Magda Farm

2011-11-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

Click here to see the best holiday season gifts we received, after our meat distribution date in Dec 2011...

ABOUT US
We are a small, family-owned farm located in Wellington County, near Guelph, ON. We produce hormone and GMO-free beef, pork and roasting chickens, as well as eggs from free range hens. All our animals are raised the old-fashioned way, with access to the outdoors and natural environments. We aim for excellence in the quality of all our products and in the care of our land. As such, we do not use any pesticides or chemical fertilizers on our land and our primary goal is to provide a provide an environment for our animals that respects their character and natural habits - as such, our cattle are allowed to graze for as much of the year as possible, our pigs have access to vegetated outdoor runs that they can root through, our laying hens are free to roam where they please and our meat birds are on pasture, moved twice a day to provide them with fresh forage and bugs. The farm is owned and operated by Nick Dalton and Vera Top with considerable assistance from Nick’s sons, Christopher, Cody and Collin.

On the so-called "side", Nick runs an energy efficient home building and renovation business (Braden Homes Ltd.) and Vera operates a certified organic seedling business (Trout Lily Nursery), in addition to doing Spanish translation and editing work for an international freedom of expression organization (IFEX).

PASTURE-FED BEEF
We raise our cattle on pasture from May to November and supplement with hay in winter. We use a management intensive grazing system, which involves moving our cattle to a new patch of pasture every day and using back fencing to prevent them from re-grazing the previously grazed area. This allows them to have fresh grasses every day and is much healthier for both the cows and the land as the manure is more evenly spread and there is an elimination of overgrazing. The cattle are primarily grass fed, although the young stock receive a small snack of a grain ration beginning three months before slaughter in order to provide a little more marbling to the meat. During this time, they remain on pasture and the vast majority of their diet still consists of grass. In addition, the herd is given a natural source mineral supplement with probiotics which we have found makes for healthier animals and beef with great flavour.

We usually have delicious lean ground beef and beef patties available year-round. Beef sides, quarters or 30 lb boxes with a lovely mix of tender steaks, roast, ground beef and other cuts can be purchased in the fall/winter and sometimes in the early spring of each year.

FREE-RUN PORK
We purchase locally-produced weaners each spring and grow them out to butcher weight. The pigs have access to spacious outdoor runs where they exercise and root around. They are moved onto new ground on a regular basis so they have a fresh "salad bar" to root though. In addition to a grain-based hog ration, they have a diet that includes plant materials from their run and from the Magda Farm garden and apple trees. In the late summer, the pigs are fenced into a lovely old apple grove where they can munch on fallen fruit and root around in the shrubbery. Sides of pork or 25 lb boxes with a superb selection of bacon, ham, sausages, chops and roasts can be purchased in the summer and fall of each year.

FREE-RANGE EGGS
Large brown eggs are available year-round from our flock of truly free-range chickens (meaning they can range wherever they want on the farm). The eggs are not graded but are typically in the large to extra large range, although customers will sometimes receive super-sized double yolkers or smaller eggs from our young hens. The flavour of these eggs cannot be beaten because of the varied diet of the hens as they peck around the farmyard doing what chickens do best in a natural environment. Studies have shown that free-range eggs have higher levels of the "good" Omega-3 fatty acids relative to conventional eggs.

PASTURED ROASTERS & SOUP/STEWING CHICKENS
We purchase day-old chicks and produce a limited number of pastured roasters each year. The meat birds form part of our management intensive grazing program, following where the cattle have grazed in mobile "chicken tractors". They are moved twice a day weather permitting, providing them with continuous access to fresh pasture. In addition to providing the birds with a more varied and healthy diet, this system ensures that all the waste nutrients produced by the birds are captured by the pasture vegetation. Whole and quartered, frozen roasters are available throughout most of the year.

We also occasionally have older laying hens available for sale as soup/stewing chickens. These older birds make an excellent broth with a richer flavour than the roasters because of both their age and their more varied diet.

To be "naturally-raised" or not to be

2011-11-07T06:16:00.000-08:00

About a year ago we made a conscious decision to stop calling our meat products "naturally-raised" and instead switched to calling them "pasture-based". Why?, you might ask. What's the difference?

