, and live animals that can all cause harm to unattended children. If it is rainy it may be muddy, if it is windy it may be dusty, if it is sunny there is sunburn, so please come prepared for the elements. Our hope is that everybody has a safe and enjoyable time. We felt last year was a huge success as everybody seemed to have a good time. Feel free to invite coworkers, neighbors, and family along. For those interested in purchasing meats from our farm, we will be taking orders. However, please understand that there is absolutely no obligation. We love what we do and find joy in sharing this with others.

Come enjoy a break in the country.

Sincerely,

The Christiansen Family

4th Annual Farm Day 2013

A Peaceful Day in the Country 

We would like to invite you to our 4th Annual Farm Day.  Come see our pigs roaming in the field, cattle grazing in the distance, chickens out scratching, goats climbing around, and turkeys showing off.  Admission is free!  We will be cooking up our pulled pork sandwiches and bratwursts for those who would like to eat lunch.   Please help us make this day successful by sharing this email with others!

When: Saturday June 8, 2013 from noon to 4pm.

Where: Christiansen's Family Farm

              175 E. Sharp Rd

              Vernon, UT 84080

What:  Come get a tour of the farm, ask us questions, watch the animals, get a bite to eat, and enjoy the fresh air.

Lunch: We will be offering smoked/pulled pork sandwiches for $3 each and our preservative free Bratwursts for $2 each.  Add a bag of chips and a bottled water for $1.  Our bratwurst flavors include: Jalapeno w/Monterrey Jack Cheese, Sundried Tomato w/Basil, and German Bratwurst.

Sno Shack of American Fork will be there serving up snow cones to help keep us cool!  $1 each!

You are also welcome to bring a lunch and have a picnic.   

This will be a great time to bring the family to see where food comes from.   We have baby goats that can be petted, and baby chicks for kids (and adults) to see and hold.  This will be an open house, meaning no set schedule.  Folks can come and stay the whole time or just poke their heads in to say hi and see what's going on.  Of course there will be the pigs to watch playing out in the field.  We will also be offering hay rides pulled by the tractor.

For those who would like to make a full day of their trip to Vernon, we can recommend some beautiful canyons to hike.  There are lots of trails to bike on and good places to take four wheelers and dirt bikes.  We also have the Vernon Reservoir just ten minutes from our farm that usually has good fishing.  It is free fishing day so no license is required! There are also several historical sites like the Pony Express Trail markers that are fun to see. Hollie and I will also be available to talk and answer questions.

We ask that those who have children come with the understanding that this is a working farm.  There is barbed wire, machinery, and live animals that can all cause harm to unattended children.  If it is rainy it may be muddy, if it is windy it may be dusty, if it is sunny there is sunburn, so please come prepared for the elements.  Our hope is that everybody has a safe and enjoyable time.  We felt last year was a huge success as everybody seemed to have a good time.  Feel free to invite coworkers, neighbors, and family along.  For those interested in purchasing meats from our farm, we will be taking orders.  However, please understand that there is absolutely no obligation.  We love what we do and find joy in sharing this with others.

Come enjoy a break in the country.

Sincerely,

The Christiansen Family

Grass & Barley Fed Beef

In previous generations, the fall season was considered the best time of year to harvest cattle for meat.  There are several reasons for this, first the weather was beginning to cool which meant meat wouldn’t spoil as easy.  Also there are significantly fewer flies and other insects that could potentially contaminate the meat.  However, the main reason is because fall is the time of year that cattle are in their best physical condition.  They cattle have eaten fresh grasses all summer.  Towards the end of summer, the grasses begin to set seed.  The seeds are high in energy and protein which the cattle eat to prepare for the cold winter.  Cattle harvested for meat right before winter have beautifully marbled meat that is high in omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

We offer grass fed beef year round.  In order to do this, we store grass hay and alfalfa that we feed to the cattle through the winter and early spring.  However, this feed lacks the grass seeds that the cattle normally get in the late summer/early fall.  This means if we harvest a beef in March, we risk the beef being a little too lean which means the meat may be a little dry when cooked.  Every once in a while, we hear from a customer who tried a “grass fed steak” from the store but was disappointed in how lean and dry it was.  To compensate for this, we now offer some of our cattle, a little barley and oat hay to mimic grass fed beef that is harvested in the fall. Both barley and oats are grasses and unlike most corn and soybeans are not genetically modified (GMO).  Also unlike corn, this will produce beef that maintains the health benefits that grass fed beef is famous for and still be low in cholesterol. 

