Tag Archives: grass-fed

It’s mid-September – harvest season at Bull Brook Keep

Wasn’t it just Memorial Day? Yup, another growing season is coming to an end. Fog hangs heavy over the pastures in the mornings. The days are getting shorter and the evenings much cooler. Trees are turning on nearby hills. The sumac at the northern fence post is blazing red, as are the hawthorn berries. Bees are a loud cloud above the chive blossoms, and bright yellow heads of goldenrod sway in every ditch and fence line.

The herd has been grazing happily all summer and fall. As usual, they take a mid-morning lie-down from about 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. It’s a sign of a healthy, contented herd.

And that’s a major goal: healthy cattle raised on healthful grass. Another is to work in harmony with the season.

And so, it’s time: We begin the 2021 beef harvest in a few days. If you’d like to order, please do so early to secure your beef.

Please know that you don’t have to buy half a cow to enjoy the great taste and high nutrition of grass-fed-grass-finished beef. Our variety packages start at just 30 pounds. (A variety package includes ground, steak and roasts.)

Don’t hesitate to call, email or text with any questions. We’d like to be your farmers.

Sylvia & Dave Toftness

In time of need: delish, nutritious pastured meats and veg from local sustainable farmers

Looking for nutritious foods? Meats and veggies that will boost your health – and just when we need it the most? Look to your local, sustainable farmers.

We’re here to help as we face today’s challenges, and as we prepare for a better future. Today, we can offer healthful, delicious foods – as supplies last.

If you’re in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area, and in Wisconsin’s Polk and St. Croix counties, here are farmers ready to help with foods grown for health: of the land, of the livestock, and of the meats and vegetables themselves. Contact farmers directly. We deliver, or you can pick up at the farm. Our farms are clustered closely – you can visit two or more in a single trip. We’re an easy drive through beautiful countryside.

We’re the sustainable farmers of the St. Croix Watershed Midlands. We’re committed to great taste, quality and high nutrition. We use organic practice, livestock is pastured, and meats processed at nearby custom USDA facility.

BueLingo cattle graze lush pastures

Bull Brook Keep: grass-fed-grass-finished beef grown without grain, subclinical antibiotics or hormones. Available now —  #1 ground beef packages, soup bones, summer sausage (without artificial nitrates or nitrites), and variety packages of ground beef, cuts and roasts. Variety packages start at just 15 lbs. See my order page here. Call or text with questions, Sylvia@bullbrookkeep.com, 651-238-8525.

Blackbrook Farmstead: pastured pork and fresh spring spinach. Other products may also be available. Contact Ayla or James, 651-343-2595, blackbrook.farm.llc@gmail.com 

Whetstone Farm: pastured lamb and mutton, stored root vegetables, fleeces. Other products may be available. You can also sign up for their organic vegetable CSA. Contact Emily or Klauss: cell 612-354-6282, home 715-268-8454, whetstonefarmers@gmail.com

Turnip Rock Farm: pastured pork, and to sign up for their organically grown CSA. This farm also raises and milks a grass-fed herd that supplies the wonderful milk for Cosmic Wheel Creamery for fresh and aged artisan cheeses that are out of this world. Contact Josh or Rama, 715-268-9311, turniprock@gmail.com.

Additional farms and resources will be added. Check back often. Thanks.

Sylvia

Where to go for healthful beef? Read on

In light of emerging scarcities, and a desire to provide a healthful alternative, Dave and I are offering a smaller variety pack of our grass-fed-grass-finished beef. This 15-lb. pack is called “To Your Health!” and includes ground beef, roast and steaks.  You can pick up at farm, or at a drop site (+$5) in Mpls/St.Paul metro, and Wisconsin Polk and St. Croix counties.

Suppy is limited. Find out more and to order, click here.

Wishing you health and calm.

Sylvia – your local, sustainable farmer

Larger packs, ground beef, soup bones and summer sausage also available.

Questions? Email (sylvia@bullbrookkeep.com) or call, 651-238-8525.

