From the Foreman's Desk - August Update

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August 30, 2022

From the Foreman's Desk is a monthly update from Kaitlyn Kesten (Remi's wife and self-proclaimed "Ranch Foreman.")

August was a great month, with lots of animal stuff going on. Turkeys, cows, chickens, pigs, oh my!

John and Amber's cows were over at the Kesten farm mowing down the pasture. We haven't had a lot of animal impact on our pasture this season. We were letting it rest for a bit. The cows did an excellent job of cleaning things up! It was fun having cows over here again.

The little piggies were moved out of their training paddock and out to the pasture as well! They are so adorable 😊 They were all very interested in getting their picture taken.

One day the boys were setting up a new pig paddock while I was working in the garden. They drove up in the bobcat to say hello. I turned around to find this!

Jack and I have enjoyed going on walks lately. He likes to go on his own mini adventures. Can you spot him? I'll give you a hint, look for the white tip of his tail.

Jack also went on a car ride with Remi 😂 He preferred to ride in Remi's lap instead of the passenger seat. He also managed to cover Remi with his slobber!

A couple of weeks ago, we harvested some peaches! It was so exciting because I didn't think we would get any this year. I know nothing about fruit trees, and this tree hasn't gotten any TLC. We picked 165 lbs of peaches. So nice having homegrown fruit in the freezer to enjoy throughout the year. This was the first time I put up peaches. It was a learning curve. Figured out how I like to do it and how I won't do it next year 🤣

Another first for me was making chicken broth with feet, necks, and bones. Usually, I only make broth with a cooked carcass. The boys were thawing out products for raw product photos. When they were finished, I threw them in the crock pot and gave it a whirl. It turned out great, and chicken feet are quite interesting to work with...

I couldn't resist. I had to do an impromptu photo shoot.

Chickens are doing great out on pasture. I did morning chores with Remi on Monday and was able to get some pics of how we do it!

Here's our handy dandy farm truck and grain wagon. We buy our broiler chicken feed in bulk and store it in this wagon. Buying in bulk cuts costs down and also eliminates feed bags! We use 5-gallon buckets to get the feed to the chickens. Here's Remi filling them up and trying not to get feed on the ground. It's harder than it looks, takes a special skill.

Then we load them in the bed of the truck, and away we go.

Food's ready, come and get it!

We use hanging feeders in our Range Coop. This makes daily moves easier because we don't have to pick up and move feeders that are on the ground.

We also use hanging bell waterers. They are also automatic. John has a pretty sweet water set up at his farm. I probably can't explain it using all the proper terminology, but I can put it in Kaitlyn words.

The Cox's have a pond in their pasture with a pump. They also have pipes all along their property. These tube thingies have spots where you can attach hoses. So basically, no matter where the animals are at, there are water hookups for the hoses. This makes watering a lot more streamlined. No hauling water. And even better, it's from a nice pond!

The birds also get grit with their food. Check out this blog post to learn why!

Thanksgiving turkeys are big enough to be out in netting. I didn't get a great picture of them because they were very excited to eat their breakfast 😂

More little chicks came in the mail on Wednesday, so they're tucked away all cozy in the brooders until they're big enough for the range coops. This will be in 3 weeks.

This weekend the farmers at DP will slip away for Labor Day at our church family camp. It's a great time to decompress and enjoy time with friends and family.

After that, our small town of Concordia, MO, throws an annual fall festival with all sorts of activities to enjoy ranging from the carnival, parades, a car show, and exhibits from local bakers, gardeners, quilters, you name it! Maybe next year I'll be able to enter a quilt!

One of Remi's sisters is coming up for a visit, and we are sooo looking forward to that! I love getting to see some of the original Kesten crew together and having fun 💙

Hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend. Be sure to tag us on social media if you cook up anything yummy with DP meats! I'm planning on making sloppy joes and bbq pulled pork 🤤

While I'm going to do my best to soak up all the summertime festivities, I am starting to dream about pumpkin cinnamon rolls and beef stew!