Well, firstly, we were told by another farmer that the term "naturally-raised" is not permitted by the Canadian government unless the animals are basically "wild-raised", like a deer or moose that a hunter might kill - i.e. no confinement, probably not even any mineral supplements, like the kelp and pro-biotic containing mineral mix that we currently use, basically just a feed source that would be what the animals could get in the wild, etc. We did some searching on government websites and it was actually fairly difficult to find any clear directives regarding the use of the term "naturally-raised" or what it meant. What we did come to understand though is that supposedly only businesses, farms, etc. that have been government audited should use that term. Interesting that we couldn't easily find any documents that would show a standard for "naturally-raised" against which an audit could be conducted. Suffice it to say that we didn't want to spend too much time on government websites muddling through the bureaucratic ins and outs of using that term, so we have not pursued the subject further from that standpoint. If anyone has more information on this topic, about the real ins and outs of government regulation of the term "naturally-raised", we always open to learning more.

The second and more important reason we stopped using the term is that we've noted that it is being bandied about very loosely by many businesses/producers, such that we felt it's meaning is clouded to the point of being of virtually no value. As an example, we know of producers whose cattle never see a green blade of grass in a pasture, whose hogs never see sunlight unless they're in a transport vehicle and whose layers are caged who are calling their product "naturally-raised". To our minds there is very little that is natural about the way those animals are being raised, but since there really is no true regulation of the term as far as we can see, no standard that we have found or at least there is no "policing" of its application, anyone can simply put that label on with no consequences if it is untrue. This leaves consumers in a "buyer-beware" position where they have to not only ask questions but know the right questions to ask of those they buy their food from. And because not everyone is a farmer and many are already over-inundated with information, most people wouldn't necessarily know what questions to ask.

So based on the above we decided to drop the term "naturally-raised" from most of our "literature" and instead opted for "pasture-based" and more descriptions of how exactly we raise and treat our animals. We felt that this was the only way that our customers could truly know what our ethics and practices are.

One problem which we just realised with this though - a year or more after implementing the change -is that many people would use "naturally-raised" as their internet search term when looking for products of the type that we produce. So, by trying to be more descriptive about our products and inform our customers to a greater extent, we inadvertently made it more difficult for potential customers to find it us on the internet - ooops. And that is part of the reason for writing this blog post - it puts more information out there while using the term we have decided not to use many times over so that people can still find. Arrrrgggghhhh.

It's interesting, in many ways we are not for more government involvement in farming practices. But we see that when it comes to labelling and such, it becomes a Catch 22. If the government doesn't regulate it, consumers can be duped into purchasing products that are not representative of what they actually want to consume, while more government regulation on the other hand can lead to a great deal of paperwork, public expense and can actually force businesses like ours out of the market because the load of dealing with the bureaucracy cannot be handled on a the small scale while it's a small portion of the overall costs for the mega-, factory farm producers.

2011-10-09T03:38:00.000-07:00

Why is this called the "real" Magda Farm Blog. Well, basically our whole "website" is a blog, but this is the area we reserve for actual "blogging". Where we post our thoughts on this and that from time to time as the spirit moves us.

For further info. or to place an order, contact:

2009-08-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

NICK DALTON & VERA TOP
Tel: 519-856-2333
E-Mail: info@magdafarm.ca
Mailing Address:
RR#3, 5877 4th Line
Rockwood, ON
N0B 2K0

The main way we keep our customers informed of upcoming product availability and other farm news is by maintaining a Magda Farm e-mail list. To sign up for the e-mail list, simply send a message indicating your interest to info@magdafarm.ca. You will receive notices from us a few times a year.

DIRECTIONS

GPS location: N43 41'11.52" W80 15'48.19"

View Larger Map

Written directions:

From the 401 - you have three options:

a) If you're okay with traveling a gravel road, simply turn north at the Guelph Line exit. Stay on Guelph Line, which eventually becomes 4th Line, until you get to our farm at 5877 4th Line - about 20-25 minutes from the 401. The last six or eight kilometers are gravel road, after you cross Hwy #124.

b) Take the exit for Hwy 25 to Acton. In Acton follow the Hwy 7 signs (to get on Hwy 7 you will go through a set of lights, then curve left at a y-intersection a few blocks further on), continue on to Rockwood. In Rockwood go straight through the lights (at which point you will be leaving Hwy 7). Continue north, going straight through the lights at Hwy 124 and on to a four-way stop with a flashing light at the village of Oustic (~10 or 12 km from Rockwood). Turn left at the four-way stop, then turn left at the first intersection you come to after that (4th Line) and turn left again at the first driveway - you have arrived!!

c) Take the Guelph Line exit. heading north Stay on Guelph line until you get to the lights at Hwy 7 (about a 15 min. drive). At Hwy 7 turn right and go into the town of Rockwood. At the lights in Rockwood turn left, then follow the directions above, crossing Hwy 124, then going on to Oustic, etc.

