Category Archives: Farm Update

July 18 – Eat Local Farm Tour and Hungry Turtle Weekend – Amery, WI – Here’s the skinny

Mark your calendar. Set your iPhone (or Android). Gas up the car, or oil the bike chains. Car-pool with friends. Create a MeetUp.
Whatever you do, get ready to make tracks to this weekend’s Eat Local Farm Tour and Hungry Turtle Weekend in Amery, Wisconsin. Here’s what’s happening July 18:

Eat Local Farm Tour
What: This is the annual Eat Local Farm Tour organized by the Twin Cities’ metro area natural food coops. A great brochure EatLocalFarmTour_2015_Guide-Map-WEB has a map and descriptions of sustainable farms within an 80-mile radius of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Yup, we’re just a lovely scenic drive from where you live.
Bull Brook Keep is one of several farms northeast of the Twin Cities, and we’re part of the Hungry Turtle Farmers Cooperative. Steady Hand Farm and Fresh Pastures Farm are just a stone’s throw away.
When: July 18, 2015, 9:30AM – 4:00 PM

At Bull Brook KeepSummerIcon
– We’ll demonstrate rotational grazing at 10:00AM, 1:00PM and 3:00
– You’ll have a chance to see how many plants you can identify within a square yard
– Sample our summer sausage (nitrate- and nitrite-free) and ground beef
– Guided pasture walk
Map and directions

Hungry Turtle Weekend – July 18
Hungry Turtle Weekend activities are held at the Amery Food Hub (comprised of the Farm Table restaurant, the Hungry Turtle Farmers Cooperative and the Hungry Turtle Institute (educational nonprofit)). The Hub is housed within totally renovated historic buildings in downtown Amery, just 10 minutes from my farm. The address is 110 Keller Avenue, Amery, Wi.
– 9:00-9:30AM – A quick walk across the street to the Saturday morning Farmers Market to pick up ingredients for the food cooking demo back at the Food Hub
– 10:00 – Tour of the Amery Food Hub (restaurant, commercial kitchen/teaching kitchen, and art gallery)
– 11:00 – Play with Your Food – activities for children
– 2:00PM – Tour of the Amery Food Hub
– 2:30PM – Book signing and talk with Beth Dooley, food journalist and cook-book author
– 3:00PM – Demo by Farm Table Executive Chef Jesse Spitzack
– 5:30PM – Meet & Greet with local sustainable farmers, and entertainment by the Danger Rangers

I hope to see you Saturday!
Sylvia

The real dirt on soil-Why it matters to human/earth health. Live w A&L Great Lakes Lab soil guru

BueLingo beef cattle graze

Our beef cattle graze all growing season

I did some weeding in the herb garden while the morning was still cool. It had rained yesterday, so the soil was loose and earthworms were everywhere. I shook all kinds of bugs from the weeds’ roots. For the 300th time, I wondered why weeds grow so aggressively while basil takes forever to sprout.
After half an hour, I got up off my knees and stretched my back. As I brushed my jeans, I saw that my nails were – once again – packed with dirt. I bent down and grabbed a handful of garden soil. It was rich, black and crumbly. It smelled clean and warm and, well, earthy.
Dave and I work hard to keep our soil alive with earthworms, insects, bacteria and fungi. Why? Because it makes a huge difference to the nutrition in the grass our cows eat and to the vegetables we grow in the garden. How does it make a difference? Ahh, that’s the topic for tomorrow’s Deep Roots Radio show!
What: Deep Roots Radio live with Jamie Bultemeier, agronomist and certified crop advisor with A&L Great Lakes Laboratories, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN
When: June 13, 2015, 9:00-9:30 AM Central Time
Where: Broadcast and streamed live from the studios of WPCA Radio, 93.1FM (in and around Amery, WI), and worldwide on the web at wpcaradio.org
I hope you’ll join us.
Sylvia Burgos Toftness
Deep Roots Radio, 91.3FM and www.wpcaradio.org

Deep Roots Radio, 91.3FM and www.wpcaradio.org

A special day for Siggy. He’s 3 months old!

