Pigs love mowed grass

Pigs munching mowed grass!

Pigs love mowed grass. Who would of thought? Anyways... Short post because I am soooo tired. I Spent all day removing hundreds of FULL-SIZE dormant Lavender plants from my dads property. "Camano Island Lavender Farm" is being downsized, and I've never been more relieved! The annual Lavender bouquet harvest was something I always dreaded, but this summer it will be MUCH more manageable. Thank you Anthony and Dallan for being good workers! Mexican worker who RAN AWAY after working for 30 minutes: you are lame, and your orange hair made you look stupid. Anyways, I won't be using "that form" of labor anymore, too unpredictable. I'll stick with the good ol' local boys. Saturday is a workday here at Hidden Island Farms and I need to rest! Just a picture of the pigs showing "how they see things". So much has been going on the farm, I am so behind in posting, but I'll get around to it soon, and definently once I actually HAVE INTERNET ACCESS at my house, right now I'm in my car sitting outside the libary at Terry's Corner. My Dog-Livvie is taking a nap in the back seat. The chicks are not little fuzzballs anymore, theyre growing up fast. Ok, clothes in the dryer back home. Take care friends and family and everyone have a wonderful weekend. Plant a tree! Happy Farming!

Hardy Eucalyptus Trees Planted

The two Hardy Eucalyptus trees I planted the other day, before I mowed. These are just for looks, nice smell, shade, and landscaping. I hope they survive through the colder winters as I absolutely love sitting beneath a Eucalytpus tree during the summer (and eating a fresh tree-ripened Nectarine from my own tree!). Huckleberry Hedge is getting planted tommorow! Happy Planting!

Chicks, Chicks, Chicks!

So it's Saturday night, and I'm sitting in my car at Terry's Corner blogging about Chicks. Chicks as in baby Chickens, not the type I should be pursuing RIGHT NOW. Thursday the first order of chicks came in to the Country Store and I came in prepared to buy 10 so I would get the discount on a feeder,waterer, and starter food. I decided on 7 Rhode Island Reds and 3 Buff Orphingtons (Golden). They are egg-laying chickens, only to be eaten after several years, and then probably only in a stew. These little chicks are just a few days old now. They are living in newspaper-lined and staw-strewn cardboard box with a heat lamp to keep them warm. It will take quite a while before they begin laying eggs, but until then I have my neighbor Tammi, who has been providing me with fresh free-range eggs from her chickens. Talk about local, she lives just across the street! Tammi and I both want to build our own chicken tractors, and move our chickens around the property, eating bugs, and fertilizing as they go, but I might just opt for a traditional coop with access to the main fenced pasture area. If I do end up getting a cow or two, that would be great, as the chickens could help spread the cow pies and eat the flies. On another note, today I mowed my "lawn". When you have an area about 30 times the size of the average american lawn, then I don't know if it's really called lawn-mowing anymore, its just mowing. And I did alot of mowing today. The grass is growing so fast, I was surprised at how fast the basket filled up with grass. Instead of "wasting" all those grass clippings on the compost pile, I gave every bagful to the pigs, and they LOVED THE GRASS. Watching a pig eat huge mouthfuls of grass clippings puts a smile on my face. Is that normal? I wouldn't care. It was a funny site to behold. Speaking of the pigs: "Spot" the black and white one is one happy hog! And her brother "Pig", is growing like crazy! Until next time: Happy Farming!

WA State Bill Passed to establish Farm Internship Program

(Marshall's Note: More proof Western Washington is leading the nation in supporting small farming, and now specifically YOUNG FARMERS, which is incredibly important. WASHINGTON DC = BOOO!!!! WASHINGTON STATE = YAAAA!!)

By a vote of 95 to 2, the Washington State House passed a bill Wednesday afternoon to create a pilot program for small farm internships. Sen Kevin Ranker of San Juan Island, the bill’s sponsor, said “With significant help from farmers and labor we were able to create a pilot that will help us ensure we preserve family farms in to the future.”

