Brittain Family Farm
(989)736-9532
"The greatest use of life is to spend
it for something that will outlast it." ~ William James
February 15, 2010
It is with much enthusiasm
and a bit of apprehension that we enter our 5th year of producing food for your
family. This year will be a year of many changes and a season of
transition for our family and farm. We are taking a huge leap of faith and
feel that through your continued support and investment in our farm we will be
successful in our endeavors to meet our family's needs and be able to
continue to serve yours with the food we grow and raise.
Robert's dad retired from
farming last fall after 40 years! We purchased ten of his twenty two cow herd
to begin our breeding program. This will be the first season Robert
manages a rotational grazing system with both the brood cows and stockers. For
the last four seasons, we have rotationally grazed all the animals we raise and
grow out for meat on a mere 6 acres. The thought of grass
growing on 80 acres, just waiting to be eaten, is simply overwhelming!
With the assistance of
Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund we developed an extensive cow and goat
share program. Through a share program like this it is now possible for your
family to consume pure, unadulterated milk from your own cow or goat based on
your family's preferences and needs.
Alcona Local Foods
Association, an organization I have been actively involved in since its
beginning two years ago, applied for and received a grant to construct
passive-solar hoop houses in
Last, but not least, we
sold Brittain's Asphalt Maintenance. The farm will now be our only source
of income. In support of everything good and assurance that we can
continue to provide food for your family for years to come, please consider
your order carefully and do your best to spread the word about what our farm
has to offer. We are counting on you, now more than ever!
In the beginning there
were eggs from a dozen laying hens, two pasture pens, and a dream. Look ahead
and see how far we've come!
Eggs
We will continue to maintain a flock of about 200
laying hens. We have also learned that in order to keep up with all of our
markets, seasons, and demand fluctuations we must start a group of pullet
chicks every winter. Our eggs are available all year from Mikado Market,
Nedo's Market, Freel's Market and on the farm. As soon as our pullets come
into lay, eggs will be available at Mr. Ed's IGA again. We apologize for
the inconvenience that this has caused and thank those who made the trip out to
the farm to get our eggs.
Stewing
hens
Stewing hens will be available every
fall. These are always first come, first served by order in which they are
received. Learning to cook a stewing hen for broth, chicken and dumplings
or soup is well worth your time. The flavor a stewing hen imparts in your
stock is incomparable to any other chicken we offer and it is the most
economical choice for a delicious, comfort food meal. We would be happy to
tutor you through the various ways to cook a stewing hen, if you have never
ordered one before.
Pastured
Poultry
With a desire to offer a chicken to suit every
preference, our farm has evolved to offer four very distinct meat type
birds.
Cornish
X
These are your typical, double breasted, fast
growing, hybrid meat chicken. This is the variety that we have raised from
the beginning and what you have received if you've placed an order for broilers
in the past. From a pastured poultry producer's standpoint these birds are the
most challenging to raise, have the most health and structural problems, with
the greatest mortality. Depending on the weather, we have come to expect a
20% loss in the field.
Freedom
Rangers
Last season we raised a trial rotation of these
birds seeking an alternative to the Cornish X. The finished average weight was
comparable to the Cornish X with plenty of breast meat. The skin and fat cover
was noticeably more yellow, which is proof to us that it forages for more of
its diet. The drippings and meat produced from roasting this bird is remarkably
rich in flavor. From a pastured poultry producer's point of view,
they are a pleasure to raise and pretty to look at too! The Freedom
Ranger's carry more feathering overall so they are better able to withstand
temperature fluctuations in the field and as a result are healthier. They
are active and alert and are less dependent on grain supplementation to build
meat. We had zero mortality. If we were only raising chicken for our
family, hands down, this would be it!
Heritage
breed
The
Cornish
Game Hens
They are back by popular demand! Megan and
Ryan raised these a couple of years ago and opted out of the project last
year to focus their energy on the lambs, ducks and game birds. We can't
promise that they will be a mainstay, but hope you enjoy them while you
can. The Cornish Game Hen is actually a pullet of the Cornish X breed,
processed at about 4 weeks of age. These are so versatile! Many of
our customers order these because of their small size; the perfect amount of
chicken for an individual or family of two and many others order them
because they can be prepared so easily for a gourmet meal to feed a family
of any size or for an extra special meal for your dinner guests.