*An ongoing farm-dog adventure for children of all ages*

Siggy @ 3 mo

Siggy @ 3 mo

Sylvia looked at Siggy and said to herself, “This little puppy has grown so much in just a few weeks.” She also thought that little puppies and little children are alike in many ways. They both start out very small: a human baby can weigh just six pounds. Puppies can be much smaller, maybe just one pound. Human and dog babies need their moms to feed and protect them. Both kinds of babies also need their moms or dads to teach them important lessons, like what to eat, or how to play nicely with others.

Siggy is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. One day, he will learn how to herd cows and chickens, but right now he’s a growing puppy.
It is June, and Siggy is now three months old. He has been on the farm, Bull Brook Keep, for many weeks now. He has become very good friends with his big dog friends, Chevy and Parker. He has begun to learn how to obey Sylvia when she tells him to “sit,” “stay,” “come,” and “kennel.” But he does not obey all the time. Sylvia has two children. They are all grown up, but she remembered that sometimes little children don’t want to obey their moms and dads. That is naughty and can be very, very dangerous for little children and for little dogs.
Do you know of any times when children have not obeyed their mom or dad?
A big difference between human children and puppies is that puppies grow faster than human babies.
When Siggy was born, he couldn’t hear or see, but he could always find his mom because he could smell and he could crawl to her warm fur. Like human babies, all Siggy did was eat and sleep all day long.
Siggy opened his eyes for the first time when he was about 12 days old. He began walking at about 16 days, and his first teeth showed up when he was about 18 days old. Siggy’s world changed in an important way when his ears opened when he was 20-21 days old. Imagine hearing things for the first time!!
All this while, Siggy was very well taken care of by his mother, and by his human family. The adults and children petted and talked to him every day.
As you can see from these pictures, Siggy came to the farm when he was still a very little guy. You can also see how much he’s changed, now that he’s three months old. He’s still a puppy, but he’s on his way to becoming a real, working farm dog. One day, he’ll be in charge of the farm’s grass-fed beef herd and free-range chickens. Happy growing, Siggy!

Siggy, 2 1/2 wks
Siggy, April 3, 2015
Siggy, first day on the farm, April 19, 2015
Siggy, April 20, 2015
Siggy, 6 wks, April 2015
The tall and short of it
Siggy @ 3 mo

For earlier stories about Siggy, click here.

Video: moving cows to fresh pasture. Great beef starts with the soil and grass.

My husband Dave and I are committed to a handful of values: living in thanksgiving to God, nurturing our marriage and family, producing delicious and nutritious beef, using agricultural practices that regenerate soil and pastures, improving our financial sustainability, and contributing to a thriving local community.
These core principles matter to us, to our neighbors and to our customers.
Moving our cattle from paddock (small field) to paddock is one of the things we do to regenerate soil, reinvigorate our grasses, and promote the health and growth of our BueLingo beef cattle. This practice, called rotational grazing, accomplishes several things at the same time: it puts fresh, sweet grass under the noses of the cattle; their hoof action churns up the soil and exposes dormant seeds to sun and rain, thereby increasing the diversity of plants in the field; the herd deposits fertilizer as the move; and it avoid spending money and fuel to move feed to the cattle and to remove waste from a barn. At the same time, the cows move as a herd across open fields. This is important because cows are social creatures – they are most calm and healthiest when they are with their herd. Because they are on pasture, the herd is also in open sunshine and moving on springy grass and soil. This promotes strong bodies.
I hope you enjoy this very short video of moving the herd from one paddock to the next. Although it takes time and effort for me to set up the electric fences for the temporary paddocks, moving the herd is easy because they’re always eager for fresh grass.