From Guelph:

Take Eramosa Rd./Hwy 124 to the traffic light at Brucedale (tiny village consisting mainly of a few houses and an Esso Gas Station on your left). Turn left onto County Road 27 and go to the four-way stop with a flashing light at the village of Oustic (~6 - 8 km from Brucedale). Turn left at the four-way stop, then turn left at the first intersection you come to after that (4th Line) and turn left again at the first driveway - you have arrived!!

Beef & Pork Box Contents

2009-07-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

BEEF BOX:
The 30 lb family boxes contains a well-rounded mix of delicious beef, including approximately the following (if there is any variation from this list, it will not be significant):
- one 3-4 lb roast
- three packages stir fry and/or stewing beef
- eleven 1 lb packages ground beef
- 12 to 13 pounds of steak

PORK BOX:
The 25 lb family boxes contain a well-rounded mix of pork, including the following:
- 1-2 boneless smoked ham roasts

- ~3 pkg smoked bacon

- ~4-5 pkg garlic sausage

- 1-2 pork roasts (3-4 lb)
- 1 pkg spare ribs (not in all boxes)

- remainder chops

An oft asked question - is our meat organic?

2009-05-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

We are often asked if our meat is organic or people just assume that it is organic because many of our practices mirror those one would see on organic farms. However, the answer is that our meat is NOT organic. The primary reason it is not organic is that the feed we purchase - mainly the feed rations for the hogs and chickens and to a lesser degree the cattle - is not organic. The feed is GMO and antiobiotic/hormone free, but it does come from conventional farms. In addition, we do not yet produce quite enough forage on our land to be able to feed our own hay all winter and, as such, we purchase in a portion of the hay, also not from organic farms. Regarding our own land, we do not use any pesticides or chemical fertilizers and have been told that we could probably have it certified as organic in a very short period because of our record-keeping documenting our practices. Also, we are already in the certification loop as we do operate a certified organic greenhouse business (Trout Lily Nursery).

Finally, to be completely honest, we also want to reserve the right to use antibiotics if absolutely necessary and it is our understanding that in organic production once an antiobiotic has been used on an animal, even if it months or years away from slaughter, that animal must be sold as non-organic. As such, we have placed certain parameters around our use of antiobiotics that we believe reflect how many of our customers would like to see them used both in humans and animals (see our section: More on Hormone & GMO Free + Ethic on Antiobiotic Use).

All of these decisions have been made with a significant degree of thought. We have many times over considered switching to organic feed and certifying the whole farm (i.e. versus just the greenhouse operation). However, the pricing of the feed and thus the pricing of the resultant meat is one of the main issues. We want to keep our pricing within a range that the average modest income family can afford and many of our current customers come to us for this reason. It could be argued that perhaps people should just be eating less meat and spending more on their food and we do not disagree with that thinking. We also have a great deal of respect for our colleagues who are using all organic practices. However, for the time being we have chosen to go this route of providing a product that we feel is ethically & humanely produced, respecting the animals and our land. We are not averse to taking on the switch to organic if our customers express a desire for us to do so, recognising that the price of the meat would increase substantially in accordance with the significant increase in feed costs.

As such, we invite comments from existing and potential customers regarding this question. We would love to receive feedback from both sides of the fence, from those who would like us to stay where we're at, using organic methods on our own land and producing non-GMO and hormone free, pastured meats, or from those who would like us to make the switch to organic feeds in order to sell what could arguably be a more environmentally sound product, but at higher prices.

The best holiday gifts....

2008-12-31T14:15:00.000-08:00

SUBJECT: Happy Holidays!! DATE: 30 Dec 2011

Hi Vera,

Thought we would send you a quick email to wish you happy holidays, and let you know how much we are appreciating our products.

We haven't tried any steaks yet, but we made the Sirloin Tip roast for our Christmas dinner, as well as one of the roasting chickens. Our entire family thought the taste and quality was fantastic! We had some of the pork chops tonight for dinner --amazing, and the ground beef is a clear winner with our friends and family (and us)! Also, the bacon: Best Bacon Ever!!! The only bad part is that we will run out of this bacon... and store-bought just won't be able to compete.