Until last fall, we had always had great success in
raising turkeys. Right along with our tomato plants, we watched as one after
another withered and died. We were helpless over the cold, wet weather
that the poults had to endure on pasture and they just couldn't thrive in those
conditions. It was a miserable experience, but further proof to us of what
the industrialized food system has done to our poultry gene pool. We apologize
again for failing to provide your family with a Thanksgiving turkey, but feel
confident you understand that this is real and it can and does happen. We are
not a store and our supply is not endless. We do not raise our animals in
a way that all situations can be controlled. It is a risk we all share by
choosing this alternative.
Commercial
Broad-breasted white
Every person that has ever purchased a custom
raised turkey from us in the past has received this variety. The Commercial
white grows quickly and is broad breasted for plenty of white meat to go
around. The Commercial white, although a hybrid, is a strong forager on
pasture. Over the years it has been selected for fast growth under controlled
conditions, which makes our job more challenging because our turkeys are not
raised in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. Despite that
fact and last years catastrophe, the turkey remains one of our farm's favorite
animals to raise.
Heritage
Breed
We have chosen the Bourbon Red to raise as our
Commercial white alternative, for those that have requested a choice. The
Bourbon Red is not broad breasted so by comparison will consist of less breast
meat. They grow much slower, requiring 6-8 months to reach maturity for
butcher. Because of its' long grow out, you will most likely have to roast this
turkey slower and longer to get a juicy, tender result. We are hopeful
that this breed will prove to be hardier than its hybrid cousin. The heritage
breed will only be available once per year, in November.
Duck
This will be Megan's 3rd year raising ducks for our
farm's patrons and they are one of her favorite projects. The ducks are
entertaining and independent as well as delicious eating. As fun and delicious
as the ducks are, they prove to be equally as challenging to process. After two
seasons of trial and error, we have found that by raising them to 9 weeks we
get a more substantial carcass that contains less pin feathers. We thank you
for your patience while we figure it all out!
Goose
WOW! These are the cows of the waterfowl
world. I was amazed and delighted to see their grazing ability. Geese are
probably the most carefree, independent, hardy species we raise. We are
encouraged by this wonderful addition to our farm and hope that you will
consider one for an extra special holiday meal this year.
Game
birds
Over the years Ryan has raised Bobwhite quail,
Chukar partridge, and pheasant. Game birds prove to be the most
challenging project he raises, being wild and not domesticated, but he loves
it! This year he will raise the Jumbo Ringneck pheasant. This is a
hybrid variety that will grow to have a much larger breast. Females should
dress out at about 3-5# and males 4-7#. For those that have ordered from Ryan
in the past, please help him serve you better and let him know your favorite!
Pastured
Pork
Although we try to keep our freezers stocked with
retail cuts for your convenience, we would like to continue to
encourage you to order a 1/2 or whole hog for your freezer each
year. This is by far the most economical for you and the least time
consuming for us. An individual or married couple can easily utilize the
meat of a 1/2 hog in a single year. We will have pigs ready in April and
October. Please specify your preference on the order form.
Grassfed
Beef
We have sold out of 1/4's, 1/2's and cuts every
year. Because a calf takes so long to mature and the window for purchasing
one is so small we have been unable to keep up with demand. Again, we
would like to encourage you to purchase your own 1/4 or 1/2, rather than
depending on our freezer stock to serve your family. A single individual or
married couple can pretty easily utilize a 1/4 beef in a year. The
packages are vacuum packed and have the capability of staying fresh in the
freezer for periods of a year of longer. We will have beef finished in November
and again in July 2010. Please state your preference on the order form and
we will do our best to honor your choice.
Grassfed
Veal
For those that have given up veal based on the
production method, we have a humanely raised alternative for you. Lily,
Gentle's heifer born here two years ago, gave birth in December to a bull calf.
He is being raised by his mother and eating hay with the rest of his dairy
family. We are excited and thankful that we can offer this naturally
raised veal for your freezer.
Goat
The goats bring me great joy. Their presence
is a constant, unlike so many other things on the farm. I become very attached
to the does I care for and have yet to miss the birth of any of the kids born
here. Gretchen, my oldest and dearest doe, depends on me to remain close
to her all through her labor. If I even shift my weight to appear as I
might be moving, she will let out an agonizing blat to communicate that I must
not leave. Last spring, she actually laid down on my lap to deliver!