Slow $$ to build a better food system. May 30, 2015, 9:00-9:30AM CT live w Brett Olson

What: Deep Roots Radio with Renewing the Countryside’s Brett Olson.
When: Saturday, May 30, 2015, 9:00-9:30AM Central Time
Where: Broadcast and streamed live from the studios of WPCA Radio 93.1FM, and www.wpcaradio.org
Why: One way to move America’s food system to great taste, high nutrition, environmental stewardship, humane animal welfare, and fair wages is through thoughtful investment – slow money. What is slow money? How does it work and what does it mean to you and me? How can you and I make a difference? Find out as I chat with Brett Olson, co-founder and creative director of Renewing the Countryside.

Connecting the dots between what we eat and how it's grown

Connecting the dots between what we eat and how it’s grown

Dirty, dusty, messy little Siggy

*An ongoing adventure story for children of all ages*
It’s time, thought Sylvia.
She looked down at her little dog and noticed his smudged nose, dirty paws and matted fur. Hmmmm.
Siggy is 10 weeks old and loves his home, Bull Brook Keep. Sylvia and her husband Dave raise beef cows on the farm. The cows eat grass, and only grass, their entire lives. This makes them big and strong and very healthy.
Siggy likes to watch the cows and the new little calves running in the fields.
Siggy also runs and plays every day. He rolls in the wet grass, splashes through muddy puddles, runs on dusty roads, and digs in the dirt. Sylvia looked at Siggy and saw that his fur was covered with dried mud, loose dirt, wood chips, and who-knows-what! Phew!
Sylvia leaned down and petted his little head. “Siggy,” she said, “it’s time to clean up.”
Siggy didn’t know what she meant, but sat and listened as the laundry tub filled with water. When it was about five inches deep, Sylvia gently lifted the young puppy and placed him in the warm water.
Siggy whined. He didn’t know if he liked this at all.
Sylvia gently spoke to Siggy as she bathed him with a very gentle soap and then rinsed him off. Siggy was glad the bath was over. As soon as he was out of the tub, he shook and shook and shook the water from his fur. Sylvia laughed as water drops flew everywhere.


Soon Siggy was dry and comfortable again. He was clean and ready for his next adventure.
Clean and ready to go

Clean and ready to go

For more stories about Siggy, click here.

Oh, my! Where’s Siggy?!

There’s lots of grass on Bull Brook Keep because our BueLingo cattle eat grass – and only grass – their entire lives.

Where's Siggy?

Where’s Siggy?

Knee-high grass is a challenge when your legs are only four inches long!

An ongoing adventure story for children of all ages

Siggy is making progress

Siggy is making progress

Siggy is now nine weeks old. He loves running around with the big boys – Chevy, a nine-year old German Shorthair Pointer, and Parker, the five-year old English Setter. Siggy runs and jumps on them and wants to play with them all the time. Sylvia, Siggy’s master, knows playtime is important for little puppies. She also knows that Siggy must learn some basic lessons so that he will grow to be a useful, obedient and safe worker on the farm.

Chevy and Parker are also working dogs – they help David hunt for pheasants, grouse, and woodcock. David spent many, many months training Chevy and Parking to do their jobs well. Both dogs come to David when he says “here,” and they stop moving when they hear the word “whoa.” When David says “heel,” both dogs will walk close to David’s left leg. They do not run ahead of David, nor do they trail behind him. This is important because it means David can prevent the dogs from running into traffic, or from being distracted from their job – hunting.
Right now, because he is very young, Siggy has not learned to obey Sylvia’s commands. In fact, Sylvia knows Siggy is very independent and can be a very stubborn little dog! He will not always come to her when Sylvia says “here.” This is a problem because Sylvia wants to keep Siggy safe from traffic and from large animals that can hurt little dogs. He must also learn the very basic commands before he can begin to learn to be a herding dog that will work with the free-range chickens, and perhaps, the grass-fed BueLingo cows as well.
Sylvia wondered, “What can I do to train Siggy better?” She asked her friend Claire for some advise.
Claire knows all about training puppies. She told Sylvia, “Don’t put Siggy’s food in a bowl any more. Instead, feed Siggy from your hand, and only give him some food after he obeys your commands.”
Sylvia thanked Claire and began to do this several times every day. For example, early in the morning, Sylvia brings Siggy to a quiet spot and gives him a command. She says “sit,” “here,” or “stay.” When Siggy obeys her command, Sylvia feeds him some of his puppy food directly from her hand. Siggy is learning to obey!!
Sylvia knows that there are many, many months of training ahead, but now Siggy is making progress.