10/10!! And we will certainly be returning customers.

John and Tracey - Milton, ON

SUBJECT: The best meals since ... DATE: Christmas Day 2011

Hi Vera & Nick,

Well, it is about time we let you know how much we love the pork and beef.

The beef is phenomenal. Although, with a single box, we are definitely rationing it. Been into the ground and a sirloin so far and it is simply fantastic.

The pork ... I know for a fact I have never had pork like this. I'd even tell my dad that the pork we raised on the farm, doesn't compare. The bacon's flavour is so far above anything we have ever had. The sausage ... I can't say enough. I just sat down and closed my eyes. The pork chops, simply the best I've ever had. We haven't had a chance to try the hams yet but we dined on a shoulder roast (slow cooked w/ apple cider vinegar, apples and sweet potatoes) the past few days and when I was reheating it at work ... the guys were jealous to say the least.

Today for Christmas we are having one of your amazing chickens and within that delightful bird is stuffing made up with some of the sausage we just got. Bacon wrapped sweet potatoes are on the menu ... and I had to make Caitlin hold back from the bacon dipped in chocolate because we need to be frugal with the bacon (well, as frugal as possible)!

Anyways, you are a testament to animal husbandry and ecological land use. Thanks so much for your hard work. Have a great Christmas!

Tim & Caitlin Plunkett - Guelph, ON

p.s. whenever there is another batch of chickens, beef, pork etc... please, please put us on the list without hesitation. If we can be 'auto placed' on the list ... that'd be great!

2008-12-13T04:24:00.000-08:00

Supermarket meat comes from sick animals, Mother Jones, 26 Jan 2012
- plus Info on ractopamine in Canada, Wikipedia
Why you can't find heritage poultry, Globe & Mail, 3 Jan 2012
Bad call on farm drugs, New York Times, 30 Nov 2011
See Magda Farm featured in Ministry of Agriculture video (second half), Oct 2010

Magda Farm Newsletter - July 2009

2008-11-30T04:59:00.000-08:00

What's in Your Freezer & What's Happening on the Farm

Firstly – on the Farm… It's Canada Day!
http://www.videosift.com/video/Stompin-Tom-Connors-Canada-Day-Up-Canada-Way AND we're sending you an update about the availability of fine product from and happenings at Magda Farm.

As usual, we have had our ups and downs, but in general things are going well. We have instituted some changes on the farm that we are quite excited about. The major one is that we are now using a pasturing technique called intensive management grazing. This involves moving our cattle every day to a new patch of pasture and not allowing them to re-graze the previous area by back fencing. This allows them to have lush fresh grasses every day and is much healthier for both cows and land as the manure is more evenly spread and there is an elimination of overgrazing. We have always rotationally grazed, but this is a step beyond that and the results are amazing. Going into July, in places we have grass up to our heads or the cow's backs and lots more to come.

We have implemented a similar process for our piggies, in that they also have a multiple of runs that allow them exciting exploration and nourishment. Once they have happily rooted through one lane, another lane is available to them in which to forage and the previous one is re-seeded with a fast-growing crop. We are currently using buckwheat for the re-seeding but will likely be switching to rye when the buckwheat seed is gone.

Speaking of nourishment there are two changes on the farm. Though we have looked into removing genetically-modified (GM) feeds in the past we have now found a new supplier (thank you Ahren Hughes) that can provide us GM-free feeds at a reasonable price. We implemented 100% non-GM feeds some time ago for the cattle by removing corn and soy from the ration but this is more difficult for the other livestock because of a higher reliance on bought-in feeds – the cattle are primarily grass-fed and the grain comprises only a small portion of the young animal's diet. The pigs are now consuming a GM-free hog ration and the chickens are about to follow – this week in fact.

In addition, we have recently begun supplying a local restaurant, Borealis, which has a strong focus on locally-sourced foods, with ground beef and have also been receiving vegetable kitchen scraps from them to supplement our swine ration. They, the pigs, are very happy when they get their buckets of kitchen scraps each morning. We also gave a farm tour to some of the owners and staff of the restaurant to explain our methods of production. It is always exciting to us to have people interested in the methods used to raise their food.

And, the final livestock change we will be making in the near future is the pasturing of our meat birds. With this method, the chickens, like the cattle will be moved to fresh pasture every day. Currently, all our meat birds have access to an outdoor run, but this new method will provide them with new, fresh grass each day. We are told the grass can comprise up to 30% of their diet, with the remainder coming from a grain ration. We began building the first of our chicken movers this past week (pictured at left) and intend to start by experimenting with raising 50 to 75 birds this way.

