Weather Always a Factor

Monday, January 30, 2023

Hello friends,

.....The weather is always a factor on a farm. If you want a weather forecast, ask a farmer because they are watching it closely. Sometimes the forecasts are not so accurate. Which day should we put out hay? Should we let the cows have access to the loafing shed? Do we need to put a stock tank heater in the calves’ water tank? Should we let the chickens out in the snow or keep them in the house? All dependent on the weather. We’ve had our ups and downs lately, but it looks like a typical winter for next week.

We are now offering Keifer with the KC Food Hub. If you can’t meet me on Friday at noon for our weekly delivery to the city, you can order online through the Hub and get other local farms’ products as well. There are a variety of our products listed with the Hub, but you can get everything listed below EXCEPT raw milk from us when we come on Friday. The keifer has a jar deposit so if you want to save the $2.00 deposit, you can bring a quart jar with a plastic lid. If you have a jar but not a plastic lid, I have lids for $0.50 each. In general, we are trying to reuse the packaging. Please return them clean and dry so our dishwasher just sanitizes.....

New Fridge

Monday, January 23, 2023

Hello friends,

.......The new silver fridge is humming along after a new thermostat to tighten up the temperature range. The dishwasher is working and a new part for the scrap screen is out of stock so we’ll have to wait to replace that. Next we need to reprogram the water softener that supplies the dishwasher and it will work better. We have identified two potential sources to supply our non-GMO grain mix. One is certified with corn and soy in the mix but about 30% higher in price, the other is using alternative grains like we had before with a similar price. We are trying the latter supplier so we can keep our prices where they are for the moment. Unfortunately the jars have gone up so we will have to pass that cost along. Jar deposits are now $5.50 for a gallon jar…

Keifer Available

Monday, January 16, 2023

Hello friends,

For the middle of January, we are getting a break on the weather. No snow, above freezing temperatures, and warm sunshine. I love our wood stove, but when the it’s about 50 degrees outside, we have to shut it down. You can only build a fire so small before it just smolders and back drafts in the house. Plan B is to set the furnace to come on if needed. Either way it takes less energy to keep us comfortable.

If you are on social media you may have noticed my post this past week. We make a good amount of yogurt every week and I have been making Keifer from time to time with the grains. It’s very healthy and full of probiotics, but very tangy and kind of a pain to keep going. Kind of like sourdough starter you need to keep feeding it or keep it in the refrigerator where it remains dormant. You can also make it by using a powdered culture. So, I bought some starter culture, and last week we made 8 gallons of gently pasteurized milk, cooled it to the proper temperature and added the culture. It needs to breathe, so I covered the jars with cheese cloth and waited. It was a little cool in the make room so it took a little longer but we were rewarded with DELICIOUS keifer! It exceeded my expectations! I still have questions like, how long does it keep, will it continue to ferment if we (or you) warm it up to room temp, and exactly how beneficial is it? I don’t know yet. I have made one gallon, as well as some half gallons and quarts. Unfortunately, when I looked to purchase more quart jars with plastic lids I was confronted with sticker shock! To replace the quart jars I am going to have to pay at least $2.50 each. Ridiculous. So, if you want a quart of amazing, creamy, whole milk keifer and you have a quart jar with a plastic lid, we’ll swap. I love reusing vs. recycling.....

Plenty of Milk and Cheese

Monday, January 9, 2023

Hello friends,

For a day in January, this weather is not too bad. At or below freezing at night, and sunny and above freezing during the day.....

Beginning next Friday the 20th we will be coming up to the city every week to make deliveries.......I’m hoping that will help you plan and will give us a more regular trip to the city. The cut-off time for ordering will have to be Wednesday evening so we have all day Thursday to prepare. Let me know if you like this idea.

This week I have plenty of milk and cheese!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Monday, January 2, 2023

Hello friends,

Happy New Year! All day it felt like a Monday, but then there were a lot of things closed like the bank and the dump, so we couldn’t just carry on with catch up duties. Interesting weather for January 2nd for sure. For several hours it literally was warmer outside than inside. At least with the humidity outside it felt that way. This evening we had to dodge downpours to get the cows and take them back. Watch out for those wet tails when milking!....