We have kids available at weaning for dairy or
meat. We do not endorse the practice of pulling kids from their mothers to be
bottle raised by a human. On our farm the kids are raised by their mothers, on
their mother’s milk, on pasture, to ensure that each generation thrives in good
health. If you have an interest in keeping goats to provide your family with
milk, want to finish out your own meat project, or would like to purchase a
goat finished for your freezer, please see the order form for your options.
Grassfed
Lamb
Megan and Ryan finished their first lambs on a
rotational grazing system last year. From the beginning, they were discouraged from
what others had to say about the difficulties of raising lamb and the
impossibility of ever being able to finish them without grain input. Megan had
been interested in raising lamb for years and was feeling a little defeated
before she even started. Much to their surprise, the lambs proved to be their
favorite project and as the season progressed they became SO attached to these
beautiful animals. The kids are tremendously excited for spring and to be
greeted each morning by the red, fuzzy faces on the other side of the fence,
waiting eagerly to be moved to their next rotation.
Our family was not convinced that lamb would become
a staple part of our diet. We had had great tasting lamb and not so great
tasting lamb! We were eager to try the
Dairy
Through our farm, you can now cooperatively own a
dairy cow or goat and pick up the milk from that animal from our farm each
week. This is how it works!
Cow
share
Each cow is divided up into 14 possible
shares. You can purchase one or more shares based on your family's needs and
then you receive the by product (milk and/or manure for composting) of that cow
in quantity of the share(s) you own. The purchase price of the share is
paid to the farm at which the cow is boarded, once for her lifetime. In
addition, each quarter, you pay to us the amount of money it costs to feed, bed
and care for her. Any veterinary costs incurred are not included and will
be shared by all who own the cow. We have one share available on our
Holstein, Lily and several available on our
Goat
share
We have divided each goat into 7 possible shares.
Like the cow share program, you can purchase one or more shares, based on your
family's needs for milk. Goat's milk is naturally homogenized, meaning
the cream stays mostly incorporated. Its makeup is slightly different than
cows milk and many people claim that it is easier to digest for this very
reason. A goat is more seasonal than a cow, she does not give near the same
quantity of milk, and her lactation will not last as long either. In
general, we milk the goats from April/May until mid November when they start to
cycle strong for the next breeding season. Once bred back, we discontinue
milking and allow her to use her calories for her growing kids instead of
milk production. This spring I will have shares available on Gretchen, an
Oberhasli/Nubian cross and Claire, a Nubian.
Produce
Hands down, our biggest change this season concerns
the garden; how we grow, what we grow, when
we grow, and the quantity of food we grow. The first year we
started to produce vegetables for market we grew in a garden that was
approximately 7500 sq. ft. This year, we are looking forward to planting
an area that covers approximately an acre and this does not include the indoor
production under the hoop house. Learn, learn, learn and learn some
more. It seems as though my whole winter has been devoted to learning how
to extend our growing season, along with planning for a broader selection of
fresh vegetables for our customers. Spring is almost here and I'm not sure I
even saw winter.
Summer
CSA
For those of you that wish our farm to be your
first and primary source of fresh, seasonal vegetables and are willing to come
to the farm for pick up, we are offering a CSA (Community Supported
Agriculture). The summer CSA will run from about mid-June until
mid-October and will include an average of 10# of produce per box, per share,
per week. It is our goal to provide your family with a variety of
over 40 vegetables and herbs throughout the growing season. We are looking
forward to the opportunity this provides for your family and ours.
Winter
CSA
Starting where our summer CSA leaves off, we will
offer another CSA that will run from about mid-October through
mid-February. These vegetables will be grown in the hoop house all winter.
Can you believe it? Fresh vegetables in January from our farm in
Please see the order form for the egg share
that can be purchased and run the term of your CSA (summer or winter). Prepaid
egg shares will be honored before all other production commitments.
Fresh, in season, produce
will also be available for purchase on Friday afternoons for 3:00-7:00 p.m.
starting mid-June through mid-October. We will try to have produce
available for sale on poultry processing days and we will also grow for
Alcona, Oscoda, and Tawas Farmer's Market.
On a lighter note, I have a story to share with you. While gathered at the
table for a meal Gracie asked, "How did a chicken get its'
name?" As all of us sat pondering an answer, Gracie responded to her
own question and this is what she said, "I know, I know! They
are a chick and then they are a hen......that makes them
a chick en."
We look forward to seeing
you soon!