Our vegetable garden is flourishing with the ever-loving care that Vera gives to things botanical. We trust that your certified organic plants (for those of you that have them) from her company, Trout Lily, are also doing well despite the wet and cold start to the growing season.

Finally, we seem to somehow have convinced our newest canine addition, Oscar, that killing our free range layers and eating eggs is simply not appropriate behaviour. He is occasionally of service in moving cattle, where he exhibits a fierceness that only lasts until one our heifers begins to chase him.

So, that's a brief synopsis of things on the farm.

Secondly – what's in your freezer… Ahhh yes, the final bit of information….. our first batch of meat chickens is almost ready and will be available for pick up late afternoon on July 18. We will also have some soup birds (old layers) available for sale. We would much appreciate distributing from the home farm to give us the time to continue with our many (seemingly unending) tasks to keep the agricultural ball rolling. Once again we plan to have some of the meat birds quartered, but this year will try to use bigger birds for this purpose. Pricing is $ 3.10/lb for whole birds and $ 3.25/lb for quarters. The soup chickens are priced at $8.00 per bird. Our next meat bird slaughter date will be in October.

The swine are fine and (almost) ready on which to dine. They are scheduled to be shipped on July 27 and will be ready about 2 weeks thereafter, after smoking and cutting. Should you be interested, please fill out the attached order sheet and return it to us. Pricing is $2.65/lb base price, with an additional approximate cost of $.65/lb for smoking and $.50/lb for sausages. In addition, if we get significant interest, we are considering the possibility of selling pork in 20 to 25 lb boxes (price as yet undetermined). Because we only have a limited number of hogs available for this butchering, we may not be able to sell in boxes this time around, but would like to know how much interest is out there. We will be producing another larger set of hogs for ordering in the fall (late November/early December).

Finally, we also have a significant amount of ground beef (@ $ 3.15/lb) and some pre-made patties ($7.20 per pkg of six) available for the barbie, plus a few short rib roasts . Our likely slaughter date for beef (quarters, sides, and 30lb boxes) will be late November.

Vera & Nicholas

Customer Feedback & Comments from the Butcher

2008-11-22T19:07:00.000-08:00

E. Lusis (Guelph, March 2011)

Our family recently purchased a Beef Box from Magda Farms. This is the first time we have bought beef directly from a farm - what a difference! The beef is always delicious and full of flavour. Even our children have noticed the difference.

Wesley Robb & Fabienne Hick (Toronto, January 2011)

Just received your update and newsletter and wanted to let you know the pork is absolutely fantastic. I have never tasted anything better, whatever you did keep doing it! Everyone who has been lucky enough to share in our find has had nothing but positive comments. We will be getting another half animal this year for sure.

Gail McCormack (Guelph, Ontario - January 2011)

We had the most amazing Magda farm-raised pork shoulder last night, rubbed with salt and slow-roasted for a long time. It was absolutely delicious! No other spices needed and no carving! (love that part...)

Daniel Nicholson (Toronto, Ontario - January 2011)

My wife and I just enjoyed some of the best beef in a long time! (striploin steaks). Really impressed with the flavor and butchery. Tried the ground meat and it was sensational.

Deb Quaile (Rockwood, Ontario – January 2011)

That was absolutely the best ham I've ever cooked (no great nod to the cook, but the quality of the ham). It was terrific! Ditto for the bacon (fabulous!), loin roast, sausage...

Jen McCarthy (Toronto, Ontario - January 2010)

"By the way - the hamburger is gorgeous - never thought I'd say that about hamburger but we have used it in a shepherds pie and spaghetti sauces and it has wonderful flavour and is nice and lean.

I referred 2 more people to you. I did one of your hams for a team christmas dinner at work and they both commented on how nice it was and wanted to know where I got it. It is so nice to eat real meat that has real texture and taste!

Thanks very much - hope all is well on the farm this winter."

HIGHLIGHT: 2009 Supplier Visits - excerpt from the Woolwich Arrow and Borealis Grille Newsletter Jan/Feb 2010
by Bob Desautels, restaurant owner/president (Guelph, Ontario)

"Magda Farm - In the summer I got my first experience of a farm that seemed to come out of the book The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan. Farmers Vera and Nick run an operation with chickens, cows and pigs while applying sound and sustainable practices. Very refreshing. (Good food too!)"