As always, the cattle roam on large open pastures.  100% of their feed is GMO free.  The cattle are not force fed anything, they always have plenty of hay and alfalfa in front of them to eat what they like.  The barley is fed to them in rations similar to what cattle would find in a late summer pasture.  This allows us to offer our customers beef that is marbled as nicely as a fall harvested beef, year round.  And like a fall harvested beef, the carcasses yield more which means our customers get a little more for their money. 

We will continue to offer purely grass fed beef as well.  However, we believe that the Grass & Barley Fed Beef will be the choice of most of our customers.  As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

For those who have been customers of our farm for a while, you have hopefully noticed that we are very dedicated to keeping things local.  We work with local farmers to grow our hay and grain.  We use our neighbors and good friends the Holden family to mill our feed on a weekly basis.  This keeps our feed as fresh as possible and nutritional value as high as possible as the feed doesn’t have much time to oxidize before it is consumed.  Our feed also doesn’t travel long distances which saves on fuel.

We butcher and process the meat using three different, but local, owner operated USDA inspected butchering plants.  The meat then goes to local customers, local restaurants, and local retailers.  Nearly every dollar we spend for our farm stays local.  I believe that I speak for each consumer and business involved in this process when I state that we are all feel we are better off as a result.

As our business grows and develops we are pleased to announce two new partnerships!  The first partnership is with Faust Creek Farms owned and operated by Shannon and Mandi Fowles and their four beautiful children.  Faust Creek Farms is located just outside of Vernon about 5 miles north of our farm.  The Fowles share many of the same values we hold when it comes to farming.  They are dedicated to local, natural, antibiotic free, humane, pasture raised animals.  Their focus is primarily in poultry although they keep a few other critters around as well.  They have taken over all of our poultry equipment and have started pasture raising chickens and turkeys in a cooperative effort with our farm.  They hope to expand into other poultry in the near future as well as build their own poultry butchering facility right on the farm!

In addition to the poultry, the Fowles also frequently host farm events with hay rides, hot chocolate, and pony rides.  Starting now and leading up to Christmas, the Fowles will be selling fresh cut Christmas trees.  The Fowles also own a food wagon where they serve smoked pork (from our farm) chicken, turkey, and bratwursts.  You will be able to find their food wagon at farmer’s markets next summer.  Come check out their farm, pick up a Christmas tree and/or try a smoked pork sandwich Southern style with coleslaw.  Admission is free.

Teaming up with the Fowles will offer our customers a steadier supply of poultry.  Prices will stay the same and we will still deliver and handle the transactions.  We will be able to focus more time and attention on our pork, beef, and goat.  Additionally, our customers will now have access to specialty products like smoked chickens and turkeys. 

Our second partnership is with Squatters Pubs and Beers a local microbrewery located in downtown Salt Lake.  We get the spent brewers grain (barley) from Squatters which we feed as part of a ration to our pigs.  Why brewers grain?  Growing pigs need more protein than what pasture, wheat, oats, and barley can offer.  To supplement our pig feed, we have alternated between soybean meal and distiller’s grain (a byproduct of ethanol production).  The two issues we have had with both of these supplements is first they are most likely derived from genetically modified plants (GMOs).  Second, they are the only portion of our feed ration that we haven’t been able to source locally.

By utilizing the brewer’s grain from Squatters we accomplish several things:

-          We give our pigs a balanced diet that gives them all the elements they need to grow and stay healthy.

-          We now source 100% of their feed locally (within 1.5 hours drive of our farm)

-          Our pig feed is now 100% GMO free!

-          We avoid the $0.25 - $0.50/lb price increase in our pork we were planning for 2013 due to the drastic increases in feed costs we have seen in the last year.

-          Better pork – the more barley, wheat, and oats (small grains) the pigs eat, the better the pork will be.  This is opposed to the typical pig feed of corn and soybean. 

There are so many benefits to staying local.  Our favorite part has been the sense of community we now feel in many aspects of our operation.  It is amazing to watch as more family farms start popping up, food quality is increasing, and local businesses are stronger and able to compete with large international corporations.  Staying and buying local just makes sense!

Summer Grilling

The PERFECT Father's Day gift! Summer time means outdoor grilling. We are pleased to announce our new Grilling Package. This package includes ten 1 lb. packages of our popular preservative free bratwursts and ten 1 lb. packages of our dry aged hamburger patties.

Bratwursts:

Our bratwursts are made from our gourmet heritage breed pork. We use our own custom recipes that have no nitrates, BHT, BHA, or MSG. The pork is double ground before being stuffed into natural cased 1/4 lb links. No fillers, no "variety meats", not even pork trimmings are used. We use whole pork cuts like shoulder, loin, leg, etc... to make our bratwursts. To protect the freshness, we vacuum package the bratwursts, 4 links per package.

