Wow, it's scorching out there! Though it’s not uncommon for us to break 100 degrees, the fact that it happened in June is quite unusual.  Making matters worse, we haven’t seen any rain since mid-May.  But unlike last year, we had a pretty wet spring which enabled me to get in a cutting of hay.  The cows just finished the last of the grass, and we have them grazing in the yard now.  Looks like I’ll be moving them next week to one of our leased pastures. 

In other news, I'm preparing for the arrival of a new batch of chickens next week. Normally, I worry about keeping the chicks warm enough in the brooders, but now I'll have to find ways to keep them cool in this heat. The ideal brooder temperature is 95 degrees, so I'll be using fans during the daytime and heat at night. I'm planning to set up some temperature control units from another project to help automate this process.

Speaking of chickens, we’ve lost several laying hens to the heat.  I’ve provided a misting system for them to keep cool, but as this is a manual process, it requires my diligence to turn it on.  The piglets are keeping cool with a similar system, but they are much more resilient than our feathered friends.  The adult pigs have a nice big pond to play in so they’re maxin’ and relaxin’.

The heat is taking it’s toll on us as well. Despite the misting fan we use, the markets are a real struggle, especially for Molly as she is not built to handle the heat as well as I am. Despite my greater tolerance for heat, I can only work outdoors until 2 pm, and often times too exhausted to put in much effort indoors beyond that. 

 

We know it’s a struggle for you too, and are very grateful to those of you who continue to come out to the market in this extreme heat. The heat is much more bearable when we have customers to serve!  If you're looking to limit your exposure to the heat, we encourage you to consider pre-ordering. This not only helps us properly plan for the market but also ensures that you get what you came for, even if the weather throws us some unexpected challenges.

 

Thank you all for your understanding and support during this hot spell. We're doing our best to keep things running smoothly on the farm and at the market. Stay cool out there!