Karen Calzonetti & Chris Nicholson (Guelph, Ontario - December 2008)

"Your pork is amazing, it's fabulous! It's some of the best meat I've ever tasted. We are thrilled with it and are looking forward now to the beef."

Paul Toccalino (Guelph, Ontario - November 2008)

"Our family had been supplied with grass fed organic beef from my uncle for many years until he retired from farming. We tried other beef from 2 local farmers and 2 butchers but could not find the same quality we were accustomed to. We found Magda Farm so I decided to call and find out the availability of beef. I had a long informative friendly discussion with Vera so I felt confident ordering from her. We were not disappointed. The beef has been excellent, the butchering good. So good in fact that half the animal was shipped to Ottawa to be enjoyed by my parents. We are looking forward to more beef from Magda Farm in the future."

Daniel Lahav & Ruby Lam (Toronto, ON - November 2008)

E-mail to Magda Farm:

"I feel strongly about having 'your own farmer' (the same as having your own lawyer or accountant). We are happy to support you guys directly without any middle-man making money on both our backs. And yes, it might sound funny - having 'your own farmer', but hey, without farmers we are all screwed and probably doomed (forgive me for the language).

So keep up the great work, the personal connection with the people you feed and we hope that you do so well that other people pick up the old school farming trade again. Its a win win situation for us all."

Comments from the Butcher (November 2008)

"We just finished cutting your pork. It is beautiful, absolutely beautiful." - comment from Meyer Meats, reiterated several times when we phoned to ask them when our customers' pork would be ready for pick up.

Magda Farm Newsletter - July 2010

2008-11-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

Happenings on the Farm & Filling the Freezer

Firstly - as always - on the Farm…

Things continue to hum along on the farm. We're slowly getting caught up on the winter clean up after the wrap up of another good year growing and selling organic seedlings via Vera's business (Trout Lily Greenhouses). As of yesterday, we shipped our young beefers up the road to their summer pasture at the neighbours, leaving our cows and calves to enjoy the home pastures while the teenagers have a good time up the road. Our calving season went well with all cows giving us a healthy and thriving calf. The picture at right shows one of the 2010 crop of calves enjoying the shade of an apple tree with a couple "teenagers" - mama's a black Angus, while daddy's a red Angus, giving us a sweet little red fella.

With the cattle on the home pastures, we are continuing to use the intensive grazing management system we began last year, with good results. The pastures are coming back stronger than ever and we're noticing that there is a lot more wildlife, mainly in the form of songbirds that are taking advantage of the increase in diversity and growth stages in the fields. With this system, we are allowing some of the grasses to reach maturity far more than in the past, thus allowing for more cover and fare for the birds.

Our piggies are also doing well as we rotate them through the vegetated lanes we have for them and continue to give them restaurant vegetable scraps. It's interesting, every set of pigs seems to have its own "group personality". This set is taking a very long time to work its way down the lanes but is doing a VERY thorough job of unearthing all roots and shoots. They seem to enjoy digging more than browsing, which is just fine except that they have not yet discovered the joys to be found under the shade of the large lilac that's at the end of their current lane. They do not cross over from the area that they've unearth ed into the remaining vegetated area. Since the digging and unearthing seems to be pretty time consuming and is only done in the early and late hours of the day, the progress to the end of the lane is slow. We're thinking about enticing them through the vegetation with apples combined with back scratches so they discover that lilac but may just leave them happily rooting as they are. The picture at left shows one of the little fellas on a rather mucky spring day.

Our hope is to finish the fall set of piggies under the many wild apple trees we have here on the farm. This, however, will depend a little bit on the "personality" of the next group of piggies as moving them around the farm could be tricky if they aren't super adventurous like the current group. Some of you may know that pigs cannot be moved like cattle. They do not move away ahead of humans in the way that cattle do, so different techniques have to be employed. We were talking to our neighbour up the road recently and she said it took them three or four days to move their boar about 300 metres. A bit grumpy and weighing in at about 700 lbs, one could not push him, so they just had to let him make his way down the lane at his own, apparently very slow, pace.

