From Corporate Hogs to Real Hogs
November 25th, 2006 by Northern FarmerSaturday evening on the farm and things are wrapping up for the week. Sunday morning chores are about three quarters in place so I can do them in the fast version, racing to get done by nine o clock in order to head on out to church for services. This past week the weather here has been nothing short of spectacular, in the fifties, very little wind if any. Just plain nice out is all! But all good things weather wise in Minnesota come to an end, rumor has it that the hammer will fall in the next few days. But we’re ready, or at least kind of.
I haven’t written here all week and I come to the computer with not the slightest idea what to write about. That is a sign in itself that things are going good. But of course what I call going good is probably looked at by the rest of the world as disaster. We have different views here than many. A person don’t need a whole slug of money to be happy. And with the amount of money that we have after a disaster year, well, if poor people are really the happy people on this old ball, then we’re right in with the happiest! Cause we don’t have any temptation to go spend money carnally, not a bit! Money poor but rich in happiness, yup, that’s what it’s all about. But I can say in all of this that because of a heavy drain of money we’re in really good shape as far hay for the cattle this winter. No sleepless nights wondering how to feed that pile of cattle.
So life goes on here as always, things are changing as they always do on a family farm. That’s the thing about a family farm compared to a highly in debt industrialized farm, the family farm has flexibility. Now, I’d hate to have to farm where all we raised was corn and soybeans like the majority of farms in the Midwest. Go buy the high priced seed that produces a crop that nothing can eat, yea you heard me, feed that GMO corn to some hogs and see how well they do. Or GMO soybeans where the testing labs over in Europe found that second generation rats were all dying from eating it. Good stuff, eh! But at least we’re keeping the modern economy going where the very few get richer and want total control, where they want to spread every evil thing that there is into our families lives. Oh yes, now them companies even have the anti Christian family agenda, and farmers flock to do business with them because that’s the only thing that they’re exposed to in all the ag media. A media that is lower than any street prostitute. At least them gals on the street come around sometimes and repent and become valuable citizens, having good families and sometimes really spreading the gospel. But the big ag companies, and there ain’t all that many left as they devour each other, becoming so powerful that governments fall on their knees to them, but they aren’t going to change their ways one bit. Total domination of every aspect of society is what’s at stake. That’s why they support every agenda of evil, promoting them all.
But that’s the system today and it’ll be getting worse in the future. Whew, how did I get on that subject? I should be writing about our wonderful little Broom Corn harvest this year, it’s the multi colored variety. I figure that from that one little packet of seeds we got last spring that we now have enough seed to plant about half an acre. Then again, what are we going to do with half an acre of broom corn? I’m not that desperate to make a whole pile of brooms. But I’ll try to make one for the heck of it. Never hurts to learn a new skill, eh!
We gotta get going butchering these turkeys too. I never seen birds grow so big and so fast! Then get to smoking them here and there, just the way I like it! Hogs are getting closer to becoming ham and bacon too. I sure like raising them things. I was thinking about that the other day how years ago, and this isn’t back in the old days either, how so many younger folks around here started farming on a shoestring, buying some cheap feeder pigs and starting their own herds. A person could truly start with little of nothing with hogs, slap together some pens made with any kind of lumber scraps and have at it. The only thing that stopped this great entry into farming was again, corporate agriculture. You see, them folks are just looking to see who is making a living on something and then they take it all away. Make the money flow their direction and destroy the family farms in the process.
I was wondering about that this week. With more and more folks wanting to buy direct from farms and eat foods that won’t outright kill them, there should be some great opportunities again in hogs. Real hogs I mean, not hogs fed the same as in the factory units. And in reality the entry to the hog business like this would be cheap. If I was younger I’d do it. In fact I’m gonna probably do it anyhow. Them hogs are in my blood. Once you know what to do they have got to be the easiest animal to raise that there is. At least there’s really no predator problems with them around here, in fact they can become the predator which is something to keep in mind. Yup, raise up some OP corn, feed it on the cob, have them hogs out on pasture, (or should I say future field), and raise some of the best meat on earth. Maybe they would regain their status in family farms because they were once nicknamed “mortgage liftersâ€. That’s how this farm was paid off years ago, fairly fast too!
November 25th, 2006 at 8:49 pm
Hi Tom!
Yup, you’re right! Your weather is going to change significantly in the next few days. We had low 40s during the day yesterday and hit one degree F. last night. Today was in the teens with a real chilly wind. Supposed to get below zero in a couple of nights with daytime highs in the single digits.
This is all welcome news for our little, local ski hill. I started working with them making snow last night cuz for some reason, there’s people that like to strap boards on their feet and ski down steep hills really fast. Makes no sense to me creating artificial snowstorms but I help cuz close friends asked me to help.
Anyway, the farm of my childhood raised pigs and range cows and chickens and milked a few cows. Sure were happy times. Then we got rid of it all to become factory milk producers. They were indeed some good eating!
Stay warm my friend! Global warming hasn’t eliminated these frigid temperatures yet here in the northland. Kinda nice to have an excuse to slow down for a couple of months. By spring, get out of my way. I just can’t sit still for another moment!
November 25th, 2006 at 9:09 pm
Hey Steven!!
It’s cooling down here this evening, was just out there and it’s going down. But this beautiful November sure was a nice payback for the October we had here. I don’t have enough wood made yet, but I’m comfortable with the size of the pile for now. Can always cut some more one of these days, always do.