For all story installments, click here.

Siggy meets the chickens

An ongoing adventure story for children of all ages.

Today’s the day, thought Sylvia. Today, Siggy, her little Corgi puppy, would meet the chickens on Bull Brook Keep.

Chickens spend the night in their safe and snug coop.

Chickens spend the night in their safe and snug coop.

The chickens live in a chicken coop not far from the farm house. David, Sylvia’s husband, built the chicken coop so that the birds would stay safe from foxes and raccoon, weasels and snakes, and wandering dogs.
The chickens on the farm are now a year old. The hens weigh about eight pounds and the rooster weighs more than 12 pounds. He’s very big indeed. And to think, they started out as tiny little yellow chicks that could fit in your hand.

Taking a look before stepping out into the new day

Taking a look before stepping out into the new day

The rooster was not only big, he was very protective of the hens. He guarded them from anyone or any animal that might come near. He would do this by jumping up and trying to scratch with his back claws, or talons. He could also peck and hurt your hand. Despite this, the chickens were very useful on the farm. They provided eggs, and meat, and they ate insects that would bother people and cattle. They would eat ticks!
Next year, if he learned his lessons well, Siggy would be in charge of the chickens. Sylvia would give him a command – “Round them up, Siggy” – and Siggy would herd the chickens into their coop area. But right now, Siggy is a little puppy with a lot to learn.
So today, Siggy took a first step.

Siggy surveys the birds

Siggy surveys the birds


Sylvia stood close by as Siggy met the chickens for the first time. Sylvia stayed near because the rooster might want to peck at the little puppy.
When Siggy got near the chickens, he did not bark. That’s good because Sylvia and David don’t want their herding dog to scare the animals they have to work with.
It was a good first meeting.
Soon, Siggy will meet the biggest animals on the farm – the BueLingo beef cows.

For earlier Siggy stories, click here.

What goes with garlic, brandy, home-made bone broth, & 3 hours?

How to start dinner!

How to start dinner!

One of the great things about being a sustainable farmer is that sometimes you’re faced with interesting challenges.
So there I was with a gallon of home-made chicken bone broth (from the roasted carcasses of our own free-range birds) and a cool spring afternoon. What to do?
I paired the rich broth with several home-grown garlic cloves, a couple of harvested chickens – including an old nasty-tempered roaster that weighed in at over 12 pounds – some good brandy, red wine and celery.
First, I browned about half a pound of bacon in a very large fry pan. I sautéed a huge chopped onion in the fat, and then distributed the fragrant mix between a couple of large enameled cast iron casseroles.
I dredged the disjointed chicken pieces in flour seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper. I heated up the fry pan once again and browned all the chicken. They, too, went into the casseroles.
I swished 1.5 c of brandy in the hot fry pan, tossed in a lit match and jumped back as flames shot up. What a glorious aroma. I divided the brandy between the two casseroles, and now used the same pan to heat a quart of the broth. While it was warming, I chopped 8 celery sticks into 1.5-inch pieces and added them to the pots.
Once the broth reached a simmer, I portioned it out to the two casseroles. I brought both pots up to a low simmer, covered them, and popped them into a 250-degree oven.
It’ll take at least three hours for these old birds to become —- coq au vin!
I hope you’re having a great dinner as well.
Sylvia