Finally on the piggy end of things, pictured here are a couple of the oinkers cooling off during last week's crazy heat. After the first hot day, on Monday, we noticed that one of them was panting a bit. When the weather's a bit wetter a wallow forms in the depression shown in the picture as it's at the end of a downspout, but it had pretty much dried up by last Monday. So when the heat hit again on Tuesday, we filled the wallow using a garden hose and they immediately showed their appreciation. Within a few minutes five of the eight piggies jumped in and began splashing about. It may look messy and dirty, but it's just good clean soil, well away from where they defecate. Pigs do not sweat and can only thermoregulate to a point by panting. Their most effective cooling method is by wallowing - thus the classic image of a pig in a wallow and the accompanying belief that pigs are dirty (which they are not – of all farm animals they are the most likely to keep their eating, sleeping and waste elimination areas separate from each other). So we're now keeping the wallow well filled with water to keep our oinkers happy on those hot days.

With the meat birds, after our experiment last fall with one set of chickens being raised on "pasture" (our lawn actually), we are now pasturing all of them. They are raised in "chicken tractors" in the cow pastures starting at about 4-5 weeks old, basically as soon as they have feathered out. They go on the regrowth in lanes that the cattle have grazed about one week prior. The photos at right show the progression of stages in the raising of the meat birds. We have encountered some challenges with respect to providing adequate shelter while at the same time ensuring that the chicken tractors don't overheat on hotter days. It was particularly difficult with the wet weather we had through much of June. We've come up with a system though that we think will work, giving us the flexibility to lower three sides in inclement weather and raise them when it's hot and sunny.

We are also finding that the large White Rock meat birds that we've always been raising get pretty heavy and slow as they get older, such that moving the tractor can be a challenge. The photo at right shows a four week old White Rock chick that is just "feathering out", and will soon be ready to go out on pasture. This breed of birds can also be prone to health problems, so we're currently experimenting with a new type of chicken called the Bonnie's Heavy Red. They don't grow as fast as the White Rocks and so will require more time to raise but we decided that we are willing to see how it goes and put in the extra time for the decrease in difficulties raising them. The yellowish brown baby chick shown in the lower photo is a Bonnie's Heavy Red chick, while the little black girl is a barred rock laying hen chick.

With the pasturing we did notice that the birds seemed to require less feed than in the prior system where they were largely indoors with access to an outdoor run. As far as what they consume from the pasture, they seem to prefer broadleaved plants like clover and dandelion, whereas grass seems to be a bit further down on their list of must haves. So, the system is a bit more work for us, but results in lower feed costs and less labour in other areas – e.g. far less poop shovelling. We became interested in doing this after reading Virginia farmer Joel Salatin's books, "Salad Bar Beef" and "Pastured Poultry Profits", and agreeing that it seems like a healthier way to raise the birds. A number of studies have also shown that there are a broad range of health benefits for consumers of pasture raised meats – including higher levels of a number of vitamins as well as Omega 3 fats (this is true for eggs from free range hens as well).

Finally, our flock of free range layers just keeps doing its thing - providing an abundance of eggs. In addition to replacement chicks purchased this year, we also bought two new adult additions for the flock last week. They won't be providing us with a lot of eggs though as they are not of the correct gender. At one point last year we had five roosters, which was, uhhhh, a few too many, so we decided to make three of them into soup chickens. Unfortunately, soon after the three became soup chickens, the coyotes seemed to come to the conclusion that the other two looked tasty as well and all we found was feathers in the field. So we've been without a rooster for a year. We always like to have a couple around, mainly just for fun though we do have the odd chicken that lays in some hidden nook and hatches out a clutch of eggs. The two roosters we bought are a Barred Rock, the black and white race of which we almost always have a few hens, and an Araucana, shown in this photo. For those of you who are regular purchasers of our eggs, the lovely blue ones that you see now and then are from our three Araucana hens. We now have the male to compliment those hens and may try to incubate some eggs from the Araucana rooster with both the Araucana hens and the brown egg layers, which apparently will result down the road in hens that lay either bluish or greenish eggs. We'll keep you updated on that project if it comes to fruition. Unfortunately for the Araucana rooster, it appears that his Barred Rock competitor has won out in the pecking order in the coop. So the Araucana spends more of his time outside near the pig shed with a smaller flock of hens and has taken to sleeping with the barn cat at night on top of a pile of feed sacks. The cat doesn't seem to mind whatsoever and the rooster seems pretty content with the arrangement as well.

Secondly – can we help fill your freezer…?