You choose 10 packages in any combination from the following flavors:

German Bratwurst

Jalapeno w/Monterrey Jack Cheese (about as spicy as medium salsa)
Sun-Dried Tomato w/Basil

Hamburger Patties:

Our hamburger patties are also a real treat. We start with dedicating an entire grass fed steer to ground beef. This means the whole beef gets ground and not just the trimmings. Before grinding the meat, the beef is dry aged for 2-3 weeks for optimal flavor. We then form the ground beef into four 1/4 lb. patties and vacuum package for freshness.

To specify your bratwursts flavors, simply enter the quantity of each flavor during the check out process in the box titled, "Instructions to Seller".

Grilling Package is available for our next delivery on 02 June 2012.  Order Here!

Farm Day this Saturday

We would like to invite everybody to our annual Farm Day.  Come see our pigs roaming in the field, cattle grazing in the distance, chickens out scratching, goats climbing around, and turkeys showing off.  We will be grilling up our new line of preservative free bratwursts for lunch. 

 

When: Saturday April 14th from noon to 4pm.

Where: Christiansen's Family Farm (click link for directions)

              175 E. Sharp Rd

              Vernon, UT 84080

What:  Come get a tour of the farm, ask us questions, watch the animals, get a bite to eat, and enjoy the fresh air.

 

Who: Anybody who would like to come is welcome.  Feel free to share this invite with family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.

Lunch: We will be grilling up our new line of preservative free Bratwursts for $2 each.  Add a bag of chips and a bottled water or can of soda for $1.  Our new bratwurst flavors include: Jalapeno w/Monterrey Jack Cheese, Sundried Tomato w/Basil, and German Bratwurst.

You are also welcome to bring a lunch.   

This will be a great time to bring the family to see where food comes from.  We are planning some activities for those wanting to learn more about our farm or simply experience the country life.  This will be an open house, meaning no set schedule.  Folks can come and stay the whole time or just poke their heads in to say hi and see what's going on.  We plan to have baby chicks for kids (and adults) to see and hold.  Of course there will be the pigs to watch playing out in the field.  We will also cook up some samples of pork and beef that people can try.  We will also have a seed planting station for kids who are interested in learning a little bit about gardening. 

For those who would like to make a full day of their trip to Vernon, we can recommend some beautiful canyons to hike.  There are lots of trails to bike on and good places to take four wheelers and dirt bikes.  We also have the Vernon Reservoir just ten minutes from our farm that usually has good fishing.  There are also several historical sites like the Pony Express Trail markers that are fun to see. Hollie and I will also be available to talk and answer questions.

Like last year, we ask that those who have children come with the understanding that this is a working farm.  There is barbed wire, machinery, and live animals that can all cause harm to unattended children.  If it is rainy it may be muddy, if it is windy it may be dusty, if it is sunny there is sunburn, so please come prepared for the elements.  Our hope is that everybody has a safe and enjoyable time.  We felt last year was a huge success as everybody seemed to have a good time.  Feel free to invite coworkers, neighbors, and family along.  For those interested in purchasing meats from our farm, we will be taking orders.  However, please understand that there is absolutely no obligation.  We love what we do and find joy in sharing this with others.

 

 

Come enjoy a break in the country.

Sincerely,

The Christiansen Family

Sausage Done Right

Since we started our farm, we have always tried to give our customers as many choices as possible.  For example, cured bacon or fresh side/belly?  Cured ham or fresh leg roast? And then the question we didn't like to ask... Ground pork or breakfast sausage?  The reason we didn't like to ask it was because the sausage seasoning the butcher was using had preservatives like MSG, BHA, and BHT in it.  Despite our numerous requests for an alternative recipe, our butcher did not feel there was enough demand to justify the change.  We felt that the preservatives were unnecessary and didn't reflect the values of our farm.  One of our goals has always been to provide delicious food that is clean, simple, and healthy.

As we announced previously, we switched butchers a couple of months ago.  Our new butcher, Springville Meat Co. offers better services like vacuum packaging and custom labeling.  Additionally, they are a little bit more flexible to work with.  After we switched, we started talking about their sausage recipes only to find that they too used MSG, BHA, and BHT.  While this was frustrating, they were open to explore other recipes.  Finally, I went to Colosimo's and together we came up with some delicious sausage seasonings free of MSG, BHA, and BHT.  We then took these seasonings back to Sprinville Meat Co who is now making our own custom line of sausages using our delicious pork and our customized Colosimo's seasoning.

