Here are some interesting little tid bits that I found interesting. I hope they will help you. -Lynelle
Tips from Joel Salatin adapted from Acres USA Magazine
On Working pens and catch gate. These should be centrally located as possible to facilitate efficient access from anywhere. You should set up your system so you can run your animals through the corrals as part of normal paddock shifts to eliminate the stigma attached to corrals. Then when you need to lead your animals into the corral they will think that it's just part of the rotation.
Every corral needs at least three pens: one to sort from, one to sort into, and one to hold animals previously sorted or waiting to be sorted. Four pens are better, and five are better still. The catch gate should be located with three principles in mind (borrowed from animal behaviorist Temple Grandin) :animals like to turn to the right; they like to go out where they came in; and they like to go toward light, but not into direct sunlight. Designing the catch gate to utilize these animal desires will greatly reduce stress on both animals and people.
One final word on corrals: build them strong. Don't skimp on materials. Animal husbandry requires being able to check animals, sort them, weigh them, and handle them. If this chore always turns into a nightmare, very little animal husbandry will occur because it will be put off until it turns into a severe crisis. Build decent handling facilities!
I found a wonderful publication the other day on building Lanes it is called: Lanes That Keep Dairy Animals High and Dry (A3898) by Paul Daigle, Ken Barnett, Tom Cadwallader, and Dennis Cosgrove. It will show you how to make a great lane that will keep your animals dry. One of the most important part to grazing is the Lane. You have to be able to move your animals comfortably and help optimize animal health and pasture management. We use ours every day. It is a short publication 8 pages but it has great pictures and will give you a good idea how to make your Lanes work for you. It also will show you the best way to make stream crossings and explains different types of building materials so you can make a good decision when designing your Lanes.
This publication is available from the extension website: www.learningstore.uwex.edu or by calling toll-free 1-877-947-7827
Here is a Recipe that my family loves that I would like to share with you. Hope you enjoy. -Lynelle
With the cooler weather the grill is cooling down and the oven is starting up. We enjoyed a grass fed pork roast last weekend with sweet corn. It was excellent.
This is another favorite of mine.
Simply Lasagna
1 lb. ground beef
2 1/2 cups of shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1 container (15 oz.) Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Sometimes I saute chopped onion or garlic before the meat.
2. Meanwhile, mix 1 1/4 cups of the mozzarella cheese, the ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the parsley and egg until well blended; set aside.
3. Drain meat; return to skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Sometimes I also add a can of crushed tomatoes too. Pour water into empty sauce jar; cover and shake well. Add to skillet; stir until well blended. Adding water to the sauce helps cook traditional noodles during baking, so you don't have to cook them beforehand. This saves you alot of time.
4. Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce onto the bottom of 9x13-inch baking pan; top with a layer of 3 uncooked lasagna noodles. Noodles will expand to fit the dish during baking.
5. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup of the meat sauce over noodles. Repeat layers two more times. Top with the remaining 3 noodles and the remaining meat sauce.
6. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/4 cups of mozzarella cheese and the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with greased foil. Bake 45 min. Remove foil; continue baking 15 min. or until heated through. Let stand 15 min. before cutting to serve.
Makes 12 servings, 1 piece each.
Enjoy!
For all those foodies out there I am currently reading Shannon Hayes book "The Farmer and the Grill" A GUIDE TO GRILLING, BARBECUING AND SPIT-ROASTING GRASSFED MEAT and for saving the planet one bite at a time. To purchase Shannon's book www.eatingfresh.com it's more than just a cookbook makes you really think about meat.