Sen Ranker proposed the farm internship program to involve more young people in farming. “The average age of a farmer in Washington is 57 years old,” he said. “If we’re serious about promoting agriculture in Washington, we’re going to have to encourage younger people to get into the farms and get their hands dirty.”

As amended by the House, Senate Bill 6346 requires the Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) to establish a farm internship pilot program in San Juan and Skagit Counties through the end of next year.

In order to qualify for the program, farmers with gross annual sales of less than $250,000 must submit a written application to L&I for certification, and include the nature of work and how it will provide the intern with vocational knowledge and skills.

The bill now returns to the Senate for concurrence prior to being sent to the Governor for signing. Below are links for additional information:

Senate Bill Report: SSB 6349
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2009-10/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/Senate/6349-S%20SBR%20HA%2010.pdf

SB 6349: Establishing a farm internship program
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6349&year=2009

Hidden Island's first two pigs!

So last week I bought two "grower" pigs. "Grower" meaning that they are just going to grow until they are "market" size, and then be made into meat. They will be ready for butcher in several months. They arent typical "wiener pig" size, they are about 100 pounds, so they are causing some MAJOR rooting damage. I'm thinking of starting a side businesss of "Eco-friendly rotilling" or "Eco-Friendly Land Clearing" because thats really what these pigs seem to be experts at, ripping up sod, tilling about 8 inches deep! If you want to be able to experience these delicious pigs when they become pork, let me know your interested, and also what cuts of meat and how much you might be interested in buying. For example: 2 pork chops, 2 pounds of bacon. Hopefully I will be using the Island Grown Farmers Co-Op to butcher and process my meats, which will allow me to sell retail cuts of meat, rather than the typical "Quarter, Half, or Whole" animal which doesn't work well for most people, especially those with limited freezer space. Also if I use the Island Grown Co-Op it means I can put my own "Hidden Island Farms" label on the package, which would be awesome! I already have several people interested in pork, so be sure to let me know if you want to be on "the list". The picture shown above is the pigs after only 5 days, showing how much "destruction" they cause (to wet soil anyways). The dog in the picture is my Brittany (Brittany spaniel) puppy (8 months old) named Olivia aka "Livvie" hanging out with her new best friends. The pigs don't have names, I just call them: "pig" and "pig", and occasionally "pigs" (they always come when called! LOL) . The black and white spotted pig is actually a really nice girl, who apparently had no human contact before I bought her. She seems really happy to be living in a nice environment (her previous home was borderline inhumane) and if you pet her, she immediately rolls on her side to get her belly rubbed (if you have never rubbed a pigs belly, and heard the snorts of happiness, then you are missing out on one of lifes minor pleasures!). If she keeps that up I might try to keep her and see if she might be able to raise some babies. The pigs are eating a "grower" ration from Wolfkill Feed in Stanwood, WA.

I'm looking for Berkshire pigs. If anyone knows anyone who has Berkshire's, let me know please. If you don't know about Berkshire pigs, they are like the "Angus of pork" with good meat-marbling.

I also planted three trees yesterday, but that deserves its own post! So until next time, HAPPY HOEING! - Farmer Marshall

Hidden Island Farms has an official blog!

Well, the time has come. That is, the time for me to start writing my "farm blog" for all you curious people out there on "the internets". So, wether you are family, friends, a customer, or just interested in the goings-on at Hidden Island Farms, then this is the place to be. I'll try to post at LEAST once a week. Really I'd like to post every day, and post pictures and video also, but at the moment I don't have internet at my house, so for now I might be a little more sporadic. But if something interesting happens at the farm, such as getting a new animal, or planting some new fruit trees etc. I will try and post about it right away (with pictures!). For everyone with high-speed internet connections, you'll be able to enjoy watching video from the farm in HD (yes, Hi-Def). I can upload videos I took with my Canon HV20 HD Video Camera and post it to Vimeo where it can be viewed in full 720p or even 1080p Hi-Definition! Even YouTube has HD video now, so I might give that a try also, but I've had good luck with Vimeo so far.