Tag Archives: sustainable farming

WCCO TV shines light on Saturday’s (July 14th) Eat Local Coop Farm Tour – quick video

Wedge Coop’s Allison Heitmiller preps for TV

It was fun on the WCCO TV set this morning. A big thanks to the Mid Morning Team, to the Twin Cities’ natural food coops, and to Allison Heitmiller from the Wedge Community Coop for helping food lovers learn about this weekend’s Coop Farm Tour. Here’s the video.

Our farm, Bull Brook Keep, is again glad to be one of the 30 rural and urban farms on the map. We’ll be moving cows to fresh grass at 10AM, 1PM and 3PM, offering samples and taking short pasture walks. We’d love to hear about your food journey. There are also five other farms within a short circle of us that are part of the tour, making it easy to visit a range of operations – a grass-fed dairy and cheese-making creamery, CSA vegetable, and trout farm – within a few quick miles. These are wonderful, sustainably operated farms producing delicious and highly nutritious foods. At the end of the day, you can relax and enjoy a great meal at the Farm Table Restaurant in downtown Amery, WI.

I hope you enjoy this morning’s interview.

Sylvia Burgos Toftness & Dave Toftness

From veggies to flowers. Sourdough to cakes and mini-tarts.

I know better; I should never take a book to bed. Although I tell myself that I’ll read for just 15 minutes, suddently it’s 1:05AM. Drat – I’ve done it again.

Today’s sources


I can’t help it – I love researching recipes, the histories of spices and teas, national foodways, and cuisines at different times in history. Right now, I’m finding and testing new recipes for my Cowgirl High Teas. Exciting savories, seasonal scones, unique curds and jams, off-the-chart gluten-free tarts. These high teas are informed by our farm, our commitment to sustainably grown local foods, the teas I’ve enjoyed in many parts of the world, and foods enjoyed by many cultures.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) there are a gazillion books (So glad the Amery Public Library is part of the state’s extensive lending network). Then there are the hundreds of blogs and thousands of Pinterest posts. And I’ve got to do this in between farm chores. (Can’t keep our BueLingo beef herd waiting to be moved to fresh pastures, after all!)

This intense investigation and trial reminds me of a time, decades ago, when I was planting my first garden in south Minneapolis. Copies of Organic Gardening magazine, Rodale books, and John Jeavon’s More Vegetables lay open by my new raised beds. Within weeks, their pages were dog-eared and smudged. I was determined! I tore up lawn and pulled up flower beds. You can’t eat flowers! And I needed space for all those healthful vegetables to eat and freeze for my husband, our two young children, and me.

I was a zealot. But after several years, I began to yearn for flowers. I’ve always loved them. I gift them all the time, and love getting bouquets from husband and kids. And if I’m feeling particularly generous, I’ll buy some for myself. After five or six years of nothing but edibles, I started planting a few tulips and irises. Then came the bachelor’s buttons, pincushion flowers, and rugosa roses. When I sold my house, I planted hundreds of gladiola bulbs for the new owners to enjoy that summer.

Verbena and vinca flowers among rosemary branches

I see the cycle repeating itself. I started baking bread in the 1970s, along with everyone else searching for alternatives to that white squishy stuff sold at the grocery store. My first attempts were doorstops, but I I kept plugging.

My obsession with mild French sourdough began over a dozen years ago. Again, I plunged into research, trials, sacks of flour and burbling jars of sourdough starter. Six years ago, I started teaching others how to bake artisan loaves in their home kitchens. All fall and winter, these classes focus on strategies using time, temperature and hydration to create lofty, chewy crusts, and open tender crumb. We have a good time filled with lots of conversation, flour up to our elbows, and yummy sampling.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I know woman cannot live by bread alone. I will not turn down a chewy, home-made chocolate chip cookie. I can, and have, eaten them by the dozen. But cakes and pies? Nah, not so much. At least, not until recently.

