Cold, hard winter

This winter has been one of the hardest on the farm that I can recall. We had rain, sleet and snow, as did much of Georgia and the nation. Every time we thought winter was going to give us a break, it got a little colder.

Some of the cattle farms in Wilkes County lost calves this winter. We were very fortunate this winter. We didn't loose any calves to the cold.

Team Tink braved the cold and went to the Decatur Farmers Market in spite of it all. A big thank you to those that came out to support us during the winter months. Hopefully the markets will pick up in spring.

I'm glad to know that, fingers crossed, the winter is almost over. I know there are a few more cold days left. However, there's comfort knowing that green grass is in the near future.

Spring is in the air!

It has been a long, hard winter. This winter left us with lots of rain, sleet and snow. Which meant a lot of cold market days and little, to no grass.

I sure am glad that it's starting to warm up and things are starting to turn green. I love spring. Spring to me means life. It's when animals, trees and plants come back to life after being dormant for the winter. Plus, it means green grass and warmer weather! Those two things make cows and Team Tink happy.

However, spring also means pollen. Lots and lots of yellow pollen. Pollen means allergies and allergies mean sneezing. Yikes! Oh well, I'll take the pollen and sneezing over freezing temperatures any day. You won't find me complaining about much of anything after surviving a cold, bitter winter. I'm just glad the farm isn't any further north.

Water, water everywhere!

In years past, Lucky7W has endured one drought after another. 2009 has not been one of those years. This year has been a very wet one, especially the past few months.

The picture was taken during the fall when we received several days of rain. This area is beside our driveway, the shop butts up to it as well. No, it's not a pond. It just retains water after several inches.

As farmers, our family loves to see rain coming. Especially if it's followed by some warm, sunny weather...perfect for growing grass. However, the past few months have been so wet and dreary that things aren't growing as well as they should.

For instance, we planted a small garden. The garden didn't get planted as early as it should have. Due, in part, to the wet weather and ground. Now that it's been planted for months, the growth hasn't been substantial.

No, I'm not complaining about the large amounts of rain that we've received this year. Some good has come of "the flood." The lakes in Georgia are way up, plenty of water for those with wells, we are no longer in a drought. However, I'm hoping the winter isn't as wet and miserable as it has been lately.

Customer Appreciation Day

Tink’s Grass Fed Beef held Customer Appreciation Day on the 7th of November at Lucky7W Farm in Washington, GA.

Tink, Etwenda Wade, owner of Tink’s Grass Fed Beef, gets many calls and emails asking how she raises her cattle. People want to know their farmer and the practices thereof. So, to put the minds of her customers at ease, Tink decided to open her home and her farm to her customers.

During the event, folks could take part in activities such as a hay ride, a wood splitting contest, horse shoes and more. There was also live music, lots of Tink’s burgers and even Cowboy stew; made with Tink’s Beef, of course.

Mary Howard of Evans, an avid Tink’s supporter said, “What a great day at the farm. Thank you so much for the hospitality. We had a great time and enjoyed the yummy food.”

A good time was had by all, even Tink. “The day was a great success. Thank you to everyone who came to support Tink’s Grass Fed Beef. You allow me to do what I love,” said Tink.

Picture blogging

I've been taking pictures of the farm over the last few months. I'm not a professional, but it's something I really enjoy. There are several pictures that I'm really proud of...and some that are priceless. So, I decided to start blogging with/about pictures. I'll leave the more technical blogs to Tink. 

This particular picture is one I took with my camera phone earlier this year. You really have to see it to believe it. A calf, somehow, got into the water trough. No one knows how on earth she got in the trough, but it took two men and a tractor to get her out. 

My dad and brother managed to get her out without a problem. They wrapped a chain around the trough and pulled it over with the tractor. The calf was then able to maneuver its way out, unscathed. Well, except for the other cows being very loud. Call me crazy, but I think they were picking on her a bit. She was embarrassed for sure. 

Time to Wean

We don’t have many exciting things happening on the farm this time of the year so there’s not that much to write. The cows are much happier since we had rain and now it’s time to wean calves so that Mama can have a much needed break before the next calf comes along.  Some farmer’s do not wean, just trust the Mother’s instinct to wean on their own.  Well, we haven’t had a lot of luck relying on Mama. It’s hard to see a cow give birth and provide enough milk for the new calf and a 600 lb., already existing calf while trying to maintain herself!

We do practice low stress weaning on the farm.  This is where the cow and calf are separated by just one fence instead of placed more than 2 fences away. This enables the mother and the calf to come to the fence to smell each other and know that each other is safe. You can watch the mama cows come to the fence and call their calf. Both fuss at us a little, but after a day or two, calves are comfortable. They can forage and make it on their own. The calves become more trusting of us to provide what they need and Mama can focus on her task of bringing another new life to the farm.

Keeping up with Technology

It's amazing how much there is to do on a farm. Now, we not only are responsible for the upkeep of the farm and traveling to markets, but updating people as to what's going on with us. I'm not complaining in any way. I'm glad people care enough about us to want to know what's going on. The problem...I can't keep up with technology.

I have Myspace, Facebook, multiple email accounts, two blogs and now Twitter. It's hard to keep up with what I'm supposed to do on each. I'm pretty good at keeping my Facebook friends updated on my life, but Myspace and Twitter, not so much.

Then there are the blogs. I think about updating the Tink's Beef blog, then I somehow get sidetracked. Which, let me tell you, is easy to do. So, that's part of the reason it has been so long since the last blog. We just forget, but we have the best of intentions.

I've decided that the only way to remedy this is to plaster my desk with sticky notes to remind me of all the things I'm supposed to update. Hopefully this will be a helpful reminder. So, please bear with us. We are, after all, a work in progress.