~ Kaitlyn

Why I Choose Grass-Fed & Finished Beef (by Tracey Long, MPH, RDN)

Hey guys, Remi here! This is a post from Tracey Long's blog that she gave me permission to share here. She works in integrative and functional nutrition at Big Picture Health. Tracey has seen many people's lives changed through their bettered understanding of food, including her own. Enjoy this article, and feel free to reach out to her if you are looking for guidance in your healing journey. Pictured on left: Cows raised on pasture by the Bauman Family near Garnett, KS.Pictured on right: Cows started on grass, but finished on grain/soy at a feedlot. 1. I believe in supporting local food, small family farmers and the economy. The average miles our food travels to reach our dinner plates is about 1,500 miles1. When we eat local we conserve fuel, keep our food dollars local and can have a personal connection to the farmer and how our food is raised. I subscribe to the mantra, know your farmer, know your food. Know your farmer, know your food 2. Cows are biologically meant to eat grass and pasture, not grains like corn or legumes like soy. When you feed an animal the food that it is biologically set up for it will be healthier. Cows are four-legged ungulates best adapted to graze on forage. The digestive system of cows, the four stomachs they have that we learned about in basic biology, are meant to ferment forage. Grains like corn and legumes like soy are used as high energy-dense food alternative for cows to put weight on them quickly for faster processing. This diet that is not congruent with the cow’s biology does work to speed up the process from start to finish, but can actually compromise the animal’s health. A review article by Calloway et al2 found that cows fed a diet high in grain had higher levels of the food-borne pathogen E. coli. When the diet was changed back to forage the E. coli levels were lowered within five days. A research study by Khafipour et al3 found that cows fed a diet based on grain became acidotic, and had high levels of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that triggered inflammation and health problems in the cattle such as liver disease. These are two scientific examples of how grain can be unhealthy for cows. 3. Grazing cattle from start to finish is better for the environment and planet. You may be interested in reading the book by Judith Schwartz, “Cows Save the Planet.”4 Judith discusses how raising cows on pasture returns moisture and nutrients to the soil and, therefore; our food. Cattle feedlots are also a significant source of environmental pollutants such as antibiotics that affect downstream aquatic life and hormones that end up in the drinking water supply as additional examples.5,6 Feedlots use antibiotics and hormones to encourage rapid and increased growth and require antibiotics to suppress illness due to the confined living space and large buildup of fecal matter. Pastured cows arguably have less negative impact and even reported positive impacts on the environment. 4. I believe in respecting and honoring the animals I eat. As humans we have the capacity to treat animals poorly for our benefit (food) or treat them in a thankful manner for the nourishment they provide us. Joel Salatin, a well-known sustainable farmer in Swope, Virginia, said in a magazine interview, “Our first responsibility is to try to figure out what kind of a habitat allows them (cows) to fully express their physiological distinctiveness. The cow doesn’t eat corn; she doesn’t eat dead cows; she doesn’t eat cow manure, which is what is currently being fed to cows in the industrial food system. We feed cows grass, and that honors and respects the cow-ness of the cow.7” Joel Salatin 5. Pasture raised and finished beef has a healthier fatty acid profile than conventional beef. The standard American diet is high in omega 6 fatty acids relative to omega 3 fatty acids. The problem is that omega 6 fatty acids, when out of balance with omega 3’s are highly inflammatory to the human body. Inflammation is now known to be the root of many chronic diseases. The good news is that the fatty acid composition of grass fed and finished beef is higher in the beneficial and anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids than grain-fed beef. A study by MacAfee et al found that people who ate grass-fed meat had higher levels of the anti-inflammatory omega 3’s when their blood was tested for this healthy fat.8 David (founder) and Reeves Kesten at the Brookside Farmers Market, 2017 Meet David and his [second] son Reeves, of David’s Pasture, from Concordia, MO. I am grateful for the opportunity to purchase quality meat, pork, poultry and eggs from a farming family like Dave’s. Dave’s cattle are raised on pasture and get to express their, “cow-ness,” as Joel Salatin would say. Dave shared with me that he even feeds his cattle organic apple cider vinegar to improve their gut health and does not use hormones or antibiotics. His cattle fertilize the land they forage on and he rotates their grazing to promote healthy soil. Yes, I pay more for the products I buy from Dave than I would pay at the local grocery store, but for the reasons I listed above I know the price is worth it!Original post by Tracey Long, MPH, RDN at Big Picture Health. Specializing in integrative and functional nutrition. Re-posted here by Remington Kesten, David's Pasture. Grass-fed & finished Beef delivered to your door.

From the Foreman's Desk - August Update

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Why I Choose Grass-Fed & Finished Beef (by Tracey Long, MPH, RDN)

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