A couple of years ago, the fragrance and almondy richness of fangipane caught my attention, and a recipe that included cranberries (my favorite fruit) demanded I buy a tart pan. Now, I’m baking miniature cakes and tartlets, lemon-infused bundt cakes, ginger shortbreads and cardamom cookies, strawberry scones, panna cottas, and mini-cheese cakes — bite-sized delectables just right for high tea. I’m loving the sweet end of the baking spectrum. There’s a balance they provide.

Bees hum in the garlic chives

Nutrient-dense produce and wonderful sprays of color and fragrance – a balance valuable in the garden and in the kitchen. In truth, you can’t be a vegetable gardener without flowers. It just isn’t possible because every fruit and vegetable begins with an often inconspicuous swirl of petals. Similarly, the plants we cultivate specifically for their glorious blooms are as important to the health of our natural and human landscape. They lift our hearts.

I think baking presents an analog. Bread is, I believe, a critical staple in our diet. But cakes and tartlets? Mini-muffins and tiny pies? I’m beginning to see them as the flowers in our cuisine.

Sylvia

Success with Stockdogs (herding dogs) Part 1: their value to the farm/ranch, and the unique dog-handler relationship

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Deep Roots Radio
Deep Roots Radio
Success with Stockdogs (herding dogs) Part 1: their value to the farm/ranch, and the unique dog-handler relationship
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Border collie at work!

In this first of three Deep Roots Radio interviews, stock dog trainer and border collie breeder Denice Rakley describes the special human-dog communication needed to bring out the instincts of herding dogs, also known as stock dogs. Owner and operator of Clearfield Stockdogs, Bennington, Indiana. Denice will hold demonstrations on April 26, and a three-day workshop for all levels on April 27, 28, and 29. Another workshop is scheduled for the fall. To learn more, go to Clearfieldstockdogs.com, or Facebook, Success with Stockdogs. I hope you enjoy this interview.

The American Kennel Club recognizes 18 breeds of herding dog. There are dozens more, however, used throughout the world. These dogs help move flocks of sheep, cattle, and even geese. My Siggy, a Welsh Corgi, needs lots of training, but even now, his instincts help by keeping cattle at a distance so that I can move hay or tend to a calf. He’s part of our sustainable farming effort!

Herding dogs are divided up into three general categories, and Siggy is a driver, nipping at heals to get the cattle moving. The border collie is an example of a gatherer, rounding up flocks of sheep and moving them through gates. And still others, like German Shepherds, act like living, moving fences making sure their livestock charges stay within certain pastures and out of crop land. We’ll chat more about the differences among the breeds in Part 2 of this series.

Part 3 will focus on the key attributes to consider when purchasing your first herding dog or puppy.

You can enjoy dozens of Deep Roots Radio podcasts by listening online or downloading from this website or iTunes. Deep Roots Radio is broadcast and streamed live from the studios of WPCA Radio, 93.1FM (in and around Amery, WI) and via the Internet at www.wpcaradio.org.

Enjoy!
Sylvia

Farming ice and sugar snow at Bull Brook Keep

I have to admit – I really loved the thaw this past weekend – temperatures in the upper-30’s, sunshine and no wind. And that’s what did it. That combination of warmth and sun-filled breezes melted the snow, transforming snowy tractor tracks to rounded ice ridges, and making every level surface a skating rink. All across the farm, snow crusted over shoals of deep, loose snow and ice crystals. 16-second video: Farming ice and sugar snow

I had to move hay this afternoon, regardless of the treacherous conditions. It was snowing sideways, and every surface posed a challenge. My boots slipped and slid as I walked to open fence gates. Sleet encrusted the tractor’s windshield and doors. Fortunately, the engine block heater did it’s job, and the machine rumbled to life on the first try.

I could’ve never imagined weather like this when I was growing up in the South Bronx. And the thought of raising cattle and moving hay never entered my mind. But here I am, decades later, raising 100% grass-fed beef cattle in western Wisconsin with my husband David. And that means feeding them high-quality hay throughout the winter. (They graze grasses, legumes and herbs during the growing season.)