I’m with you on the slowing down for a bit, every winter I wonder how am I going to get that spring work done, almost looks impossible, then it just all gets done. Strange folks, eh. Look at work as something being so good. We’re going against the grain here Steven, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!!
Thanks and God Bless!
Oh, by the way for any folks reading this, I forgot to mention a new link here called Cooks Creek Chronicles over on the side of the main page, check it out. A regular commenter and friend named Guy has started a blog up Manitoba way!
November 25th, 2006 at 10:20 pm
Tom,
Definitely keep those pigs on pasture. I and two of my children helped a neighbor clean his hog pens today. He only has a few, but they were just about swimming in manure. In some places the sloppy manure was about up to the top of my boots. Tonight it will take some work to eliminate the hog smell that seems to follow me everywhere I go.
By the way, that moose in the western Twin Cities was shot when they thought it was going to try to cross a major highway. Might not work to send beef south on a moose unless you can teach the moose to avoid major highways.
Jim V
November 25th, 2006 at 10:30 pm
Tom, this is why you can’t stop this blog, you cut right to the bone of the issues! Keep going, it keeps me fired up and optimistic! Do you wear your Farmer Pirate hat when you’re writing?
November 25th, 2006 at 11:00 pm
Tom:
I had no idea what you were talking about re: GMO’s until I got the Future of Food video. Everything you say here now makes complete sense. In fact, the documentary was so riveting, I had a dear friend help me purchase 20 copies and I am making a pledge to get them in as many hands as possible. I have asked everyone who has purchased the DVD so far to get groups of people together and watch it or circulate it widely. I would like to officially declare a small family farm revolution as a result of this film. The only way to stop the crimes committed against this nation and our father’s land is to get the information out that is not in mainsteam or ag media. In fact, it is a crime against God and you are right it will get worse. God will not stand for this blasphemy very much longer. These seed companies have commited heinous crimes against God creation, the seed and even more vile crimes against people.
I pray Tom that you will continue to blog and do so with God’s strength and sense of urgency. In fact, I would like to shake up all agrarian bloggers to get with the program and start facilitating this revolution. I have three posts scheduled to come out next week on the farm crisis and I have made this DVD available through our country store opening next week.
My heart is heavy with the task God has laid on my heart to begin this work. I know that many will turn and walk away, but my prayer is that some will have the scales removed from their eyes and see the crisis for what it is. I pray that I will not be a lonely voice shouting in this desert land.
God Bless you Tom! It is so good to read your words!!
November 26th, 2006 at 10:10 am
Jim,
Trust me, I know what the smell is like! When we raised a couple thousand a year we would clean pens seven days a week and people would remark how come our farm didn’t stink! And if them hogs could run around out in pasture, well there ain’t no stink, or at least very little. We used to get premiums from a slaughter plant in Soutrh St Paul, back when they were still there, they paid us extra because most of our butcher hogs back then were raised on dirt! Said the hams were of a much better quality. Here’s an old hog raiser trick, if’n you get stunk up bad, say on your hands, clean em with toothpaste. Sometimes soaps wouldn’t take off the smell, such as after catching 40 pounders or something, but just scrub up with a dab of toothpaste and walla!
So that moose got murdered by them city slicks eh? I figure that’s what they do to people too that just want to be free! Well, I’ll have to figure out another way to pack beef down there!
God Bless!
Brent,
Won’t bow down on my knees to the modern corporate idols. Sometimes I just wish I could call fire down from heaven on them corporations. But, I’ll just wait and someday in this life or the hereafter will witness it! Praise God! Thanks and God Bless!
No official farmer pirate cap, although I should get one! Just the old farmer’s cap with ear flaps for outside now and sometimes my broad brimmed felt hat, a cross between a farmers hat and a cowboy hat, or something like that. Wouldn’t want to wear it to the rodeo and not to a farmers convention either. Well, at least not a modern farmer’s convention! Then again if I’d be at a modern farmers convention nowdays I’d be thrown right out
Christina!
I’ll have to get together with you soon about all this because I have additional resources for you that can be copied and spread with permission already given! I can’t do it because I don’t have the equipment here to do it, but somebody out there does and I’m sure will do it. Gotta spread the word about this deception! A person has to be very blinded now not to see what’s happening. And when a person preaches about it you come up against a wall of folks that call us nuts. Some of the worst are the religious with their own agendas. Sometimes I get the wind knocked out of me, but sooner or later I pick up and charge right back in there. The hits here on this blog have taken a beating over the past many months and sometimes it gets a guy a bit down, but then again I ain’t writing to please people. Ain’t writing so they can have their lusts justified by someone else. Let’s just say I’ve had an Isaiah Ch 6 experience and I got to speak it! And will! You won’t be a lonely voice, I’ll tell you that!
God Bless You All Down There!
November 26th, 2006 at 3:12 pm
Hi Tom,
Yesterday Jim was reading a book that I could tell sort of got him down. That is unusual for him. Today he was sharing at church time how bad the world has really become, and then shared Psalm 16, which my Bible titles: “The Hope of the Faithful”: “Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust…Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take up their names on my lips. O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh will also rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
We are in the battle with you!
November 26th, 2006 at 5:52 pm
Lynn,
Since writing this post last evening I’ve met up with two different people at different times that just had to tell me how they got to thinking how everything is going down the tubes. These are folks that I never expected to hear it from. People are wakening to the realization, something is wrong with this system. Nothing but corruption every way a person turns, and they call it good. The Psalms are so in touch with today it shakes a person. As is everything else in the Word.
Thanks for sharing Psalm 16 here.
God Bless!