New pencils, windswept, and drenched

As a kid in the South Bronx, I loved this time of year because it meant new: yellow #2 pencils, notebooks with crisp clean pages, maybe a fresh book bag (this was way before backpacks), and spanking new clothes to start the school year. There would be one or two bright white shirts, a couple of new skirts (no pants or shorts back then), and fancy dresses for special ocassions.

The first couple of weeks might be a bit warm, but then the winds would start as the East Coast shifted into hurrican season. There were days when I’d walk to school at a 45-degree angle into the wind just to stay on my feet. It was pretty common to see an umbrellas tumbling down the street, spokes twisted and fabric turned inside-out by the gale.

 *   *  *

It was pretty calm this morning at Bull Brook Keep. The hydrant that feeds the line to the cow’s water trough is just 50 yards from the back door, but by the time I reached it this morning, my boots were drenched and my jean cuffs were begining to soak through. Late August-early September in the Upper Midwest usually means heavy dews on the grass and fogs that hang above the pastures and hay fields. The mists take longer and longer to burn off as we move through fall, until one day we’re closer to winter and the air dries again.

Parker greets the sun

Russian kale

Every surface was dripping this morning and it took just five seconds for the dogs to look as if they’d jumped into a stream. Ah, nothing like a wet corgi jumping on your jeans for a pat on the head.

Sourdough loaves are baking and it’s time for morning tea. Lots of calls to make this morning, and notes to take as I schedule this year’s harvest and upcoming deliveries of our grass-fed-grass-finished beef. Fortunately, I’ve got a new pen and a spiral notebook at hand.

Enjoy the changing seasons!

Sylvia

Success with Stockdogs Part 2 – Different herding breeds trained for different work

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Deep Roots Radio
Success with Stockdogs Part 2 - Different herding breeds trained for different work
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My Siggy is a Corgi, a herding dog. We practice rotation grazing on our farm because our commitment is to 100% grass-fed beef. Our practice is to move cattle slowly and calmly from pasture to pasture. No loud noises or running allowed! How do I train Siggy to work more gently with my BueLingo cattle?

In this second Deep Roots Radio installment, Denice Rakley, of Clearfield Stockdogs, describes how she trains herding dogs to bring out the special traits of their distinct breeds. She also stresses the importance of knowing the proven behaviors of the dog’s immediate parentage.

In Part 3, Denice will explain what to look for when acquiring your first stock dog or puppy.

I hope you enjoy this interview.

Sylvia

The long road to the new, small, 100% grass-fed Cosmic Wheel Creamery.

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Deep Roots Radio
The long road to the new, small, 100% grass-fed Cosmic Wheel Creamery.
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Amery, Wisconsin
Rama Hoffpauir and her husband Josh Bryceson have run their 250-subscriber CSA, Turnip Rock Farm, for a close to a decade. They added a herd of beautiful big-eyed Jersey dairy cows a few years back, and just this summer, the young couple began delivering their farmstead cheese to retail outlets, restaurants, and CSA customers.
In this Deep Roots Radio interview, Rama describes their 5-year Cosmic Wheel Creamery journey: getting her cheesemaker’s license (required in the state of Wisconsin), building the herd, constructing and licensing the cheese processing facility, and creating the aging “cave.”
Enjoy.
Sylvia


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

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

Sat., Aug. 15, 9-9:30AM CT, Deep Roots Radio – the health & eco-benefits of bison

What: Deep Roots Radio chat with Mary Graese of North Star Bison about the environmental and human health benefits of bison.
When: Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015, 9:00-9:30AM Central
Where: Broadcast and streamed live from the studios of WPCA Radio, 93.1FM, and www.wpcaradio.org
Why: Millions of bison roamed America, grazing as they moved. Their grass-only diet, combined with the weight and hoof action of the huge herds, helped create the deep and fertile top-soil that was, once upon a time, six feet deep across significant portions of our continent. Today, many ranchers are capitalizing on the best qualities of bison to restore grasslands while producing excellent meat products.
Join us tomorrow morning, as co-host Dave Corbett and I chat with Mary Graese about the Wisconsin-based bison ranch she runs with her husband Lee and family.
I hope you’ll tune in.
Sylvia
About-Us-Bison-History

