Short Term Fixes

In our short term fixes category that I really should create, we could put a posting for all manners of fixes: those things that can be solved with duct-tape and those that cannot, for starters.

This farm fix is more difficult, and actually requires a paid professional: our farm telephone is not receiving your phone calls, and it will sound like it is ringing, when, in fact, it is not.

So, for the short-term… If you would like some information, animals, or yummy bacon, ham, sausage, eggs, beef or lamb, *please* email me your wishes and I will call you back using a different phone line.

Thank you!

Good News/Bad News

Greetings.  Things get very busy on the farm in the spring, as you can well imagine.

The good news is that all of our critters that we are hoping will grow nicely, are doing so. Eight of the ten Tamworth piglets that are about eight weeks old, have been placed at other farms, and we have two from that littler to raise. The tortoise shell Tamworth-Berkshire piglets will soon be relocated to the pasture alongside the road, and many of them will also be rehoused in about a month.

Some general bad news:  I read the following this morning:

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) – Vermont’s Agriculture Secretary, describing a “worst-case” scenario, says as many as 200 dairy farms in the state could be forced out of business by the end of the year.
Roger Allbee says that’s the result of the collapse of milk prices last year.
The Burlington Free Press reports the state says there were 1,017 dairy farms in Vermont on April 1. Under the worst-case scenario, that would fall to 817 dairy farms in less than eight months.
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Diane Bothfeld says some farms could start folding this spring because they don’t have the money to buy seeds to grow crops to feed cows.

Some possible bad news is that we are out of pork chops.  Wells Tavern Farm will be out of stock in the  pork chop department for a couple of months. I am very sorry.   I can offer some other LOCAL MEATS that are IN STOCK and very tasty! We do have great breakfast sausage, hot Italian sausage, sweet Italian sausage, (plain, unseasoned) ground pork, country ribs. We also have veal chuck steak, ground veal, ground grassfed beef, Jersey beef patties,  and stew meat.  There is ground lamb, and assorted other cuts of veal, and lamb. And did I mention, our Maple Syrup Cured Hickory Smoked Ham Steaks (thick, one inch!) and Maple Syrup Cured Hickory Smoked Bacon (thick! ten slices to the pound). You can see our pricelist on our website, http://www.wellstavernfarm.com

• And, looking ahead, in about a month, we will have tender, beautiful little roasting cornish hens  processed and ready to thaw and cook.
• Please, please please! When you see the big-box flyers advertising cheap started vegetable plants, pass!  That is how we got into trouble with Late Blight last year, remember?
• Mark your calendar and make plans to catch up with us at the following farmers markets, which all begin at the end of May/beginning of June: Tuesdays, from 4-7 in Bernardston. Wednesdays from 4-7 in Conway. Thursdays from 4-7 in Northfield.  Wells Tavern Farm helps making eating locally grown, ethically and sustainably raised meats, easy!