As many of you know, we have a small home fellowship that meets here on Sunday morning. Very small. Last Tuesday one of the members suddenly died of a heart attack. It has hit our small group very hard. Hal’s funeral is this Saturday in Pleasanton and Bill is officiating. Afterwards we will host a few refreshments at our house. For that reason, we will be closed next Saturday except for briefly from 10 to 11. Please plan ahead and perhaps come on Friday for milk. Thank you for your understanding and your prayers.

Reagan Had a Girl!

Monday, December 26, 2022

Hello friends,

We are still celebrating around here! We had the white Christmas, we had the family here, we had cookies and presents, and football. What more could we ask for? Health, yes, we have our health, and we are very thankful for all of our blessings. Now it’s time to get back into a routine again after so many fun events. Regular hours begin tomorrow.

Thursday’s storm was a doosey (spell check can’t seem to help me with this one). As I suspected, Reagan had her calf early, right in the middle of the snow and cold to be exact. We prepared for the storm by putting out big round bales of hay, straw bedding in the loafing shed, a layer of hay on the open floor of the chicken house, water in stock tanks with heaters on the ready, and a place for Reagan to labor if she looked imminent. And she did. Yep, Thursday morning she was in obvious labor when we went out to do morning chores. The snow was blowing, and the temperature was dropping. Front baby hooves were already presenting so we knew it wasn’t going to be long. We loaded the cows for milking, and they were all pretty excitable, with a lot of slipping and sliding on the concrete. Every so often one of us would go check on Reagan’s progress. Not yet.

Finally, we finished milking, and she still hadn’t had that calf. The temperature was down to about -5 by then and we decided that we needed to help her. Our morning worker, Gayla, has a lot of experience with cattle, so she was not at all flustered. She carefully exposed the calf’s nose, and with the next contraction Reagan pushed that calf out. Towels and more towels! Quick! Dry her off (yes, it is a girl) ! Calves are born very slick and slimy to make the birthing path easier, but that makes picking them up to carry them inside very difficult. Gayla grabbed the front feet, and I took the back and we managed to get her into the milking parlor on some carboard with a heat lamp overhead and a space heater nearby. We went through three big towels and got that calf mostly dry. Long story longer, she spent three days in the milking parlor in a makeshift pen and is now outside doing well. Whew! Reagan has since passed the colostrum phase and is officially contributing to the milk supply. Little Erin is vigorous and healthy. Praise the Lord!...

Christmas Hours

Monday, December 19, 2022

Hello friends!

It’s time for our annual Christmas letter. But first, a little information that you need. We will be open this week on Friday regular hours, Saturday Christmas Eve until 1:00. Monday the 26th will be LATE opening at noon until 6. Hope this is not too confusing. Here we go…

Christmas 2022

Hello friends and family!

Time to reflect and summarize another year. We’ve had ups and downs as most people have, but God is good, and He is always watching out for us....

Holiday Gift Set Special Still Available and New Store Items!

Monday, December 12, 2022

Hello friends,

…..I picked up an order from the KC Canning Co. while I was in the city today (and saved $41 in shipping costs). I have a few new items I’m excited about: Clementine Thyme Marmalade, Candied Jalapenos, and Black Garlic Pickles. I also stocked up on some of our favorites like the Red Wine Cranberry Sauce and the Pumpkin Butter. I’m sure those are seasonal so don’t miss out.

Still running the gift set special with or without the Skyview Farm cheese board. Now is the time to procure them. We can freeze the fromage if you want to extend the shelf life. We also have lots of quarter rounds and a healthy stock of all the cheeses in wedges. We are getting low on beef but not out yet…..

Skyview Cheese Boards

Monday, December 5, 2022

Hello friends,

Dreary, drizzly, foggy, and damp. But not windy. It didn’t feel like I got much done today, although I did. I was unmotivated to start a new project that needed to be started. Then it got dark so early! We are marching toward the shortest daylight day of the year. I’m thankful that there is Christmas to perk up the season. Maybe we’ll have snow?….