Our first batch of pastured meat chickens have been butchered and are in our freezers - we have both whole and quartered birds available, as well as packages of necks and giblets. We also have a small number of soup birds (old layers) available for sale. Pricing is $3.10/lb for whole roasters and $3.25/lb for quarters. The soup/stewing chickens are priced at $7.00 to $8.50 per bird depending on size.

As per last year, we will be raising two sets of hogs this summer and fall. The first set is scheduled to be shipped on August 10 and will be ready about 2 weeks thereafter, after smoking and cutting. So, for those of you who are interested in a side or family box of our lovely pork, you've still got a bit of time to get the freezer empty. For those wanting a whole side, we'll be sending out cutting sheets nearer to the butchering date. Our pricing on pork sides is $2.65/lb base price, with an additional approximate cost of $.65/lb for smoking and $.50/lb for sausages. We'll be selling our 25 lb pork boxes, which include a great mix of ham, bacon, sausage, chops and a roast, for $115.

We also have a significant amount of lean and extra lean ground beef ($3.50/lb) and pre-made hamburger patties ($7.20 per pkg of six) available for the barbie. Our likely slaughter date for beef (quarters, sides, and 30lb boxes) will be late November.

Last but not least – anyone interested in helping out …?

We find it difficult at times to keep up with all the various farm projects along with Nick's building business and the translating and editing work that Vera does. Unfortunately we do not (yet) make enough money on farm to allow the luxury of not having off farm jobs. As such, we have been mulling over the idea of having individuals join us for short one day volunteer stints to help us get through some of the activities that we need to complete. Volunteers would gain a bit of hands on knowledge of how our animals are raised and how other activities around the farm are done. The volunteers would help with basic chores, like feeding and moving stock, perhaps a bit of mucking out of pens, perhaps a bit of gardening, etc. - just the day to day farm activities. Then they could also participate in whatever happens to be the project of the day. As an example, yesterday's activities included moving chicken tractors to their new starting point for the next set of birds, raising the height of a fence to ensure the one little steer we have who is a jumper didn't get away on us when we loaded the "teenagers" for moving up the road and weeding and a bit of planting in the garden. We are hoping to build a new layer coop a bit later in the season and could use some help with that. In return, the volunteer(s) would get a couple great meals, farm experience and, if they want to stay overnight, could camp out, spending the evening before or the following day hanging out and swimming at our lovely pond at the back of the property. We're not sure if this will appeal to you or anyone you know, but thought we'd put it out "out there"!

Hormone & GMO Free + Ethic on Antibiotic Use

2008-10-19T05:54:00.000-07:00

All our animals are raised without the use of hormones and we purchase feeds that do not contain genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). The use of non-GMO feeds supports our belief that genetic modification involves toying with an agricultural and eco-system that has the ability to function beautifully without such interventions.

Our ethic regarding antibiotics is that they have their place and should be used judiciously in order to stop needless suffering. When we do encounter a health issue, we first try natural methods, including homeopathics. We only resort to antibiotic use when absolutely necessary in serious cases where these other methods have failed. In these cases, we consult with a veterinarian who understands our views regarding drug use.

We achieve a very low antibiotic use rate by ensuring our animals are well fed and housed in conditions conducive to good health. In the rare cases where we do use an antibiotic, we wait at least double (and usually much longer) the prescribed period until slaughter.

Hours of Operation, E-mail List & Delivery

2008-10-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

HOURS:
We are a farm with many activities going on at all times of year. Consequently, we do not operate as a regular retail outlet but rather arrangements can be made for pick up of previously placed orders. This is best done by e-mail so we can address any inquiries fully at times when we are available to do so. Please always contact us prior to visiting the farm to ensure that we can attend to you. Someone is on the farm most of the time on both weekdays and weekends - both daytime and evenings are fine. We do love to show people what we are up to but need to do it at times that fit into our busy schedules.

E-MAIL LIST:
The main way we keep our customers informed of upcoming product availability and other farm news is by maintaining a Magda Farm customer e-mail list. To sign up for the e-mail list, simply send a message indicating your interest to: info@magdafarm.ca. You will receive notices from us a few times a year.

DELIVERY:
Although we love to have customers visit the farm, delivery arrangements can be made for orders to areas that are further away, such as Toronto and Hamilton. We generally encourage customers who live in the Guelph area to pick up directly from the farm - this helps us to keep our focus on raising the animals well versus spending a significant amount of time doing deliveries, and thus contributes to the sustainability of what we are doing. If you live in the Guelph area but cannot make it out to the farm, we can make arrangements on a case by case basis.