We are now pleased to offer our gourmet line of Bratwurst style sausages.  These sausages are stuffed in natural casings in 1/4 lb links.  We have packaged 6 links per pack making each package 1.5 lbs.  We are currently offering the following flavors: Jalapeno w/Monterrey Jack Cheese, Sundried Tomato w/Basil, and German Bratwurst.  These sausages are delicious!!!  The casings are very easy to bite into, the sausage is not overly salty, and you can actually tasted the pork as well as the seasoning flavors.  We are very pleased with the results and are proud to put our name on it.  These are so good that my brother has offered to come work a couple days on our farm in return for all he can eat bratwursts.

We are also just finalizing on our new Breakfast Sausage that pending USDA approval we will be calling Maple Kissed Sage.  Again we are teaming up with Colisimo's for a customized breakfast sausage recipe that is free of MSG, BHA, and BHT.  We are then using Coombs Family Farms in Vermont who will be providing us with pure, organic, Vermont grown Maple Sugar.  This sausage will be add just enough sweetness to your morning meal.

Anxious to try our new sausage line? Stop by one of our delivery points on March 24th or call and arrange to stop by our farm.

Pasture Raised Chickens for 2012

Our chickens on pasture after a snowstorm.

For those who have been buying from our farm the last few years you may recall that we used to offer chickens.  You may also recall that we were forced to cease our chickens sales by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF).  It is a long story that can be somewhat summarized here.  In a nutshell, we received permission to process poultry at our farm under a small farm exemption.  We did this for most of the year only to have the UDAF come back and inform us that they had "reinterpreted" the regulations and that we could no longer process chickens on our farm unless we built a full blown inspected processing facility.  While we had the USDA's blessing we did not have the the UDAF's blessing.  In fact we were threatened with a Class C misdemeanor if we continued.  Last year, we missed out on a significant source of farm revenue that we had banked on when we expanded and built our new farm the year before.  This year however, we have made arrangements to lease a small poultry processing facility that was recently built by another farm.

We are pleased to announce that we will once again be offering our mouth watering pasture raised chicken!  We anticipate having our first chicken harvest ready around the end of April.  You can read more about our chickens and place your chicken order here.  As always please feel free to contact us with any questions.

New for 2012

Vacuum Packaging and preservative free sausages!  Read below.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  It is hard to believe that we are already starting a new year.  The last few months have been crazy as we have tried to keep up with getting everyone their orders for the holidays.  Our little farm continues to grow.  We are grateful for the support we continue to receive both from our customers and the media.  This past year we stayed busy building our new, larger farm.

The last two months were challenging as we incurred new difficulties with our butcher.  The butcher went through a USDA inspection audit that left them scrambling to jump through some ridiculous hoops.  The audit found no issues with sanitation or anything of the like.  The issues were related to paper work, record keeping, and marking weights on each package of meat.  Because they didn't have weights marked on the packages of meat, the butcher was forced to temporarily forego the USDA inspection and instead operate under Custom Exempt status.  So some of our customers may have noticed that the USDA stamps were crossed out with marker and that the labels were stamped "Not for Sale".  This simply means that the meat cannot be sold to somebody who is going to retail the meat.  Sales direct from the farm are still legal.  Our butcher shop is owned by an older couple who doesn't accept change very easily.  Rather than jump through the hoops the USDA was requiring, they informed me that they would no longer be USDA inspected.    Additionally, that let us know that they were increasing their prices by 20%.  This was unacceptable to us as an ever increasing portion of our pork is sold to retailers.  Instead, we went to another USDA butcher shop and made arrangements with them.  This shop is actually the shop that does all the curing of hams and bacon for our now former butcher.  They do a fantastic job and are very easy to work with.  The reasons we haven't used them in the past is that they don't have a kill floor and they have typically been more expensive.  However with the other butcher raising their prices, they are now slightly cheaper with better services.

The bottom line is that we are still incurring a significant increase in our butchering costs.  We are simply passing this cost on without any additional markup.  Our whole pig price is now $3.75/lb on the hanging weight and half pig price is now $3.95/lb on the hanging weight.  The good news is that we will be able to offer our customers an overall better product.  The new price will include vacuum packaging which will allow the meats to stay fresher much longer than with the paper wrapping of the past.  We will also be able to offer a wider variety of sausages some of which will include preservative free recipes.  Sausage flavors include: Breakfast, Italian, Monterrey Jack, Monterrey Jack with Jalapeno, Bratwurst and possibly a few others.  We are waiting to hear which ones will be available without preservatives.  We hope eventually to offer all sausages without preservatives.