The cheese boards are done! I ordered them to be sent to Stephen and he worked on engraving them with our lovely, redesigned logo. It has elements of our old logo with parts of our cheese label logo incorporated. I love it! And the boards are so cool! You can buy them separately or included with the gift set. Seriously! Before you pick out all your Christmas gifts, you should check out all the items in our store. If you are thinking of waiting until closer to Christmas so that the cheese is fresher, you might want to reserve your choices ahead of time. Or you can purchase a gift certificate and let your giftee pick out their own selections. Don’t forget the jams and honeys, soaps and lotions, and of course CHEESE! All locally produced…..

Holiday Gift Bundles

Monday, November 28, 2022

Hello friends,

I hope your Thanksgiving holiday was delicious and rewarding. I originally wrote relaxing, but that rarely happens when you are creating once a year special dishes, coordinating oven times and temperatures so that everything ends up on the table at it’s peak at the same time. Not an easy task. I think we pulled it off at the Noffke house. Yum! Even though we didn’t raise our own turkey like we have in the past, we had plenty of delicious food. Now, and only now, it is okay to think about Christmas......

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a collection of delicious local snacks to either give or serve for the holiday gatherings? We have just the thing! Two aged cheeses, one fromage blanc, one jar of KC Canning Co. condiments, and one stick of Five Mile Farm summer sausage for $35. You can pick out the specifics, or you can take a collection that we choose. We also have Skyview Farm hats and cooler bags, soaps and lip balms, honey and jams, and of course LOTS of cheese. Engraved Skyview cheese boards coming very soon as well. Quarter rounds of your favorite cheeses are 20% off the regular wedge price.......

Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 21, 2022

Hello friends,

Happy Thanksgiving! My favorite holiday for many reasons. I love turkey and dressing with my Great Grandfather’s not so secret recipe, I love how it’s all about being thankful and they only have minimal commercialization, and I love that it’s a time to get together with family. All happy! I once heard someone tell a story about how they had all these bad things to complain about, how could they be thankful? The answer was to get more basic. Do you have a roof over your head? No? Do you have your next meal? No? Are you still breathing? Okay. Be thankful that you are still breathing. Everyone can be thankful for something, and usually we can be thankful for quite a lot!

I am thankful that the weather is moderating. A couple of days of winter-like weather makes me thankful for the 50’s. My insulated boots were starting to split at the right toe, so I knew I needed new ones soon. Then the whole heel pulled loose, and they became unwearable. My feet were so cold last week even with the wool socks. Sunday we finally had a chance to go to the Family Center (everything you could ever want for a farm) and I got a new pair. It is so necessary to have warm outerwear when you work in the weather…

Light Snow Falling

Monday, November 14, 2022

Hello friends,

A warm fire is glowing in the wood stove and there is a gentle drizzle/light snow falling outside. Nothing serious, just making us a little nervous. Leftover split pea soup is on the menu, and if I get motivated, some homemade biscuits with my apple butter. Bill has volunteered to help me get motivated.

The water lines for the pond water system are all blown out and the cows are drinking from the small pond directly, or from a stock tank that we are putting rural water into. We had to break a little ice a couple of mornings. Bill got some really nice organic alfalfa, and the cows are pushing and shoving a little to get their share. The little ones get the stems left behind, but it’s all nutritious….

More Rain!

Monday, November 7, 2022

Hello friends,

We got more rain! Whoo hoo! The last rain overran our leaf filled gutters and it was pitiful. You feel so helpless watching the water pouring over the roof and splashing next to the house. So, this time we got the gutters cleaned out, just in the nick of time. The storm clouds were already bearing down on us from the west and I was up on the roof, scooting along on my behind, tossing leaves over the edge. That’s the front and the north. Bill climbed the ladder for the back of the house, and we just can’t do anything about the highest gutters on the steepest part of the roof. Neither of us feel safe that high on that steep pitch. It was very satisfying to watch the 3 inches of rain going through the downspouts! And the ponds came up a good amount too! The next morning was a beautiful rainbow…..