It was slow going today. A job that might take 15 minutes on a warm summer afternoon, took hours as I carefully negotiated ice-packed hills and crossed drift-filled pastures, often plowing my path as I went. When I wasn’t sliding on glare ice, the tractor’s nearly four-foot high wheels would spin in pockets of snow the consistency of fine sugar. Lovely to look at, but a real challenge to pull out of when I get stuck. And, yes, I got stuck more than once.

When that happens, I use the front bucket like a claw to drag the tractor onto solid ground. It’s an inch-by-inch process that can take forever. It’s one reason I make sure there’s enough diesel in the tank. Funny – the cows love to watch as I struggle.

It always feels good to get this chore done, to park the tractor and walk back to the house, my Corgi Siggy trotting along side. I thank God for my late-in-life journey from city-girl-to-cattle farmer. (And thank you, Dave) I’m grateful for this opportunity to gain a better appreciation for the work life-long farmers tackle every day.
Sylvia

New. Limited. Natural Veal – really

Veal wasn’t something my Mom put on the table when I was growing up in the Bronx. A dinner of pork or fish, rice and beans, and a salad was the usual fare at our house in the 1950s and 60s.

Veal also never made it to my shopping list in the 1970s and 80s, when I was old enough to stock my tiny kitchens in Manhattan and later in Duluth, Minnesota, because by that time, news stories told us that those pale cutlets were the result of calves kept isolated and in the dark. Ugg.

Now, here I am, selling veal! We’re offering our Nature’s Veal in limited quantity for the health of the pastures, the cattle, and for economic sustainability.
– Rotational grazing. Because we rotate the herd from paddock to paddock throughout the growing season, we have to manage the herd size to promote top-quality grass. We’ve reached our maximum herd size given the 72-acre size of the farm. Our pastures are lush and diverse, but can provide highly nutritious grasses, herbs and legumes for 35-40 animals during the growing season. It’s also about giving the pastures time to recover and regrow for 40-60 days between grazings.
– Cow, pasture and economic health. If we keep more and more cattle on the pastures, they’ll decline, and the cattle will require hay to keep growing and staying contented. Fresh grass is more desirable. An alternative would be to sell the extra calves to the conventional food system, where they would end up in feedlots. We don’t want that! So we offer naturally raised veal.
– Working in harmony with nature. All our cattle – bulls, cows and calves – are provided fresh water, open pastures and a natural diet every day of their lives. That means grasses, legumes and herbs on the fields throughout the growing months, and good quality hay in the winter. They never get grains, hormones or subclinical antibiotics. It also means the calves stay with their moms, nursing 9-10 months and grazing more and more as the season progresses.

A few of our grazing Buelingo beef cattle


Know that when you buy our veal, you’re part of a sustainable food system. You can purchase ground veal in bulk, or variety packages that include delicate, low-fat roasts, cutlets and ground veal. Order here.

Questions? call, 651-238-8525, or email,
Sylvia

The tough challenges older farmers face as they shift to retirements and strive to transition land to next generation – 2 interviews

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America’s farmers are getting older. In fact, the average age is about 57 years old. It’s an age at which many American workers look forward to retirement – putting long commutes, desk jobs, office politics, or hard work at a factory behind them.

Retirement, when you’re a farmer, looks significantly different because it is often a 24-hour-a-day preoccupation. It’s not only where you work, it’s where you live all day, every day. It is very much about soil under your nails, wind in your face, animal sounds (and smells) in your head. It’s about decades of caring for land and water, and scheduling your activities and life’s events in accordance to the seasons. How do you shift away from that? Or, how do you try to reduce some of the labor while staying in your home, the farm house?

Given that most health insurance in America is tied to off-farm jobs, how do you, a retiring farmer, afford health care? And what will you do about taxes?
And how do you transfer land to the next generation already struggling with student loans??

These challenges, and opportunities, are the focus of two Deep Roots Radio interviews with Karen Stettler, Farm Beginnings Program Organizer for the Land Stewardship Project (LSP). Founded in 1982, LSP is a private, nonprofit that promotes stewardship for farmland, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable communities.