The butchering industry in Utah still leaves much to be desired, but given our options, we believe that this will offer the best that is available.

For those who aren't aware, our pork is now available by the cut at Caputo's Deli (downtown location) as well as Liberty Heights Fresh.

We wish you all a Happy New Year and look forward to supplying you with the best pork and beef Utah has to offer!

We Now Ship Farm Fresh Lard

Due to a surprising number of emails asking us to ship our Farm Fresh Lard, we have now set up to ship our lard anywhere in the country!  In the past we have simply encouraged these people to find a local source.  However, the majority have responded that it simply isn't available.  We are sure this will change as more and more people discover the health benefits of cooking with pasture raised, non-hydrogenated, preservative free lard.  In the meantime, we have decided to offer our Farm Fresh Lard to anybody interested.  Details regarding shipping can be found on our website here.

A great article was recently published in Slate about the benefits of cooking with lard.  You can view it here.

We use our Farm Fresh Lard in much of our cooking.  In recipes of baked goods calling for shortening or butter, we have simply replaced those items with lard.  The textures and cooking properties are amazing!  Our cookies stay chewy and pie crusts and biscuits are delightfully flaky.  Give it a try!

Barn Raising Event

For those who are familiar with Jacob's Cove in Orem, you already know about their amazing produce especially their heirloom tomatoes.  You may also recall last winter when a snow storm collapsed one of their greenhouses.  For a small farm, tragedies like this can sink a family run farm.  But not the Allreds!  They have cleaned up the mess and are now rebuilding.  On Monday, October 17th everybody is invited out to help the Allred's in their barn (greenhouse) raising event.  There will be food, live music, and projects to help out with.  Pizzeria 712 will once again be out showing their support for local family operated farms by cooking up their delicious pizzas.  Bring the family and come lend a hand, donate what you can, eat delicious food, and have a great evening supporting this amazing family and their farm.

Click on the logo below to link to their website.

New Heritage Breeds

Large Black Pigs

When we decided to start raising pigs, we researched the different pig breeds to find a breed that would work well for our needs.  We recognized that we live in a climate that can be hard on animals.  (Hot sunny summers and cold, windy winters.)  From previous experience, we knew that light colored pigs had a tendancy to sunburn.  We also found that some pigs had little resilience to disease and that others had virtually no mothering ability.  That was when we stumbled across the Berkshire pig.  Being a black pig, it didn't sunburn, it thrived outdoors, and was very hearty.  Everything we read about them said that they had great mothering instincts.  We didn't find this to be entirely accurate but over time we were able to selectively bred mothering instincts back into our pigs.  Berkshire pork is well known for being superior to commercial breeds of pork partly because of its well marbled, red colored, deeper flavored meat. 

Over the last few decades as agriculture has progressed, farmers moved production indoors in order to be more efficient.  I am sure most know how the story goes.  Consumers wanted leaner pork and lower prices.  In the process, the Berkshire sort of got left behind as it has more fat (aka flavor and juiciness), doesn't produce as large of litters and is slower growing.  As commercial breeds were developed to be leaner and more efficient, the pork grew less flavorful and somewhat mushy (a result of only having an average living space of 6.8 ft2).  Another unintended consequence was the potential for mass breakouts of antibiotic resistant superbugs; a result of pigs having subtherapeutic antibiotics mixed into their daily feed and water.  This is the basic state of today's pork and for many the pendulum has swung too far opening up opportunities for our family farm and many others popping up all over the country.

Over the last few years, we have stayed busy raising purebred Berkshire pigs on pasture where pigs have an average living space of 2100 ft2.  (Commercially you could raise 300 pigs in the same space that one of our pigs enjoys.)  We have dedicated ourselves to raising our pigs humanely meaning gentle handling and herding of the pigs, no tail docking, teeth clipping, or nose rings, etc...  We also believe in raising our animals naturally meaning no antibiotics, growth promoters/hormones, and only feeding our pigs a 100% vegetarian diet of Utah grown grains in addition to the pastures they graze.  We believe that by adhering to these practices, we produce some of the best tasting and healthiest pork available.  That said, we are excited to announce that we will be taking it up another notch by introducing two additional heritage breeds to our farm.

The heritage breeds of pigs that are black in color all have similar meat quality.  The similarities are a deeper red colored pork that has more pronounced flavor as well as better marbling.  They also have a higher quality of fat for rendering lard.  The similarities are due to the fact that they share the same ancestry hundreds of years back.  These characteristics are the reason that pork from these black heritage breeds are considered gourmet quality.