Beef is Here

Monday, October 31, 2022

Hello friends,

What beautiful weather we have been having. Cool nights and warm days make for motivated outdoor workers! Bill has finished splitting and stacking wood for the winter. (Not the axe and maul style, but the power splitter) We have had one day that we made a fire, but other than that just a little furnace here and there to make it comfortable. The days are getting much shorter and I, for one, will be happy when we go off the daylight savings. I’m not a fan of it anyway. I can always use more morning light than evening.

The beef is here. Most of it anyway. We didn’t quite have enough freezer space in the creamery but it’s not worth buying another freezer when it usually comes and goes rather quickly. The butcher has allowed us to pay for all the processing and leave some of it in their freezers to pick up later. We have plenty now, but there is a limited supply. Bill says we should make the limit 20# instead of just 10# so you have more options. Also, we have soupbones and some bone-in Ribeyes that we pulled out of the steer. I guess it’s not completely whole cow ground, but almost. We had some for dinner on Friday because we have to know what we are selling, right? They are very good. Not Prime marbled, but very good. At least you know how it was raised. We will also have liver when we pick up the rest of the beef…..

Hallelujah! We Got Rain!

Monday, October 24, 2022

Hello friends,

Hallelujah! We got rain! I think it is still drizzling out there. Bill measured 2.5” in the rain gauge so far. So wonderful. This afternoon the cows came begging to be let into the loafing shed. Cool, wet, and windy is a difficult combination for them. They all found their spot in the shelter and promptly laid down, comfy and cozy. The chickens were in and out and under their house all day, but not ranging out very far. Our house cat “Babydoll” wanted to go outside as usual, but she promptly came back in. Then she whined and wanted out again. This went back and forth several times with her just tracking water in the dining room. Finally, she went out and went under the deck for a while. I think every gutter failed to send water down the downspouts! The wind blew a bunch of leaves down and we didn’t get a chance to clean them out before the rain. Ugh. Oh well, I’m still happy!….

Janie Had Her Calf

Monday, October 17, 2022

Hello friends,

It’s not unusual for us to get frost this time of year, but it looks like it is going to be downright COLD! That means we have a lot of preparation. Our pond water system can handle a little frost, but not the 18 degrees that is forecasted. This is the earliest that we’ve ever had to abandon the pumped pond water. It’s a complicated process of blowing all the water out of the lines, draining the pressure tank and the pump, and making sure nothing freezes and breaks. The pond is way low anyway, so it looks like we are going to start using rural water. Lord, we need pond filler rain!!! The system has a heat lamp on it tonight, but we’ll decide what to do tomorrow.

Then there are all the apples. I have most of the Ida Red apples off that big standard sized tree that I can reach, even with my 16-foot extended apple picker. The Johnagold is mostly picked as well, but the Fuji tree is not even quite ripe. I checked with Google and the apples can handle a freeze down to about 28 degrees without damage but unfortunately not the lows we are expecting. Darn. I picked a whole box full today even though they taste a little green. The poor tree is loaded, and it will all go to waste. Nothing I can do about it. Nope, don’t even suggest a smudge pot. It will be too cold for that.

Janie had her calf on Friday. ANOTHER MALE! I was so disappointed. I really wanted a Janie heifer. Over the last year we have had 9 bull calves and only three heifers. Argh! That’s just the way it is sometimes. The next cow to calve is not until December 24th so we have a ways to go. Janie is still giving colostrum transition milk but should be coming online in a day or two. She is a big cow and should give a lot of milk….

Calves For Sale

Monday, October 10, 2022

Hello friends,

What a beautiful harvest moon last night! It played a little peek a boo with the clouds, but the night sky was lit up! I have stopped trying to take a picture of it because it never looks the same. Just stop and enjoy the moment. I know that theoretically it happens once a month, but sometimes it’s just more spectacular.