I hope you enjoy the interviews. Part 1 describes the challenges, and Part 2 describes an upcoming 3-part course to help farmers identify and begin to address key issues for this life – and land – change.

Sylvia

Typing, invoicing, phone calls, map searches – getting our grass-fed beef to your table

I sat down to the keyboard a bit before 8:00 this morning, and now it’s after 1:30PM. How is that possible?!
Well, there were all those emails with a subject line I love to write: Your beef is ready!
Then there were the follow-up calls with customers to confirm delivery to drop sites in and around the Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN metro area.
And there were Google Map searches to find out where I’d have to make home deliveries.

Beefy soup!

And, of course, while all of this was going on, I was keeping a mental inventory of beef just picked up from the USDA processor. Hmmm, T-bones, ribeye, sirloin, chuck and cross-rib roasts, briskets and flank steaks, and lots more.
This is the record-keeping-and-communications time of the year that adds the final links to the food chain. To be honest, it’s a time I value and respect – delivering beef directly to the customer.
It represents well over two years of work on Bull Brook Keep farm.

BueLingo calves

It starts in the early spring with the arrival of our BueLingo calves. The herd grows sleek and fat as we move them from pasture to grassy pasture throughout the growing season. Midsummer marks the breeding season. We separate the bulls from the larger herd in mid-fall (away from the heifers too young to breed). Grasses shrivel as frosts hit and snow blankets the farm. That’s when we provide the cows with hay grown in our own fields. As the days warm in April and May, the cycle begins again. Dave and I work to manage our pastures and herd in harmony with nature.
Cattle that spend the last several months of their lives eating grain in feedlots reach harvest weight by the time they’re 16-18 months old. It’s a confinement approach that is often accompanied by subclinical antibiotics in the feed, and the administration of hormones.
In contrast, our 100% grass-fed cattle, take nine to 10 months longer to reach harvest condition. It means an extra year of feeding and care for us, but we’re committed to breeding and raising our beef cattle on grass – and only grass. No grains, no hormones, no subclinical antibiotics. And by practicing rotational grazing, our cows are contented and healthy, and the pastures improve. We’re seeing more farmers in our area adopting this approach.

Fresh air and sunshine 24/7


Dave and I made a home delivery last night, and I’ll be making several stops at drop-sites this week and next. It’s hard work, but to me it feels like a reward. When I hand over the boxes, it’s almost like placing a big bowl of delicious beef stew and a thick slice of homemake sourdough bread in front of a dear friend or family member. (It’s so much more fun to cook, when you’re cooking for someone you value.)
I thank God for the farming stewardship He has given Dave and me, and for the wonderful customers and friends walking the path with us.
Sylvia

Weston A. Price Foundation’s Sally Fallon Morell: the need to regain childhood and adult health with traditional foods, cooked right

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Weston A. Price Foundation's Sally Fallon Morell: the need to regain childhood and adult health with traditional foods, cooked right
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I usually introduce these Deep Roots Radio podcasts by saying that I hope you enjoy them.

Well, this time I’m taking the extra step to encourage you to listen for the sake of your health, and for the critical dietary needs of every infant and child within your circle of influence.

Over the last few years, news reports have pointed to research debunking long-held food “truisms”: that butter is bad, oils are good, red meat leads to heart failure, cholesterol will kill you, wine is a no-no, children should eat low-at foods, fat is what makes you fat, etc. What we’re learning now is that eggs are good, butter is better, pastured livestock provide critical nutrients, sustainably-produced lard is healthful, we need cholesterol to heal, it’s sugar that leads to obesity, we need to eat some salt, and more.

Bone broth & sourdough bread


In this Deep Roots Radio interview, Sally Fallon Morell, founding President of the Weston A. Price Foundation, explains how her organization taps science and provides cooking instruction to bring traditional foods and their preparation back into households all over the world. Yes, there is lots of scientific research pointing to the life-long benefits of eating like our great-grandparents did.