We have recently acquired two Large Black sows and two Mulefoot sows.  The Large Black is known for having a shorter muscle fiber that makes the pork very tender.  The Large Black can nearly support itself on pasture alone.  The Mulefoot is perhaps the rarest breed in the country and was nearly extinct just a few years ago.  It is now making a rather strong comeback thanks to it being named the best tasting pork in a blind taste test of the heritage breed pork.  The Mulefoot pig is named for its unique hoof.  Unlike all other breeds of pigs that have a split hoof, the Mulefoot pig has a solid horseshoe like hoof.  We are excited to add the unique attributes of these pigs to the pork we are offering.

Here you can see the solid hoof of a Mulefoot

Like other heritage breeds there are some "inefficiencies" with the breeds.  Both breeds are relatively slow growing which also means that they consume more feed to reach a butcher weight than the commercial breeds.  The Mulefoot also has rather small litters averaging only 5-6 piglets per litter.  That said, we have witnessed firsthand their excellent mothering abilities, hardiness, and natural instinct to roam and graze on pasture.  Besides, we have never approached our farm with the attitude of being the most efficient.  Our goal has always been the to raise the finest quality, ethically and sustainably, and keep prices affordable for as many families as possible.  We hope that you will continue to enjoy our pork as we seek to take it up another notch by embracing these heritage breeds of pigs.

A Little Publicity

Fall is in the air!  The low for today is 48 F.  It is a welcome change from the warm nights and a good reminder that we need to start gearing up for the winter months. 


Our farm has been blessed to be getting a little publicity lately.  We thought it would be fun to share it with you.


Read about our farm in this month's Catalyst Magazine.  Great article about buying all natural, locally raised meats.  http://catalystmagazine.net/component/k2/item/1761-wheres-the-beef-and-lamb-poultry-pork?


Also, on the 15th of September at 8:00am I have been invited to be a guest speak on the X96 Radio From Hell morning show (96.3 FM in SLC).  The segment will be called "Ask a Hog Farmer".  We will post a link to the audio after it airs.


Last weekend we were filmed in a pilot show that will be aired on the Animal Planet.  The show is about a family who calls themselves "Preppers".  They were interested in purchasing a live pig and butchering the pig themselves. They called us and had us deliver a pig to them.  I don't know if we will even make the final cut, but it was fun to at least be a part of it.  It should air in February and we will post more info as we get closer to that time frame.


We hope these opportunities will create a little buzz as we have lots of pigs that will be ready in the next month or two.  If you haven't tried our pork yet, this Fall we are finishing our pigs on locally grown apples.  The apple/grain/pasture diet help create some amazing tasting pork.  You can pre-order here.   

Support a Local Farm

On Labor Day (September 5, 2011) our family is going to be eating a delicious meal at the Clifford Family Farm in Provo, UT.  The meal will be delicious because it is being prepared/catered by the incredible chefs of Pizzeria 712!  Pizzeria 712 is part of the Heirloom Restaurant Group and is a good customer of ours who makes their own meat toppings and sausages from our Berkshire Pork.  Clifford Family Farm is trying to raise money for a tractor that they are in desperate need of.  As a small family farm we can certainly relate to the overwhelming costs of buying the right tools and equipment needed to operate a farm and business.  The generous folks at Pizzeria 712 are donating 100% of the proceeds to the Clifford Family Farm.  This is a great way to enjoy the holiday weekend as well as support a very worthy cause.  Besides, check out the reviews on Yelp.com that Pizzeria 712 has received!

On a personal note, Julie Clifford has been most generous in sharing her knowledge and experience with us as we ramp up an egg producing venture on our farm.  She has been raising/selling eggs for years and has been wonderful to help us get off to the right start.  Please come and support the Clifford Family Farm.  If you can't make it, you can still support this local family farm by making a donation.  If you pay in advance, you can attend this delicious dinner for just $10/person.  You can visit the Heirloom Restaurant Group here to sign up or make a donation.  Every little bit helps and will be very much appreciated!  Please help by spreading the word!!!

Apple Finished Pork this Fall

One of our favorite way to finish pigs is on fresh Utah grown apples.  This fall, all of our Berkshire pigs delivered September through December will be finished on locally grown apples!  The apples help give the pork a wonderful flavor.  Based on the last few years, we anticipate selling out of our fall pigs rather quickly as folks get ready for the holidays.  I know it seems early to be thinking of fall and winter already but it is right around the corner!