This Friday we will be taking two beeves into the processor, one is a cull cow and the other is a steer that is half Jersey and half Angus. In a normal year we might have lush fall grass to finish the steer to marble the meat and cut out steaks. This year we’ll just go with lean whole cow ground beef since we haven’t had any growing grass for several months. It should be very good, but not juicy steak type beef. I’ll let you know when it’s ready.

The two little male calves, Travis and Harrison, are growing and being cute. We don’t really need two more male calves so if you have a farm and would like to raise a bottle or bucket calf, or two, let me know, they are for sale. Or if you have a nurse cow. Some people do, you know. On the other hand, if they were heifers, we might keep them. Janie is due to calve in about a week, so we’ll see what we get there. A lot of coming and going. I have everything written down on cards for each cow. When they were born, the parents, when they were bred, when they calved, and so on. Even when they move on, I keep their cards in the file because sometimes we look back at the ancestry. My little card file is getting full….

Emmy Lou Had a Boy

Monday, October 3, 2022

Hello friends,

Warm days and cool nights. I love it. I would love some drenching rains even better, but we’ll be thankful for the nice weather. The windows have come open, the sweatshirts are needed for morning chores, and I’m kicking piles of leaves from the edges of the sidewalk. There is a very bright star in the east at dusk which I discovered is Jupiter. At first, I thought it was an airplane, but it just didn’t move. The clear skies are nice for star gazing this time of year.

Emmy Lou had her calf on Saturday afternoon. I was looking out the window in the kitchen and I noticed one of the cows off by herself. Yep. I asked Bill if we were ready for the next calf, and he said no. Well, we had better get ready because there is a calf on the ground. It is getting dark earlier every day, and we wanted to get them secured in the barnyard. Coyotes can really attack the newborn calves and as it turned out, this one didn’t have the strength to get up on his own. Emmy Lou was actually anxious to follow the herd to the milking parlor, and we just put the calf in the back of the truck. Heifers are usually not that good at attending to their newborns, but we put them together overnight. It has taken a couple of days, but he is finally standing and walking on his own. If we were not there to intervene, that calf would have died, not being able to suckle. As it is, Harrison, as we are calling him, is fast friends with Travis who was born last week….

Kelcie Had a Boy

Monday, September 26, 2022

Hello friends,

Happy Fall! We got 0.6” of rain last week which helped, but we still need more. The temperatures are trending to more seasonal . The leaves began falling just all of a sudden! The cows are starting to grow their winter coats and we are starting chores with an extra shirt. I love the cool evenings and warm afternoons!

It’s a boy! Kelcie had her calf on Sunday morning, bright and early. We went out to get the cows from lane 1 and counted them. There should have been 17, but we were one short. Since she was looking so imminent on Saturday, we were not a bit surprised to find her and her calf away from the herd. She did a great job and since little Travis was still wet and not yet sturdy on his feet, we left them together and went to milk the other cows. Later, we found them quite a distance away, all perky and Kelcie was ready to join the herd. Milking her is a bit of a challenge as most heifers are a bit kicky and she is typical. She will settle down after a while, they always do. Well, so far my heifers always have……

Linn County Fall Farm Tour

Monday, September 19, 2022

Hello friends,

Still no rain here. Man, is it dry! It’s getting serious. And this hot, dry wind doesn’t help any either. Another “peak day” from the power company so they can add insult to injury by charging us more when we need the power the most. The cows are still resisting the hay, insisting on eating the little blades of grass down to the ground. Milk production has dropped because they don’t have a lot of extra calories for production. It is September! I am ready for fall. There are differing weather forecasts. The National Weather doesn’t have much hope for rain, and my “hippie dippy” weather app on my phone says 68% chance on Thursday. Let’s pray the app is right.

This Saturday is the Linn County Fall Farm Tour, so I wanted to remind you again. It may be pretty crowded like the spring tour, or it may be a leisurely day. Hard to tell. We’ll be tailoring the tours to the interest of the visitors. Some people want a quick look, and others want the complete explanation of the entire process. There will be cheese available to sample and to purchase. Bring your coolers if you plan on picking up some goodies to take home that need to be kept cold…..