You can find a wealth of information – documentation and cooking techniques – on the Weston A. Price Foundation website, www.westonaprice.org; in their quarterly journals; Sally Fallon Morell’s books; and at the Foundation’s annual meeting – WISE Traditions – being held in Minneapolis, Minn., November 10-13, 2017.

Sally’s books include:
– Nourishing Traditions: The cookbook that challenges politically-correct nutrition and Diet Dictocrats (2000)
– Eat Fat Lose Fat (2005)
– Nourishing Broth (2014)
– Nourishing Fats: Why we need animals fats for health and happiness (2017)

In 2009, Sally and her husband Geoffrey bought a farm in southern Maryland. P.A. Bowen Farmstead is a mixed-species, pasture-based farm producing award-winning artisan raw cheese, whey-fed woodlands pork, pastured poultry and pastured eggs.

Sally holds a B.A. from Stanford University, and an M.A. from UCLA.

It was a pleasure to converse with Sally, and I look forward to meeting her at the November conference. There’s still time to register.

Till then, I hope you enjoy this interview.

Sylvia

Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin – how rainforest stories of “Green Man” fuel his values and demos of regenerative ag systems in Minnesota

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Deep Roots Radio
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin - how rainforest stories of "Green Man" fuel his values and demos of regenerative ag systems in Minnesota
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I know you’ll be fascinated by Reginaldo (Regi) Haslett-Marroquin’s new book, In the Shadow of Green Man. Get a copy at your earliest opportunity and be prepared for a memoir unlike any you’ve encountered. Half bio, half legends, it’s a page-turner.

In this Deep Roots Radio interview, Regi describes how and why he weaves his personal biography with the tales of Green Man, an alter ego that personifies the challenges, ravages, questions and watershed decisions within the multi-storied ecosystem of a threatened rainforest – the rainforest in which Regi farmed with his father and brothers as civil war raged.

Regi is the chief strategy officer for Main Street Project, a nonprofit headquartered in Northfield, Minnesota. He is the principal developer and engineer of the innovative poultry-centered regenerative agriculture model that is at the heart of the organization’s work. His focus is on multi-level strategies for building regenerative food and ag systems that deliver social, economic and ecological benefits. He does this work in the U.S., Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.
He began his work with Indigenous Guatemalan communities in 1988. He served as a consultant for the United Nations Development Program’s Bureau for Latin America and as an advisor to the World Council of Indigenous People. He was a founding member of the Fair Trade Federation in 1994.
Regi served as Director of the Fair Trade Program for the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy from 1995-1998, and led in the creation of Peace Coffee, a Minnesota-based fair-trade coffee company.
Regi lives with his family in Northfield, Minn.

I hope you enjoy this interview.
Sylvia

Artisan baking classes scheduled for Oct., Nov. and Dec. Get up to your elbows in flour and fun!

Beef, bread and brewed tea. What can I say, I really enjoy all three.

Dave and I raise 100% grass-fed beef using sustainable practices because of the wonderful results: great-tasting beef, happy cows, restored pastures, living soil.
I love baking bread for similar reasons: using healthful ingredients; employing the power of sourdough to raise the dough and to combat many of the anti-nutrients that make breads, seeds and beans difficult to digest; listening to the “yumm’s” when friends and family savor the loaves, pizzas or biscuits; and, sharing the baking experience with students. YOU CAN all bake artisan loaves in your home oven.
Oh, and the tea? Well, I just like milky, sweet tea – English style.

Please click here for the schedule of baking classes in Oct., Nov., and Dec. Classes will focus either on baking with sourdough or baking with poolish (the basis for focaccia, ciabatta and pizza). Classes are hands-on (minimum 4, maximum 6 students, unless otherwise arranged).
Register online, or send me an email and pay with a check.
I’ll soon post the January and February schedules. Email me if you’d like an alert to the schedule.
You can also arrange for private classes with family and friends. Just contact me to schedule, 651-238-8525, sylvia@bullbrookkeep.com

Bring an apron and prepare to eat well, to get your hands covered in flour, and to have fun!
Sylvia