Our whole or half Berkshire pork orders and CSA Shares come nicely packaged in a boxes and make a great gift.  A freezer full of meat is a perfect way to prepare for the cold winters.  Delicious meals made from moist and tender roasts, steaks, chops, bacon, and ham are a great way to lift our spirits during the short, cold days of winter.  Also, if you are planning any large gatherings or parties, don't forget that we now offer whole roaster pigs as well.  While you are at it, impress your family and friends with exceptional baked goods and extra flaky pie crusts when using our pasture raised, non hydrogenated, preservative free lard.  Please let us know if you have any questions by contacting us.

Encouragement

Farming often has rough days that cause us to question whether all the hard work is worth it. Of course, we often think in terms of money, of which there is little, especially with feed and fuel prices through the roof.  However, there are other rewards that to us are priceless.  There is the satisfaction of viewing our happy animals out on pasture, knowing that they are living a comfortable and content life.  Hollie and I often observe our animals on our "little pig dates" after I get home from work.  One of the greatest satisfactions of farming is the encouragement, support, and feedback we get from our loyal customers.  This is what helps us get through the rough days and tells us it is worth continuing.   We often get emails from our customers complementing us on the quality of meat we raise and the standards we abide by.   We love receiving these little notes.

On our last round of deliveries, we were delivering to one of our customers Nick, who orders on a regular basis.  He thanked us for the meat, we thanked him for the business, and then he shared an interesting experience that speaks to the quality of our pork.  Nick and his wife recently had guests over that were visiting from Seattle.  His guests make a living running a catering business.  Nick's wife who is from Asia had prepared a Thai dish with our Berkshire pork.  One of the guests took a bite and immediately commented on how juicy, tender, and flavorful the pork was in spite of the strong spices that Thai food often has.  She then asked if they were eating Berkshire pork!  Nick and his wife were a little surprised by how easily their guests could identify the quality and distinguish the flavor of Berkshire pork.  Hollie and I both smiled thought, "Yep, its that good!"

Thank you to Nick for sharing this.

The Local Ripple

As a small family operated farm we have witnessed firsthand the wonderful ripple effects of buying local.  We have greatly benefited from local restaurants, businesses, and families purchasing their meat from our farm.  They enjoy the benefit of visiting our farm and seeing exactly how their food is raised.  They meet the farmer (our family) and have the opportunity to ask us questions they may have about their food.  It offers folks a chance to connect with their food in a way that only a gardener may be able to understand.

Operating an open farm keeps us on our toes.  It encourages us to keep our farm clean and looking good.  We want our animals to be in excellent health and represent the hard work and care we strive so diligently to provide for them.  This in turn, yields an ever improving product for our customers.

As our farm has grown in recent years, we have benefited from loyal customers like Heirloom Restaurant Group who has committed to buying their pork every month from our farm.  Knowing ahead of time that we can count on steady sales, helps us run our farm efficiently.  It also helps us know where to focus our business growth.  As our little hobby farm has grown into a full-fledged farm, we have realized that we simply don’t have time to keep up with every aspect of the farm.  One aspect has been piglet production and another has been animal feed.

In order to deliver pork every month to our customers, we have to start 8-10 months prior and make sure we have enough piglets on the farm.  This we found was something we struggled to keep up with.  We soon found that there were quite a few other small farms that would be happy to do this for us.  We started with two small family farms and on a handshake agreed to buy all the piglets they produced.  This turned out to be a win/win situation as both family farms were looking for sources of extra income.  Most farmers don’t have the know-how or desire to sell specialty (non-commodity) products to direct consumers.   This is an aspect of farming that we enjoy, but it is time consuming and therefore limits the time we spend farming.  The two family farms now produce piglets for us and benefit from the steady business.  We benefit by being able to consistently deliver our pork month after month as well as having more time.  Our customers benefit from readily available pork, rather than the sporadic 2-3 times a year schedule we were on.  Everybody benefits.

Acquiring pig feed was another time consuming hurdle we overcame.   As our farm has grown, the amount of pig feed consumed on the farm has increased significantly.  When we started raising pigs, we would go and buy an assortment of grains and mix them ourselves before feeding the pigs.  This worked fine when we had a dozen pigs, but as the pig herd grew, it became unmanageable.  We then started looking at the feed mills for feed.  It was more expensive and we had little control on the feed freshness, quality, and ingredients.  Additionally, it took an entire day every week to drive to the mill to get the feed and fill our pig feeders.  Out of frustration and desperation, I approached a good friend and neighbor to see if he would be interested in supplying our farm with feed as a business opportunity.   Turns out, that it was just the opportunity him and his family were looking for.  The quantity of feed our farm required was enough for him to jump right in with a commercial dump truck, grain mill, augers, etc…  My feed guy is now able to deliver the feed right into my feeders on the farm which saves me a lot of time.  We have complete control over what goes into the feed which helps us maintain the quality of pork we are expected to deliver.  I have referred other local farms to him and he has now capped the number of customers he maintains.  In other words, he has as much business as he can handle.  Because we keep everything local, he is able to offer me a lower price than the large feed mills.  I pass this savings onto my customers.

