How About Out With the COLD!

I really hate to complain, I really do. We have had such a mild winter so I really feel bad whining about the cold now. But, I'm going to whine anyway. That's whats farmer's do I guess. The weather is never just right for us it's either too hot or cold, wet or dry, Windy or humid. Why, you'd think we're hard to please or something! We had April weather in February and now it seems we're having February weather in March. I shudder to think what April and May will bring. We really aren't that hard to please at all. What's good for us is good for the planet...no extremes.

In spite of the cold the farming must go on and we are gearing up for our busiest year yet! We have over a hundred little chicks in the barn waiting for the weather to break so they can go out into the chicken tractors and start gobbling up that green grass that we know is hiding under this (hopefully) last blast of winter. In an effort to be more safety and energy conscious we purchased a new brooding system. Rather than the scary, energy-sucking heat lamps we purchased heat plates for the chicks. We have dubbed them the "Big Black Hens" because they emulate a mother hen. The chicks run underneath and touch the plates and warm themselves that way, just like they would with a hen. So far so good... the chicks seem content with their surrogate moms and we aren't worried about a bulb exploding and burning our barn down. Win-win!

You'd never guess there are 125 chicks hiding under the Big Black Hens!

In other farm news we are thrilled to announce that we have been accepted, once again, to the Canal Market District Farmer's Market in downtown Newark . It's quite the beautiful setting and perfect for vendor's and shopper's alike. With it's covered shopping area and large ceiling fans, no matter the weather, it's perfect for perusing the market and picking up your groceries for the week. While you're there you can enjoy live music and food trucks! It's the perfect Friday night date!  We will be there every Friday   evening from 4-7pm beginning May 5th until the end of October. We hope you'll come out to support not only Cherokee Valley but all the local farmers. We will have bison available opening night so, put it on your calendar! That's all the time I have for today...gotta get back to stoking the fire and dreaming about spring! :)