Connecting the dots between what we eat and how its grown

Connecting the dots between what we eat and how its grown

Jan. 3, 9-9:30AM Central, LIVE with bovine guru Gearld Fry

What: Live, Deep Roots Radio conversation with bovine genetics guru Gearld Fry
When: Saturday, Jan. 3, 2014, 9:00-9:30AM Central
Where: Broadcast and streamed live from the studios of WPCA Radio, 93.1FM and online at www.wpcaradio.org

Gearld Fry, bovine genetics expert

Gearld Fry, bovine genetics expert


I met Gearld Fry five years ago. It was in a crowded hotel conference room in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Fry was one of four instructors taking us through a two-day grazing school. We were transfixed.
It was December and Dave and I had just bought our 72-acre farm in western Wisconsin. Fry’s presentation introduced us to principles we’re using to improve our herd and to produce healthful 100% grass-fed beef.
Fry talked about working seasonally, feeding only grass and why, how to identify a cow that will give rich milk for her calves, and the huge influence the bull has on the quality of future generations. He also stressed the importance of “line breeding,” using your own bulls to continually improve the quality of your animals.
Line breeding?
Join me and Gearld Fry tomorrow morning for a live chat about his approaches. Nationally known, Fry’s counsel is based on over 50 years experience with cattle – beef and dairy.

Gearld Fry bovine genetics guru

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Deep Roots Radio
Gearld Fry bovine genetics guru
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A rose is a rose is a rose, or so the old song goes. But is it? The more we learn, the more we become aware that every living thing is unique. While two roses may appear identical at first glance, a closer examination reveals hundreds of differences – many of them critical. While both are red, one can thrive in drier soil, while another is resistant to aphids. In both cases, the traits can be passed on to the next generation: they are heritable.

Full Throttle, registered BueLingo bull, herd sire

Full Throttle, registered BueLingo bull, herd sire


Genetic variability and inheritable traits are true for cattle as well. (You knew I was going to get to farming, eventually.)
And what bovine expert Gearld Fry has learned over many decades is that the bull plays a dominant role in setting the health, conformity and vigor of your herd, including the body features of daughter cows.
I hope you enjoy this Deep Roots Radio chat with Mr. Fry – his insights are powerful. It was recorded live in the studios of WPCA Radio, Amery, Wisconsin.
You can learn about Mr. Fry’s work at Bovine Engineering dot com.

John Mesko, Exec Dir, Sustainable Farming Assoc of MN. When farm plans meet reality

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sfa-logo
The Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota (SFA-MN) has provided new and experienced farmers with resources for decades. Over time, both consumer demand and the business challenges faced by farmers have grown and changed. SFA-MN has refined its efforts as the demand for local foods sustainably produced in the Upper Midwest continues to grow. This includes grass-fed livestock production, consumer education, and improving soil health.

An issue of focus is the new farmer as new business person. How can fledgling farmers succeed when confronted with myriad agricultural demands as well as with a steep business-management learning curve? What happens when the farm’s performance doesn’t meet the farmer’s expectations? What if the business plan fails? And what does the farm family do if it becomes exhausted before the end of the season?

Plan-vs-reality is one of the areas explored by SFA-MN, and preliminary findings can be found on the organization’s website, www.sfa-mn.org. This study is informing SFA-MN in a curriculum that will help others working with new farmers and established farmers striving to shift to more sustainable methods.

In this Deep Roots Radio interview, SFA-MN Executive Director John Mesko introduces us to this initiative, as well as to many of the other farmer-to-farmer and farmer-to-consumer networking opportunities scheduled over the next several months.

I hope you enjoy the interview. And please visit the SFA-MN website to learn about resources and upcoming events.
Sylvia