My feed guy has since dedicated himself to buying grains only grown in Utah.  He has found that he can get higher quality grain by dealing directly with the growers.  He now has a number of local farmers he contracts to buy his grain from.  He is able to pay the local farmers a better rate than what the large mills pay and saves them the cost of having to deliver it 100 miles away.  Again, everybody benefits.

Our local butcher has also benefited from our business.  Just as we enjoy steady repeat business, this benefit naturally passes onto our butcher who puts us on their monthly schedule.  The constant interaction with our butcher has built a strong working relationship.  We are able to ask for services and favors that we couldn’t have asked for a few years ago.  We now have a great deal of control over the way our pork and beef are processed.

As a kid I remember being fascinated by the ripple effect of throwing a rock into a pond.  Now as an adult, it is even more fascinating to see the ripple effect in our local economy.  It is amazing to see how the money spent at a locally owned restaurant like Communal on a pork chop dinner gets divided.  A portion of that money goes to my family as we raised the pork.  We take the money and give some to our piglet farms, some to our feed guy, some to our butcher, some to the local ranch and hardware store, and some to ourselves.  These recipients are all for the most part supporting local businesses in their industries which at some point comes back to benefit even the customer of the pork chop dinner.  Witnessing this has renewed our family’s efforts to buy local whenever possible.  As if supporting the local economy wasn’t benefit enough, we have found we generally receive better service, and overall greater value.  Supporting local businesses is one small way we can help secure a bright future for ourselves and generations to come.     

Roaster (luau) Pigs

Just in time for summer!  We are pleased to announce that we will now be offering Berkshire Roaster Pigs.  Roaster pigs are perfect for larger gatherings/events. Our pasture raised Berkshire pigs offer greater marbling than any other pig. Marbling will add flavor, moisture, and tenderness to your pork. The more marbling, the better the results. It also means that it will be much more forgiving if you tend to overcook your pig.  The more marbling, the better the results. It also means that it will be much more forgiving if you tend to overcook your pig (like most people do).

Our Berkshire roaster pig prices are based on the hanging weight of the pig. The hanging weight on a roaster pig is the weight after the pig has been killed, scalded, and eviscerated (insides removed). The price includes delivery to the butcher, kill fee, and scald/scraping (hair removal). A non-refundable deposit of $75 is due when ordering. The balance is due when picking up the pig.  We can have the pig butterflied at no extra charge, but the butcher will need to remove the head to butterfly the pig.

We can deliver the pig to either Gary's Meat in Payson, UT or Tooele Valley Meats in Grantsville, UT. Both butchers scald on most Wednesdays and your pig can be picked up the following Thursday or Friday. Both Gary's and Tooele Valley are USDA inspected facilities and the pig will be stamped as such. This makes it very easy (and legal) for restaurants, hotels, caterers, and other businesses to host events.

When ordering, please select the size range you prefer for your event. Please keep in mind that each pig will yield slightly different from pig to pig.  We will go out of our way to help ensure your event is a success. As always, please feel free to call with any questions.  Order here!

Babies Everywhere

I have mentioned in past posts that we have enjoyed this spring and all the new life that it has brought.  We have seen new piglets and calves born.  Our turkeys hatched out a couple of new chicks as well.  Two weeks ago, our cat had three cute little kittens.

This evening when I was out on the tractor doing some chores, I kept hearing a squeaky noise.  The boys and I started looking around the tractor expecting to find an injured mouse or other small rodent.  However, the squeaking sounded like it was coming from the tractor.  This seemed strange as the tractor wasn't running.  We popped the hood on the tractor and were surprised to find a good sized bird's nest built right on top of the engine.  We peeked inside the nest and found three hungry little birds next to two eggs that are yet to hatch.  It is really quite amazing that the bird would choose to build a nest here as I use the tractor frequently.  I debated relocating the nest but figured if the eggs had survived long enough to hatch that they would probably do better just leaving them alone. It is really amazing that this bird has been able to find her nest since I don't park the tractor in the same spot on our farm.  Usually I just leave the tractor wherever is convenient.  We thought this would be a cute farm video to share.  Enjoy!