Mates,

It's been a while, so hello.  Been busy and on the road.   It feels like summer is already over and OT season is waning, so a minor diary entry is on tap.  Let's start with agriculture and the status of things. 

I.  Chickens

Ag*   Specifically, let's talk about chickens, a primer of sorts.  Here goes:  Among the livestock we raise are two different types of chickens.  One type we call 'meat birds'.  They are for roasting.  They way we raise them makes them also 'pastured poultry' because we raise them primarily outside on grass.  Picture of a set up like ours here: 

Meat Birds   We will raise them in our brooder for about 2 weeks and then they are put outside in what are called chicken tractors.  See picture, above.   They grow big and fast, ready to be processed at 7-8 weeks.  We move the chicken tractors 2-3 times a day and they act as weed killers and fertilizers (n.b. chickens poop.  a lot.  and that poop is dynamite fertilizer).  Thus, we don't need pesticides or fertilizer, the chickens take care of it.  We used to do up to 500 birds a year but have throttled back with other obligations to around 100/year.   They finish out at 5-8 lbs each.  We sell a few, eat a lot, and they are like cooking small turkeys.  Throw them in the oven with some carrots and onions and it's like a mini-Thanksgiving dinner on a regular weeknight.   Cook two at a time and you have leftovers for a couple of days.   Without going into great detail, this type of bird is decidedly not the 'nervous' kind.  They are fairly mellow as chickens go and they like to eat and sun themselves.  Not too different from some of us.  Insert a picture here of you, on a beach, or at least on grass.  Holding a cool drink.  

Layers    The other type of bird we raise are called 'layers', meaning we raise them for the eggs they lay.  They tend to be more 'nervous' and sometimes a bit vicious.  We have had many different breeds of layers over the years, some more mellow than others, e.g., some are very 'nervous', as our favorite football coach has famously said.  Our most prevalent layers are called 'ISA-browns'. They are known for their ability to adapt to weather and their excellent egg production.  Like most chickens their peak egg production is the first two years.  You can expect a healthy ISA-brown to give you 6 eggs/week, even in the dead of winter, and 7 eggs/week for months is not unheard of.   ISA-browns 

Your whole life you have heard the term 'pecking order'.  Well, in the poultry world that is a real thing and it plays out in the hen house and in the pasture.  We have had a number of chicks born this year but the mortality rate is fairly high - the older birds go after them.  The mother chickens will try to protect but when multiple chicks are running around, there is only so much they can do.  The roosters have a pecking order, too.  Our main rooster was born here and has got to be at least 5 yrs old.  He is big.  He is mellow.   And the other two roosters steer clear of him.  You generally want no more than one rooster for every 20-25 hens and we're about that ratio now.   The big guy doesn't bother the other roosters but that's mostly because they steer clear of him.   He can 'fly' but his physics aren't the best.  When he leaves his perch in the morning he hits the ground like a small bag of cement. 

II.  Other Ag Notes

Berryland   It is that time of year.  The north part of the farm is bursting  with raspberries and blackberries.  Because of the June drought the fruit is smaller but it is very sweet.   Apples are showing earlier, too.  Good crop, but like the berries, smaller than normal because of the lack of precipitation in June. Come north and pick berries at a 'U-pick' farm.  Bring the kids.  

Corn and Hay - The Farmer's Paradox  The Lord giveth, and he taketh away, but it's all good.   We had normal moisture during the winter and spring, and we planted corn in mid-May, which is customary up here.   But June was d-r-y, like, r-e-a-l-l-y dry.   So the bad news was that our first cutting of hay was pretty 'meh' and that we won't bother with a second cutting.  However, there is good news with the dry June weather.  When you plant your corn you don't want the seeds to sit in the ground very long because they can get wet and moldy if it's cold, affecting or prohibiting growth.  What we had this year though was enough warmth and moisture to sprout and to 'canopy', meaning for the corn to leaf out enough to protect the soil from much of the direct sunlight.   Accordingly, we have a great corn crop going.   However.....this year, nationally, is supposed to be the 2nd best corn yield in history.  Thus, prices will be down.   Prices were near $8/bushel last year but have recently dropped below $5/bushel.

Not to fear though.  I have traded some of our corn for more hay.  Thankfully, it all works out, one way or the other. 

Importantly for some you, now is prime time for coming up north and buying sweet corn.  Up north corn is the best, and I hope you avail yourself of some.  Cook it right, bury it in butter and salt, and that is close to heaven.  We make fun of the cornhuskers, but give them credit for having at least one thing correct.  

III.  What does this have to do with football? 

Will you be angry with me if I answer that question with 'not much, maybe nothing at all'?  I mention football though because there are many among us who have kids in football camp right now.  Also, some of us coach.  High school games, at least in Michigan, start next week Thursday or Friday.  College game countdown is down to about the same and our beloved Wolverines kick off in what, 19 days?  

I will tell you as the parent of 3 current players, including one in college, that this time of the year is a bit unsettling.  You are used to having your boys home but a month before Labor Day the days change dramatically.  For those of us with college players they are gone from home now and you get updates about camp via chat or text.  You might get a few videos like highlights of training camp plays.  You are excited for the season, but miss your son.  You are excited that they will be playing, but worry about the possibility of injury.  You can't wait to see football again, but you have that underlying downheartedness that summer is ending or even over because of the change of activities and the absence of your boy(s). 

Ultimately you soldier on.  You get fired up for football. You watch film and you prepare for the next day's practice.  You dive into the activities of the day that keep you so busy and don't spend time lamenting that summer already feels over.  You tell yourself it is just days away from 'Football Eve' and you lean into it.  

Go Blue! 

XM

*Seth, if you read this you are again invited to the farm.  Bring your son, bring the family.  We can fill up a day that might be a type of therapy for him.  Prayers up.